Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PatrickGHBusan]

Quoting yourself there World Traveler?

[itiswhatitis]

Any recruiter that deals with only hagwons and no public schools is your best bet. The hagwon jobs are much better.

99% of recruiters in Korea are very honest and helpful, the ESL industry has been around for a long time in Korea so virtually all of the bad recruiters have been routed out a long time ago.

[williamsabia]

How do people feel about Morgan recruiting? I spoke with someone on skype and she seemed very nice, spoke good English and said she taught at the school she recommended for me? What are red flags regarding recruiters?

[Bruce W Sims]

[earthquakez]

[northway]

[itiswhatitis]

Just be sure to go with a recruiter that deals either exclusively or at least primarily with hagwons and NOT PUBLIC SCHOOLS. So long as you work at a hagwon then it is unlikely that you can go wrong.

There was probably a time when some of the recruiters were not honest but the ESL business has been around in Korea for a long time and virtually all of the bad recruiters were rooted out long ago. But I will warn you TO BE VERY CAUTIOUS OF RECRUITERS WHO TELL YOU THAT PUBLIC SCHOOL JOBS ARE BETTER. This is nothing more than a sales pitch.

You will enjoy a hagwon much more than a public school.

From my experience, at a hagwon you are considered to be an actual teacher whearas at a public school you are considered more of a clown/white monkey. At the hagwons the Korean children are extremely respectful and they bow to you as they come in and as they leave.

I've done both and I can tell you that I never have discipline problems at the hagwon. At the public school the control of the classroom all depends on the Korean teacher (average elementary class size in a public school is between 35-40 UNLESS you're at a rural school in the middle of nowhere). With such large classes discipline is often a problem at public schools.

Time for a reality check:

How many Korean teachers do you think actually want a foreign teacher in their classroom? I mean really, stop and think about it. A very small minority of them do, and the minority of them that do want you only want you so that they can use you to practice/improve their own English. They may beg you to meet with them on your own time to study English and they will not pay you for it (maybe in Kimchi). If you refuse to meet with them then they have the power to make you life miserable. DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS UNCOMMON AND THAT IT WON'T HAPPEN TO YOU.

Speaking of which.....

My co-teacher at the public school (I now work in a hagwon) used to complain that now that she has a foreign teacher that she has no choice but to know the correct answers to questions from her students about English. I was shocked that she admitted this to me and I considered complaining about it but I didn't after I realized how vulnerable I was (she could have made my life miserable or even got me fired). This kind of BS would never be tolerated in a hagwon. You think this is uncommon? THINK AGAIN!!!


Kids in Korea have little respect for foreign teachers in a public school setting. They view you as being a clown. Kids in Korea know the difference between a white person/foreigner who is a diplomat, MBA or Engineer and one who is a dime a dozen English teacher. The reason you get more respect in a hagwon is because in a hagwon you are viewed as a teacher but in a public school you are viewed as a spoiled clown who does no real work (even though this is not the case-you will work much harder and much longer hours at a public school than at a hagwon).

My experience is that public school teachers get the least amount of respect in Seoul (as compared to other parts of Korea). This is probably because many of the white people/foreigners in Seoul are in fact diplomats, MBA's and engineers (trust me...a 10 year old Korean knows the difference and will become very clear to you).

My advice: keep away from public schools in Korea at all costs (especially those in Seoul). Korea is a great place to live so long as you don't work in a public school

[PatrickGHBusan]

The truth or accurate picture of ESL in Korea lies squarely between itiswhatitis overly rosy presentation and earthquakez's overly gloomy and reductionist view.

There are lots of good to great recruiters out there for those people who UNDERSTAND what a recruiter is and what he does.

There are also a fair share of shady operators in the recruitment business.

There are heaps of great hakwons and schools out there but there are bad places to work.

Finally, there are a lot of good foreign teachers out there doing their best but there are also many morons, idiots and lame losers who abuse the system.

Seriously, do your homework, understand what recruiters do and what they are and odds are you will end up doing well.

[Bruce W Sims]

[northway]

[ttompatz]

Let's put this into perspective.

ALL recruiters are good and ALL recruiters have had complaints.

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).

[PatrickGHBusan]

Tom put this best. Thread over. Well done sir.

[jeremysums]

A lot of people talking about Korvia.

[morningsoju]

i heard that School of ROK (schoolofrok.com) is really good. i did not personally use them, but my friend who runs a hagwon said they're great with preparing the teachers. hope that helps!

[PatrickBateman]

ttompatz really deserves a medal or something.

Seriously....always informative.

If I ran into and by some miracle you had ttompatz written on your forehead, I would buy you a drink.