Korean Job Discussion Forums

[World Citizen]

I am a certified ESL educator with nearly 20 years teaching and administrative experience, including curriculum development in the USA, Mexico and Japan. Currently, I work in the business sector, with nearly 10 years USA Professional Sales and Marketing experience, for Nielsen Media Research, known popularly as the Nielsen TV Ratings. Nielsen Media Research is the company which determines the top rated USA TV shows. In this capacity, I recruit and coach (train) households, both English and Spanish speaking families. I also teach part time for a local Community College ESL Program as an adult ESL instructor.

I returned to the USA from teaching 11 years in Japan in 2002 to care for an ill, elderly parent, who has now passed away. In Japan I did corporate training for such companies as Mitsubishi, Kawasaki, Toshiba, Toyota, etc. as well as developed and implemented conversational and business related courses in several international studies universities there. I have always wanted to return to Asia, and in particular Korea, to continue my teaching career. I had such memorable experiences teaching Korean students while in Japan and I adore Korean food.

Although I have not completed my Masters, I have earned nearly 20 hours post graduate credit in business administration and education.

Questions: I have submitted numerous applications with the requisite resume and photos without success. Why am I not receiving any job offers? I have more than the minimum qualifications. I'm considered quite attractive and appear 10-20 years younger than my age. Does anyone have any suggestions to help me get a teaching contract for a good position in Korea?

[BigBlackEquus]

To put it bluntly, rudely, and honestly:

1. You are black, and Koreans can be very racist -- against ANYONE. WASP-looking people get teaching jobs here because that is the Korean view of what an English speaker should be. Korean mothers might shy away from having a black teacher, so most schools shy away from hiring a black person. Koreans are all about appearances. They want someone who "looks" the part. Experience is often second. Horrible, isn't it? As I said, Koreans are very racist, on a whole. Even white people here experience discrimination for not being Korean. White people who date Koreans walk down the street holding hands with a Korean girl, and often get dirty looks. Strangers in the street will say things in Korean -- loudly sometimes, like: Yankee wh*ore! So racism can be felt by anybody who is non-Korean.

2. You are older. That isn't always a bad thing, but it doesn't help with a lot of the jobs here. Any job that won't hire you, based on age, isn't worth working at anyway. They are probably the hagwon looking for a dumb blonde 20-something WASP girl fresh out of university. They want someone that looks good to mom, and can be controlled/pushed easily. And they do try to control.

3. Your experience probably scares hagwon directors, too. You are overqualified for nearly every hagwon job out there.

4. It might help to be here in Korea, if you're not already.


I'm sorry if I sound too honest. Korea is still very 3rd world in a lot of ways. Don't let it get you down. You can keep trying, but it will be difficult. People of color do get jobs here. You can try, though. Personally, if I were you, I would look at going back to Japan and use that as a base while you search here.

[anyway]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. It certainly sounds like you should be scooped up right away, but unfortunately hiring doesn't follow any particular rhyme or reason around here from what I can tell. I doubt your age, I mean, maturity is the determining factor (especially if you look younger) but could be with some folks. The combination of your ethnicity and gender is probably the bigger problem. Of course, there is a tendency to hire people already inside Korea, especially for the good jobs like corporate training which usually aren't well advertised.

What kind of jobs have you been applying for? The typical university process is a total hit and miss game. At my last uni, the western lady in charge of hiring (for the common mandatory freshman class lecturer) considered folks like yourself "overqualified" and likely to leave after bigger fish. She was looking for hagwon teachers who would appreciate the upgrade and stick around longer.

I would be happy to offer some suggestions on places to apply if you want to PM me. Suerte!

[fusionbarnone]

Korean hogwan-owners/employers can be extremely selective when choosing staff. Perceived image is very important to them (translates into not/getting hired). Don't let this get you down though. I'm sure you'll be successful eventually. In my experience I've found Koreans liken to horse traders; they are cerebral, live in the moment, and play to win. However, once they get to know you, they will value you like a member of their own family. Getting established in the Local ESL game, takes a bit of time however.

