Korean Job Discussion Forums

[braindrops]

So my friend, an F-4 visa holder who's been teaching in Korea for just over three years now, insists that being a Korean-American male gyopo is basically a pockmark on the resume. He claims that the reason that he's been getting offers that max out at like, 2.2 million a month for 9-6 salt-mine jobs with NO BENEFITS was due to his being an endowed gyopo.

So it got me to thinking...I've read so many posts now about how being a gyopo male is so horrible, but I've also heard that being a gyopo male can also be a great thing. WTH? Like, when I see lists that say the pecking order goes: "hot blonde w/ blue eyes, average blonde w/ blue eyes, good-looking blonde dude w/ blue eyes, attractive Korean non-native female, ugly fat disgusting (just paraphrasing another post, not my opinion...hehe) white chick, screen English teacher, tape recorder, volleyball from Cast Away, dot dot dot, Korean gyopo male, it seems pretty clear that the gyopo dude is viewed as being pretty low on the totem pole. But I've also heard that this is not true in all cases, and that there are jobs for which gyopos (and males) are actually preferred. And intuitively, it doesn't seem to make sense, especially for businesses and corporations, entities that would likely benefit from having native English speakers who also might have a slightly more instinctive cultural understanding of Korea.

So which is it? I'd just like some clarification before my head explodes. Maybe someone can pitch in some of the distinguishing characteristics of jobs that score against gyopos (and male gyopos in particular) and those that actually prefer gyopos.

Because I don't want to walk around with thoughts in my head like, "being a male gyopo is a curse...unless it's not."

[koreatimes]

Depends. Some have connections in Korea. Their family might be in Korea.

[braindrops]

so you're saying...aside from having family in korea, or having family contacts in korea, those would be pretty much all in terms of advantages?

i suppose this would be a merits question...but let's say you're not into leveraging (or just don't have) the family angle...would then a KM find himself at a disadvantage? :p

[koreatimes]

[braindrops]

haha, well i suppose that puts you at #3 on the recruiting list behind hot blonde/blue female and average blonde/blue female...

but thanks, noted. my friend told me he had a job for a firm lined up as an english instructor and in the last round of training apparently he was told that the firm decided to go with the two non-gyopo instructors instead of the two gyopo ones (including him). so i believe it also happens with corporations too, but i'm assuming it happens less frequently...but i could be wrong^^

[sulperman]

I'm an E-2 desperately seeking legal pt jobs, and based on what I have seen, I would kill to be an f-4. Any gyopo who cant set themselves up with a myriad of high-paying part time jobs to supplement the myriad of gyopo only jobs I am seeing is looking in the wrong place.

[carleverson]

The problem is that there's simply way too many gyopos in Korea, especially the guys. Also, alot of Koreans who can speak English fairly well try to pass themselves off as gyopos. So basically all these people are trying to get the same jobs. The exception? If you're an attractive young gyopo female, you will be in very high demand.

[koreatimes]

[amoonbot]

It is difficult for gyopo males to find jobs if they continue to look in the same area as other foreigners (E-2 applicants, etc). Of course, every now and then, you can have find that shining opportunity for a wonderful high-end Gangnam academy or lucrative company but generally, it's very difficult. Most academies that post on English websites are those looking for "foreign-looking" namely caucasian individuals.

That being said, if you look in the Korean job boards, you'll find way more opportunities. Now, if you're a gyopo male with very little Korean fluency then it's a bit difficult to secure or find a position as a lot of these positions require a good level of Korean. However, if you are fluent in Korean, you can definitely find a job on these websites. This, of course, is no easy task as well, but you'll find positions that you would never find on ESL job boards such as Dave's or Worknplay.

[minos]

Gyopos make money on part time jobs and/or TESOL/TOEIC/SAT teaching gigs.

Even my gangster friend who never went to college taught TEFL and he's retarded.

A gyopo working at a run of the mill hagwon either has a very good setup or can't get his F-4.

