Korean Job Discussion Forums

[happiness]

i sent a couple of emails to a few of those recruiters asking if they had a certain position and they responded asking (in two cases, strongly demanding) my info and contacts before I know they have a job. Are they just trying to force people into positions?

Also, I had an interview today, but the director asked I bring my arc, passport, and apostile diploma, and he wanted the recruiter to come together! Ive never heard of such for an interview, have you?

[Junior]

Recruiters are getting frustrated with the E2 visa process damaging their business.

You have a load of people with incomplete applications, or rejected applications because the paperwork wasn't 100%.

[OculisOrbis]

Of which the blame can't entirely be placed on the applicants.

Immigration rules are announced, implemented and/or delayed and clawed back regularly. It's the recruiter's job to stay on top of those developments and inform applicants. Misinformation from the recruiter is a major cause of those incomplete/insufficient applications. It's their business - they should stay current with the developments that are a part of their business.

If you want to argue that's it's 100% the applicant's responsibility to know all these things, then I question the need for recruiters at all.

[earthquakez]

You sound lucky compared to what stunts I've heard recruiters pulling.

Telling those outside Korea who want to work here that they must get the apostilled degrees, criminal record check to consider them, these people do and it's expensive and then the recruiter does not give them one single introduction to an employer. Heard about a case from a friend who can't find their friend back home a job but told them to try a recruiter. The poor bloke wasted over 150 pounds (roughly 300 dollars). Keep in mind that these docs have a time limit.

Recruiters are vile, I use them sparingly when there is absolutely no alternative.

[lifeinkorea]

I would rather see a demanding recruiter than an absent minded one who tells you that you have everything when in fact you don't.

Make sure you have everything on your side, and make sure to make demands of your own. Get photos of the classrooms you will be teaching in, the apartment you will be living in, and look up photos of the area to see if you really want to live there.

[interestedinhanguk]

I haven't even heard back from some recruiters (I've been here 2 years).

[some waygug-in]

It may seem demanding to you, but the fact is they need to know if you are qualified and have ALL your docs together before they waste any time on you.


I don't favor the use of recruiters by the way, but I have had to since the new visa regs came about 2 years ago.

[Troglodyte]

I would never send documents to a school or recruiter until a job has been 100% offered. The employer doesn't need documents before then. I scan my documents and email them to the school. That way they can see that I do have the necessary documents ready. That's all they need.

If a recruiter asks for documents in advance, just say "no". You shouldn't be working with only one recruiter anyway. If you're going through recruiters, then send in applications to as many as you can find. There ARE a few good ones, but they're few and far between. They aren't the ones that you see on Dave's job board making a new post every 2 days. So up your odds of finding a job faster by applying to as many as you can find.

[superNET]

[WillTurnerinVanCity]

I don't think there is an excuse for being overly aggressive, or rude, and though I'm not sure who you are referring to, I will explain some of the reasoning behind the process.

For one thing, there are a lot of people out there who apply and never end up following through. If you put these people forward to the schools, and they back out, it makes us (the recruiter) look pretty bad.

Having somebody with their documents together shows us that they are prepared and have every intention of actually going, instead of applying because they like the idea of going abroad. I think that, given that going abroad is a solid commitment, expecting teachers to have the majority of their documents together isn't unreasonable.

The second point is that the industry has changed in a few short years. The surplus of teachers means that many schools only contact us a few weeks before the job is supposed to start, whereas before they would contact us a few months in advance (not all schools, but many).

So it used to be that we could send an unprepared candidate (meaning no documentation) in January, to a school that would be hiring in March, and the school would give us the thumbs up, send over a contract, and we'd help the teacher prepare for March and do the E2 visa dance.

Now, when then unprepared teachers contact us in January, all our jobs are for February. We can't send them to interview for a school that has a start date in February because there is no way they will have their documents in order, especially with the FBI check (90 days) and CRBs in the UK, and elsewhere taking 40 days.

All we can do for the unprepared teacher in January is tell them to get their documents in order in anticipation of potential openings in March. If they have them in order by February, then we can start sending them to the schools looking for teachers for March 1st.

I do appreciate that it makes it tough, and that all the documents add up and cost money, but what can we do? If a school calls us up today and says they want a teacher January 1st, how can we send a teacher without their documents? What good is sending somebody to interview with a school if they aren't in a position to accept a job?

I won't even get into the situations where a teacher has everything together, a contract and a school that wants them...and then finally gets their crim check and says "oops...I didn't think that DUI/DWI would be on there.."

Anyway, it isn't an ideal situation for anybody, but I thought I would just give you guys some insight from the other perspective. We'd love it if it was easier to place teachers, but it isn't an ideal industry or an ideal world, right?

Now, mind you, we aren't asking the people to send us the hard copy documents, just faxes or scans to show us that they have them. You probably shouldn't be sending the hard copies anywhere until you have a contract, so in that sense, I will completely agree with a lot of the points raised....well..excluding the vile thing.

-Will

[happiness]

Thanks Will, I really appreciate you explaining your position to me.
I just thought it was kind of strange the agent was going to the interview with me. I can understand whats going on. Thats why there are so many ads for jobs in March and such. I thought there was tons of people coming, but after reading this, it seems like theres not as many any more. Alot of them falling through the cracks.

[earthquakez]

[WillTurnerinVanCity]

[def PD]

Good info there Will! Appreciate that since I'm still awaiting my documentation for the FBI background check (my state background/fingerprint checked out fine).

[DosEquisXX]

They want to get people in before the new immigration laws take effect.