Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Srei11]

Hi all! This is my first post on this site, I'll be graduating with my bachelors this December and have been thinking about teaching esl in Korea for quite some time now. Unfortunately I just started researching into it more, (I've been so busy with my school) and I already know I'm not going to make the EPIK deadline. (I haven't started my CBC, I wasn't sure if I needed to find a recruiter before I start it?) Any help for a newbie would be GREATLY appreciated!

[Skipperoo]

Are you dead set on a public school job? As I understand it they do hire year-round due to teachers leaving and so on so if you miss the deadline it's not the end of the world, however such positions are much less common and may not be the cherries (Always ask: why is the current teacher leaving?)

Alternatively there are always jobs going at private academies, you'll read a lot of horror stories about them on Dave's and other sites but the vast majority of teachers I meet here are content with their jobs.

Is there anything specific that you'd like to know? For general stuff I recommend the FAQ folder of the forum, some of the information is a little outdated but it's a great place to start.

[Srei11]

No I'm not dead set on a public school job, I don't have any TEFL certificates and I read it is difficult to obtain a job in public without them. I'm just weary about the hagwons because of everything I have read, but I know there are good ones out there. I'd really like to secure a job in Feb-March. I've contacted Korvia and they replied an automated response, it was too impersonal, so I'm looking for a trustworthy recruiting agency but I'm finding a hard time with that as well!
But thanks for the reply I will look more into the FAQs

[ippy]

For the most part, if you have all your documents ready to send off with your references all in order, and a massive open space in your calender, recruiters will pretty much bite your hand off at quirky times of the year.

Its actually all pretty simple:

If you want to get a job in seoul/busan (or another big city) - you maybe need a bit of experience or something that makes you stand out from the crowd, or a connection, or a bit of luck, or are willing to take a pretty decent hit in wages to get that foot in teh door.

Getting a job anywhere else: So long as that anywhere else is unspecified, you can land a fairly decent job with not many problems. Just show a bit of a commitment to the job (and you having your docs good to go before you even start recruiter shopping is a pretty good one) and at least indicate youre intelligent, self motivated, and not tied to the apron strings of home (and maybe enjoy the challenge of teaching - the easiest bit to blag if im honest), and you should get set-up fairly quickly.

Other tips:

Only go with one recruiter for your epik programme. I dont know if thats entirely current advice, but it was the norm when i was applying.

Cast your net far and wide. They get paid for setting you up, so make them work for their cash. If you arent happy with them, go to your next recruiter. You are the product. Its their job to place you if they want to get paid.

No matter how bleak it all 'looks' you set the bar for yourself. The more restrictions you have (on wage, time off or location), the more your CV needs to shine. If your CV doesnt shine then you either need to make it shine, be a very good blagger, be extremely lucky, or be realistic about your prospects and maybe cut down on your list of deal-breakers.

Finally, NEVER EVER SEND OUT YOUR DOCUMENTS UNTIL YOU HAVE A GUARANTEED SPOT. Sure, some people might be nice, but some recruiters arent and will dangle the misery of redoing all of that crap to offer you some serious garbage as well as tying you into ONLY what they have available.
This one is pure common sense. If anyone tells me they must have my documents before they have a spot lined up for me, im off to find a different recruiter.

[Perceptioncheck]

^^^The poster above has given great advice.

Use as many recruiters as you can and remember they are not your friends. They will lie to you. Always double check a school's location, and always get the contact details of several current teachers at so you can make sure conditions are as advertised.

[Illysook]

That feeling is normal and it will stay with you until you leave Korea.

[jamasian]

The I love ESL staff is great for EPIK. I've also had a satisfactory experience with GMSC's Leo Kim. The latter will do both hagwon and public schools.

You should start your documents before anything else with the help of this forum, but the two companies I mentioned don't have a problem helping those without documents. Especially since you have to start next year.

Good luck! Hwaiting~!

[nathanrutledge]

Korvia is a decent recruiter. An automated email is good - much better than being totally ignored. Korvia is a big recruiter and they are fairly organized. Most people will give you a good review of them.

As others have said, read the FAQ. Also, learn to use google. Search for a topic followed by site:forums.eslcafe.com. This will bypass the crap search feature we have and get you real results.

Remember, people come here to complain. Take the warnings to heart, but remember that there are some several dozen times more visas than there are complainers on here. I.E., most jobs are solid, most people are happy.

Get a map. Learn the geography of Korea. Study train routes, bus routes, terminals, stations, etc. Living in Seoul/Busan is not the end all/be all of life here. However, living in the middle of Gangwon or Jeolla-do can be fantastic IF you have access to fast and frequent transportation, or miserable if there is only two buses a day that are always standing room only. Really, 80-90% of the country is a great place to live with amenities, transportation, and convenience - you just have to do the research to make sure you get it.

Good luck.

[Ribena]

I received an e-mail saying that EPIK was closing up shop in terms of taking more applications for this year. So they must believe they will fill all the slots with the applications they have already received. However they seem to have interview that many people or received many documents.

Footprints are currently recruiting for Ulsan MOE outside of EPIK I think.