Korean Job Discussion Forums

[iggyb]

I would have posted this in the other forum, but Dave's still has registration locked there (which really sucks this time of year).

Got turned down for placement by teachanywhere.com that has many jobs listed in many places in the world - especially the Middle East and China. I was hoping for the ME.

No interview.

They said they didn't have anything that matched and had too many better qualified applicants:

MA in education teaching English.
BA in English with TESOL coursework.
Certified in my home state in the US to teach English (6-12) and ESL (K-12).
9 years teaching experience - mostly ESL - including 7 in Korea - 3 in public schools - both elementary and high school - and including 1+ years teaching Korean teachers and 1 teaching College Freshman Composition as a TA while in graduate school in the US.

And that isn't good enough for even an interview...???...

Tough market!

Maybe they primarily work with people from the UK? (I've noticed some of the ME positions prefer experience with British curriculum...)

Maybe being 41 is too old for them.

My profile picture can't look that bad...

Tough market...

[Setaro]

Why not just try a less retarded recruiter?

[jeremydc808]

Wow, now I'm beginning to get nervous with just a BA and TA work experience lol.

[young_clinton]

sounds like a shady recruiter. Try a recruiter that does jobs specifically for a region, i.e. the middle east, Korea etc.

[iggyb]

This site did state you have to be certified in your home country (I am) and that they have too many applicants.

I get the feeling they have a preferance for people in the UK.

I have been applying with other recruiters and directly with schools. Had a couple of interviews after initial applications. Have been holding off more applications while my criminal background check is being processed...

[gdn35]

I'm certain that you'll be able to find good work if you look in the right places.

[viciousdinosaur]

What's most shocking is that a guy like this can't get a job as a teacher in his home state?! It must be pretty bad back home in the states.

The other possibility is that this guy is just a creepy weirdo.

[iggyb]

I was surprised I didn't get a teaching job at home this year.

There are always a handful of open jobs at schools that have a high turnover rate and bad work environments...

...I'd rather go overseas again than do that...And this time, I'd like to try outside Asia...

(I'd rather go overseas than another state too...)

I left a job to go to Korea to help my wife's family in 2009. It was supposed to be for a year, but I smashed up my leg and hip that required 2 surgeries - so I ended up in Korea for almost 3 years.

I knew there weren't many ESL jobs in public schools back home, but I'm certified in both English and ESL. I applied for jobs all over the state - the bulk of them in English jobs - no luck...

Teaching jobs always tighten up during bad economic times: More people turn to teaching, schools cut back, and some teachers get laid off.

In the US, they are also getting tighter with hiring due to the No Child Left Behind Act. Schools have to make adequate progress each year in raising scores with the eventually goal of having 100% of the students pass.

Now, the adequate number has reached so high, even schools that haven't been considered "bad" in the past are failing in one area or another. Lots of principles, vice principles, and school district admin people are losing their jobs or being shuffled around. They have in turn tightened what they consider "highly qualified" in terms of hiring.

When I was doing the MA in education, you could still get a job in a school on a provisional certificate until you earned full certification. That's long gone.

The first year in it, almost all of us had jobs by spring and were teaching while we finished the degree. The 2nd year, almost all of the new people didn't. Almost all did have jobs lined up for after graduation by about June (with graduation in August). The third year, many of the new people couldn't get hired because they were not already certified even though they would be by the time the public school semester began. That was in 2008.

But I still figured I'd have a job here this year...

Many jobs always go to individuals who know somebody at the school.

In a tight market, that is even more true.

But, I still thought my experience and MA would get me a job - even if it was straight English...

My guess is most jobs went to people already living in the area who knew somebody at the school or district office. And perhaps for the straight English jobs, they looked at all the TESOL experience and decided to go with someone with 1 or 2 years in ELA rather than someone with 7 or so in ESL...

Regardless, it's time to look elsewhere. I wouldn't mind Korea again for a year or 2, but I'd rather experience a new place...

And I would rather be teaching ESL than regular English...

[iggyb]

I watched the job board in my state while in Korea, and I can't remember exactly, but it seems to me more and more the jobs in ESL this year had stricter requirments.

Most of the ESL elementary school jobs required certification in ESL and early childhood education.

I've got dual certification for secondary schools, and I've taught elementary school students and in an elementary school in Korea, but I couldn't apply for those jobs in this state...

...even though ESL certification is supposed to be K-12...

[Dodge7]