Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alexmcresswell]

Hi everyone, I've just graduated and finished a 120hr TEFL course. I have been applying for jobs in Hagwons in Korea but I can tell the responses are automated and just the same for everyone.
I've become very disillusioned with this process, so much so that I have just booked a flight to Korea arriving on the 29th. I have all the paperwork with me and I just thought I'd try knocking on a few doors and handing in CVs personally.
Has anybody taken this approach. I was also thinking of booking an onward flight for a month later to Japan to get a visa when or if I find a job.
I realise that this is somewhat of an unconventional approach but I'm so impatient to get out there.
Any tips or names of good schools or basically what I need is some reassurance, if anybody has done what I'm doing can they please let me know how it went.

Thanks everybody.

Alex

[fugitive chicken]

I would say that coming to Korea to search on your own is a bad idea. You probably won't get all the benefits like getting your flight reimbursed. As well as finding places to stay. I think others would agree for a few other reasons from what I've read on this forum.

How long have you been looking? If it's only been since you graduated, have patience. You don't have much experience and the market is a little flooded with applicants right now due to the economy...

Also, are you working through any recruiters? Most schools only go through recruiters and don't hire alone. I suggest Korvia, they got me my job and answered every question I had.

[alexmcresswell]

[Otherside]

[oldtactics]

You need to get your E2 in your home country if it's your first time working in Korea.

Post your resume on the job board and then see what the recruiters have to offer, or search these forums for decent recruiters that people recommend.

It's still possible to get a visa before the 29th, but you'll have to find a job within the next week. Your choice whether you want to pay to postpone the flight.

[GTG09]

I suggest you try to get your flight refunded. You are obviously jumping into something you need to look into more. I graduated in May '09 and got here in February. I started to get very impatient but there are jobs out there. I was using one recruiter and then after a few bad job offers I started sending my resume to a lot of different recruiters that posted ads on this site and got a lot of offers. If I were you I would just start sending your resume to recruiters. Its a lot better to wait a little longer than to just fly here with no real plan.

[eIn07912]

Just to restate what others have said. Yeah, refund your flight, just trying to come over is a bad call. If you had lived here before it would be a benefit. But you have no idea how to locate hogwons and how to sustain yourself until you get a job. It's not as easy as "just get a hotel and knock on doors all day." Far more complicated than that. Plus, schools are going to be skiddish of a person that just shows up one day to drop off their resume. Korea is a very "follow protocol and chain of command" kind of place. If you're not coming through a recruiter or reference from someone, you'll probably looked at as a weirdo and they'll toss your resume as soon as you leave.

Secondly, if it's your first visa, you have to get it back home. I just got a new visa a few months ago and did it from here. But our situations are totally different.

Third, be patient with the hiring. It's not the same market it was a few years ago when there were 10 jobs for every teacher. Quite the opposite actually. The job I'm at now I got after beating out 4 other people that were up for it, we all were in country, already had visas and apartments. That should tell you something. 3 years ago the 5 of us would have had a dozen contracts each with super high salaries to choose from. Instead, we all had to fight it out for a crummy hogwon gig.

Last, school hiring is in a lull at the moment. It's seasonal. The year is beginning to wind down, budgets are tight. Public schools will start hiring heavily again around Feb and April. Hogwons hire year round, but they have high points around the major western holidays and the summer when a lot of teachers feel the need to break contract and head home early. Hold out for a few months and you'll land a much nicer gig.

[isisaredead]

i'm still finding it very difficult believing that people are having such a hard time getting a job at a hagwon here. while there isn't the glut of jobs we experienced over five years ago, there are definitely positions to be found. i am constantly offered jobs in reasonable locations for decent pay, even though i've got a position secured.

i'm taking a pretty solid guess here, but you're looking for jobs in seoul, aren't you OP. you can't honestly say you haven't received any job offers with a TEFL under your belt.

if finding a job for economic reasons is really the issue here, there are MOST CERTAINLY jobs to be had in fairly decent small cities.

i suggest applying for jobs that are outside of seoul and busan. and DO NOT fly here on your own to look for work.

[NMonk]

I also dont believe that you can't find a single job offer in Korea through an agency with a 120 hour tefl under your belt unless there is something you are not telling us, like you dont have a degreee or something?!!!

With regards to coming out here to find a job, yes it is certainly an option but it would offer you no benefits at all over using an agency from back home unless you were going to freelance cash in hand ILLEGALLY as you would have to go back home for your visa anyway.

Give us some more info on your exact circumstances on how you have been looking for jobs and what kind of jobs you have been applying for and maybe people could help you more.

[NMonk]

[alexmcresswell]

[maryjanes]

For someone with a first class law degree, you didn't check the small print too well. Guess Lancaster's standards must have dropped.

[NMonk]

You still have not told us what kind of jobs you have been looking for and where you have been looking. If you have put as much effort in to your resume and finding jobs as you have the info here i'm not surprised you can't find a job!!

Come help us out here, we are trying to help you.

[ssulja]

[alexmcresswell]