Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eoneinna]

A school (GEPIK) has shown interest in me, I am currently in Korea, but my Korvia recruiter says a face-to-face interview is not necessary. HUH?! Don't they prefer face to face interviews if you are already in Korea? Weird..

Here is the scoop: Teacher I will be replacing, if I accept the offer, is leaving soon because her mother's sister is ill.

Korvia recruiter tells me she has been to this school and she highly recommends it b/c she states it is one of the best schools she has seen (i'm sure they all say this). I requested to see the school and apartment before I make my decision. Recruiter agreed but kept trying to tell me that it is "not necessary because it is really a great school "

Does this seem a little off to you? I'm going to speak with the co-teacher and foreign teacher over the phone tomorrow...so I guess we will see. Any trick questions I can ask them to shed light on any funny business? hahah

[ChilgokBlackHole]

So go see the school, what's the problem?

[languistic]

Sounds like they actually care who they hire. Maybe a winner.

[snowysunshine]

I didn't have an interview with my PS at all before I was hired. I wasn't in the country, but thought a phone interview would be done or something, but it was not.

[gregoriomills]

Sounds like they just wanna fill the position, but the fact that they don't wanna do an interview is probably NOT indicative of the position itself being either bad nor good. It IS indicative of them wanting to hire someone NOW.

I've heard of teachers having to replace themselves if they wanna get a letter of release from a hagwon, but not from a public school. I say go with it if it's the right location, grade level, start time, etc.

[eoneinna]

Thanks for your input, everyone!! very appreciated!

[air76]

It may or may not mean anything...but in my opinion, if you're IN Korea then you should ALWAYS check out the school/apartment beforehand. Why not do it? It's better safe than sorry...when you're overseas you take the risk in order to get the free flight, but if you're here it's worth your 100,000 won in travel expenses to make sure that you're making a wise choice.

[Scotticus]

1) Definitely go check the place out. If you're in Korea, there's no reason not to do some research before you accept a position.

2) I call BS on the "mother is ill" thing. I'm not sure how long you've been here, but the "family member is ill" is the catch-all excuse for someone leaving a job. It can mean anything from "they got fired," to "their contract ended," to "they left because of horrible working conditions." Get her email so you can contact her for intel.

[Big Mac]

I wouldn't trust them. Go see the school or you'll be kicking yourself later.

By the way, since when was "wanna" a word that English teachers use in writing?

[The Gipkik]

I'd definitely check the school and apartment out since you're already in-country. The trust may be with the recruiter. If the recruiter gives the green light to the school then it's a go. Oh, and they need someone ASAP.

[b-class rambler]

[katsu]

i was in the same situation last year...got a public school without an even proper interview with the school (only recruiter) and when i wanted to go see the school and meet the principal, my co-teacher, and see the apt, they (both the recruiter and the school) were really getting weird about it. They didnt' want me coming to even see the school, saying that they're busy and all.

it was very suspicious, but i didn't feel it would be something big since it was a public school. so i had accepted without getting a feel for it although it was well within my reach. BIG MISTAKE. the school was horrible and i barely survived a year.

i've learned my lesson though!

i'd suggest to anyone to check out what they are getting into if it's within their reach!

[eoneinna]

[katsu]

@eoneinna...what was horrible...everything...i really don't know where to start. the school changed the contract on me and made me sign a different one, the apt was supposed to be 10 min walking distance, it was about 40 minutes...the co-teacher wasn't even a real teacher, she was not certified and had no clue what was going on, they took away a lot of the benefits for public school teachers...i had to make up no class days, and the vp and principal were horrible as well. i'm glad i'm outta there!

[jiberish]

this is everything that is going on in the recruiters head.

***shut up and sign the contract already***