Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SpiritThatcannotbebroken]

OK,i here a lot of people saying Hagwons are better but I'm Black and even the recruiter sites even say it will probably be a slim chance for me getting in one. I mean it does happen but not that often.And personally I don't mind working in a public school. I would just love to teach in South Korea.

Also i wanted to know a good location to teach in.Personally i don't want to teach in Seoul i want something a bit smaller with beaches and mountains.And yet i still would like to have a social life as well.

[Skippy]

Well - you will have to try harder and apply more. Expect a lot more first interest and them silence when they get a picture/passport scan.

You best luck will be what I call dead man's boots. Get all your paperwork ready. and I mean ready. No waiting for a check or getting a stamp on something. Your apartment is packed and you can get on a plane tomorrow - ready. Many schools will hire ahead of time but things fall thru with teachers and that. You are there to save the day ready to say "hey I am all ready to go. Yes I can be their in a week."

Well then look at some of the smaller cities - Look for jobs in Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju, Suwon, and so on. Bigger cities like Seoul or Busan will be a little bit locked out for you.

Most small cities will be comfortable enough for you. Probably enough creature comforts and a social crowd to not go nuts. The smaller cities and towns for a first timer will be difficult. Forget about the beaches. Beaches here in Korea are not like beaches in Thailand or else where. Beaches will only be good for about 4 months of the year. Mountains are mountains. With the beaches and that travel to them on the weekend. Getting around Korea is easy enough.

[SpiritThatcannotbebroken]

Cool, what are your thoughts about Incheon and the province of Chungcheongnam. It is lucky for me that I have no interest in teaching in Seoul or anyplace that big. I want a medium size city that doesn�t have 24/7 noise. I can travel to big cities on weekends.

I am planning to apply in September 2012 because I�m still in college right now finishing up my senior year.

As I said before, I doubt I will get in a Hagwon, but what about EPIK. Do you know how hard the process is with them? I was going to apply to GEPIK , before I heard about their financial condition. Do you have any information about applying to school directly? I heard about one person getting in with EPIC in Cheonan , would that be easier or is it best to have a recruiter?

(Yes I fixed this too, because I didn�t reread it all, it was horrible even I was sad when I read it.)

[Gorf]

If you speak as poorly as you write on here, you don't deserve to teach English.

[SpiritThatcannotbebroken]

I cannot figure out how to delete this, so I will just change it. This was a rant to someone to whom I though was rude i.e. Golf. People have been commenting on it as if was addressed to them, I�m sorry if it offended you it was not meant for you. I�m pretty new to this site so if anyone could PM with how to delete this, I would really appreciate it.

[northway]

[Skill]

Hello SpiritThatCannotbebroken.

As others have indicated, you should pay attention writing. Have a quick check for errors before you submit your post. The mistakes are to numerous to ignore. It does not look like you are a native speaker, nor someone who has been born and/or raised up in a English Speaking Country.

As to the question to your colour, I don't see that to be much of a problem. Just focus on selling yourself. If you going to apply for GEPIK, you should keep in mind you have to fill out a 12 page application and at the end of it a 500 word essay. So be wary of your spelling and grammar mistakes.

[ttompatz]

OP:

If your resume and cover letter are anything like your other writing you have no worry. You won't be getting a job in Korea.

That is aside from the fact that you don't appear to have a degree either (another reason why you can't get a job in Korea - visa requirement).

IF, on the other hand, you can actually write a comprehensible cover letter, compose a resume, come from one of the approved 7 anglophone countries, have your degree and clean CBC then you have a decent chance for employment in Korea inspite of your self.

As to the where, it won't matter.

Focus on the job and not the where. If the where is inconvenient you can get a car/motorbike or move in your 2nd year. If the job is bad you won't last any longer than it takes to earn enough money to get a ticket home.

[Skippy]

[tukmax]

You could always get a job in Daejeon. I worked there a couple of years ago and there were plenty of Blacks from US/Canada as well as South African blacks working in hagwons.

Not a bad city. I had fun there.

[SpiritThatcannotbebroken]

[Reggie]

Don't worry about your grammar. My grammar sucks and I get job offers all of the time and just got a work visa.

As for the black part, I guess all you can do is try and hope for the best. If you try to get a job, your odds of getting one are already higher than if you don't. There was a black couple that used to live in my apartment building in Seoul and they had taught in Korea for a few years. They were a good-looking couple that looked like they could've been Abercrombie & Fitch models or something. Plus, there was another black chick in my neighborhood who was teaching English. She was good looking too. Physical beauty is as important as race, especially with hagwons.

Are you specifically wanting to teach in Korea? If you're open to other countries in Asia, I've read about black teachers in China, including teachers from Nigeria and other countries where English isn't the native language. Even universities there hire Nigerians, so I would think an African-American would be able to get a job in China very easily.

[ttompatz]

Again, I wouldn't focus so much on the where (if you are referring to geographic location). You won't have any idea of where "where" is anyway.
Seoul is your best bet but don't rule out rural Korea (small cities of about 1 million people) are often better choices for any number of reasons unless the party factor is your driving reason for coming.

If by where you mean recruiter or school then look at cities like Suwon, Daejon, Daegu, etc. Because of the high demand for everyone to go to Seoul there are often lots of decent jobs in the satellite cities or some of the other cities down south.

Another thing to remember is that the whole country is only 250 miles wide and 250 miles long. Nowhere is that far from anywhere (except at Chuseok when the highways turn into parking lots).

As to "bad" areas of a city... there aren't any. This is NOT the good 'ol US of A where murder is the national sport and muggings are as common as socks. I have no fear walking anywhere in Korea (with the possible exception of along the wire at the N.Korean border/DMZ) at any time of day or night.

Focus on the job.

For recruiters.... use all of them. Repeat every 2 weeks and give EPIK a shot for the spring recruitment.

.

[aussieb]

"The mistakes are to numerous to ignore." Incorrect use of the bolded word .. should be too

[ironclad80]