Korean Job Discussion Forums

[take a rest]

[Fishead soup]

[NM14456]

My only take on this is that making sense of the �indicators� seems nearly impossible.

Some recent examples:
- (via someone connected to SMOE) The new Minister of Education is very keen on having even more foreign language teachers in the Seoul area.
- (via someone else connected to SOME) School districts in Seoul will begin a substantial reduction in NET�s in high schools as they want students to focus more on � you guessed it, tests.
- Re: recent conversation w/ SMOE rep. �If you�re leaving your public school position on good terms you should have no trouble getting back in�.
- (via someone else connected to SMOE) Three NET�s �disappeared� from their jobs last week without notice. Only 50 or so of the last 140 hired teachers are choosing to re-sign.


Slightly more anecdotal snippets.

-Canadian English teacher: �My last job search was 40 seconds. Applied and got an almost immediate response and contract�

The person is not overly qualified but does have a Masters w/ a couple of years experience.

US teacher (masters and certified). They left their home state as they could find no work teaching at all. 4 of their friends who also graduated with them still cannot find teaching work after several years.

This was an interesting tidbit to me � none of the friends came to Korea to teach. Just because someone�s an unemployed US teachers doesn�t mean they booking a ticket for Incheon.

I hear so many seemingly contradictory stories from apparently sincere people I can't make any future prediction. Seriously, if you can predict the future ESL market here, you should be on Wall street making the big bucks!!

Overall impression is the economic situation will make the job market tighter but not everyone is going to take the ride here or like it to stay � turnover may remain high and even that will create opportunities.

Another interesting factor may be the G20. Wouldn�t Korea likely be more internationally inclined after this rather than more provincial? A recent Wall Street Journal article sites Korea as still having one of the smaller foreign populations which they say is a drag on continued growth.

[DosEquisXX]

If you have no job standards or requirements, then it's cake. A recruiter can stick you into any random position and off you go.

If you do, it's much tougher. I am much more nitpicky than your average teacher. So, I have received less interviews since less schools fit my interest. However, all but two of them have resulted in offers. The major problem is that the jobs that I was offered have all been terrible positions. There was one position that I was extremely close to accepting, but backed off once I gathered more information that contradicted what was in the contract and what the director told me.

[Junior]

[NM14456]

[sojusucks]

[Junior]

if you're happy to sit by the phone and await documents for months then you can get something reasonable in Korea.

If you're not fussy then you can get something within a week or 2. My view is that its better to be doing a less desirable job rather than sitting around.

[ttompatz]

Bottom line:

Is the job market tighter = yes

BUT

the job market is also larger.

It is a strange beast and cannot be compared to the job markets in our home countries.

Many people who are unemployed at home may wonder about work abroad but for every 100 that inquire there may only be a small and adventurous few who will actually go through to the end and get on the plane.

In addition, although there is an increased supply of young teachers (recent unemployed grads with loans to pay) to the market -

the market has also continued to grow (up to 30,000 teachers (immigration E2 numbers)) from the 6000 or so who were here right after the IMF crises in the late 90s (an increase of 5 fold in the last decade).

Is the market saturated = no

BUT

it is more competitive than it used to be and you actually have to try to get the job rather than having your choice of 10 shoved at you every time you send off an e-mail.

.

[Saudiman]

My hubby and I are considering returning to Korea but it would take a good working environment - that comes first over compensation for us.

[edwardcatflap]

[bcjinseoul]

As long as anyone wants to work in a public school in the middle of the country or some kindie from 9-7 in or near Daejeon or Daegu, they can get a job.

If you want some short shift afternoon hogwon or after school program in Seoul or Busan....get in line with a whole bunch of people like you're back home in the DMV.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[giwizzef]

[quote="northway"]

[jzrossef]

[quote="giwizzef"]