Korean Job Discussion Forums

[iggyb]

How old are you? Do you have an accent? What do you look like in the photos you send to them?

If recruiters are backing out on you past the initial stage of the process, it could be one of those factors. Youth. Blonde hair and blue eyes. White skin. Not overweight. No strong accent. Unfortunately, those things mean a good bit to hakwons and recruiters.

You don't need a MA to work in Busan or Seoul. Having a TESOL certificate is becoming more and more necessary, but isn't a must yet.

Experience is becoming more and more important as public school jobs shrink and the global economy is still in the toilet - leading more young people into global ESL jobs.

But a BA and no experience is still good enough in many places - depending on other factors that shouldn't really count much...

[iggyb]

I don't disagree with what was said above about job hunting, but the economy does have a big impact on the environment:

Back in 2009 when SMOE overbooked about 100 slots, a recruiter with footprints came to explain what happened. The fall of the global economy led to more people renewing their contracts and more people looking to come to Korea to work.

He said in previous years, they would have maybe 1-3 applications per slot they were asked to fill. In 2009, he said it was more like 15-20 applications per job. Huge difference.

And when the Korea economy is bad, families tighten their belts and hakwons feel the pinch. In the IMF period of the late 1990s, many went bankrupt, and we are reading some of that now here at Dave's.

I don't think the global economy or the Korean economy has jumped much higher than it was in 2009...and the public school market has shrunk significantly.

[Skippy]

Aother tip and it may sound mean but....

"What is wrong with you?"

Rather than thinking

"What is wrong with them?"

As iggby commented there might be something about you that puts off the recruiters and schools. Yes some of them may be superficial or down right not fair. You need to find ways to overcome your flaws or hide them or to dismiss them.

You want to have your positive traits to outshine your negative traits.

[Kuval]

[lemak]

Pick the cities you're interested in i.e Incheon, Icheon, Suwon, Osan, Ilsan, Pyeongtaek, Bundang etc. and find the facebook page for teaching expats in the corresponding cities. Guaranteed there's already some jobs listed, and if not just put a message saying you're currently looking.

You should get at least a few responses directly from the schools or foreign teachers working for them, and can bypass the Chinese whispers and lies that generally go hand-in-hand with using a recruiter.

Korea isn't PC either, in many respects the place is stuck back in the 1920s, so as others said, you may be being dismissed for some superficial reasons....(fat, old, black, look like a "criminal" in your photo etc.)...probably don't want to work for most of those dumps anyhow. Be thick skinned. I was getting rejected for jobs due to being "too old" back when I was 27.

[syikana]

Have you put your CV up here on Daves? if you put in the subject that your available now and want Seoul or Busan that should give you some more options.

[Kuval]

[viciousdinosaur]

Reality check. You are at the bottom of the barrel of a shrinking employment market. Before picking you schools will

1) Pick a pretty white girl
2) Pick a white girl
3) Pick a girl
4) Pick someone in Korea
5) Pick a Gyopo in Korea
6) Pick someone with experience
7) Pick someone with a teaching degree
Pick someone with an MA
9) Pick someone with CELTA or TESOL
10) Pick you

This ain't 2000. There are plenty of F-visa people and in country E2ers to fill job openings. And now that E2 people don't have to leave the country, it's even more impossible for people to try to break into the market.

Take what you can get or head to a more lucrative ESL market

[Otherside]

I'm sorry, anyone who says the EFL market in Korea isn't in recession is delusional.

1. You have serious cutbacks coming from public schools across the country. SMOE cut back on almost all middle and high school positions, and GEPIK is pretty much running a hand to mouth existence, just ensuring enough funding for the current year, without any guarantees moving into 2013.

2. Global economy is in recession, and while Korea isn't technically in recession, many parents are tightening their belts. This means less money to send their kids to hagwons -> less teachers being hired.

3. Declining birthrate in Korea. As someone touched on earlier, there are less kids than there were...and there will increasingly be less kids. In an industry which primarily focuses on teaching kids, this results in fewer positions.

Now, just because the EFL market is in recession, doesn't mean there aren't jobs. This industry traditionally has an exceptionally high turnover rate, meaning there will be positions opening up all the time, and even in the most sought-after locations there will be opportunities. However, with large group of in-country E2's, growing number of F2/6's, and swathes of qualified teachers applying from overseas, the chances of an average joe teacher getting a plum position are pretty small.

Take what you can get, get some experience/qualifications, and hopefully the market gets better in a few years.

[young_clinton]

Yes, if you want to continue teaching ESL in a place that is worth teaching in, go home and get licensed. If nothing else at the moment you would have no trouble getting a job at a Taiwan public school.

[Weigookin74]

[Kuval]

I keep hearing people say facebook... what exactly to you join in Facebook?

[Weigookin74]

[crimsonnight]

Like the person above me said, the best way is to get your ticket and fly over and try to negotiate a decent salary. I searched ESL cafe for jobs and ended up at a hagwon that isn't so bad and also paid me a LOT more than the offers I had received through a recruiters. I work a lot of hours, but I do get my overtime, I get paid on time, and my paycheck makes sense to me.

It took me maybe a month or so to find the job, but take your time. Don't settle for a low salary for shitty, long hours. Make sure your pay matches how many hours a week/month you're working.

[Smudger]