Korean Job Discussion Forums

[angrypirate]

Recruiters: What do they actually do?
From my understanding: They find out job openings and forward your resume/photo/info to the school that is looking to hire a teacher. Then, once you get hired, they get paid X amount of won for introducing you to the school.

My thing is this: can't you just use the internet to find out what schools are hiring through job boards etc. You don't need a recruiter to find a position.

Can't you just use email to send your own resume and photo etc directly to the school?

How much do recruiters get paid by schools per teacher? I've heard 1.0 million won per teacher hired.

What if you told the school you'll charge them only .75 million and they can sign you directly without the recruiter?

It's not like recruiters are subjected to all the leg work: criminal background checks, diplomas, passports etc. All they need is an email address, phone number, voice, and name. Recruiters have no form of accreditation. You don't need any certificate to act as one.

[minos]

It's expensive to advertise so many companies leave it to the recruiter...

He cost a thousand, but you may spend 300-700 advertising yourself.

Plus some recruiters check out applicants and have better English to suss out crap applicants...many hagwon bosses have garbage English and have no idea what they're doing.

[northway]

My workplace pays 300,000 if a current teacher finds a new teacher, if that counts for anything.

My boss speaks perfect English, yet still uses recruiters as it's way less work for her. By the time she speaks to someone, all she has to worry about is whether to hire them or not, rather than having to look over their documents, etc.

[murmanjake]

[BigBuds]

[PatrickGHBusan]

[WillTurnerinVanCity]

As a recruiter, (well, as a person who works for a recruitment agency), I always enjoy this thread when it comes up.

We're based out of BC, Canada, so you do have to have an Employment Agency license and a business license, etc.

But, I'd like to add that we are one of the few parties in this industry that has a such a vested interest in keeping an eye on the visa/paper aspects of this process. We (recruiters) are often the first people to get wind of any change.

What I mean by this is that I still get people who contact us who are shocked that they need a criminal background check. The reason they are shocked is because their friend who went 4 years ago said they didn't need a background check at all.

We still have plenty of people who taught with a State background check a year or two ago, and come to us with "all of their documents" only to be told they'll have to postpone their trip 90 days to get an FBI check.

We have similar stories from schools who hire directly and tell a teacher that they need docs A, B, and C, because the last time they hired a teacher was 16 months ago and that's what they needed then. The teacher goes as far as possible into the process and then run into a delay because the school wasn't aware of the change that happened 4 months ago. I don't really blame them because the people doing the hiring at the school have jobs that don't include hiring as the primary day to day function, so they don't necessarily stay on top of the visa process, or might make assumptions based on past experience.

For a lot of people, the process, the perception of the industry, the way EPIK works is firmly rooted in the 12 months they spent in the country in 2007.

So, one of the reasons you might want to use a recruiter - and I'm not saying that the people on Dave's don't stay on top of things, because they do - is that we are one of the only groups in this industry who regularly monitor these changes.

We also place a lot of teachers so, when a teacher runs into that tricky problem that seems unique to them, odds are we have experienced it and know what to do, whereas their buddy who is on contract #2, and has only had 2 E-2 visas to date might not know.

This is just anecdotal as I don't keep statistics tracking it, but when there is a major change (like the switch to FBI checks), it seems like one of the first people to break it on Dave's is usually a recruiter, or it is one of the good people on Dave's who, quite often, just heard it from a recruiter.

Or it will be ttompatz, cause he is good.

Anyway, I'm not saying that we're 100% with this stuff all of the time, that we never make mistakes, or that people can't find the answers by calling the consulate or searching Dave's, but we are easy to find and easy to contact, and we monitor this stuff weekly, so I think there is a value there.

-Will at Footprints

[ajosshi]

[lorenchristopher]

[angrypirate]

lorenchristopher, thank you for the common sense.

Not all of us need a recruiter to tell us what to do. First of all the internet, along with its distant cousin, the telephone, enables anyone to find out the rules. We aren't babies (some of us at least). I agree pre-internet days, recruiters were the only ones with information. The internet has eliminated that gap.

lorenchristopher, that's where business sense comes in. If they would've had to pay 1 million won for a recruiter to forward them your resume/picture, then asking for .75 mill is a discount. Doesn't everyone like a discount?

[ttompatz]

Search yourself and you have access to perhaps 20-50 potential employers who may be able to actually READ your resume and perhaps can get you through the visa confirmation process (not always easy for 1st time applicants).

Use 20 recruiters and that number jumps up into the many hundreds or potentially over 1000 jobs, even if the employer himself doesn't speak English (lots of hagwan jobs, MOST private placement PS jobs and virtually ALL private K-12 jobs fall into this category).

The problem lies in the fact that most people do NOT understand the role of the recruiter.

They are an introduction to a potential employer that you yourself would not otherwise be able to find. Then, if they are any good at their job, they guide you through the placement and assist with the paperwork necessary to get you as far as the employer.

They are NOT your friend.
They do NOT work for you (they are paid for and work for the employer).

They are like a used car salesman.
You walk onto their car-lot (website), peruse the cars (available jobs), if you see one you like you inquire about it.

After you listen to the sales pitch you let YOUR mechanic have a look at it (due diligence checking out the school).

If it is all good then you make the offer (accept the contract) and complete the sale (begin the paperwork for your visa application).

A good salesman will ensure that the paperwork is in order to make the sale and allow you to register the car. (A good recruiter will make sure your paperwork is in order and help get you through the paperwork to get your visa.)

I have no problem with using a recruiter or telling anyone else to use one (or more the case, many). They are your best option for fining the BEST fit when it comes to a job in Korea (or most of Asia for that matter).

.

[lorenchristopher]

[morrisonhotel]

[PatrickGHBusan]