[Draz]

Gyopos can get jobs that aren't teaching English. That is the advantage. Complaining about not being able to find a job teaching English when you're a man on an F visa is dumb. There are so many other opportunities, especially if you have a bit of Korean. I didn't bother to learn because I can't take advantage of greater opportunities anyway, mostly because I'm female. It drives me nuts hearing guys complain about how women are favored when it comes to finding teaching jobs. Yeah, sure, but who really wants a teaching job anyway?!

[Freakstar]

I'm a gyopo and have been living and working in Korea since 2007. Back then, I had no trouble whatsoever finding a job teaching English. I have a BA from an Ivy League school and entertained several different offers from hagwons before I accepted an offer that paid me 3.6 million krw per month for 120 hours. Shortly after I started my hagwon job, I started to look for other opportunities and ended up landing a corporate job with the international team at a Korean jaebol. I've been at my same job in a senior management position for four years now and have already been promoted once. My salary comfortably tops six figures once bonuses are accounted for, and the job comes with some real nice perks. My life's not perfect - I work too many hours and I travel too much - but for me, it beats teaching English any day.

Being a gyopo does not mean that you are at a disadvantage in this country. On the contrary, being a gyopo has afforded me every advantage that is NOT given to a non-gyopo on an E2 visa. I have many gyopo friends living in Seoul - we still find time to get together and play basketball and street hockey even though some of us are married now and busy with our own lives - and each and every one of us has tasted success in this country. We work for Korean corporations, own restaurants and bars, and yeah, some of us even teach English. Don't listen to the gyopo haters.

[nero]

[overdrive2023x]

Here is my opinion:

Im an adoptee from Korea, and grew up in a white American family in California with both white brothers and sisters. The funny thing I've always dealt with, is that when I interview over the phone and then show up in person, there's always a sort of confused look. The voice, the name, the personality, usually doesn't fit the employer's profile of what a Korean or Asian American male is.

But the truth is, I don't consider myself Korean-American. A Korean American to me is someone that grew up in a Korean household, with Korean parents, and has some exposure to the Korean language.

I can understand why some Korean schools see Gyopo's as a bad investment. First is, appearance. Especially when in the case of Hagwons, the paying parents want their school to be giving them a genuine and high quality English experience. If I went to a Japanese language school in the US, and my teacher was Australian, I would feel jipped. We want the authentic thing. Much like when we go to ethnic restaurant, and find out the cooks in the back aren't of the restaurant's ethnic image. Be honest, if you wen to an Asian restaurant, and saw Mexican cooks in the back, you'd feel the food was not as authentic. So in essence, we (as westerners) think the exact same way as these Korean school and parents do.

Besides appearance, Koreans are also aware of the accent difference with Korean Americans. Korean Americans (as well as any other 2nd generation children born to migrating parents) GENERALLY have an accent difference. It's might be hard to notice at first, but after you meet a a good amount of them, you'll start to hear it to. As much as i'm sure Koreans-Americans want to deny it, it is noticeable. It depends of course what language was more spoken more at home when they were growing up. For those in California, Mexican-Americans that grew up speaking Spanish at home, also have the micro accent difference, and I'm sure most growing up in California know what I'm talking about. Koreans are not exempt, and Korean school employers back in Korea are aware of it; though they think its dramatically a bigger difference than it actually is.

So I think Koreans want Caucasian/White teachers for those reasons. When it comes down to it, they would rather not have to deal with parents inquiring and questioning whether their child's teacher is giving them a genuine English experience.

[proverbs]

an F4 visa is awesome if you were born in the States and are perfectly bilingual. then the doors open up like crazy. you can get bilingual teaching jobs or work in a corporate setting.

Freakstar, you graduated from an IVY league school. i would hope that you would be making 6-figures by now. you studied hard and earned it. but honestly, you should be making a lot of dough wherever you are with that kind of background.

overdrive, im also from California. you must not know many gyopos that were born in the States. out of the hundreds of gyopos i know, they have an American accent when they speak Korean, not the other way around.

i believe the teaching market is pretty much split in two - you can be a Korean bilingual English teacher or a 'white' English teacher.