Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shostahoosier]

I have a friend who is ALREADY here in Korea teaching in GEPIK.

He's been here for two years and his school loves him. He's also a certified teacher back at home so he's more than qualified (well..as far as the rest of the world is concerned...you know how Korea is).

He likes his job but wants to be transferred to a town much closer to Seoul so he reapplied through one of the larger, more reputable recruiters a few months ago.

Yesterday he recieved a message saying: "Sorry, we're having trouble placing you because schools only want to hire Females or US teachers, we will keep trying to place you before the school year starts or we will hold onto your application".

I know that recruiter's lie because THEY want to place you but this recruiter has a pretty good reputation on Daves and in general.

If this is how it is for a teacher who has already been here for 2 years...I can only imagine what its like for newbies who arent female or North American.

[some waygug-in]

Actually, I think newbies might have a better shot at things.

Experience tends to work against you here, they always want the cheapest they can find.

[shostahoosier]

I think you're right.

If he's been here two years they probably wont want to pay the higher salary...especially if GEPIK is having budget cuts.

Either way I'm a little concerned because I wanted to renew at the end of my first year. I thought it was all but certain but now I'll need to have a backup plan.

[lizlemon]

a recruiter told my friend her appearance is too 'strick and strong' for kindergarten. what does that mean?

[some waygug-in]

It means the recruiter is a dork.

[shostahoosier]

[JBomb]

what does strick mean? I am confuse.

[noobteacher]

Well, I am proof that being female, American, and a "noob" is not the direct ticket anymore. Recruiters keep telling me that there is tons of competition and that schools want people with experience (and I'm not even asking for positions in Seoul, Busan, etc.). Granted my ideal start date reduces the number of jobs available for me, but still, I guess this is all just evidence that nobody really knows what/who schools want, and thus what recruiters are looking for. There is no black and white answer unfortunately.

[hockeyguy109]

I think recruiters with the help of their Korean school counterparts have universally agreed to start F-ing with the foreign teachers. Now that the boom of Westerns wanting work in Korea has reached maximum speed, they feel that they can act even crappier towards us. And so, the following rules apply:

1. If you are a male, they want a female.
2. If your are a female, they want a male with more experience.
3. If you are from outside North America, they want an American.

Of course they are just initially scaring you by saying these things so that you won't hesitate to take a really crappy job when they finally offer it to you. Put you in the mentality of "Oh thank god! The recruiter got me a job at Wonderland! I really didn't think I would make it over! YAY"

If they make us believe that we don't meet their expectations, they can lower wages, make the teacher feel trapped at their present school (where else will they go?), and help boost the Korean's ego and lust for power.

Make sense?

[sojusucks]

[jhicks99]

I am a Canadian male, 1 yr experience with my TEFL and had NO PROBLEMS getting interest from tons of good schools from within Seoul itself. Ended up settling on one offering me an office-tel right in Gangnam and this was at the start of January. I didn't push too hard on the salary considering the nice place I'll be staying but I'd say it's just a crappy recruiter.

[shostahoosier]

[pianowill]

[noobteacher]

[shostahoosier]

Yeah it does make sense...I told my friend not to wait around so that the recruiter could push them into a rural position because there were no other options.

I gave my friend some phone numbers of people to call and they have already heard some good news just in the last hour or 2.

So who knows...I think maybe it IS just the recruiter