Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cagrell113]

Hi everyone,

My boyfriend and I have just graduated and are ready to start the process of finding a teaching job in South Korea. We would love for any recommendations on recruiters or schools that you all have had good experiences with.

We had been talking to both Planet ESL recruiting and Morgan recruiting, any thoughts on either of those? Or suggestions for a better recruiter? We hope to leave around early to mid September, and we are also bringing our cat with us. Any advice/warnings from anyone who has brought a pet over there?

Thanks for the help, we look forward to hearing from you!

[dr_feelgood]

Just go on workandplay or here on daves and send off 15 emails a day to different recruiters or schools. Wait. Look at what they have to offer, review the contracts carefully and choose the best one.

[PatrickGHBusan]

What you should do first is research. Do that BEFORE you apply.

Read the FAQs on here, they are full of useful information. Check out places like galbijim for more useful information.

Once you have a feel for the place, ask yourself some basic questions, again BEFORE you apply anywhere. These are useful questions as they will save you time and frustration with recruiters or employers later down the road:

1- Where do you want to work (location)?

Large city, Mid-sized city, Rural area?

That will help you focus your search and present your application in a way that will generate offers you actually want.

2- Where do you want to work (type of employer)
Hakwon, Public School?

Hakwons hire all year long.

PS hire only at certain times of the year (usually in the spring for a September start).

Each type of employer has its advantages and disadvantages. For example PS positions mean you are a co-teacher and teach large groups (usually 40+ kids). Hakwons mean you teach your own class to smaller groups (8-12 kids).

Scheduling will be different, vacation time as well...

3- Who do you want to teach?

Kids or adults or a mix of both?

Each has its challenges but there are more jobs teaching children.

In your particular case: do you want to be placed as a couple at the same school? This will impact your job search. It can also have an impact on accomodations. If you are not married for example, some schools will refuse to put you up in the same appartment.

4- What are you worth?

That is determined by your qualifications (degrees) and experience in teaching. It is also deternined by the market and right now the market is flooded with applicants. That means that while jobs are still plentiful, there is more competition and employers are pickier.

A typical newbee with a BA in a non teaching specialisation with no experience is looking at 2.1-2.2 Million Won per month.


Figure 1-4 out and you have a broad picture of what you want.

Then figure out when you want to start and how long it will take to gather all the necessary documents. The Criminal background check can take longer, especially in the US.

I strongly recommend you guys have all your documents in hand BEFORE YOU APPLY.

Once you have all the above done and completed, pick recruiters or employers that place where you wish to be. Prepare a tailored application package and apply.

As for reliable recruiters or employers, you will get all sorts of answers here. Take it all with a grain of salt. Recruiters are middlemen. No more, no less. All they do is match you with an employer. Once thats done you should be dealing with the employer.

Good luck and feel free to pm or email me if you have more specific questions. I worked in Korea for 11 years before returning to Canada. I was in Busan for the duration.

Take care.

[laguna]

The average recruiter will send you email until you get here and then never speak to you again.

There is a new generation of recruiters that offer support afterward to make sure you get what's in your contract and handle the politics without you getting burned at work. Places like http://korearecruiting.com and a few individuals at larger recruiters like footprints are great.

Ask around about recruiters, there are some kickass ones around here.

The old timers will tell you they are a dime a dozen, but there are real gems these days that really set the bar high.

http://www.kftra.co.kr/englishgreeting.asp?CategoryID=102/

Pretty much all of the recruiters on this list exchange information and are required to maintain a high level of service to stay a member. They also have their own blacklist of hagwons and teachers that requires them to make lengthy reports, so they only blacklist for serious reasons.

[Wiltern]

On a related note, what's it mean when a recruiter sends you an opening, you reply to say you're interested, but never hear back?

[laguna]

[The Beckers]

No one answered her about her cat. Does anyone have advice for bringing their pets to Korea?

I am asking because I have 2 small dogs that I want to bring (along with my husband)! Would it be asking too much for an apartment that could accomodate our small family?

[SunDevil Dre]

Interesting tidbit on Morgan Recruiting's website:

When using a recruiter it is recommended that you stick to one recruiter at a time. The main reason for this is that schools often use multiple recruiters and if you send your resume to every recruiter out there it may result in your resume ending up 4 or 5 times at the same source. This can cause recruiters and schools to not take you seriously. If after dealing with your recruiter, you aren�t satisfied with what is being offered, tell the recruiter you�d rather deal with another company.
http://morganrecruiters.com/index.php/FAQ/section/about_recruiting/

[farzfive]

[Yucca Girl]

[wiganer]

There is a ton of advice on what you are after here, so get looking. And you must be nuts to bring a pet here - the hosuing you will get will be on the small side compared to what you are used to in America.

[PatrickGHBusan]

It is true some recruiters offer more.

These are not a 'new generation' of recruiters as that type of recruiter has been around for a while. The recruiter that placed me in 1997 was like that.

My advice about recruiters remains valid: they are middle men, their mandate is to put you in touch with an employer. Whatever else they offer is a bonus.

It is also true that if you apply with too many recruiters, it WILL hurt your job prospects, especially with Public Schools.

[jmuns]

my advice:

listen to whatever PatrickGHBusan says. he knows it all about how things are here in korea now. especially since he lives in canada and doesnt live here now or deal with recruiters here now. but hey, in '97 they did it like that.

[PatrickGHBusan]

jmums,

Lived in Korea 1997-2008 buddy. My current job deals with Korea. I have friends and contacts all over that country. I have friends who teach, manage hakwons, hire teachers, recruit teachers, work with immigration. So I try to give advice to the OP about how to best prepare for a job hunt.

But you are right, I know nothing and you are a far better source of information.

By the way this is not a pissing contest. The goal here is to help the OP. That is what I am doing with my posts. Why go and startv some silly flame war jmuns? There is no ego involved here. If you feel an overpowering need to measure yourself, send me a pm and let loose.

In this thread, try to limit yourself to advice.

Why did you post here anyway? What advice do you have to offer?

[laguna]