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I am so insanely frustrated!

 
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Boudicca



Joined: 12 Dec 2004
Location: Victoria BC

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 9:18 pm    Post subject: I am so insanely frustrated! Reply with quote

Auggggh--who knew that with all the jobs available to teach in Korea that it would be such a frustrating process to actually get off the ground! I have received a flood of job offers (I suspect based on the fact that I am new to ESL) and finally settled with a school in Seoul that appeared to be good...signed the contract...mailed off all my documents...bought the travel pack...only to be informed by my recruiter that lo and behold, they now need me to start a full month after the date indicated on my contract! Is this common and am I crazy to suspect that the date change is a means of hoisting me onto another school?
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eamo



Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You'll never know the reason more than likely. It could be a variety of things.

Most private academies in Korea may as well put The Three Stooges in charge. They'd do just as good a job.
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jinks



Joined: 27 Oct 2004
Location: Formerly: Lower North Island

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 9:47 pm    Post subject: Re: I am so insanely frustrated! Reply with quote

Boudicca wrote:
Auggggh--who knew that with all the jobs available to teach in Korea that it would be such a frustrating process to actually get off the ground!


I hear you! Although I wouldn't say that I have had a "flood" of offers, they are coming through. Some I have turned down (from recruiters), because the pay and conditions have been less than generally advertised elsewhere. Others - where I have applied directly to the schools - have offered me work, but then the trail goes dead, or the conditions in the contract don't match those listed in the advertisements or our initial telephone conversations - and others still make offers through e-mail addresses that ping back undelivered. I will probably take myself to Korea and start looking from there, it is too frustrating trying to find work in a foreign country without being there.
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eamo



Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 10:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First sign you're dealing with a dodgy, fly-by-night recruiter would be if your e-mails get returned.

It probably means the fool is using the popular (in Korea) Hanmail service which doesn't work with Hotmail, Yahoo and most world-wide e-mail services.

Any recruiter using a Hanmail account hasn't been in the business too long.
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Zyzyfer



Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 10:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

eamo wrote:
You'll never know the reason more than likely. It could be a variety of things.

Most private academies in Korea may as well put The Three Stooges in charge. They'd do just as good a job.


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hellofaniceguy



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: On your computer screen!

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 10:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am not trolling or flaming...but this is korea and koreans do things which defy logic or common sense. You can go out on the street anywhere in korea and pick any 10 koreans and maybe 2 might have common sense and do things which would be considered normal in the western world. Expect changes to any thing in korea and expect contracts to change. Don't have any expectations. You'll be let down. Especially at hakwons!
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turtlepi1



Joined: 15 Jun 2004
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

PostPosted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hellofaniceguy wrote:
pick any 10 koreans and maybe 2 might have common sense and do things which would be considered normal in the western world.


So the Western world is the bench-mark for "normal" Wink
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Homer
Guest




PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 3:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
So the Western world is the bench-mark for "normal"



If so...god have mercy on us all! Laughing Laughing Laughing
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mindmetoo



Joined: 02 Feb 2004

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Be glad it's only a month delay. A month isn't bad, even. My job I was told my start date was October, sent off the docs, and then I was told it would really start in January! Jeez. I had just turned down another good job too. Eventually I got them to move up the date by a month.

Yeah. But lemme tell you, if you're frustrated at this point, wait until you start teaching... Take that month to prep yourself for a coming year of poor planning and poor communication on the part of your school. And whatever happens, don't take it personally. No one is out to get you. It's just the system.
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jinks



Joined: 27 Oct 2004
Location: Formerly: Lower North Island

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2005 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mindmetoo wrote:
And whatever happens, don't take it personally. No one is out to get you. It's just the system.


I think that's pretty sound advice - thanks.
The school directors are just picking and choosing; in the process my feelings might get a bit ruffled, but looking on the brightside - I can flick off dumb offers or ignore unsuitable ads and none of the recruiters, or directors, will take it personally at all. Normally, once I make a decision I stick to it. It's more of a fault than a virtue, but this experience is teaching me to let go a bit, be clear about what I want (or even easier - be clear about what I don't want) and adopt a more 'wait and see' aproach.

I'm currently negotiating a contract with a small town school where the director wants me to sign an average contract with the added clause of the 2 x 5 day holidays perhaps (read bound to) including weekends and/or public holidays. His latest offer is to tack on any lost holidays onto the end of my contract in order to bring my release date forward. I've countered it by asking to have any days lost to weekends and/or public holidays taken as extra leave to be taken during the year at a mutually agreeable time - or even transferred to paid sick leave (touch wood I won't get sick). I'm just waiting and seeing, and trying not to clench up to much.
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