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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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I'm With You
Joined: 01 Sep 2011
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 Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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The British are all in Japan. The Japanese prefer British accents.
The Canadians go to Korea. |
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Ricardo25
Joined: 02 Dec 2013
Location: UK
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| Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 5:54 am Post subject: Finding Work in Seoul as a UK citizen - Update |
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I have since secured a job teaching in Seoul.
Thanks a lot to everyone who replied and gave me their own take on the question I posed.
I think it's difficult to find work anywhere, so long as you have the right attitude and grit you will eventually find somewhere that will hire you even if they do favour some nationalities over others.
Best of luck to anyone looking for work in South Korea reading this - just keep trying and I'm sure you'll prevail! |
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wonkavite62
Joined: 17 Dec 2007
Location: Jeollanamdo, South Korea.
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| Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:24 pm Post subject: I Agree |
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| I agree with Teacherbunny and Creeper1. That's how it is. Some recruiters are really annoying and will tell you you are too old, or that you should be married or you should be from the US/Canada etc. But I know of UK. people, including a Welsh guy, who came to Seoul looking for work and found it there. You can go to schools directly as well as look at recruiters. |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:44 pm Post subject: Re: Finding Work in Seoul as a UK citizen - Update |
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| Ricardo25 wrote: |
| I think it's difficult to find work anywhere, so long as you have the right attitude and grit you will eventually find somewhere that will hire you |
Let us know how the job turns out (whether it's a good job or a suck job). |
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Ricardo25
Joined: 02 Dec 2013
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:55 am Post subject: Re: Finding Work in Seoul as a UK citizen - Update |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
| Ricardo25 wrote: |
| I think it's difficult to find work anywhere, so long as you have the right attitude and grit you will eventually find somewhere that will hire you |
Let us know how the job turns out (whether it's a good job or a suck job). |
Yeah I will, I've been in touch with an American from the school and he says the school is exceptional. He has also spoken to other teachers located around South Korea and seems to think he has the best job out of the people who he's asked... it does really depend on what you're after though to be fair.
@ World Traveller - I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out...
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 4:49 pm Post subject: Re: Finding Work in Seoul as a UK citizen - Update |
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| Ricardo25 wrote: |
| I've been in touch with an American from the school and he says the school is exceptional. He has also spoken to other teachers located around South Korea and seems to think he has the best job out of the people who he's asked… |
You do realize a current teacher is not an unbiased source, don't you? He could be getting paid money to talk up the school. For example, at Avalon, workers were paid 600,000 for each Westerner they referred to the school. Now it is a little less- something like 400,000- but still a lot. I remember last year, a girl who worked at an Avalon near where I lived recommend the school to me. A few days later I was drinking with her and her friend and she was the lamenting the state of her work situation. "Wait, didn't you say your job rocks?" I asked. "No," she relied. "It sucks big time. I was just playing it up to you so I could get the referral commission money." I was so shocked and hurt (and surprised she would admit it- even under the influence of alcohol).
I narrowly escaped being burned that time, but for my first job I did not. I had read online that the way to vet a school is to talk to a current teacher. The current teacher said it was a great deal, so I signed the contract to become his replacement (only foreign teacher at the school).
The school turned out to be bad, and things got especially bad at the end, when they knew I wasn't staying for another year. From that point on, they didn't care out me at all, and didn't even want to pay me. I e-mailed the former teacher once again to ask him if he had had a problem getting his last pay check/ to ask him when he had received it. He replied to me, "I'm sorry I got you into this mess, but [the boss] threatened me not to pay my bonus unless I found a replacement." (I was so shocked, saddened, disappointed, and disgusted to hear this.)
What people say and what is the truth are often are two very different things. That is the sad reality of life. My advice to everyone is to talk to a Westerner who formerly but no longer works for the school. |
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Ricardo25
Joined: 02 Dec 2013
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 11:49 am Post subject: Unbiased Teacher... |
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I totally see your point and admire your advice to me and other people on the forum.
However, I have researched the school and been on the website and figured wherever I chose I would be sort of taking a shot in the dark regardless. Please don't see this as shrugging off your advice because it isn't - I'm thankful for your advice and i'll be sure to use it accordingly - either myself or passing it onto others. I just feel I needed a job and fortunately found one. I have a friend based in Seoul and she is just about finished her 1st year contract with her school and she is looking to stay in Seoul at least another year. I have no doubt she will be able to help me while I'm there and if the worst comes to the worst hopefully change jobs if the job I've accepted is really bad...
