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Jeweltone
Joined: 29 Mar 2005 Location: Seoul, S. Korea
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 3:52 pm Post subject: Older ESL Instructors in Korea |
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Yes, I know this has been done before, but as usual, the 'Search' function is not working.
I am writing on behalf of one of the students in the TESOL - training program at which I teach now. She is probably [u]over the age of 50[/u]. She has an MA in a related field and quite a bit of ESL experience.
I would like to know which, if any, teaching-English-in-Korea recruiter, can help her find a job. She is very keen to teach specifically in Korea - I could see her being especially good with children and nervous adults.
Any help would be much appreciated.  |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 4:49 pm Post subject: Re: Older ESL Instructors in Korea |
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Jeweltone wrote: |
Yes, I know this has been done before, but as usual, the 'Search' function is not working.
I am writing on behalf of one of the students in the TESOL - training program at which I teach now. She is probably [u]over the age of 50[/u]. She has an MA in a related field and quite a bit of ESL experience.
I would like to know which, if any, teaching-English-in-Korea recruiter, can help her find a job. She is very keen to teach specifically in Korea - I could see her being especially good with children and nervous adults.
Any help would be much appreciated.  |
To teach English in Korea (if you are not Korean) you need to have a degree (B.A/B.S) from one of the seven approved English speaking countries and a passport from one of them.
Where are her B.A and MA from (country?) and does she hold a passport from one of the following? America, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ or South Africa? |
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Dodge7
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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it might be tough for her to find a job teaching English. And she'd feel probably feel uncomfortable teaching around other 20-something year old co-workers. |
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Hokie21
Joined: 01 Mar 2011
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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Well my school recently hired someone who is over the age of 60. I'm a bit curious on how they will get on with a bunch of 20/30 year olds. |
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Jeweltone
Joined: 29 Mar 2005 Location: Seoul, S. Korea
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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She is Mexican-American and has a US passport. She received her degrees at accredited American universities. I believe her MA is in Library Science or Education. She is currently a librarian who deals frequently with ESL students.
She does fine with the younger students in the TESOL class; I think they have trouble keeping up with her sometimes! Actually, my program (accredited through the UC system) has seen the number of "over-thirty" students increase a bit in recent years.
I also know one man personally, who went to Japan...at age 71!
Any help you could give me of where she should apply would be helpful. |
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Stan Rogers
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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Hokie21 wrote: |
Well my school recently hired someone who is over the age of 60. I'm a bit curious on how they will get on with a bunch of 20/30 year olds. |
I've worked with 4 teachers over the age of 60 and they all did an outstanding job. Unfortunately Korean employers usually insist that people, foreign or Korean retire at 65, no matter how good they are. |
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Hokie21
Joined: 01 Mar 2011
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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Stan Rogers wrote: |
Hokie21 wrote: |
Well my school recently hired someone who is over the age of 60. I'm a bit curious on how they will get on with a bunch of 20/30 year olds. |
I've worked with 4 teachers over the age of 60 and they all did an outstanding job. Unfortunately Korean employers usually insist that people, foreign or Korean retire at 65, no matter how good they are. |
Oh I have no doubt they can and will do a great job of teaching the students.
I meant from a social aspect, getting along with the other teachers who are much younger than they are. I would imagine it's not as easy to have a social life in Korea if you don't speak the language and you're significantly older than all of your co-workers.
Of course at that age I'd imagine you would have some savings and would be more interested in seeing various parts of the country and be more interested in exploring cultural sites instead of exploring bars. |
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Murakano
Joined: 10 Sep 2009
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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she might have a bit of trouble getting a job at an academy/hagwon....but it's certainly less of an issue if she applies for a public school position (EPIK/GEPIK etc)......I've met a fair number of older ESL teachers 50+. |
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lesigh
Joined: 09 Apr 2012
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2012 11:47 pm Post subject: |
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Public school is going to be her best bet, but they have two specific hiring seasons, one in the fall and one in the spring. I believe that applications for Fall 2012 are closed. Someone correct me if I'm wrong?
Also the less picky she is about locations and hours, the better. I imagine that she won't be able to find a 9 - 5 since those are typically kindergarten/elementary student schedules. I think she'd probably get matched up with working with older students which usually runs on a 2pm - 10pm schedule...or a split shift for adult ESL students. |
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Gorf
Joined: 25 Jun 2011
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 1:22 am Post subject: |
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If she has an MA and lots of experience she should absolutely look for university jobs. They're a lot better about ageism, and anyways, what 60 year-old can teach ESL to a bunch of elementary school kids? |
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ttompatz

Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 2:53 am Post subject: |
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Just watch the job ads and apply for anything that is interesting to her.
