Korean Job Discussion Forums

[emma katherine]

Hi all-

I need some advice!

I�m a Korean female and thinking about going to Korea to teach ESL. I was adopted when I was a few months old and brought to America so even though I look Korean I identify myself with American culture.
I'm reading a bunch of posts and am kind of getting a little scared that I wouldn't be hired at all based on appearance. Has anyone else been in this similiar situation?

I feel that I am qualified. Have a college degree in journalism, volunteer work teaching ESL...

Any words of advice/wisdom?

I have a bunch of friends who do it and have had great experiences, but they are all white and all the websites that have pictures show just white teachers. Are they trying to tell me something�?

[ttompatz]

Gyopo: Get yourself an F4 visa and go for it.

Will it be harder to find a job = yes. Some hagwans want the pretty white face for marketing reasons. You probably wouldn't want to work for one of them anyway.

Will it be impossible to find work = no. There are still lots of jobs available to you and you, with an F4, will have more options and better job mobility than your neighbor with an E2.

Look around a bit (for F4 information) and call the Korean consulate to find out what they want from you to get your F4. It is not that hard.

.

[liveinkorea316]

I have one coworker who is Korean-American and I know one other public school teacher nearby who is also Korean American.

You will be fine. You will probably have a better time here than those like me who can struggle to fit in at times.

[PRagic]

The most successful people I know here are Kyopo, either adopted and raised in N. America, or children of immigrants.

That said, they speak Korean and that has helped them immensely. If you put your time in, there's no reason you can't have a fantastic experience. The F4 visa is the best way to go. Per usual, ttompatz is right on the money.

[jonbowman88]

Your best bet might be public schools they tend to not care as much or at all. Try EPIK or GEPIK these organizations place people in public schools.

[whiteshoes]

I had a friend do this. The biggest problem she had was everyone would come up and talk to her in Korean, asking where the subway was- stuff like that. Of course, having been adopted, she didn't know a word of Korean but she looked Korea so people always talked to her. She got some dirty looks when she couldn't respond to people, but she learned Korean much more quicky than most people due to the fact that Koreans didn't view her as an English practice machine.

[Oreovictim]

In all honesty, since you're a female, you'll have an easier time finding a job than, say, a Korean-American male. Also, the more attractive you are, the better easier it will be for you. And if you're really attractive, you'll have a better chance than a white female. But if a school were to choose between an attractive Korean-American vs. an attractive white American, you'd probably lose out.

Ugh, Korea . . . when will you learn not to judge a book by its cover?

[ACT III]

In my experience, I've had no problems whatsoever getting jobs in Korea, and I'm half Korean, and more or less can pass as Korean if I dress the part. If you are coming to Korea with genuine interest in learning, both the language and the culture, then people will be exceptionally responsive/ excited to help you along the way. That's been my experience.

[emma katherine]

oh, thanks for all the feedback!! it's been so helpful!

[enchoo]

salary??? Make sure you upgrade your resumee and cover letter. Take a pretty picture with a new girls' generation haircut (perm with bangs plus dye) then they will start responding in a heartbeat. Worry about the language when you get here. If you speak no Korean then they will probably think of you as the "mystery girl" which is better than speaking too much Korean. Enjoy the whole cultural experience and see if you find the Korean culture as very beautiful.

[lovebug]

emma,

i worked in the public schools for 2 years. you should have no problem if you apply to GEPIK (SMOE).
i would definitely recommend getting on the F4 instead of the normal E2. you can find many threads about the differences on the site.
i came on a visitor visa and had GOAL facilitate my visa change once i was here. just get in contact with them and scan the documents you'll need to them. when you get here, they'll provide a korean speaking volunteer to go to immigration with you to do the rest.
as you research on dave's keep in mind that the process for F4 for an ibyang (adoptee) is different from a gyopo (korean ethnic foreigner). ignore posts that discuss the process for the latter.

here is GOAL's website. it's the only adoptee run NGO in korea. they can be of great support and help for adoptees living here.
http://goal.or.kr/eng/

if you want to talk more, especially about other adoptee-related issues about living here, let me know and i can send you my contact details. i doubt you have enough posts to PM yet.

[lovebug]

i meant to say EPIK (SMOE) or whatever the heck we're calling the seoul metro area public schools now.

[emma katherine]

thanks so much for that information! i had not heard of this site before, I will look into it, I am sure they will be very helpful.

[wishfullthinkng]

Emma,

There are a few fundamental truths that have been said so far that need to be taken very seriously.

First, get your F4. Do not under any circumstance come on an E2.

Second, it's not too hard to find a job if you are Korean and friendly. Like some posters have said, the more attractive you are in Korea, the odds of you getting a job increases exponentially.

I haven't had any issues landing jobs thankfully, and I've worked with other Korean-Americans. I've also never had any issues with natives being rude to me, in fact it's always quite the opposite. I'm quitting my teaching gig now though to join corporate Korea, and if I didn't have an F4 it'd be a huge pain.

Anywho, if you have further questions or want to hear about the experience of someone like yourself feel free to PM me.

Edit: One more thing. You should definitely come with an open mind. Korea is very different from America (obviously) but you must realize you are on their turf, not your own. Trying to learn the culture and being open to new experiences can completely change the level of enjoyment you get. Many things might not make sense at first or ever if you don't have said open mind, but I assure you there is normally quite a legitimate reason for all of the "crazy" things that Koreans do that foreigners pick up on. I for one love it here and am completely glad I made the jump.

[litebear]

Emma, could you post some pictures of yourself? I think it would help us all come to more measured conclusions.