Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tomseslcafe]

I talked to a recruiter from People Recruit and after she impressed upon me the importance of the FBI background check and the stamp they want me to put on my college diploma she only asked me one question: how old are you? "I am 50." I told her. There was a moment of silence on the other end (she had her camera turned off even though mine was on so I couldn't see her expression).

So the question is, will Korean schools hire someone my age? This ageism is completely irrational, I am physically fit and I am a good teacher, better than I could have been at age 25. what do you think?

[Fox]

I have met teachers here in their 40s and 50s, and they generally seem to have fine relationships with their school. If anything, the older teachers often seem to acclimate better.

[Fallacy]

I can somewhat agree with Fox regarding university jobs, but I have to mostly disagree regarding private academy jobs. Anecdotally, I can say that where I work, the most recent hire from abroad is under 30. Why the attraction to youth? Money. In this time of tightening budgets, the finance department views younger faculty as cheaper, so this affects administrative hiring decisions. In the case cited above, that inexperience translates into a lower (40-45% less) base salary. At academies, the same: youthful vigor can be more easily overworked and underpaid. Be reminded that the local population faces this same ageism. Middle-managers in corporations are subject to being pushed out of their jobs once they get into their 40's. Darwinian economics applied to the labor force can be harsh.

[Smithington]

Ageism.

[Fox]

[Fallacy]

[isitts]

[isitts]

Also...

[Fallacy]

[Pianote]

Ageism is really a big deal in Korea. That being said, I worked with a guy in his 40s at a private hagwon and he got re-hired at another academy. However, he did have several years of experience teaching in Korea.

I would suggest looking into teaching in China if you want to teach in Asia. I taught briefly in China, people there seem less ageist and superficial. Also I believe it is much easier to get a sweet university level gig in China. Korea is *really* obsessed with appearances.

[JohnML]

My two cents there are advantages to each, there are schools who want older teachers because they are more stable and less likely to cause grief for the school (25~ year olds cause all sorts of crap). Then there are schools who want younger teachers. Despite what some say I don't think it's because of the "image".

There are plenty of 40-50 year olds who are far more professional looking than some young TEFL teachers. The problem is with most 25 year olds, "here we will give you $1.5k USD a month". "Holy crap that's a lot!". Say the same to a 40 year old or someone who is 25 with a good job. You probably don't want to work for a school that discriminates against your age anyway, they probably have a second agenda.

[tomseslcafe]

Thank you for your response everyone. I may still try to go to Korea. By the way a little context. I already have a TEFL and I have taught in China for two years. I came to Thailand to do the CELTA and now I am working here teaching children on a six month contract. I will be looking for something in the spring.

[ippy]

Its not just agism. Theres also a big shift in the market that has had serious consequence to people applying from outside.

Korea USED to import its teachers in vast quantities. I dunno what changed - it might be more folks settling down here or it might be that 6 month buffer on the d10 instead of begging your hagwon for a letter of release and switching within (please correct me if im wrong - i never had to do it at the time) a shorter time frame. Perhaps its the decline of EPIK positions and the general increased supply of teachers versus demand. Hell, it might even just be that Kpops global success in 2010-2013 made korea the new Japan (since Japan was pretty much by then locked down). Either way theres a trend switch thats very similar to the Japanese market: No visa, no interview.

I saw it for the first time in 2013. I was applying for jobs, particularly public school jobs. I figured the market was much the same as before and would hold off until i found the right one. This was a serious mistake. Despite ticking the right boxes, id end up being hit with the "they need someone in country so they can fill the spot quickly". I screwed up and left it too late. My CRC hit the 6 month limit and since i was in Thailand at the time, getting a new one would have been a couple of months ordeal. Off i went to China. In 2014 i tried again. And if anything it was worse.

Beware of this. It looks like more and more positions are hiring within the country. As usual, the korean market is about 5-10 years behind the japanese one. Expect this to become more and more pronounced as more and more people realise this and hold off taking a break because the hassle of coming back just isnt worth it. Better to stick it out a couple more years and pool a bit more savings... Realise as well that hiring within the country means lower costs in flying you over or hiring recruiters. So best case, be in the country, have your docs all ready, and be willing to make that visa run asap if you want to be competitive. Dunno. I may be wildly off base here, but you need to work super hard to be competitive. Dress sharp. Look professional. Fit the image. And above all be flexible.

[tomseslcafe]

Ippy,
I didn't realize it was that bad. It just doesn't sound worth it to me. I am currently teaching children in a village in Thailand and this job is ok. It is only a seven month contract. I don't have to go to Korea.

[Fallacy]