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vchampea
Joined: 02 Sep 2011
Location: USA
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 Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:40 am Post subject: Taking the job hunt to Korea - risky? |
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I've made contact with several recruiters, but haven't really made any progress. All of them want to know how far along I am with my visa documents. Everything seems to be on hold until then. Will recruiters set up an interview before I have my visa documents, or do they have to know that I have the documents first?
Anyway, I was thinking of taking my job hunt to Korea. I've saved up enough money to do it. How risky is that? Would that get me a job much faster? |
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ZIFA
Joined: 23 Feb 2011
Location: Dici che il fiume..Trova la via al mare
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| Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:57 am Post subject: Re: Taking the job hunt to Korea - risky? |
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[quote="vchampea"]
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| I've made contact with several recruiters, but haven't really made any progress. All of them want to know how far along I am with my visa documents. Everything seems to be on hold until then. Will recruiters set up an interview before I have my visa documents, or do they have to know that I have the documents first? |
Given the difficulty involved in co-inciding all your documents at exactly the right time, and finding a needle in a haystack (job) before they expire, it hardly seems worth it.
Yes they want to be sure that you have all the bits of paper ready. Because 101 unforeseen things can go wrong at the last minute.
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| Anyway, I was thinking of taking my job hunt to Korea. I've saved up enough money to do it. How risky is that? Would that get me a job much faster? |
if you're attractive, blonde, american and female below the age of 30 then sure go for it, you can't fail.
If not, then be very cautious. Yes it will ggive you a slight edge over someone not in-country, however you could find that you waste 3 months on accomadation in seoul and still have no job. Times are hard. |
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koreatimes
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:57 am Post subject: |
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| You still need your documents. |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 6:46 am Post subject: Re: Taking the job hunt to Korea - risky? |
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| ZIFA wrote: |
if you're attractive, blonde, american and female below the age of 30 then sure go for it, you can't fail.
If not, then be very cautious. Yes it will ggive you a slight edge over someone not in-country, however you could find that you waste 3 months on accomadation in seoul and still have no job. Times are hard. |
Times are tough, indeed.
http://www.cometogetherkorea.com/forum/topics/hakwon-hagwon-cleaning |
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jeremysums
Joined: 08 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:20 am Post subject: Re: Taking the job hunt to Korea - risky? |
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Most recruiters just care about making money because they have bills to pay. If you have potential and your docs are ready, they will shark you up. If not, they probably won't waste their time.
| vchampea wrote: |
I've made contact with several recruiters, but haven't really made any progress. All of them want to know how far along I am with my visa documents. Everything seems to be on hold until then. Will recruiters set up an interview before I have my visa documents, or do they have to know that I have the documents first?
Anyway, I was thinking of taking my job hunt to Korea. I've saved up enough money to do it. How risky is that? Would that get me a job much faster? |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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There are many more teachers than jobs available right now. Even experienced teachers already in Korea are finding it difficult. There are attractive female candidates looking for jobs with all documents available who have been waiting for months for a position to open up.
It used to be that you could walk out and find a new teaching job in a few days - there were more jobs than teachers available. Now there might be five or more teachers available for every spot. Average monthly salary offers for first timers have fallen back down from the 2.3 to 2.5 million won range, at the peak a few years ago, to 2.0 to 2.2 million today - so, yes, it's risky.
You should get all your documents ready first. Then recruiters will find you more appealing. Be open to any area in Korea - placing geographic restrictions on your search means that you will miss out on openings and recruiters will have less interest in you. Make sure that you have a good professional photo and a short resume focused on teaching in Korea - highlight your experience with children.
But, you should find a job before you come. You could burn through a lot of cash while job hunting, you would still have to leave Korea for your visa, and perhaps return to your home country for an interview before you could get your visa, and many employers will not pay for your flight over to Korea if you are already here. In addition, you might be able to earn some money at home or find a job there or in another country that you wouldn't find while you were job hunting here. |
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vchampea
Joined: 02 Sep 2011
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:28 pm Post subject: |
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| ontheway wrote: |
There are many more teachers than jobs available right now. Even experienced teachers already in Korea are finding it difficult. There are attractive female candidates looking for jobs with all documents available who have been waiting for months for a position to open up.
It used to be that you could walk out and find a new teaching job in a few days - there were more jobs than teachers available. Now there might be five or more teachers available for every spot. Average monthly salary offers for first timers have fallen back down from the 2.3 to 2.5 million won range, at the peak a few years ago, to 2.0 to 2.2 million today - so, yes, it's risky. |
This surprises me. Maybe the reality of it will become clear to me when I start having real interviews. I've only had interviews with recruiters. Next week I have my interview with EPIK. If things are as bad as you say they are, I should probably take the job with EPIK if I get accepted. I was planning on weighing my options for a while until I found the best opportunity.
I'll sit tight and see how things go once I get my documents and start having interviews. I'm just a bit antsy. |
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Gorf
Joined: 25 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 6:30 am Post subject: |
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| Don't do it. Tight market, and you won't get your airfare back. Your prospects improve little but your costs skyrocket. |
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