Korean Job Discussion Forums

[CarolinaTHeels]

Hey everyone! Awesome forum here!

So I just decided that I wanted to teach in S. Korea starting in August most likely.

Alittle background info. 24/m, BA Degree, no teaching experience

Ok so my initial impressions is that I am a bit behind as far as timing is concerned for trying to teach in August starting from scratch. Also as a newbie it would prob be best to work in a Hagwon with smaller class sizes.

I am leaving for Colombia on Monday and wont return back to the states till April 27. I guess ill have to do some research and contact recruiters through email while on vacation.

With all that out of the way, here is where I need some solid advice to get me on the right track.

1. What are the things I should do/get done NOW regarding paperwork for visa ect.

2. Can someone recommend a few good Hagwon recruiters that work with schools around Seoul or Busan.

Thanks again! Sorry for the long post, any and all advice will be much appreciated!

[Big Mac]

What is a plung? Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

There may have been some changes recently to what is required, and if so, someone may be able to correct my list.

You need:

1. A criminal background check with an apostille if you are American and notarized if you are Canadian. I think this has to be made by a federal agency now, not a local one (someone correct me if I'm wrong on that).
2. Several original transcripts from your university in envelopes with a university stamp and signature across the fold. DON't OPEN THEM.
3. A copy of your university degree certificate, notarized first by a public notary and second by the Korean embassy.
4. A copy of the information page of your passport.

As for recruiters, the best thing to do is to work with multiple recruiters, not just one. Post your resume here on Dave's ESL Cafe and watch the e-mails and the phone calls start to come in. Ask to see contracts before doing any interviews and sift through them looking for ones that meet your standards. For example, I always throw away contracts that don't have a section about national medical insurance and pension, as they are mandatory and are a good indicator of an employer that doesn't play by the rules.

[CarolinaTHeels]

thanks for the info!

[CarolinaTHeels]

Some recruiters are telling me either there is no jobs or very little open in Seoul for a recent college grad with no teaching experience and want me to accept a position in another location.

Is this mostly just bs that they use to try and fill the less desirable locations? Seoul is MASSIVE and im sure there has to be job available for people like me.

Im young and can't imagine not living in a big city. I will leave the smaller towns for the older folks.

Is this an unreasonable position to have or should I just keep looking till I find what I want?

[northway]

Finding positions in Seoul as a male with zero experience is significantly more difficult than finding something extremely close to Seoul. While Seoul is massive, so is the demand. Honestly, you won't see a huge difference between living in Seoul or living in one of the satellite cities that are within 30 minutes of Seoul (and frequently have upwards of 500,000 people): Bundang, Ilsan, Anyang, etc. Realize that Seoul's massiveness doesn't stop at its city limits, and you won't be living in anything resembling a small town. Anyang, for example, has upwards of 650,000 people and is less than twenty minutes to get to the edge of Seoul, under an hour to anywhere worth going.

[Chris.Quigley]

Your recruiter doesn't contact schools and offer you as a potential teacher. Schools go to the recruiter and the recruiter offers you only those positions.

What this means is that if I am a recruiter who deals only with schools in Busan, I will tell you "Oh... these days no jobs in Seoul, only Busan, Busan good place. Busan only 35 minutes away from Seoul. This school #1. They good to you. 1 million won a lot of money these days. You not qualified to work for more than 1 million won. You pay airfare, this normal in Korea."

The truth is:

1.) There are lots of jobs in Seoul
2.) They are low-balling you on the wages
3.) The school probably isn't very good, and they will not treat you very well.
4.) They are not offering you the standard contract
5.) Seoul is 4 hours away.

Solution: Use multiple recruiters! You pick the best job!

Do Not Tell Them That You Are Using Multiple Recruiters

edit: I should add that getting a job outside Seoul is easier... But only because 75% of the population lives outside Seoul and 90% of teachers would rather work in Seoul.

