Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Amai]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all your help with the visa stuff. Very helpful!

Another questions: My last name is Lee. My father is Chinese, my mother is white. I am having alot of difficulty finding a job/having people answer my resume!! And the ones who do, say they want another picture, another "look". Can someone please explain to me whats going on? Last time I worked under the name Johnson, as I was married at 21.

Thanks!

Amai Lee

[Ya-ta Boy]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is a pronounced preference for a 'white face' here. That does NOT mean you won't find a job, but it does mean you'll have to look longer. So far you have been running into blatant cases of discrimination by Asians against another (semi) Asian.

You might want to consider using the name Johnson again, but I don't know how much help that will be. The picture seems to be the problem. About all you can do is paste a big smile on your face and look as friendly as possible.

What age level are you aiming for? You might have more luck in the public school or English Camp areas. Hakwons seem to be the worst about discriminating. (That's my impression, anyway.)

I hate to use a dirty word with a total stranger, but think about using a recruiter. They are likely to know which places are willing to hire people with Asian features.

There is a thread called "Recruiting in Korea" by Angelus. He's a teacher/part-time recruiter. He addresses your problem. You might want to PM him and ask his advice. From his posts, he seems like a decent sort.

Good luck.

[laogaiguk]

You will have difficulty finding a job. That being said, you can most definitely still find a job, it's just going to take longer. Good luck.

[I_Am_Wrong]

don't worry about jobs that don't answer because, really, it just shows what kind of place they are. Look into public school jobs (just missed the hiring season unfortunately) and the English Villages. Also, there are good hagwons that'll hire you, but make sure that the recruiter is reputable. Try worknplay.co.kr

[canuckistan]

Could you teach Chinese as well? Lots of Korean kids take Chinese classes!

[VanIslander]

Of course you can find work. The demand for English education is just too high.

I just met a Korean-American working at a hagwon here on the island.

It's harder, I hear, but not impossible. The bigger the academy, the better the chance, as the small ones need their token waygook-looking teacher for the parents.

And the pay may be less.

[Hater Depot]

The public school system is your best bet. Their next hiring season will be in the summer but there might be some desperate foreigner-less school that will snap you up.

My advice would be to contact every recruiter possible. I have personally had very good experiences with ETIK and ESL Job Bank. Make sure your resume is in the best shape it can be and be as charming as possible in any interview you get.

[just because]

Before maybe I would say it was difficult for you to get a job...


However nowdays you should little problem at all, especially if you choose to live outside Seoul and Busan as even public schools are getting desperate for anyone to fill their positions due to the new govt program..

It really is a teachers market out there..

In the town i live in there are many more public schools and hagwons looking than applicants to fill them....

[Golden Lama]

I just started working in Korea after stints in a few other countries and it seems that this is one of the few places where Asian English-first-language speakers have a good shot at finding work. The only other country where I worked with people of ethnicities beside caucasion was Japan.

Everybody who told you that public was the way to go is spot on. The EPIK programme always needs teachers and they'll place you in a public school. Of course, you might want to look into news about EPIK where you can find it to make an informed choice.

The recruiter that I went through was GlobalEdu and the director's name is Alexis Wong. You can find them on the net, I'm sure.

Send them your resume and the next hiring session should see you with a good shot; especially if you've got experience.

Good luck.

[sparticus]

I am an Asian Canadian female and I initially had trouble finding a job with my recruiter from Oxford Seminars. She told me that people didn't want to hire me because I had an Asian face. Employers will typically use foreigners on their website to advertise to parents. I decided to look for jobs on my own and within days my phone was ringing off the hook. I actually applied with my boyfriend who is white so that may have made a difference. When I did my phone interviews they asked me three times more questions than my boyfriend. I guess they wanted to make sure that I can speak English. One employer told me that she hired an Asian American who then arrived in Korea and totally could not speak English. You may run into a bit of discrimination but it will not be impossible for you to find a job. I have met quite a few Asian female teachers working in Seoul. I hope this helps.

[Troll_Bait]

[T-dot]

[Hollywoodaction]

[Golden Lama]

Sorry, I said the director of GlobalEdu's name is Alexis Wong, but it should have been Alexis YANG.

You could also look for Terry Shin as he's one of the GlobalEdu recruiters.

Has anybody gone straight through a Board of Education, or have we all had to deal with recruiters?

[UncleAlex]

More and more Korean Americans (Gyopos) are being hired to teach English
in Korea, so an Asian looking American should have no serious problem in
finding a job here. But if you're worried, perhaps you can dye your hair ash blond.
I recommend Loreal with the 3D highlight.