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Korean-American Dual Citizen looking for Seoul Teaching Job

 
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petezjunior



Joined: 22 Sep 2012

PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 7:59 pm    Post subject: Korean-American Dual Citizen looking for Seoul Teaching Job Reply with quote

I have read some threads about Korean-American dual citizens having a terrible time teaching in South Korea and read of a dual citizen gyopo like myself who interned at Hyundai and got drafted into the military. I studied at Yonsei last year for study abroad and received my dual citizenship then but also was excused from the military because I had brain/back surgery when I was younger. I was officially excused from the military due to my condition, and I have a letter from the military office. My question is, how difficult will it be for me to get hired from a legitimate company in Seoul? Any examples? Thanks a lot, I want to make the right decision before I apply. I graduated in May 2013 with a good GPA and 4-5 years of tutoring experience. I am also 21 btw. Thanks for your help.
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newb



Joined: 27 Aug 2012
Location: Korea

PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:33 pm    Post subject: Re: Korean-American Dual Citizen looking for Seoul Teaching Reply with quote

petezjunior wrote:
I have read some threads about Korean-American dual citizens having a terrible time teaching in South Korea and read of a dual citizen gyopo like myself who interned at Hyundai and got drafted into the military. I studied at Yonsei last year for study abroad and received my dual citizenship then but also was excused from the military because I had brain/back surgery when I was younger. I was officially excused from the military due to my condition, and I have a letter from the military office. My question is, how difficult will it be for me to get hired from a legitimate company in Seoul? Any examples? Thanks a lot, I want to make the right decision before I apply. I graduated in May 2013 with a good GPA and 4-5 years of tutoring experience. I am also 21 btw. Thanks for your help.


You'll be hired as a Korean and Korean employers will treat you like any other Korean. If you graduated from one of the top 10 universities in America, you'll be treated well and advance in the society as an elite. However, having a brain/back surgery may hinder in your advancement, because Koreans view and treat any major defect (surgery) as a disability dispite full recovery. As for teaching, they'll expect you to speak both English and Korean fluently. If your Korean is subpar despite your Korean citizenship, expect to be treated like $#%$#. Also, most teaching jobs won't offer you the same benefits like the foreign teachers.
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viciousdinosaur



Joined: 30 Apr 2012

PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 1:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are so young. I wonder if any company would hire someone so young. Is it even possible to graduate university by your age. That means you started at 17?
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newb



Joined: 27 Aug 2012
Location: Korea

PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 3:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

viciousdinosaur wrote:
You are so young. I wonder if any company would hire someone so young. Is it even possible to graduate university by your age. That means you started at 17?


Yes, it's possible. I did.
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staygold



Joined: 18 Aug 2012

PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 4:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm a dual citizen as well. Bigger hagwons like Avalon and YBM will treat you like a regular Korean and will offer you lower salary, no housing, and so on. You can try Topia, but they prefer people who are already in Korea. As for public schools, SMOE doesn't hire dual citizens. GEPIK is your best bet.

Edit: If housing's not an issue, try the hagwons in Gangnam that specifically hire gyopos, like TLC EduCenter and Habit9.

There are smaller hagwons that are legitimate. Just make sure you get in touch with a good recruiter.
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petezjunior



Joined: 22 Sep 2012

PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any suggestions or stories?
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robinsoncrusoe



Joined: 22 Jan 2010

PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

how were your SAT/AP scores? The big money for gyopos as far as teaching goes is in the SAT/AP teaching domain.

They rarely offer housing or airfare, but the salary is far higher than any english teaching job you can find.

PM me for details. If you have good credentials and can speak at least some basic Korean (most students you teach will be rich kids already studying in the US or at international school so they speak English well), there are a number of places I used to work at that I could recommend you to.
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Hokie21



Joined: 01 Mar 2011

PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 5:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

staygold wrote:
I'm a dual citizen as well. Bigger hagwons like Avalon and YBM will treat you like a regular Korean and will offer you lower salary, no housing, and so on. You can try Topia, but they prefer people who are already in Korea. As for public schools, SMOE doesn't hire dual citizens. GEPIK is your best bet.

Edit: If housing's not an issue, try the hagwons in Gangnam that specifically hire gyopos, like TLC EduCenter and Habit9.

There are smaller hagwons that are legitimate. Just make sure you get in touch with a good recruiter.


Not entirely true. I worked at one of the bigger hagwons and in my time there we had two teachers who were Korean-American, spoke very little Korean and were treated just like every other foreign teacher there. They got the same pay and same housing. Now OUTSIDE the office yes they got lots of dirty looks etc when locals tried to talk to them only to discover their lack of Korean.
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Hugo85



Joined: 27 Aug 2010

PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 6:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If what is holding you back from applying is being worried about the chances of getting in... well you just need to apply.
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CentralCali



Joined: 17 May 2007

PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 6:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you're excused from military service and you're worried about being a dual national, you can renounce your Korean citizenship. Then you're no longer a dual national.
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