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scottmclaughlin
Joined: 19 Oct 2004
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 Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 7:00 am Post subject: Adopted Koreans and finding work? |
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Hi, I am an adopted Korean, who has lived in the U.S. for 21 years now, I was adopted when I was 2 from Seoul, and from all the research I have done it seems a bit discouraging for me as a Korean American to find work as a teacher. Why is this? And are there any cities that encourage adopted Koreans to come back and teach to their youth? And if so, could someone help me in finding institutes that would be willing to hire me as a teacher? Thanks for your time and patience.
Scott |
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Drakoi
Joined: 26 Sep 2003
Location: The World
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 10:12 am Post subject: |
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| Come here with 3000$ in your pocket, get situated, you'll have a job in less than two months, or a great vacation. I wouldn't be discouraged, there's lots of adoptees in seoul. You'll find something if you keep looking. |
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TJ
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 6:59 pm Post subject: Re: Adopted Koreans and finding work? |
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| scottmclaughlin wrote: |
Hi, I am an adopted Korean, who has lived in the U.S. for 21 years now, I was adopted when I was 2 from Seoul, and from all the research I have done it seems a bit discouraging for me as a Korean American to find work as a teacher. Why is this? And are there any cities that encourage adopted Koreans to come back and teach to their youth? And if so, could someone help me in finding institutes that would be willing to hire me as a teacher? Thanks for your time and patience.
Scott |
I think around 20% of EPIK teachers are Korean Americans so that would be worth trying. Working for EPIK has good points and bad points. eg. class sizes are around 40 students but you never have to worry about not getting paid.
In case you are not familiar with EPIK it is the Korean government's "English Program in Korea" and they hire english teachers to work in government schools all over Korea.
Unfortunately EPIK only hires twice a year and you have just missed the latest intake. Still it is worth contacting them if you are prepared to wait until next year before coming to Korea. |
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prosodic
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Location: ����
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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check out G.O.A'L (Global Overseas Adoptees Link)
http://www.goal.or.kr |
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prosodic
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Location: ����
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Also, you can send me a PM. |
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scottmclaughlin
Joined: 19 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:44 pm Post subject: Thanks! |
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I am coming to Korea in March/April 2005 and I want a job before hand, is this possible to obtain before Jan 1st, I plan on traveling between Jan and March 2005 so it would be difficult for me to send my papers and do paper work. I thought of the idea of coming and checking things out too, but if I found a job while doing this would the institute/hakwon reimburse me for my plane ticket to Seoul from Auckland? Thanks again.
Best Regards,
Scott |
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prosodic
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Location: ����
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| Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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Universities hire a few months in advance. Hagwons tend to hire a few weeks to a month in advance.
What are your qualifications? Based on your age, I'm assuming that you have a B.A. and nothing else. |
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scottmclaughlin
Joined: 19 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 6:52 pm Post subject: TEFL Certificate |
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Will getting the TEFL Certificate enhance my chances of getting a job since I am at a disadvantage of being Korean American? And yes, I am a univeristy graduate with a BA in English. I have traveled around the world for the last 13 months and have worked in London and NZ. But not really in a classroom. But does that make a difference?
Scott |
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J.B. Clamence
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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If you're planning on working at a hakwon, not really. TEFL certificates don't seem to carry nearly as much weight here in Korea as they do elsewhere. And a lot of people come here with no experience, so that's not too big a deal, either. Your biggest disadvantage in the job market is being Korean, but that doesn't mean no one will hire you. You'll have to look around a bit.
And make sure you are upfront about being Korean-American at the beginning of your communication with a school, as that will save you a lot of time, because the school will eventually find out (they will want a picture), and if it's a problem for them, even if they've been talking to you for weeks and they've already offered you the job, they will not hesitate to say, "Oh sorry, we made a mistake, that position has been filled." So to save yourself a lot of time, make sure at the beginning that the school doesn't have a problem with your Korean heritage. I know it sucks, but that's the reality of the situation. |
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prosodic
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Location: ����
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| Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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Being Korean American isn't nearly as big of a disadvantage as people make it out to be on these boards. And I find it interesting that most of the people who say that it puts you at a disadvantage are caucasian.
