Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hyeon Een]

I've 'used' lots of recruiters and taken two jobs from them. I don't remember who any of them were. I was looking for a job not a relationship. Here's what happened:

Recruiters sent me job offers.

Sometimes I thought I might like the offer, sometimes I didn't like the offers.

When I didn't like the offer, I explained why, and they offered me different things. I probably should have cried and bitched to the whole world like a big baby and slagged them off on the internet. Instead I figured they were just forwarding me the jobs they had available and trying to link potential-teachers and potential-employers. They were always happy to offer me different jobs when I explained my reasons for turning down the ones I didn't like.

When I thought I might like the offer, I spoke to people in Korea (boss, other teachers) and examined the contract.

I eventually chose the best position offered in the timeframe I had available. I wasn't using one recruiter, I was using many - I'm not paying them, they are just matchmakers; I just wanted the best match.

I didn't get any after service from the jobs I took. I didn't want any. Once I'd signed a contract it was up to me to deal with the job I had taken, my contract(relationship) was between me and my new employer, not the matchmaker who got us together. Once I have signed my contract and got my visa the recruiter no longer plays a part in my life.

I don't really know what a 'bad recruiter story' would be. Well, perhaps one who slipped you a roofie and got you to sign a contract while you were messed up then threw you on the plane while you were delerious. That would be bad. Or one who held your family hostage unless you took their job.. that would also be bad. Some guy who offered you a contract you didn't like wouldn't be bad. You'd just be a muppet for signing it.

I've had good relationships with recruiters, because I have used them as a tool to expand my job search. I let them put me in contact with schools and jobs, and I take the ones I like. The ones I don't like, I don't take. Pretty damn simple.

[alabamaman]

It sounds like you've had a good experience with a recruiter(s). As another forum member said in a nutshell earlier, "There aren't many decent recruiters out there." I stand by that comment. Personally, I've only advocated for Duff Recruiting. There have only been 3 recruiters who have popped up so far on this thread associated with positive experiences. If there are more than 10 reputable recruiting agencies that appear in this thread, then I will post them on my sticky for ESL Teachers to see. That's my guarantee.

Brendan Cho from ATC Korea
Footprints Recruiting
Duff Recruiting

[Hyeon Een]

[alabamaman]

You seem to think of a recruiter as someone working for you, who should have your best interests at heart, who's duty it is to find you a good job with a good contract.

If you were a newbie would you want to sign a crap contract? Too many new teachers come over to Korea with crap contracts. They have little knowledge of what a good contract looks like, and what a bad contract looks like. A recruiter should provide information that's pertinant to contracts prior to signing contracts with maximal protection. That's part of helping new teachers signing good contracts. I've never heard of any forum member talking about a recruiter advising him/her of contractual language which should/shouldn't be in a contract. Considering new teachers are coming over to a foreign country for their first time, I think recruiters should go above and beyound to help them sign a contract that's not crap. Afterall, most newbies aren't aware of the recruiters deceptive tacticts.

[Grotto]

Thats one way of looking at it I suppose.

I view recruiters who try to foist off crappy jobs and crappy contracts as scumsucking bottom feeders.

There is really no need for them to push the crap they are pushing. As well they need to realise that they dont get paid if the teacher gets lied to and leaves. So in a way we are paying them...we leave...they lose their fee...we stay they get their fee.

Recruiters get paid an awful lot of money for doing blessed little.

First recruiter I dealt with...one email....cost nil,...they pocketed 1,000,000 won.

Second recruiter...met me at airport pushed me on a bus(after I paid for my own ticket) and that was it,....no idea how much he was paid, although the director hinted it was 700,000

Third recruiter, met me in Suwon and took me to the school for the interview and contract signing....never saw or heard from him again. He was paid 900,000 won.

Thats alot of money for less than 2 hours work at the longest and a 30 second email at the shortest.

But I do agree that if a recruiter forwards you a crap contract or crap offer...throw it out and move on to the next one!

[Aussiekimchi]

Sorry, Satan and I have been holidaying on the French Riviera counting our millions, so I have not been on here for a while but I see the bashing continues. I love it.

All the posters here are right. You do not need a recruiter. Just sit back and stare at your computer and wait for the offers to come in.

If you do use a recruiter, make sure you sign anything he tells you to sign, accept the first job you are offered, forget your preferences for location, start dates and age of students, you need not worry about that..there is only one job left in Korea and you better hurry up and grab it before the other available teacher gets it.

Whatever you are offered, this is by far the best job you will ever get, so do not use more than one recruiter, that is just a waste of your valuable time. You already have found the mother load.

Most definately you should feel obligated to accept any job offered to you. Obliged...you should get down on your knees and pay homage! The recruiter has worked his fingers to the bone finding it for you and only you...this contract (personally written by the recruiter) is a work of art! He has sculpted it to fit your every whim.

Also remember that the job of a recruiter is different to every occupation in the world. Upon becoming a recruiter, you suddenly have no bills to pay, no mouths to feed and money trees grow around you.
There is no way any recruiter would be working just for the money!!!
It is all about you.

If you really want to get nit picky, you could always say no thanks to a job and throw out another email. If you were a real stickler for caution, you could speak to the odd foreign staff member at the school.
If there is anything you do not like about the offer....call me old fashioned but you could just say no thanks and move on.

I am a foreigner in Korea and believe me, there are some horrible jobs out there, but the number of horrible teachers are thereabouts. I know plenty of horrible recruiters also. Welcome to the world.

Use your head and take your time. Your gut will tell you who and what to believe.

[Novernae]

Stephen Cho, as I've said in a couple of threads, is a good recruiter.

We (a couple) have worked with him twice now and not once did he lie about (or even embellish) anything. He described the area to a T, told us exactly how our contract would work, how many classes, what age group, and put us in touch with other teachers even a bit to zealously. He did everything he was supposed to, and even a little extra. The first school was great for the first 10 months, then things started falling apart, so when we finished our contracts we bailed. Did he lie? No. Did he set us up with a bad school? No, not at the time. This time, same thing happened. Everything has turned out exactly as he promised.