Korean Job Discussion Forums

[joshuascott]

I just finished a very strange interview for a position in Ulsan. The director (female) flat out said she was concerned that I was too good looking to teach? She went on to say that she thought the students would not be able to concentrate and that someone who is too good looking might not be a good teacher..
I had no idea how to handle this other than say i'll get a bad haircut and wear dirty clothes...she didn't get the joke.

I know how important looks and first impressions are in Korea, but I never ever thought that this is something that would come up as a potential barrier to getting a teaching job. I find it deeply disturbing that someone would tie in looks with job performance.

I can't help but think that this was an isolated incident, but has anyone else ever ran into this problem?

[wishfullthinkng]

if that is an actually a problem then find a well paying teaching gig in gangnam/apujeong/cheongdam. you will be working in an environment that actually wants supermodels as teachers and after work you can hop over to one of many establishments that also cater to the young and beautiful to play.

[Unposter]

Maybe, she was letting you down easy.

[joshuascott]

Haha yes maybe that was just a clever Korean way of letting me go without making me feel bad. Well at least I'll have the awkwardness as a small memento...


I guess my whole purpose of starting this thread was to maybe open up a dialogue on the role looks play in Korean culture in respects to finding a job. I know that presentation and looks play a role in landing a job just about anywhere, but I guess looks going against someone in the hiring process is something that could be discussed as well.


wishfulthinking:Ultimately I would like to stay out of Seoul as I have started to harvest a slight distaste for the mountains of chain hagwon garbage that has been coming my way. I don't think my teacher's salary would be able to support the prices that places to see/be seen demand anyways, and plus that is not something that particularly interests me. Do they have hole in the wall bars where it is cool to be unseen? Then we might be talking!

[Setaro]

This thread is useless without pics. Show us your face so we can judge!

[joshuascott]

Hahahaha, some say I look like a combination of Dave Sperling and Brad Pitt so I'll leave that up to your imagination. Plus I'm a guy and I don't know if your a guy or girl so let's do ourselves a favor and not make this awkward. I think I just accepted a job in Daegu as of a minute ago so maybe I will fare better there.

[Swampfox10mm]

You could have been in a yagwon with her in under 30 minutes, but you failed.

Go home. You obviously don't have what it takes to be here.

[whatisinmyhead]

you're a mix between dave sperling and brad pitt???

"yeah, my girlfriend looks a little like charlize theron... and a lot like dog the bounty hunter"

- zach galifianakis

[No_hite_pls]

[jeremysums]

Did she flirted with you. Lol about the dirty clothes comment. Man in the U.S. you get places with look, other places they try to turn you down. But a lot of people are saying blondes get jobs in korea. Not sure if its true or not.

[Ribena]

Well I am glad I am ugly enough to avoid this problem.

[Died By Bear]

[Ribena]

[shifty]