Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Oreovictim]

So what's the craziest thing a recruiter has ever said to you. I'm talking about something that really made your b.s. detector go off.

Yesterday, I had a recruiter who offered me a job in Yong-in, although I specifically asked for Seoul, not near Seoul. Her response: "I wouldn't recommend Seoul. The schools there don't offer housing with their contracts." Right . . .

[niftyness]

that is messed uP!!

[alphakennyone]

A common one is white lies about how far other cities are from Seoul. "Oh, it's 30 minutes by bus." Uhh...Maybe 30 minutes on a weekday at 2 pm to the very outer border of Seoul, but definitely tack on another 30-50 minutes to get anywhere of note.

There was one Western recruiter who I guess specifically worked for Wonderland but wouldn't mention it until you were an e-mail or two deep with her. Finally when she revealed the name the sentence ran something like "I have a position for you with Wonderland, the best academy in Korea."

Another one: "Oh, you don't want to teach kids. It's more of a babysitting position."

That may be true, but you're kind of omitting the possibility that babysitting might be better than split shifts.

Recently recruiters have been giving me misinformation that has resulted in extra work for me though. I was told I MUST get a letter of recommendation from my former Korean employers as it would also act as "proof of teaching" for an SMOE salary bump. Then I was told later that no, it had to be two different documents. So I had to hassle my past two employers on two separate occasions (one of which it is like pulling teeth to get them to do any work whatsoever)

[dean_burrito]

I might have talked to that same Wonderland recruiter. It was some girl from Canada. I responded to an ad for university placement inside Seoul which in reality was a Wonderland in outside Seoul. When it came time to renew the contract she got my name wrong even though it is clearly stated in my email address. Fool me once...

[louiloui]

Recruiter says, "We ask that you do not talk to any other recruiters."

Yeah, OK.

[Ramen]

You're hired!

[Zulethe]

Do you like Hawaii? Well cheju is exactly like Hawaii except the beaches are nicer. Also, you have to bring a liter of Chevas regal as a gift TO ME because it's Korean custom.

[Justsurfin12]

subscribing

[Misera]

"You must be doing something good, because we've heard rave reviews from your school already!" -- first week of observing classes (not even teaching)

later, I confirmed with my handler by asking if she / the school had ever talked to my recruiter. her answer: "Who???? Am I supposed to speak to someone??"

[Chambertin]

Dont worry, everything is ok over here.

[Oreovictim]

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

[alphakennyone]

Another one, before my first year. A recruiter was pushing me to send in my documents and claimed it was really important because she had already reserved a plane ticket for me (this is before I signed any contract). I didn't know at the time that booking a ticket actually means nothing in Korea, you don't pay until a few weeks later. Pretty lame sell tactic.

She called everyday and when I finally said "No," she replied "Oh my god" and hung up the phone.

[SFValley]

I got told by a recruiter that if I applied with another recruiter I will "fail" my application and never be hired for a public school in Seoul. I'm obviously working with another recruiter now... we'll see if her "never" actually comes to pass.

[alphakennyone]

^

I think that would only be true if you submitted your application package (application, reference letters, etc) to the recruiter to send to SMOE and they actually did so. If you didn't get that far, you're fine. It is true that you will be rejected if you apply to SMOE through multiple recruiters.