Korean Job Discussion Forums

[johnnyrook]

I worked in a hagwon for 2 years from 2009-2011. I've been presently looking for jobs to return to Korea, armed now with a MAppLing, and I was hopeful it and my few years of experience would help me find a job pretty quickly, which sadly hasn't been the case (particularly disheartening as it took me literally two days as a fresh-faced inexperienced newb all those years ago) but I have managed to get a few decent responses and in one case I seemed to have got a job when one uncontrollable roadblock reared its head.

My recruiter requested contact details of my old Hagwon, but it seems my former workplace closed down at the end of last year and I have no way of contacting my old boss or any other former co-workers (it was a small school, I was the only foreign teacher and I wasn't particularly close to the other staff). My boss was impressed with my performance, desperate for me to stay on another year when I left, and we kept in touch via e-mail a few times after I departed. I requested a written reference from him before leaving which he declined, telling me he'd provide one when I had a specific job to apply for and he did assist me in providing a reference for a job back home. Unfortunately it's been a while since he has responded to any e-mails.

So I basically explained all of this to the recruiter, provided the former contact details and address details of the school in Korean, and a simple search on Naver does make it pretty clear that it was a legit school that did close down at the end of last year. I never received a response back and I've since seen that particular job being advertised by that recruiter again.

Other responses I've gotten from recruiters have gone like this "I can find you a job. Please give me the phone number of your previous Academy." Then I respond with the above details and I never hear from them again.

So I'm worried now that I'm gonna keep hitting this same brickwall, where no recruiter will be willing to give me a job if they can't get a reference from my previous employer.

Is there any way around this that doesn't involving me lying and pretending I'm a first timer to come to Korea? Or is it pretty much standard that teachers with past experience need references (I did notice this request in a few of the job postings), and I'm now frozen out of the job market?

[jcd]

That might not even be the problem.
Many recruiters don't respond if you don't fit a type. They want someone who will take any job anywhere at any price That is their target.
Are you making any demands? like location

Try emailing your former boss again. Explain to him why it is important.

[Smithington]

Use a different recruiter and simply delete the previous experience from your resume. It shouldn't hurt you a bit. Remember, in Korea the only good foreigner is a 'new' foreigner. A foreigner with experience, who knows the ropes, is less desirable to Korean employers who prefer employees who still aren't sure on their feet or know how the 'game' works.

Delete and re-apply.

[OBwannabe]

[TheUrbanMyth]

[GENO123]

[matthews_world]

I'm sure the old boss is somewhere. Perhaps if there's a new owner you could nicely ask for a reference or even they know your old boss' whereabouts.

Do you have a Korean friend who can make some calls?

Why not come back for a job search since you know the ropes and start over.

Which city did you work in?

[Smithington]

I deleted several jobs from my resume a few years back when they started demanding "proof of employment" documents from former employers (in sealed envelopes). I had my reference letters and contact numbers for them to check, but they now wanted us to contact old employers and get further proof that we had worked there. This was also about the time when they started demanding criminal background checks, apostilled degrees, embassy stamps, drug tests, hiv tests, and what have you and it was all just becoming one big run-a-round. So instead of chasing after yet one more thing I just deleted three jobs from my resume. And since "experience" is not anywhere near the top of qualities they look for in foreign English teachers it did me no harm.

Plenty of others have deleted jobs too. For some foreign teachers "proof of employment" meant getting a certficate from hogwans that no longer existed, schools located at different ends of the country, and employers who had since been transferred to other schools. Others had to go back cap in hand to employers who had ripped them off or mistreated them, and whom they wished to never see again in their life. Now they had to go back and say "sir, may I". The whole language barrier thing also made it a headache, not to mention the possibility that an old employer might not be cooperative or inclined to help you. It was easier to just delete them from your resume.

OP, just delete and pretend you're coming into Korea for the first time as a fresh-faced newb. That's worth a hundred times more than experience in this country.

Good luck.

[johnnyrook]

Thanks for the advice everyone. After what Urban Myth said I'm a bit torn about being dishonest but it doesn't seem like anyone will hire me if I'm telling the truth when I can't get a reference. I understand what you're saying Smithington, but I get the impression you were already in Korea and had other job references to go off.

Matthews_world, I was in Suwon. Unfortunately I don't really have the finances to fly to Korea and search atm. I've tried calling the old school's number on skype and there's no response. As mentioned no response from emails. I had 5 former co-workers, all Koreans, mostly older than me; online and social media searches can't find any of them. I have decent Korean skills (upper intermediate reading and writing/lower intermediate speaking and listening) and a number of friends over there so I have exhausted several methods of tracking them down.

Driving me nuts that something that isn't even required by immigration and is beyond my control can stop me getting a job when I'm experienced, well-qualified and accustomed to Korean culture/language.