Korean Job Discussion Forums

[proverbs]

so ive talked to SEVERAL recruiters the past couple weeks, and they all told me the same thing - its near impossible to get a teaching job in Seoul if youre not 'white'.

have you guys been hearing this too? i guess this has been the trend for the past couple years?

[god of English]

This isn't an answer to your question but...

Can you speak Korean? Do you have other marketable skills?

If so, why not look for a job at a Korean company or multinational? You'll work longer hours but you'll get meaningful raises and acquire experience that will add value to your resume.

[proverbs]

my korean is horrible. i can get by with basic conversation, but i write and read like a 5 year old. if i wanted to work at a korean company, i would have to hit the books for a year or two.

[god of English]

In that case, there are recruiters and hagwons in Seoul that are actively seeking gyopos/F4 visa holders. I'd start by running a search on "f4 visa" here.

Start studying Korean *right away*. Practice your speaking/listening skills first. I did this by rehearsing Korean speech patterns everyday and reading comic books to increase my vocabulary. Forget about your (lack of) writing skills; they're the least important.

Once you can carry on a decent conversation in Korean, *get out* of the ESL business and into a multinational. You'll improve your Korean quickly, your salary will go up, and you'll pad your resume.

[toph]

god of English gave you pretty sound advice...
especially by showing you that site.

But you can definitely get by without speaking Korean in Korea. My lil bro can barely speak it, and he survived. I'm on the other spectrum of the gyopo field, and I'm completely fluent. So...either way, it's not really entirely necessary. BUT...that being said, you can definitely find jobs in Seoul. If a recruiter ever tells you that you can't find a job in WHEREVER based on the fact that you're a gyopo, give up on that recruiter--unless of course you end up getting a really nice job through them, and you're find working outside of Seoul. But most likely, they're probably too lazy to look for another job--or some other lame excuse--so just move on.

But here's why:
1) There are plenty of hagwons THROUGHOUT Korea that hire gyopo specifically. Not just in some random rural cities, but in the big metropolises of Seoul, Busan, etc. So don't be fooled.
2) Don't rely on your recruiter as your only source to find a job. You should be doing Google searches, looking on Dave's job board, using that website that god of English provided, etc to look for gyopo-teaching jobs. Trust me, once you start searching, you'll find that there are PLENTY of gyopo jobs out there.
3) Many, many, many of the gyopo-teaching jobs won't require you to be able to speak in Korean (which would obviously benefit you). So don't worry about that either.
4) Also, make sure...and this is REALLY important...that you receive ALL the benefits of a "regular" foreign teacher. I.e., salary of at least 2.1+ mil (if working at hagwon), housing/housing allowance, pension, severance, round-trip flight, national insurance, at least 10 days vacay, holidays off, no weekends (unless you don't care about this), etc...
5) MOST IMPORTANTLY...Don't restrict yourself to Seoul. Unless you have some major reason to stay within "Seoul" (like your family's there and you're planning on living with them), then it's important to keep an open mind for location. Gyeonggi-do (the largest/most populated province in Korea) is right next to Seoul and contains many large and popular cities for foreigners to go to. For example, there are Suwon, Ilsan, and Bucheon. Gangwon-do is also right outside of Seoul, and contains fairly decent-sized cities as well. What recruiters market as "rural" are usually Korean "suburbs." So it's important to keep that in mind. And of course there's Busan and Incheon...two other huge metros in Korea.

Anyway, hope this helped!

[T-dot]

Yes.

[god of English]

[toph]

No, I totally agree with what you're saying...
I just think in the OP's situation s/he is looking for a temporary teaching job like most other foreigners come for. Nothing really beyond that.

[GuessWho]

deleted

[JC VT]

The recruiter's clients probably requested Caucasian teachers. So getting a job through those recruiters may be difficult. Try applying to the big boys (CDI, YBM, etc).

I had no problem landing a nice supplemental part-time gig here as an F4, but I'm already in the country and could do a demo class, interview, etc.

[proverbs]

thanks for all your advice everyone, especially god of english.

im planning to head back to Korea at the end of the month, so i started looking on the website that GOE suggested. unfortunately, all the postings are in Korean. it takes me FOREVER just to read a few sentences, and even after i read them, i only understand 25% of it.

can you please give me a few examples of multinational companies i could apply for? im guessing the process would go smoother if i applied directly on their website.

thanks again for your help!!

[subak09]

hello, did proverbs, the original poster find a job? I have an F4 and have been looking for several months now for employment as well. I speak very little Korean and understand more than I can speak. If you can direct me to which sites or companies hire foreigners that would be appreciated.

[In_Exile]

[missjulia]

many hakwons hire gyopos with F4, and so does SMOE, EPIK- the big public schools. you shouldnt have a problem

at my orientation for SMOE, there were many korean-americans/canadians with F4 visas.

[enchoo]

Yes some schools want only white. Yes some schools want a completely bilingual gyopo because they expect the gyopos to speak with Korean parents.

You will have to try harder but there are some schools that will accept a "perfectly" English speaking and not that well Korean speaking gyopo.

I think I am similar to you in that I am flawless in English but my verbal Korean is too heavy with an American accent. If you have other credentials like a master's or teaching license, then you should still be able to get a job easily. If not, your search might be somewhat hard but not impossible.

I am currently teaching in a university despite being not able to speak enough Korean. Before this, I worked in several above-average private academies in Seoul and Bundang.

Don't be discouraged by chain-smoking recruiters.

Maybe try these websites if you are into a full-time gig.

If you are considering a teachng position in primary or secondary public schools in Korea, you need to apply according to set process. As I explained to your mother, I suggest you to check the webpages below.

www.niied.go.kr > TaLK or EPIK

www.nykoredu.org > 영어강사 모집