Sorry to hear about the bad experience you had - believe me I was as shocked reading about what happened to you - given the fact they'd go to those lengths to help hire another teacher just based on them getting commission - and probably getting themselves out of a bad situation.
On a more positive note, glad to see there are do-gooders such as yourself trying to spread awareness about the problems which could arise when accepting jobs in Korea.
Fingers crossed I haven't been given one of the bad ones and like I said I'll be sure to know how it pans out...
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Ricardo25
Joined: 02 Dec 2013
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 11:10 pm Post subject: Re: Finding Work in Seoul as a UK citizen - Update |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
| Ricardo25 wrote: |
| I've been in touch with an American from the school and he says the school is exceptional. He has also spoken to other teachers located around South Korea and seems to think he has the best job out of the people who he's asked… |
You do realize a current teacher is not an unbiased source, don't you? He could be getting paid money to talk up the school. For example, at Avalon, workers were paid 600,000 for each Westerner they referred to the school. Now it is a little less- something like 400,000- but still a lot. I remember last year, a girl who worked at an Avalon near where I lived recommend the school to me. A few days later I was drinking with her and her friend and she was the lamenting the state of her work situation. "Wait, didn't you say your job rocks?" I asked. "No," she relied. "It sucks big time. I was just playing it up to you so I could get the referral commission money." I was so shocked and hurt (and surprised she would admit it- even under the influence of alcohol).
I narrowly escaped being burned that time, but for my first job I did not. I had read online that the way to vet a school is to talk to a current teacher. The current teacher said it was a great deal, so I signed the contract to become his replacement (only foreign teacher at the school).
The school turned out to be bad, and things got especially bad at the end, when they knew I wasn't staying for another year. From that point on, they didn't care out me at all, and didn't even want to pay me. I e-mailed the former teacher once again to ask him if he had had a problem getting his last pay check/ to ask him when he had received it. He replied to me, "I'm sorry I got you into this mess, but [the boss] threatened me not to pay my bonus unless I found a replacement." (I was so shocked, saddened, disappointed, and disgusted to hear this.)
What people say and what is the truth are often are two very different things. That is the sad reality of life. My advice to everyone is to talk to a Westerner who formerly but no longer works for the school. |
@ World Traveler
I'm writing to let you know how my school is, also I managed to find an ex teacher before arriving at the school which gave me more of an idea of how the school is run prior to leaving the UK.
As for the school - it is exceptional which has lived up to exactly what the current teacher said. The students are all polite and helpful the same can be said for the staff too and the director of the school it is a Hagwon based in Mokdong, I don't want to give the name out on here as I don't think it would be appropriate. But as far as I'm aware so far it is well run and we follow a curriculum which we can add our own worksheets to if they are relevant of course. I don't work weekends and the classes are not open so that is somewhat of a relief. The school is walking distance from the apartment at which I'm staying so I don't have to waste money on the subway. I met up with other teachers yesterday and heard of they're places of work and they varied in terms of how the schools are run and also what is expected of the teachers - some good, some bad. To my knowledge though I seem to have got the better deal than most of them as they seem to be quite a way out of the center of Seoul - which to me would be frustrating. Well I think that summarises everything. Let me know if you need anymore info. And again thanks for the advice! |
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wonkavite62
Joined: 17 Dec 2007
Location: Jeollanamdo, South Korea.
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| Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 10:19 pm Post subject: Seoul |
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My advice to you is to keep applying, apply to lots of recruiters and not just to those on Dave's ESL Cafe. And give yourself enough time to find that ideal job. Recruiters can be thoroughly nasty and totally unreasonable. As regards Seoul, I can tell you that I was in a pub in Itaewon a couple of months ago, and I met 3 U.K. citizens working in Seoul, and one of them was Welsh. It can be done.
These people had come to Korea armed with all necessary documents and may have applied to schools direct, without middlemen.
Some years ago I was in Seoul, looking for work, and I had left it till the last moment. I came very close to getting a job in a Seoul hagwon. Had I given myself more time I would have gotten a job. But one recruiter(with a maple syrup accent) just went on and on and on about how Seoul hagwons preferred Americans, how they preferred brand new graduates, and how it was a problem that I wasn't married. I was being unreasonable.
But the jobs the recruiters had were all in tiny often extremely conservative, religous hagwons, and there are obviously more types of schools. I am applying for jobs in Seoul and Gyeong-gi Do, and some are showing interest. My contract finishes on April 24th. |
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