[Zanniati]

I was literally in the same position as you. I have absolutely no formal experience with kids or with teaching. I had a recruiter that couldn't find me jobs because he said that there aren't any and I should accept what I have been offered. I was a little upset and someone said to get another recruiter. I did. Actually, I got about 10 of them. I now have so many offers it's hard to keep them straight. Find places to post your resume and throw it up there. You'll get a ton of messages from recruiters. I'd say 1/2 of them wont even respond back to you but even if a couple come through for you, it's worth it.

[cyui]

Just come over and look for a job..

[northway]

[cyui]

hahah..yeah it was a hung civil jury

[creeper1]

Read the FAQ young "un.

Yes use loads of recruiters and gets references from ex foreign teachers at hagwons. Some will try to scam you.

Above all do not come and look for a job here if you have never held an E-2 before since they are only issued in your home country (unless you have bags of cash lying around and don't mind spending it)

[cyui]

Since recruiters have a "cross database", it is proper etiquette to use one ( for each type of school ( public, hagwon)..

I think it is ok to use a direct hire school yourself.

Why don't you try a Uni Gig?

[CarolinaTHeels]

[cyui]

Airfare is a negotiable point of a no-biggie interest.

Re experience: Used to be the "exchange" point, but not so much in presentism 'value".

ok so bye bye.. :?

[RMNC]

Getting a Uni job is incredibly rare for a first-timer. An M.A. is required, first of all. A hagwon is probably best for someone with 0 teaching experience, as the 30+ kids in a public school is a little overwhelming, even for a guy like me who has experience. You have very little control or interaction.

And the steps were a little bit wrong as posted earlier in the thread.

0. Start trawling for recruiters on Dave's Job board, craigslist, etc. The more the better. Start researching which areas you want to be in.
1. Get fingerprinted, apply for an FBI CBC. Do this now, as this is the longest step. Make sure you include a letter that says it needs the authentic seal and signature (this is basically a notarization).
2. Get your diploma notarized by a notary public and the send it to your secretary of state for an apostille. It should take about 1 week if you mail it, or if you live in the capital of your state, just go to the office yourself and they can do it for you same-day.
3. Get your passport taken care of. Most of the time all you have to do is go to the main post office in your town, they can do it all there in one trip. The passport will arrive in about 2-3 weeks.
4. Get your FBI CBC back (should take 4-6 weeks), and then immediately send it to the Federal Dept. of State for an apostille. This take 15 days on average.
5. Sift through the heaps of terrible jobs that recruiters will send you. Be uncompromising and clear on what you want. When I first started I had people calling me all the time with jobs in Busan and Daegu or wherever, despite that I told them I wanted CENTRAL SEOUL, PERIOD. Eventually I got what I wanted, but it took some work and being proactive, as far as finding job listings and prodding recruiters to act on my behalf. Apply with every recruiter you possibly can. Post your resume everywhere. Take a good photo of you in a jacket and tie, just a good shoulders-up headshot. That's what schools will look at.
6. Consider getting a TEFL degree. You can find them online for very cheap (less than $250) and they will pay for themselves and give you much better chances at finding a good job right away. I would say it "counts" for a year of teaching experience, if that makes sense.

Okay, so once you have the FBI CBC apostilled, the Diploma apostilled, and your passport in hand, you can finally accept a job offer. Once you do, you'll have to go to the Korean consulate closest to you to interview for a visa (usually just "why are you going to korea") and then you'll receive your visa on your passport in the mail about 1-2 weeks later. After that you're on a plane to Korea.

But the most important thing is that you get your paperwork squared away NOW. Get fingerprinted THIS WEEK, fill out the application for the FBI CBC, get a money order and mail that sucker. If you wait until you get back at the end of April you may be in too much of a time crunch to get what you're looking for in August. Seriously, do this now. Don't do it later, don't make excuses. This is the worst part of it, waiting for that CBC to come back. It feels like it takes ages to get it.

And by the way, your OP isn't even close to being long. Heh.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

P.S. Yeah, I'm pretty sure cyui is a Korean national trying to collect information on ESL teachers to smear our name on other sites. Just an FYI.