As long as she has the appropriate documents in hand (degree (from one of the approved 7 countries) copy with apostille, CBC with apostille, passport (from one of the approved 7 countries), resume) and likes working with kids she will have no problem landing a job in a very short time span.
IF she is missing anything she will largely be ignored until she has them.
Most recruiters want, with your application package, your resume and cover letter, low res scans of your degree and CBC (showing "no record").
Things will move fast.
As to being too old... I am in my mid 50s and continue to have job opportunities thrown at me even though I am out of the country for 8 months of the year.
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JustinC
Joined: 10 Mar 2012 Location: We Are The World!
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 4:12 am Post subject: |
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Stan Rogers wrote: |
Hokie21 wrote: |
Well my school recently hired someone who is over the age of 60. I'm a bit curious on how they will get on with a bunch of 20/30 year olds. |
I've worked with 4 teachers over the age of 60 and they all did an outstanding job. Unfortunately Korean employers usually insist that people, foreign or Korean retire at 65, no matter how good they are. |
A friend's colleagues, in China, were a couple in the 70s. They were still on the ESL circuit and both worked FT. They weren't too keen on the standards of Chinese goods so the main problem was getting their coffins through Chinese immigration (I kid). They were working in a University, last time I heard. |
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Troglodyte

Joined: 06 Dec 2009
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 4:31 am Post subject: |
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I think that she'll have an easier time applying at a PS than at a hogwon. Hogwon owners tend to be superficial because they want to hire someone that will look good and entice more parents to send their kids there. My opinion is that foreign teachers over 40 (and particularly over 50) should be sure to put together a set of nice photos for their application. Your friend needs to look good. By that I mean she should look professional, happy/enthusiastic/energetic, slim (photoshop it if necessary) and well dressed. If she can't make herself look young, then go for something between grandmother and business woman. Try to fill a stereotype.
She should also avoid (without lying) about having done university in Mexico and about having dual citizenship. Many Koreans can't comprehend that someone can have native speaker fluency and accuracy in more than one language, so saying that she has dual citizenship may raise suspicions. Even if she has no accent at all, it's only necessary for one student (or a petty co-worker) to THINK he hears the accent and soon everyone will supposedly hear it. I was at one school when the owner was hiring a new teacher and he asked me to look at an American applicant's diploma and tell him what language it was written in. It was in Latin. The boss found it highly suspicious that the applicant claimed to have graduated from an English language university when the university admin apparently use Latin on some of their documents. (His transcripts were obviously in English.) He really thought that the guy might be a native speaker of Latin. In the end he didn't hire the guy. I have no idea if that was the deal breaker but I'm sure it played a part in his decision.
Basically, if they don't ask, don't tell them. Immigration won't care as long as it looks like the university diploma was issued from somewhere in America and her passport is from America.
Last edited by Troglodyte on Wed May 23, 2012 5:06 am; edited 1 time in total |
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tideout
Joined: 12 Dec 2010
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 4:44 am Post subject: public school |
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Sadly, I must disagree a bit with some of the upbeat assessments of public school as an option. It has been a good spot to get into for some of the 45+ folks (I'm one of them).
I've been through a couple of rounds of public school hiring SMOE/EPIK etc and this last time I don't think there was a person in my orientation over very early 30's. I mean, it was really clear who they were looking for.
I don't think they're hogwon crazy over age but I saw a shift. Having said that, I've also met a number of 50+ folks here who are teaching in Hogwons who were doing fairly well. |
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b-class rambler
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 5:04 pm Post subject: Re: public school |
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tideout wrote: |
I've been through a couple of rounds of public school hiring SMOE/EPIK etc and this last time I don't think there was a person in my orientation over very early 30's. I mean, it was really clear who they were looking for.
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I know what you mean. I'd like to be able to consider myself as not yet that old and decrepid, but I too have noticed at PS orientations and other meetings I went to that there don't seem to be many folk over the age of 30 and a few who were young enough that they could have been my kids.
However, isn't that more just an indication of who is actually applying rather than necessarily who the employers were looking for? |
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