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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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Otherside
Joined: 06 Sep 2007
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:54 am Post subject: WoW! My recruiter is the biggest scumbag ever. |
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Let me begin with a bit of background.
Last year Jan, I left my hagwon job pretty abruptly. This was just after the criminal record check came into force and i needed to get another job fast. With a 6-8week wait for a criminal record check putting me into mid-late March, i was unable to wait it out for a visa run, and needed to transfer my visa. As you all know, the rules on this are very grey (and were even more so then), and i had worked under the 9months required. Every recruiter i spoke to, either wanted nothing to do with me, or, offered the most crap positions, or said I needed a visa run. Then came Mr. Lee he said he could get me a public school job, and transferring my visa wouldn't be a problem (I had a letter of release).
I was nervous as he seemed pretty clueless about the whole recruiting game and I subsequently found out that he was very new to the business. However, all his promises came through: He got me a public school job (which has turned out great), he told the school where I wanted to live (again it turned out great), and he negotiated an extra W100,000 a month salary for me (perhaps in lieu of airfare, as I was in country, but I never really asked as I didn't want the issue probed ). Over the next year, he occasionally called me up, asking how the job was going, but more importantly, asking me if I knew any teachers who wanted a job. The response I gave him every time was the truth: "Sorry, I don't know any teachers looking for a job, but if I do, I'll give them your details." Subsequently when there was some confusion with issues at my school, my co-teacher called up him up, and he often helped out (i.e. when I renewed my visa mid contract, because I transferred my visa, the school didn't want to pay, but he suggested they should, and they did).
Sorry for rambling, I'll get to the point soon, come November last year, he asked me if I was happy with my school, and whether I wanted a new job (he offered "great jobs" in a "great area"...which were really standard ps jobs in a decent area which I personally hated, long story). I said I was happy with my school and I was renewing (which I did), he also asked if I knew teachers etc. An exact repeat of this conversation happened in December, and Jan. Personally, I didn't really blame him for trying to get commission from the same teacher twice. At this point, although he came across as really sleazy, and I wouldn't want to use him ever, the fact was he DELIVERED, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Fast forward to today. Today he calls me up again, (at 3pm, when I would be at school). 2 minutes of small talk, and then he asks me am I looking for a job for next year? I told him, that now is March, my contract expires at the end of Feb2010, and I have no idea what I'm doing next year (all the truth.) and that he should contact me closer to the time. His reply, is that its a real pity I renewed my contract with my school as he has the same "great jobs" in the "same great area". He also says that they have a busy afterschool program so I'll earn "much more money", needless to say he doesn't include the fact that I get 150K in allowances and 200K from OT (so 350K more a month) and 5 extra days vacation + discretionary school holidays and leaving at lunch time during summer camps etc.
Anyways, I decide to keep him sweet and say again, I don;t know now, but contact me closer to the time. He then says that he spoke to my VP (we got a new one this year) and he thinks that my VP is a very selfish man, who thinks he is great but he doesn't really know anything, he also said that he thinks my VP doesn't like me (he's korean, he would know...is what he said) and that I would be much better off at another school. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say 80% he is BSing and 20% there is some truth, but the fact that he is spreading such information which can only cause problems in order to poach a teacher that he himself recruited is dispicable. My major worry now is, that he may have spread similar information in the other direction which would make my school really unhappy.
Oh and finally, throughout the year he has repeatedly offered me part-time work (he has a hagwon I think) even though he is well aware it is illegal, and i've reminded him of this every time, just in case.
Sorry for the rant. |
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Teelo

Joined: 09 Oct 2008 Location: Wellington, NZ
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:01 am Post subject: |
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tl;dr version please |
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Toon Army

Joined: 12 Mar 2007
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:07 am Post subject: |
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who is the recruiter then? |
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ChinaBoy
Joined: 17 Feb 2007
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 6:05 am Post subject: |
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Calling and offering you work? What a scumbag!! |
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moosehead

Joined: 05 May 2007
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 6:16 am Post subject: |
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OP - he's calling you on your cell phone, right?
don't answer any more. he'll give up.
seriously - let it go - he's not going to do anything. if you are worried, go talk to your vp and just tell him you want nothing more to do w/the guy - believe me, recruiters have terrible reps among Ks also - don't give this guy more power than he has.
it'll be ok, ok?  |
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Otherside
Joined: 06 Sep 2007
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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ChinaBoy wrote: |
Calling and offering you work? What a scumbag!! |
I think you missed the jist of the post. I have no problem with a recruiter offering me work, heck I didn't really mind that he phoned me up about 8 times over the year asking if I had any friends (no offer of a finders fee or anything), nor did I mind that he tried to offer me an ILLEGAL second job. But when he stoops as low as to spread lies regarding my VPs opinion of me in order to get me to leave my current school (which he recruited me to, and was paid), I draw the line here. |
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Otherside
Joined: 06 Sep 2007
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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moosehead wrote: |
OP - he's calling you on your cell phone, right?
don't answer any more. he'll give up.
seriously - let it go - he's not going to do anything. if you are worried, go talk to your vp and just tell him you want nothing more to do w/the guy - believe me, recruiters have terrible reps among Ks also - don't give this guy more power than he has.
it'll be ok, ok?  |
Ye, I'm not gonna answer his calls anymore. I'm not that worried, and I won't talk to my VP (as he doesn't speak english and there's no need to complicate things). |
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sharkey

Joined: 12 Oct 2008
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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too long to read, can someone summarize plz ? let me take a stab at it .... my recruiter screwed me over?? |
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ekul

Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Location: [Mod Edit]
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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Teelo wrote: |
tl;dr version please |
Teelo, was it the WoW that made you open this thread? tl;dr version, i'm being bugged by my recruiter.
Surprised you didn't try and get some more annoying internet meme's in your post. but 'meh' |
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matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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I'd tell him to get lost.
I never expect recruiters to follow up on my sojourn in Korea. Most won't and I happy they don't.
Perhaps he got lucky with you. Just tell him it's his responsibility to find more fish. |
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ekul

Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Location: [Mod Edit]
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:28 pm Post subject: |
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matthews_world wrote: |
I'd tell him to get lost.
I never expect recruiters to follow up on my sojourn in Korea. Most won't and I happy they don't.
Perhaps he got lucky with you. Just tell him it's his responsibility to find more fish. |
That's just your experience though. I'm friends with mine. She organises days out for us, trips to everland, x-mas meals and next month we are going paint balling. She is Korea-american and 100% bilingual and extremely sound. She obviously understands the value of word of mouth and knows that organising a few trips is pretty beneficial to her business.
If you don't expect recruiters to follow you up or help with a few problems then why even use one? In that case they do virtually nothing for their money, you would be better off applying directly to a school. The first time you come to Korea I can understand using a recruiter, but if you expect nothing more than just a link up, why use them again? |
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Robot_Teacher
Joined: 18 Feb 2009 Location: Robotting Around the World
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:22 pm Post subject: |
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Are we talking World of Warcraft? WoW! He's a gunner! |
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