Korean Job Discussion Forums

Gruzinka · Joined: 10 Sep 2009

I just received an email from a recruiter saying that a public school in Ulsan wants to hire me. Here's the thing, I didn't have an interview with the school I just filled out the application the recruiter sent me. I know the job market is tough these days and while I think I'm a good applicant I know my credentials are not that uncommon to come by. Isn't it a little weird that a school would be so quick to hire someone without even speaking to them, especially now when schools have the upper hand in terms of hiring?

The other thing that has me really sketched out is that my recruiter sent me a sample contract that's very vague about where I'll work. They want me to sign the sample contract and send them all my documents and THEN the school will send me my official contract. I'm working with what's supposed to be a reputable agency but the lack of information is worrying me. What questions should I ask the recruiter or should I just walk away from this right now?

Any advice is appreciated.

cruisemonkey · Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:25 pm Post subject:

A request to sign a 'sample' contract Rolling Eyes

that is vague about where you will be working should be 'telling' you to put on your Nikes - walk, jog, run...

Gruzinka · Joined: 10 Sep 2009

Yeah that's what I thought but I just needed it confirmed. Also can I ask what the standard interview procedure is with recruiting agencies and schools? Should I expect a phone interview after an intial application to a school? Should I receive a contract that's tailored to my application and work out the contract details with the school before I send any of my documents overseas?

Also what do I do about this recruiter now? Should I tell them I'm not interested because the offer is too vague but give them a second shot or do you think it's best to steer clear of them altogether?

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Who is the recruiter?

Problem is, once they have your documents and they apply with some school, the gov't won't allow you to use another recruiter for a different job. They could bain-n-switch you.

Gruzinka · Joined: 10 Sep 2009

It's through Footprints which I heard was a fairly good agency. They said this wasn't a job through EPIK and that I would be hired at the city level. Will this still effect applying to other PS positions even if they are not in Ulsan?

ekul · Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Location: [Mod Edit]

I was hired by the city also, but for all intents and purposes I work for GEPIK. I use their contract, went to their orientations and my co-teacher lives by their guidebook. I wish I understood the difference.

Gruzinka · Joined: 10 Sep 2009

Was the hiring process similar? How do you like teaching there?

D.D. · Joined: 29 May 2008

As much as I hate Footprints they won't screw you around with a bait and switch.

ekul · Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Location: [Mod Edit]

storysinger81 · Joined: 25 Mar 2007 Location: Daegu

Public schools rarely interview teachers themselves prior to hiring (I was an exception since I was already in-country and applying to a foreign languaage high school). And the sample contract is PROBABLY the standard EPIK contract (it is available from the website).

Footprints places a LOT of PS teachers in Ulsan and the ladies I met working there were all really happy with their placements and their recruiter.

Gruzinka · Joined: 10 Sep 2009

Ok so all of this sounds a little more reassuring but the big question is, is it normal to sign a sample contract, send over all your documents and then sign your actual contract? I would proceed with this offer and see where it goes except I'm nervous that once I sign this sample contract I won't be able to negotiate later on when it comes time to sign my *real* contract.

Also is it common/worth while to request pictures of the school and living accomodations before signing a contract? ...Sorry if all these questions seem really obvious but this is my first time teaching in Korea and I don't know what's considered standard practice.

storysinger81 · Joined: 25 Mar 2007 Location: Daegu

You can't negotiate much with the PS/EPIK contracts. They're done by the government. I do encourage you to ask these questions (like if you can talk to the departing native teacher or what the schedule might be like or if you can talk to your future co-teacher), but if they say no it might not be as much of a red flag as it might seem, especially if you're the first foreign teacher to work at that school. They do everything last-minute here.

When you get to your school, you can make requests about your housing conditions and such (for example, last year I requested and got a table and chairs for my house--others have had their accommodations moved because the conditions were unacceptable). However, generally Koreans do not respond well to demands made about these things from afar, so I'd wait until you get here and see what's what to make those kinds of requests. What you get in terms of housing and schedules and other such things will be directly related to the quality of your relationship with your school/principal/co-teacher.

cruisemonkey · Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 4:46 pm Post subject:

There is absolutely no reason to sign a vague 'sample' contract. To do so is at your peril and you can expect to held to the exact terms of what you sign... no matter what you are promised.

Insist on the actual contract... or nothing!

oldenew · Joined: 25 Aug 2009

Gruzinka · Joined: 10 Sep 2009

Well the plot thickens. I sent an email to the recruiter a day after I received the offer. I said that while I was excited about the job I would need to know more information before I made any decision. I then asked a series of relatively basic questions like, where would I be teaching? Who would I be teaching? Could I talk to someone at the school? I also politely told the recruiter that while I had the utmost faith in her agency there was no way I would sign a vague sample contract and that I needed the city officials to send me my real contract.

The recruiter responded 10 minutes later and said that she understood my concerns and would be happy to talk to me but that she wanted to do it over the phone instead of via email. (Maybe coming from a legal background I'm too paranoid but my immediate thought was, "Great so there won't be any written record of what you say.")

The kicker though was when she said she couldn't call me right away because she was just about to leave in a few minutes for a business trip and wouldn't be available until Friday. This was odd since she told me in the initial email that I had to let her know if I wanted the job within three days. If she's really unavailable until Friday then how was I supposed to get back to her by Thursday? I have a sneaking suspicion that she'll call me on Friday and claim that unfortunately I waited too long and that someone else has taken the job.