I don't know about the GEPIK program (where native English speakers are assigned to schools in the public education system) but, EPIK is a program which hires teachers up until the age of 62(met a guy who was finishing up in the EPIK solely because he'd reached the cut-off age; JET in Japan, sets their limit at age 40) regardless of hue, or container shape, etc. Quite a liberal program really. I've known many who have progressed from EPIK into TV work, university positions, ad infinitum. You could look into both of these (EPIK, GEPIK).

From the adverts currently in circulation and an obvious decline in once standard incentives (return airfare; accommodation not included with some "attractive high paying gigs"; reduced vacations with some universities; increased hours, etc) job seeking appear to be getting tougher. I haven��t dared venture as to why this is so; perhaps others on this board can present reasons for this. However, scoring a uni job appears to get easier if you "know people"(regardless of whether you hold a masters of not). And, if you are in country wouldn't hurt either.

Regarding qualifications; if you have a bachelor��s degree and post-grad credits for a dozen master degrees, you will be hired and paid on your base qualification (the adverts normally state; depending on qualifications). Basically, all sorts of excuses exist to justify paying as little as necessary in order to retain your services (my thinking). I had to argue in order to prevent a major provincial office of education from down-grading my masters. I had studied for both my final year of bachelors and first year of masters in the same year resulting in a graduation for a BA one year followed by an MA in the next. Their (POE) argument was that a one year MA is not a "real" MA and the Korean National University of Education didn't recognize one-year master degree programs. Until I presented my original transcripts it was only then my pay scale went up by 400k per month.

If you have trolley loads of credits perhaps transferring these into a graduate program which will give you a degree in the fastest time. Excelsior, Charter Oak, Thomas Edison are the considered the most liberal in accepting credits and cost effectiveness. Degreeinfo.com can give you advice about this (the fastest legal graduate was a sergeant who applied his experience/credits to graduate with a BA in a single weekend; according to John Bear; the degree guru). Just a thought.

http://www.degreeinfo.com/article18_1.html

http://www.geocities.com/liu_jonathan/distance.html

http://www.degree.net/


Good luck.

[Snowkr]

I'm a novice here. I've finished 6 months but I also find Koreans to be a bit backward in thinking (as someone said "3rd world") I hate to be so stereotypical but my boss told me I was hired for my looks first and foremost to please the parents and so he could put a big picture on a billboard outside my school. While I do take my job seriously and get along well with him, sometimes I wonder if he regrets hiring me. I'll be curious to see what kind of teacher replaces me in July.

I'm not repulsive but I'm not some stunning blue eyed beauty either! I almost didn't get the job because of my age (27) but he "took a chance" based on my minimal experience teaching abroad elsewhere. Apparantly he thinks under 30 is too young and over 36 is too old! I really don't understand it.

I travel in church circles here and would have hoped that people would be a little more Christian and open minded regarding foreigners as well but they don't seem to be ... I certainly don't think all Koreans think this way but unfortunately, it seems that a majority of them do... at least the majority I've met in my 6 months here.

You are probably overqualified to work in most hogwons here and perhaps in their public schools as well. I would say that it's their loss and not your problem.

On a side note, there are older teachers here who are retired from teaching in schools in Canada and the states but they seem to be few and far between. Again... I haven't really been here that long and these are just my observations. I wouldn't give up on Korea though. Something will open up to you at some point. Have you tried praying about it... ?

[Snowkr]

I'm a novice here. I've finished 6 months but I also find Koreans to be a bit backward in thinking (as someone said "3rd world") I hate to be so stereotypical but my boss told me I was hired for my looks first and foremost to please the parents and so he could put a big picture on a billboard outside my school. While I do take my job seriously and get along well with him, sometimes I wonder if he regrets hiring me. I'll be curious to see what kind of teacher replaces me in July.