I happen to be an American adopted from Korea. I've never had any trouble getting a job here. I was hired for my current job at the beginning of September. I spent about two days jobhunting. And it turns out that I have the highest salary out of all the foreign teachers here. I'm getting about 10% more per hour than any of the caucasian teachers. Race has nothing to do with any of that. It's just that I have better qualifications than the caucasians. |
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Drakoi
Joined: 26 Sep 2003
Location: The World
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 12:59 am Post subject: |
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| I reccomend making phone calls. Some hagwon owners are paranoid about korean looking people having bad accents. Once they hear that you sound like a native speaker they won't be questioning that anymore. |
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J.B. Clamence
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 7:06 am Post subject: |
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| prosodic wrote: |
| Being Korean American isn't nearly as big of a disadvantage as people make it out to be on these boards. And I find it interesting that most of the people who say that it puts you at a disadvantage are caucasian. |
I'm just going by the stories I've heard and read from many Korean-Americans (not Caucasians) having some problems finding schools that hire Kyopos. So you've never had a problem -- that's great, but the experience of one person does not make all of the other stories void. |
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scottmclaughlin
Joined: 19 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:44 pm Post subject: Plane fare? |
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If you come to Korea and look for a job will a hakwon or another language institute reimburse you for your plane fare? Or will they just pay for you to make a visa run to Japan? Or both? And when is the best time to call hakwon/institutes about vacancies? 1 month before, 2 months before, etc? Thanks again everyone for helpin me out!
Scott |
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prosodic
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Location: ����
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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| J.B. Clamence wrote: |
| prosodic wrote: |
| Being Korean American isn't nearly as big of a disadvantage as people make it out to be on these boards. And I find it interesting that most of the people who say that it puts you at a disadvantage are caucasian. |
I'm just going by the stories I've heard and read from many Korean-Americans (not Caucasians) having some problems finding schools that hire Kyopos. So you've never had a problem -- that's great, but the experience of one person does not make all of the other stories void. |
I know several other adoptees who've never had a problem.
One of the key words in J.B.'s statement is "Kyopos." I'm not one and neither is the OP. There is significant discrimination against Kyopos. There is occasional discrimination against adoptees.
My point was and is that it isn't nearly as significant as some people like to claim it is as long as you are the most qualified person they interview.
Also, you have to keep in mind that there are sometimes other factors involved and people claim discrimination because they don't want to acknowledge that their resume wasn't strong enough (in terms of format as well as content) or that they didn't do a great job on the interview.
The same is true of a few of the stories you hear about people being fired for no reason. I'm sure that a certain percentages of the claims of being fired without cause are invalid. I believe a lot of them, but I also know that sometimes people just don't want to acknowledge that they didn't do a very good job. |
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prosodic
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Location: ����
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| Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:51 pm Post subject: Re: Plane fare? |
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| scottmclaughlin wrote: |
If you come to Korea and look for a job will a hakwon or another language institute reimburse you for your plane fare? Or will they just pay for you to make a visa run to Japan? Or both? And when is the best time to call hakwon/institutes about vacancies? 1 month before, 2 months before, etc? Thanks again everyone for helpin me out!
Scott |
Reimbursement will depend on a number of factors: 1) how well you negotiate, 2) whether or not they can find somebody else who will take the job without airfare reimbursement, 3) the school's standard policies, and 4) the amount of bureaucracy at the school.
Bureaucracy is especially significant at larger chains. With them, these kinds of decisions are often made by people at headquarters and you'll never have an opportunity to talk with them. I would say that your best shot at airfare reimbursement would be with an independently owned hagwon because you're more likely to be negotiating with the person who controls the pursestrings.
By the way, you do not need a visa run to Japan. You can get an F4 visa and that can be done in-country. Make sure to bring all your adoption, naturalization, and name change documentation with you. This is also good for getting a little more money. The last time I got a job, I convinced them to give me the money that they would have spent on somebody else's visa run. |
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