Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Nolivas]

I'm looking for a really good recruiting company for english teaching in Korea. I just had a bad experience with a company called Appletree recuiting. Unfortaunatlly they placed me in a school in which I was unqualified for, and they knew this. I have zero teaching experience but they expect me to peform as one who has much teaching experience.

Can anyone please help me. I know of a couple, can anyone tell me if these recuiting firms our good.

Peoples recruiting

Match maker recruiting. Both were recommended on the internet. If you have any further information please let me know.

[s0ngs4me]

Don't go through reach to teach. I hear korvia is good.

[morningsoju]

Well, first of all, if you do a search, you'll find a ton of posts that have already discussed this.

Reach2teach.com and footprints.com are two of the bigger names, but you should probably stay away from them. Never used Korvia, but i hear its decent if you're looking for a public school.

i use schoolofrok.com and they have been great. i referred a few people to them

[Mike410]

Is using a recruiter worth it? Do they provide good job options for Korea, or is it better to rely on job board ads?

[bentobento]

No offense, but is it really that hard to search back just a couple pages?

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=212010
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=211531
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=211406
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=190396
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=17143

I've worked with both Reach to Teach and Korvia. Both have been helpful and good with answering questions. I got clearer answers from R2T because most (if not all) their recruiters are native English speakers who have taught ESL in the past. Korvia emails will usually have some grammar issues, but I can understand what they mean. Both submitted my applications ASAP, were clear about what documents I needed to get, etc. Korvia has been very good about highlighting new changes made to EPIK this year.

I've heard Footprints hasn't been as good this year, but a lot of people were using them last time I applied.

Edited to add: My friend who works at a Kindy in Seoul used English Apple and recommended them to me. They were pretty fast about getting an intro interview for me set up, but I didn't realize they hire only for Hagwons until the interview. So that ended the phone call pretty fast. ha.

[ZIFA]

[Skippy]

Yep this has been done again and again!

For one person the recruiter was amazing, for another horrible.

Take this advice about recruiters!

1. THEY DO NOT WORK FOR YOU! They work for the money they get from the school. If a recruiter can keep you happy for one month (or however long) at a new school they get their money and you are not their problem.

2. ONE is fine. Many is better. Why just use one recruiter - use as many as you want. But... be careful with using many recruiters when you apply for public school, i think the rule is only one can apply you.

3. Learn the tricks they use from - Bait and Switch to ASAP to stalling tactics. [Nolivas - 2 posts in 2 months? - you need to do more research about schools and Korea]

4. Never ever let them take you paperwork UNLESS you are a hundred percent certain about the future job. It is amazing to hear stories of people who handed over paperwork and find themselves working at another school then what they signed up for.

5. Generally foreign based ones are better.

6. Recruiters in Korea do have to be registered but many are not and that registering really means nothing about qualifications or quality.

7. Recruiters ARE not employees of the the school. Schools can scam recruiters too. A recruiter may just not know a school is bad. Sometimes the do know but do not care.

8. A recruiter will help you only as much as you are worth helping or of value. Have all your paperwork ready - they will be more helpful. In another country versus here in Korea. White versus Korean-American.

9. Recruiters will not do the legwork for you. They will not research the school for you. They will not talk to the past employees for you. Neither will they read and point out problems with a contract for you. Recruiters will generally do this - point you to a school that fills your requirements like location, type of students, and wages.

10. Recruiters will lie to you or stretch the truth on schools or locations. It is amazing how close Incheon is to Seoul. Or how Gumi is a bustling Metropolis. Yes Avalon and ECC are popular schools because so many English teachers worked for them.

My advice for best recruiter is YOURSELF. Use all recruiters for getting a school name and details. Then take over as much as the process you can.

Good Luck!

[Nolivas]

Listen skippy, the only reason i have done two post in two months is because I just got here (two months to be exact). Duh, why do you think I am posting this question, so I can get references to resources or websites with information. I didn't want critism.

By the way Appletree recuiting did go through the contract with, your right not most recruiters will do that. As far as ECC, that is the school I am currently working for now, and they are being really rigid. I don't understand you hear a bunch of stories of how some people with zero experience surived and continue on the career path of teaching like "Busan Kevin" on youtube for example.



My complaint about Appletree is that although the company is run entirely by koreans, non of the them are former ESL Teachers, which makes asking for advice in regards to teaching very hard.

I know Peoples Recruiting firm is run by former EFL teachers, and they also told me about the 3 month law in Korea, which means that if the teacher quits the job within three months the school can ask the recruiter for their money back and the recruitng firm has to oblige by this.

