Korean Job Discussion Forums

[suzhou2010]

I am an experienced teacher who worked in a Korean University from 2004-2005, and have been working back in the US since then.

I want to return to Korea, and universities are starting to hire for fall.
However I don't think I can make time to fly to Korea just for application purposes.

Any advice, recommendations, or experiences you can share about getting University jobs while NOT in Korea?

[ttompatz]

[suzhou2010]

I have a BA in Philosophy, online TESOL Cert., and finished MATESOL coursework and am currently finishing my thesis.

I was also the president of a regional TESOL organization (like KOTESOL), and have 6 years of full time experience, including an Academic Director position the last three years in the US.

[ttompatz]

[suzhou2010]

Thanks for the ideas.

I'm not concerned with a free flight, or the VISA type. I had a great university job before with nice students and I was on an E-2 Visa, so no problems there.

I do want to get back into teaching at the UNI though, so any experiences of people who've applied from abroad are appreciated

I actually got a University Job from abroad years ago, and after adding 5 years of experience and an MATESOL I think I should be able to do it again. But I'd be curious to hear people's experiences.

[ttompatz]

[suzhou2010]

Cheers again. I do have several contacts who have never left Korea and should probably talk with them.

[air76]

Yonsei University in Wonju will hire you from overseas...it isn't the best job I've ever seen, but they hired us without a face-to-face interview. We turned down the job because we were offered a better one elsewhere, but there are still schools that will hire you from overseas, but expect that these are not going to be the best universities (both in quality of the school and the terms of the contract)...and with a Master's you could get into a really good university...but hell, a year at a uni that's 'just ok' and then moving to a great university is better than a year at public school.

We had another university hire us after a phone interview as well...so although the general rule is that universities require face-to-face interviews, it certainly isn't set in stone.

Both of those jobs were not unigwon jobs....but like I said, not GREAT jobs either...we have experience and qualifications, but no graduate degrees, so you ought to be able to find a university to hire you from overseas if you put in the time and apply to enough of them. But yeah, you'll definitely have to pay your own flight.

I personally think that the 'teacher glut' is grossly exaggerated....yes, there are more people coming to Korea and applying for the jobs, but there are also a LOT more jobs today than there were even a few years ago, and it seems that more and more jobs are opening. Universities are expanding their English departments to hire more professors, and there are still a LOT of public schools who are hiring their 1st foreign teacher.

Certainly anyone with more than just minimal EFL experience will be able to find a good job in Korea without too much hassle....maybe it's a little bit harder for complete noobs to break in, but from what I've seen, there still seem to be more jobs than teachers, and certainly WAY more jobs than even half-ass qualified teachers.

[suzhou2010]

Air 76,

Thanks for the informative email. Yes I though the teacher glut must have been exaggerated because I know two people that were hired from overseas last year, and neither of them had more than 3 years experience.

Thanks for you info.

CHeers

[PatrickGHBusan]

air76,

You are right and wrong...

Right in the sense that you can land a University job from overseas, but typically not the best positions.

Right in the sense that there are more jobs now than say a few years ago, largely due to growing Public School demand.


Wrong in thinking the teachers glut is exagerated. The market is indeed flooded and has been flooded for the past year or so.

Schools and programs for PS are turning people AWAY. This did not happen a few year ago.

Thus, it has become harder to land a job as employers have more to choose from.

In the case of the OP, Tom is right that in his situation he would be better off flying to Korea and applying locally. That incomplete MA will not do much good.

Another point for you OP: why even bother with this forum?? You worked in Korea before, said you have contacts. You also said the airfaire was no big deal for you....basically, since you seem to have contacts, qualifications and the means to fly yourself over....why ask here??

Also, unless i missed something, you should know that Universities have hired their teachers now as the school year started in March. The next job window is for September and those are typically second tier jobs.

You know TWO people who were hired from overseas....great.

That does not dispel the teachers glut or Toms comments....

Heck I know two people as well, one commented on this forum and another because I put him in contact with my former employer at a Korean University....many others have not succeeded in landing a QUALITY university job from overseas.

Basically, if you want that quality job, use your contacts or wait until the late fall of 2010, fly over and hit the pavement...or send your documents ahead of time saying you will be in Korea soon and available for an in-person interview.


Best of luck with your search however! I hope it all works out for you.

[Harpeau]

There is definitely a teacher glut at this time� especially in Seoul. About getting a VISA in Japan, you had better check the VISA requirements as more and more people are having to get their VISAs in their home countries. Be certain of this by checking with Immigration, etc. (I personally don't have a clue. But I have friends who had to go state-side to get their VISA. Please, explain that one to me. )

[cubanlord]

[air76]

I was just saying that Yonsei in Wonju is willing to consider candidates who cannot make the face-to-face interview.

I still think that most of the teacher glut is for non-qualified, new teachers...or like you said, qualified teachers who are really idiots....if you have some experience, some qualifications, and can interview professionally, you will easily find a good job in Korea. (this is not pointed at the OP, but just in general)

[PatrickGHBusan]

Cuban makes a very good point.

I was on the hiring committee at the University I worked for in Busan. We never hired anyone from abroad and focused on local candidates only as there were more than enough.

The interview was the key step. Qualifiations just mean you meet the requirements to get an interview, nothing more.

Competition was fierce and last time I talked with my former employer (we had dinner in Busan last fall) he said in the past year competition has become even more intense and that he deals with a glut of qualified applicants with completed MAs and experience. He also is getting PhD applicants.

Its a tough game out there.

[air76]

I wasn't trying to say that getting hired from overseas would be easy...nor that you would get a quality position. In fact, I specifically stated that you'd get a much lower level job than if you were in country.

I was simply stating, that it is 'possible' to be hired at a uni from overseas, especially if you've already got uni experience under your belt...a lot of people on here say it is IMPOSSIBLE to be hired at a university without a face to face interview. My girlfriend and I were offered positions at two schools without a face-to-face interview...I remember that one was Yonsei in Wonju, and I can't remember the other school.

The Yonsei job looked 'OK', but not great. The hours were quite high, something like 23 minimum hours (the base was higher than a lot of the other schools, but with 23 minimum hours there wouldn't be much room for extra classes), and there were a few red flags in the contract....such as a clause stating "no leather pants and no tank tops", specifically spelling out "no sex with the students" and "no fist fights with other professors"...and another clause about working out any disputes with other professors on your own. To us it just sounded like a pretty unprofessional place to work if they felt the need to stipulate that leather-pants-fist-fight-sex was not allowed in the contract.