Korean Job Discussion Forums

[the foystein]

I worked in Korea for almost four years: three years at one hagwon and then one year at another. I then worked for one year in Thailand.
I looked for a job in Korea twice, once in 2005 and then later in 2008. In both cases I sent a couple of resumes and got a job. Now, I have sent numerous resumes and don't even get a response. Why, I have no idea. I am older, 53, but in 2008 I was 51 and got two job offers from sending two resumes.
Any ideas on this?
Thanks

[carleverson]

you're way too old to be working in esl...

[Hotwire]

I am 34, 6 yrs exp, good referances etc and I have had the same problem. Took me 9 weeks to get a hakwan job after 4 yrs of public school and a 300 as month paycut....

No one on Dave's seems ready to admit the change yet. Give it 6 months or so and the board will be full of these posts

[youtuber]

It's because there are far too many teachers.

[northway]

F-B-I Check clap clap clapclapclap

[Wishmaster]

The market is definitely flooded. No doubt about that. Schools can be picky now whereas in the past they just accepted the next available warm body. These days they feel emboldened, which is why you see Immi demanding even more documents(and I think they'll continue to demand more in the future). It is the Korean paradox: they don't want foreigner here and will do anything possible to limit them, yet they still want(nay, need) us to come here because of their inability in speaking the language. We are a necessary evil for them.

[daboss]

This is not a Korean paradox, it is barely the forces of the market: demand and supply

And I don't see why anyone with a degree in biology or any other unrelated field should be teaching ESL. It is much better that they are more selective. Also, there are so many countries where English is not the native language (just look at Europe), but they do not import "native speakers" to the extent Korea does.

So Korea doesn't really need us, it's a market that will disappear in the long run...

[Epik_Teacher]

[Radius]

[edwardcatflap]

What about teaching adults? How would a primary education degree, for example, equip someone to teach an adult businessman one to one? So no, I don't think that will or should happen. Ideally you want to employ teachers with education degrees, specialising in EFL for the kids and teachers with CELTAs, DELTAs and MAs in TEFL for the adults. But that isn't going to happen very soon either.

[daboss]

The only benefit of importing unqualified ESL teachers is cheap labor (salaries are ridiculous). One or two natl. education reforms will do away with that exploitation sooner or later.

Any Korean *male* who masters the English language would make a lot more outside ESL - there is no incentive for them whatsoever, and this will most likely change in the long run.

[Radius]

[edwardcatflap]

I'm surprised. I have qualifications in both adult and Young Learner EFL teaching and I remember the majority of the training in the two areas being very different

[Hotwire]

[Radius]

^^^yes as you progress through college and towards the latter portion of your learning it gets more specialized, but for roughly the first two years or so you have to take the same classes. These classes teach you the basics and foundation of how people learn best, as well as proven techniques and pedagogies.