Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pipprovis]

This is my first post so be gentle and yes, I know there is a search feature. There is so much information to sift through and people on here seem rather nice so here it goes:

I was wondering if anyone has experience applying for jobs in South Korea before completion of their BA degree and TESOL certificate?

I will graduate from a state university in the United States in May 2011 with a BA in Political Science with a minor in History. I have decided to take an online TESOL certification course in the near future. I will be older (29) with life experiences like running my own business with a couple employees but little in the way of teaching. I am worried though. After reading threads about applying for different programs (I'm leaning towards GEPIK) and how competative it is I am concerned that my graduation date and requisite time to gather the necessary documents will put my readiness to apply outside of the appropriate application deadlines to start next year. Would it hurt my chances to apply with a promise of completing my BA degree or would I be better served waiting it out and having all documents up too date with confirmed completion? Any and all help is appreciated.

P.S. - A lot of this worrying comes from wanting to jump right in and get everything done so I know whether or not I can look forward to serving in South Korea come next year. Some of this is probably just "newbie" enthusiasm so bear with me.

[Ramen]

You can start when you are good and ready.

[ttompatz]

Applying for jobs before you have your documents in hand is moot.

Recruiters get hundreds of queries and applications from those who are not able to apply (can't get a visa yet) so they just delete them.

Additionally, you are not able to begin the visa process until you have all the documents in hand so applying for jobs early is again a waste of your time.

Additionally, most employers have NO IDEA until about 60 days before hand whether or not they will need a replacement for any or all of their foreign staff so applying before that is again a waste of your time.

The BEST use of your time would be to:

a) read the FAQs (if you are planning to spend a year or two abroad it would be in your best interest to spend a few hours learning about it),

b) cruise through the contract sticky (so you know what should and should NOT be in a contract)

c) Spend some time lurking here to see what the issues involved in working as an expat are (beyond simply landing a job).

In spite of what you have seen on here about the "shortage of jobs" there are still about 10,000 positions annually (in Korea) that need replacements brought from abroad as well as 10's of thousands more in places like Thailand and China.

Apply when you are ready and it will go quickly. Everything is last minute.

.

[pipprovis]

Thanks for that ttom. It looks like I might have to wait for the summer enrollment for August spots. Are there things I could be doing now? I am going to get my passport soon. Would it make sense to start the FBI CBC process right now? How long are they good for? I thought I read 6 months in another thread. Any expiration date on recommendation letters? I could get those going in the next couple months. If there are some cheap time consuming things I can get out the way now then it will be that much easier come deadline time.

[mimi belle]

Here's last year's (Fall 2010) EPIK thread to give you an idea of timeline. http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=180704

There are a few changes. They didn't need apostilled degrees last year and previously, a state wide background check was accepted but now only the fbi clearance.

I think you're a little early. I would say early next year (Jan/Feb) would be plenty of time to start gathering documents. Maybe you can start on your TESOL certificate. Also, fyi, it might be possible to start sooner than August. Sometimes recruiters have positions right away.

As for your degree, a letter from your school will work in the meantime. From the Epik website http://www.epik.go.kr/

[imoscardotcom]

The FBI CBC is only good for 6 months, so don't get it now!! I don't think there is an expiration date on letters of rec, but if you get them now they will be just under a year old....so I would wait a bit on those, too. Get your passport. Maybe do some volunteer teaching to get some experience in (and that will look great on your resume). If there is a community center/Boys & Girls club close to you, volunteer to teach a class (I taught dance, maybe you could do a craft class or something...)
Good luck!!