I'm not repulsive but I'm not some stunning blue eyed beauty either! I almost didn't get the job because of my age (27) but he "took a chance" based on my minimal experience teaching abroad elsewhere. Apparantly he thinks under 30 is too young and over 36 is too old! I really don't understand it.

I travel in church circles here and would have hoped that people would be a little more Christian and open minded regarding foreigners as well but they don't seem to be ... I certainly don't think all Koreans think this way but unfortunately, it seems that a majority of them do... at least the majority I've met in my 6 months here.

You are probably overqualified to work in most hogwons here and perhaps in their public schools as well. I would say that it's their loss and not your problem.

On a side note, there are older teachers here who are retired from teaching in schools in Canada and the states but they seem to be few and far between. Again... I haven't really been here that long and these are just my observations. I wouldn't give up on Korea though. Something will open up to you at some point. Have you tried praying about it... ?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I'm sorry to hear about this. Going through EPIK might be your best bet. The hogwans are probably out. Even if you were 38, white, and young-looking, most would be intimidated by your experience, as most are not looking for real teachers.

Good luck and sorry, but many Koreans can be openly racist and there's little or nothing you can do about it.

[aisainmind]

[margaret]

What jobs are you applying for? I've read that the universities are more likely to hire older people, though I work in a hogwan and am 54. I'm white, though, and in a small town.
Another idea is, rather than apply for jobs that you see listed, list your own resume, including your age and race, so that it will weed out those in advance who would be prejudiced for any reason, including your being "overqualified".
They do seem to have a prejudice FOR Americans, and females, so you might use the heading "American female seeks teaching job" or something similar, to get their attention, (which is what I did when I posted my resume) and then proceed to describe yourself more fully.
Good Luck!
Margaret

[IwalkAlone]

I think I'll say a prayer for aisainmind...that God forgives his arrogance and pride, and that he may one day overflow with love and affection for his fellow mankind

Peace

[JeJuJitsu]

This may be worth a try: take out many of your qualifications from your resume. I got more Hagwon offers when I took my masters degree OFF my resume.

[Yo!Chingo]

I agree with most of what has been said on this post. Laid out for you the problem is 1.) you're black 2.) you're an older female and 3.) you've probably got more experience teaching english than 99.9% of the teachers here. That makes you prone to leaving for a better job when# 1.) another job comes available which eventually it would and #2 prone to want decent pay.
Forget Korea and go to another country that would appreciate you!

[teachingld2004]

It is hard to get a job at age 58. It does not matter what color you are. Like other posters said, schools want a "poster" face. If you are older then their mothers, the kids will (perhaps) call you grandma.

Sad to say it, but usually experience does not matter.

Keep on trying. And have your passport ready, because you may find a school that wants you to start NOW. The new school year here starts March 1, and some times a teacher who is hired does not show up, so a school is desperate.

Also, take some experience off your resume. Some schools may think you are over qualified.

A university perhaps will love your resume, while a hogwon does not care. Some private schools may love your resume also, but some would rather hire some one who is younger, who they can "mold". Also, directors do not like hiring teachers who are older then them. (usually)

As some one said, try EPIK or GEPIK. They will take you until age 62. That may be your best bet. Look at their web sites, and you can see how much they will pay you. One thing positive about EPIK and GEPIK is that you will always get paid.

Good luck

[UncleAlex]

Your track record is very impressive. If I were an employer here, I'd be
happy to hire you. Again, teaching qualifications and credentials often play
second fiddle to age, race, and gender. Public school positions can be even
more difficult to get because of the latter irrational criteria, since one has to fit
the desired mold of the Korean co-teachers, who have a voice in the hiring
process. It might be better to check the corporate or governmental sector for
employment here. And try the universities or provincial offices of education. Good luck!

[World Citizen]

I got offered a very nice contract. Thank you to every one who offered assistance. Happy New Year !