Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ro2]

Hi there,

I'm a native english speaker with postgraduate level education, hoping to start teaching in South Korea at the end of August or start of September. For the last few months, i've been liaising with a recruitment agency in order to organise a job for this time period. Last week, they got me an interview and....I was a bit disappointed with the location. It's in a small town of around 100,000 people, "about 30 mins on the KTX from Busan"

The reason i'm disapointed is that, when teaching english in korea was recommended to me (which it was, plenty of times), it was by people who'd lived in the larger cities like busan, daegu, seoul. A lot of what they liked about the job and life e.g. decent social life, plenty of things to do, would be much less present in a small town. I expressed my reservations to the agency and they said that my lack of teaching experience and lack of an american/canadian background (i'm from ireland) puts me at a competitive disadvantage, so i'm less likely to find work in the larger cities. I understand that i'm at a disadvantage - yet, the people I know who've done the job, and in the larger cities, have been of a similar educational/professional background to myself and of non-american/canadian background. I guess, with this context, I have two questions.

Firstly, do you agree that someone with an irish accent and no teaching experience is likely to end up outside the larger cities (even if he meets the other qualifications, e.g. native english with clear speaking voice, master's degree)? Or do you suspect that the recruitment agency is talking nonsense?

Secondly, do you think I'm right in fearing that life in korea's small town would be much less enjoyable than the larger cities for a twenty-something year old single guy going to korea on his own? Or should I just be grateful at having gotten an interview anywhere at all?

Thanks in advance for any replies

[Johnysuth]

[blonde researcher]

Which city is the job is in? It sounds like the city of Miryang which is a main train stop 30 min north on the main KTX line from Busan, and about 30 min from the next stop Daegu. An excellent location really for transport. Really easy to get to both Daegu and Busan in very quick time for extra social life. There are not many main stops on the KTX.
Miryang has plenty of facilities and many foreign teachers there, especially now in the public schools. Is this a public school of a hagwon?

[Ro2]

[ajmg8808]

Go to this website:

http://www.teachenglishinkorea.org/

He is an American recruiter, who will still keep in touch with you after you are here and help you with any difficulties, his name is Brad. I am in Seoul and I love it, some problems with employer, but nothing I can't handle. There is a ton of information on the website also about the country and about the Visa process. You can choose where you want to be and the money you want to make. Hope this helps.

[Shaunad]

hello ro2, I was just wondering which recruiter you used? Im in the same boat as you- from Ireland, first time! Im with a recruiter who just sends me interviews for every location apart from Seoul and Busan the two im willing to go to.

I was getting a bit stressed because I really want to go to Korea, however I was talking to a few people an they told me to hold tight and wait until something comes up. Its painful waiting but I either want to be in Seoul or Busan and I know I defiantly do not want to be in the back of beyond stranded!!

[okayden223]

Hey OP...one thing to remember that serves as a rule for industrialized Asia. Take the population of a given place and divide it by 3. Then decide if you'd still want to live there. You can do much better than a town of 100k, which is guaranteed to be a bit on the boring side. I lived in a city about an hour from Seoul that had about 250k people and it still left a lot to be desired. However there was a hagwon there that two Scottish teachers worked at and they had a nice apartment too. Don't settle for the tiny cities. Obviously there are children there that could benefit from your instruction but you have to remember that South Korea is a culture shock and a half for most. There is very little emphasis on leisure and in the small towns you may struggle to develop a social network. That being said, everyone is different and you might enjoy it, but I know I wouldn't settle for a small town again. Just my 2 cents.

[okayden223]

Also if you're trying to live in or close to Seoul in a decent sized city I'd look into either www.asknow.ca or www.esl411.com . Both are very good from what I've experienced. On the east coast I'd contact www.kimnjoe.com for a chance at a job in Busan or any other decent city in that area. Good luck!

[PRagic]

Nobody is holding a gun to your head, OP. Simply tell the recruiter NO, and that you ONLY want to work IN Seoul or Pusan. Period. For all we know, recruiters get paid a premium for getting unsuspecting bewbies to sign on for schools in the sticks. Their loyalties are to the paying party, not you.

And use as many recruiters as you can find. No reason to listen to or work through just one. Remember, a year can be a long time when your situation blows. Take your time now and find something that at least resembles your desired location and job.

[Chambertin]

Each person has a different expectation.

I like being just outside the big city on a major travel route.
Any chance you could pass that job to me?

In Japan I was in a smaller town outside Kyoto / Osaka on the Shikansen. (KTX equivalent) I was close enough for all the fun, far away enough to save money. Plus it was good chance to interact with the locals.
I really doubt I would've had as much fun if I was stuck in tourist/ESL bar #5 outside of subway station #8. Still, I bet thats much more entertaining during the week.
It all depends on if you want to learn the language and meet the locals. I did, and plan to again.

I took a job further out in nowheresville this time, but as I says happy to take yours if it�s a public school.

(EDIT):
As many say your recruiter is there to get paid. I turned down jobs and worked with a few different recruiters. I picked a job that looked good to me and am looking forward to it. However Bunsan looks better and better for a match to my attitude so I'm always open to upgrading. I'm still working with two recruiters now after recieving confrimation. Life could still suck once you show up ...

Feel free to PM if you want any more details, but remember I am not in Korea yet so any of my recommendations are based solely on how they work with you and the sincerity of the person. I could easily get screwed hard now matter how much I investigate prior to arrival.

[PRagic]

Yes, to each their own. But when I first came over, I was rarely in 'foreign pubs or neighborhoods', I consistently sought out interaction with the locals, and managed to immerse myself in the culture to a good degree; I was in Seoul. I was the only foreigner in my neighborhood (on the orange line), and at that time, there was no subway to Itaewon.

I was also, living in Seoul, supremely connected to transport and managed to travel the better part of the penninsula in my free time over the first couple of years here.

Seoul is big. You get it all. You're connected to the rest of the country.

Sorry, but I remain fiercely 'pro Seoul'.

[henrybuz]

Hey everyone! I'm new here, but I've quickly discovered how awesome (and overwhelming) this site is.

So I've recently received emails from these recruiting companies: SeriousTeachers, Wanted Recruiting Agency, Smile English, ATOP, and FunWork.

Have any of you worked with any of them? What are your opinions? I will greatly appreciate you sharing your wisdom

[thoreau]

[Totti]

[PRagic]

I always get a kick out of it when people 'highly recommend' a recruiter. There's nothing to recruiting. It's not a skill. It's not rocket science. It's doing some leg work trying to find hakwons that will pay you. It's helping a foreigner get their ducks in a row so that they can take a job in Korea.

Use every single recruiter out there. The only difference between any of them in any given personal situation is the quality of the job they happen to have to introduce you to on any given day. There's a reason they give you the, 'Oh, it's close to Seoul,' or 'Oh, it's on a major transpotation hub,' business. Schools in those areas can't get teachers, and even if they can, they can't get teachers to stay!

Why? Because people want to work in major metropolitan areas for the most part. Koreans, too. Who am I to argue with over 25% of the native popluation who want to live in the capital area? Korean men in the countryside are importing foreign brides because no Korean women will live there. Balanced regional development in Korea up until now has meant making smaller cities better. And still incoming newbies want to live in the sticks 'to experience Korea'? That's not Korea, that's a sliver of Korea's past. If you want to 'go native', go to a city. They have.