I post this topic to see if anyone had any personal experience with Peoples Recruiting or Matchmaker recruiting both I heard were good from ESL Blackboard. But I wanted to hear some more input from other people, so I came here Dave's ESL CAFE, a place to network, not get critism or a scolding Skippy.

But thanks for all the tips fellows, if you have anymore feel free to post.

[Skippy]

First you came for some advice. People gave it to you. Look further back. Search some more. This topic comes up every week in one form or another. People get sick of posting again and again and again.

Nolvias I am going to break the news to you. Most people who come here to work in ESL will get not training.

Really what happens if lucky is a a day or two of watching someone teach usually the teacher who you are replacing. Or maybe a week of basic classes. That is all!.

Schools when they hire somebody are actually expecting competent people. You did go to college for 4 years. For most employers that is enough for them. Now most schools will understand that ya you will suck for a couple of days or weeks but at some point you will be competent enough.

For me it was get off the plane. Sleep a night and the next day right into the class room. Me and about 5 kids. The basic good ole fashioned way to learn - right into the deep end.

Every hagwon job I have taken has pretty much been straight to the classroom for me.

Also here is the dichotomy of Korea. They want teachers but the don't want teachers, they want a foreign face in which to sell the buyers. And yes.... Public school are the same too - except the buyers are just voters.

Heck not just ESL. I have a friend who works for a large company in Seoul who helps broker deals with minerals and trading and mining. Many times he does not know something. Here is what they do hand him a book on the topic to read. They expect him to have enough brains to try and figure it out himself.

Also Ha in expecting professionalism in this country. I have had 2 hagwons where the owner/boss did not speak a lick of English.

With recruiters really you are expecting ex-EFL teachers. True some do try their hand in it. To be a recruiter all you need is basically is to have a basic level of English and access to enough chumps. Thank God for the Internet.

Some more advice

1. Look more and read more of Daves.

2. Search more of Dave's. Yes ESLcafe search sucks. Be patient and try again if it fails. Or to try either using searcheslcafe.com or site:forums.eslcafe.com/korea "WORDS HERE" at google.

3. Find a company/recruiter you want to try. Search the board and the Internet. Maybe, just maybe something might pop up.

4. Be aware that this forum may be censored for disparaging comments against customers. Sorry recruiters and schools like ECC keep this site running. Whole threads have disappeared that decided to talk trash or even anything about some school who is a customer.

5. Foreigner recruiters will cheat you just the same as a Korean recruiter.

6. Learn to use you brain if something smells fishy - question or move on.

7. Recruiters do not stick around. Once they place you and got you processed the generally forget about you. Well maybe the 1 month or 3 month hold of pay might give you some hand holding. Put come a certain point no recruiter is going to help or care about you. I would say come a certain point even EFLplanet would slowly start to call back later and later, till you can not just reach them.

8. Recruiters are generally not you Korea problem or life in general problem go to person. They will not solve problems unless it relates to getting you into the job. I have heard people ask or call up their recruiters about, where to get an apartment, complain about the apartment given them, how to get a handphone, helping with collecting out of cheated pay, and so on. And many of these people are shocked - shocked when the recruiter does not help them or call them back. The nerve!

Plus one more extra piece of advice watch who you disparage in this country. This country has some strange libel laws. Hope Appletree recruiting does not feel vicious.

I really need to get a life! I am doing this on a Saturday night.

[whiteshoes]

So a recruiter "placed" you in a job that expects you to "teach" and you are getting paid on time? And the recruiter did something wrong here?

First, recruiters don't "place" you in a sense that you have no choice where you go, they only tell you of places that are interested in you. I've used Appletree in the past, and I denied the first couple of schools. They still "placed" me afterward. You know, after I reviewed a contract, talked to a manager, interviewed a current worker and signed the contract.

Your point about needing a recruiter who has taught before is totally moot. A recruiter helps introduce you to jobs, serves as a go between for you and your new employer, and helps in the visa process. Furthermore, you can ask them for advice. They may not know a lot about pedagogy, but they will know what a school expects you to do.

Look, I know it's hard being in a new country, and frankly you might be having some issues adjusting to it. But I wonder if you need to refocus on what you are trying to get out of your time. You said, "Unfortaunatlly they placed me in a school in which I was unqualified for, and they knew this. I have zero teaching experience but they expect me to perform as one who has much teaching experience. " Well, you must be able to know what your school expects of you. From what you've said, Appletree may be a bit to blame if they didn't tell you fully that the work environment was hard. However, if you do your due diligence and talk to current teachers there, you'll know this going in.

[jakeciana]

There's like a list of them on Dave's Cafe.