Korean Job Discussion Forums

[danbk99]

I have worked in IT for the past 10 years. (and nothing before that is very 'teaching' oriented either.) and am considering teaching english in Korea. When they ask for a resume, do i just give them my IT-related resume?
I don't see how i could doctor it up any further, really.
I'm not interested in your opinion on why i would go teach in Korea, just on what kind of resume i should give them.

[climber159]

I'd tailor it at least some towards teaching. Were you ever in a leadership position (even just a little bit)? If so, make this obvious in your resume/cover letter. You don't need to give all the details about your IT positions as they're not really relevant and the recruiters/school won't really care. They're basically looking for someone who has a degree from an English-speaking country, is decent looking, and can handle working with kids who don't necessarily want to learn English.

Jobs are starting to become more competitive in areas that weren't just a year ago so I'd suggest you polish up that cover letter to reflect teaching/leadership experiences, why you want to teach ESL in Korea, and what your teaching philosophy is. It'd probably also do you some good to research ESL lessons, theories, and disciplines prior to your interviews as you'll likely be asked questions in at least one of those areas.

[okayden223]

You have 10 years experience in IT and you're coming to Korea? While teaching at my last position I went to Thailand for a couple of weeks after my camps were done. A friend from high school was teaching in Chiang Mai and she introduced me to a friend of hers. This guy does web design for clients in the U.S. who outsource to him because of how much lower the cost of living is. I don't know what his hourly rate is, but the guy rents a huge house, owns a truck and a motorcycle and is engaged to this incredibly beautiful Thai girl there. Honestly man if you have any design skills, as opposed to the network side, I'd strongly consider something like that. None of the headaches of teaching, friendlier culture, more places to travel within the country, better food, lower cost of living, etc. Think about it man.

[Kikomom]

Trim it down to the bare bones, brief but inclusive. Basically you want to show them continuity in employment. List the places you've worked--names, addresses, phone numbers--dates, and a basic description of duties performed along with specific accomplishments. If they 'see' IT in it, so be it. A letter or two of recommendation on hand wouldn't hurt, stating 'References upon request'.

As Climber said, write a cover letter where you will want to explain why you want to be a teacher, what experience you hope to gain (for your personal growth), and your teaching philosophy, and thanking them for the opportunity, bla bla bla.