Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sing81]

Who are the good recruiting agencies? Can anyone recommend some to me?

[jeremysums]

Just look on the web. There are a bunch. You just have to decide where you want to work.

[Tallgesse]

Your going to want to use more than one anyway. Decide where, if anywhere specific, you want to work. Throw your net out to grab a lot of recruiters. Don't take a job or sign a contract without getting it reviewed here, and always speak to the schools current and former teachers. Recruiters are numerous. Agencies might have both quality and scamy recruiters within them. Trust your gut and follow the above protocall. I suggest going to the contract review thread now and reading it. All of it. All 50 pages. Its worth it to learn the ropes of what flies and what doesn't.

[Tigerstyleone]

The ones that place you in the center of Seoul only teaching adults without split shifts.

[morningsoju]

my friend runs a hagwon and uses a company called School of ROK. he said they have been excellent so far. i checked out their FB page and it had some good info, facebook.com/schoolofrok. hope that helps!

[ttompatz]

The good one is the one who gets you a "DECENT" job.

They are all good and they are all bad. They all have some proponents and they all have some 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).

[quote="ttompatz"]

For someone who is abroad, no connections and no ability to communicate in Korean then recruiters are a necessary evil.

That doesn't mean it is a crap shoot.

ALL recruiters are good. All recruiters are bad.
BUT they are a bridge to a job that you would not otherwise find.

The trick is in understanding what they are and what they do.

[northway]

[proverbs]

regarding the quote posted by ttompatz - i agree with the second half, but not the first half. i guess most recruiters are not really in it for your best interest, but there are a good amount out there that are really trying to help you. the recruiter i worked with went the extra mile to help me. and i'm pretty sure he's not the only one. it helped that he was based in the States and was perfectly bilingual. i was actually referred to him, so i'm guessing the obvious reason for giving me such great service was because he knows i might also provide him with referrals - which i did . but honestly, i worked with one recruiter and searched on my own about 10 minutes a day. he gave me a few offers/locations i didn't like, and after about 2 weeks, he found the one that i wanted.

i don't think you have to work with 30 different recruiters to find a good job. from my experience, and from what i hear - i think a lot of the bad recruiters work with the bad schools, and the good recruiters with the good schools. not all the time, but most. the school i work for (and the people i work with) are seriously AWESOME. from what i understand, they only use 1 recruiter but also do a lot of the recruiting in house. but the friends i have who are CONSTANTLY complaining about their hagwon and how everyone at their work is an a-hole, say their school uses a ton of (maybe 20+) recruiters.

my advice would be to find a good trustworthy recruiter and do your own searching, and i think it will make the process a lot smoother and easier.

[whiteshoes]

Appletree has been good to me. Others, less good.

[CPJ]

I think you are giving the recruiters too much credit in what role they play in the hiring process. People should understand that every recruiter has lots of happy teachers that were placed at good schools. At the same time, the same recruiter has lots of unhappy teachers that were placed at not so great schools. How can this be you ask? It's all about making a buck! The more teachers they place, the more money they make!

If a 'not so good' school offered a recruiter $1000 to find them a teacher, do you think the recruiter is going to refuse? I am sure if the school was really bad, some might not as the trouble that will follow is not worth the money. However, in most cases, the recruiter is going to be offering this 'not so good' school to teachers.

You as the teacher will be receiving these job offers. Some may be great schools while other may be really bad. It's up to you to ask all the difficult questions and go through the vetting process.

I'll never turn down a job offer regardless of which recruiter it is from. If the salary and hours are to my liking, I will take the interview. If anything seems fishy, then I can easily refuse. If after all my research, it sounds like a good job, I will take it. Simple!

[IncheonCeri]

Well I went with Say Kimchi and speaking from my experience (and the experience of another couple I know) the girl who runs it was helpful from start to finish. We had a job within a week/flights and accommodation paid for. No hassle.

[jeremysums]

Never heard of them.