Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Karin in Sydney]

So I've been searching for a job (from my own country) for what seems like.... ages now.

I'm wondering whether I've been doing something wrong?

I haven't heard back from a single job/recruiter that I've applied to

I don't have an education background, but I do have a BA (Hons), a good GPA, a law degree, experience working with children, experience tutoring at a uni........ Oh, and a TEFL.

Is it my photo? My lack of B Education? My accent (aussie)?

I wanted to work in a metropolitan area, but at this point, I will take anything........ Which is still getting me nowhere, it must be said.

Any ideas? Any good recruiter recommendations? Comments greatly appreciated!

[jameltoe]

have you started gathering your documents? this helped me largely in hearing from recruiters. The more documents you have prepared, the sooner you can be placed.

try Korvia or korean horizons as far as recruiters are concerned

[ttompatz]

[Nemo]

English teachers in Korea don't need a good GPA.

Also leave off the law degree from your CV.

Good luck.

[ontheway]

I'm wondering whether I've been doing something wrong?

I don't have an education background, but I do have a BA (Hons), a good GPA, a law degree, experience working with children, experience tutoring at a uni........ Oh, and a TEFL.

Is it my photo?

It could very well be your photo, race, age, weight, other ... Appearance is very important in hiring decisions in Korea.

My lack of B Education?

No. No one cares.

My accent (aussie)?

If you have a thick accent you will have a hard time. You are not from North America, so this is also a handicap.

I wanted to work in a metropolitan area

If you are restricting your search geographically you will have fewer options. If you are being overly demanding in setting your parameters you will be rejected from the outset for being a difficult person.

a law degree

This can only hurt you. It brings up many questions in the mind of your prospective employer that ask "why?" Why would a person with a law degree (legal experience too?) want to be a teacher? Did you fail somehow? Do something inappropriate? Will you leave and go back to a higher paying legal position? ...

With so many questions about your law degree, and many other applicants available these days, it would seem better to pass on your application.

[Karin in Sydney]

Ooooh. All good advice. Thanks.

I never realised a law degree could work against me.

But what do I say to the obvious question: 'What have I been doing for the last three years?'

Surely a (consequently) patchy employment history for three years is more of an issue?

[freakyaye852]

Hi Karin, Schools prefer people from the US or canada. I was offered two bum jobs before I found a recruiter who got me a good one, and only then probably because the school was looking for an Aussie. Try 'think outside recruiting' on google.

[musicmunky]

hey, look 4 individual job posts too, not just through recruiters

[PatrickGHBusan]

Karin,

Some basics:

Your GPA is irrelevant to your application. In fact, as far as employment goes, the GPA is only rarely considered.

The market is flooded with applicants and has been for a while. The preference in Korea has been for North Americans and the market is flooded by Americans...so that does not help you.

As for other potential reasons...

Your CV could be badly presented.
Your covder letter could be written badly.
Your photo might have an impact
Your requirments may be too strict.

It is hard to know from the information you provied.

As tom said, it is not peak hiring season either.

The law degree is not a bonus or a drawback to your application. It is, like the GPA irrelevant to the job you are seeking. You need to tailor your CV to match the job you want. That means only including things that are relevant to the position you want. All too often people send in CVs that are 3-4 pages long and take the reader back to your high school diploma. That is an express ticket to the reject pile. More is not better...less but more relevant is!

Good luck.

[sesyeux]

persevere.
i started looking in march for a job, it took me ages to gather all the documents, and i only fly out to seoul on tuesday

for me it went like this - send my resume to a bunch of recruiters through march, don't have all the documents.
interview a bunch, get offered jobs in the sticks, decline. repeat.

april start get all documents ready. recruiters suddenly a lot more interested. get offered jobs in the outskirts of seoul.

post resume on a load of websites, on daves twice a week, sift through the wheat [not the chaff] and then decided on a job end of april, sent my things to korea, and then did the embassy thing.

it's a lot of work, i was spending probably 2 hours a day for a week or so emailing about a dozen recruiters at one stage. it doesn't help that i'm an english bloke though. no doubt that if i was an american girl it'd have been easier, but just keep at it and know what you want

[nautilus]

I too have been having trouble finding a job lately.

I put my murder conviction and my junior school prize for playing the french horn on my resume.

Is there something i'm doing wrong?

[Depths of My Soul]

Don't initially send a passport scan as you can't photoshop it.

[ttompatz]

[Whitey Otez]

[theshadowranger]

I'm having just as much trouble. Been search for almost 6 months. I have experience teaching in Korea, all of my documents ready, I've sent resumes to I think every recruiter that has been mentioned here and I still have found nothing.

I've been told that it hurts me being black. A lot of schools want white women is what I'm hearing. I'm also overweight. So I have none of the look that people want. I just keep sending resumes out every day. I'm just trying to stay positive. I've got over a hundred copies of my resume and photo floating around Korea.