Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hydrogonian]

Hi everyone,
I'm staying in a motel in yeokgok and just started to make a couple of job contacts, via email, today. There are no foreigners in my neighborhood, as I'm sure your aware, and so i haven't met any yet. After I figured out the subway i wondered around for about 5 hours to get more familiar. Any advice anyone can give me on job hunting or meeting people would be fantastic. Thanks for your time

Christopher

[Fredbob]

If you actually want any answer to this question you should state what kind of job you are looking for, where you want to work and what you have done so far.

If you are specific with your questions you will find you will get helpful answers quickly.

I'm assuming you've looked through the FAQ section, if not, do it.

[Bibbitybop]

Welcome to Seoul, home of crowded streets, crowded sidewalks and tons of fun!

The first thing you can do to meet people this weekend is come to the fundraiser for the Mongolian women's shelter at the Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon this Friday. See the post about it on this forum.

About getting jobs, here's a list of things to do:

-Check the job openings on this website.
-Post your resume (make sure your resume is good and free of errors) on this website.
-Visit as many recruiter websites as possible and post your resume there. Stick with the big ones like footprints, WorkNPlay, UEC, etc., but be careful using any recruiter. Use them for contact info only and negotiate with the school as much as possible. Being in Seoul allows you to see the school, meet the other teachers, and see the housing they provide before you sign the dotted line.
-Network and avoid recruiters if you can. Do you know Korean? That will help you out.
-I'm guessing you are here on a tourist visa, either 30 or 90 days. Take your time, review your offers and contracts well, and play hardball.

What are your qualifications? This will help other posters understand what you can expect. Bibbity

[djsmnc]

Go to Itaewon. Tell people in bars that you were mistreated by a school and now you're stuck in Korea. Create an elaborate story that includes

1. A barn that you had to live in

2. No payment

3. A free lunch at school, but no other food allowances

4. Abuse


You can probably get money from people and never have to work a real job!

[hydrogonian]

Um, except for Bippity, awesome answers. Thanks for nothing deuches, I'll take care of it.
1) I'm looking for a job teaching English in either a Hagwon of possibly an afterschool elementary program.
2)I came to Seoul without a job and knowing no one to avoid a bad situation. Hence my attempt to solicit leads and or advice from people already here.
3) No, I don't speak Korean. Probably hard to learn unless your family is Korean or you've lived here before. But then I wouldn't be asking for help
But anyway, can't wait to meet you winners. Sarcasm not dirested toward

bippity
peace

[riley]

While you came across as a bit of a dick on your last post, considering that in the case of Fredbob, he was simply saying that your first post was very vague, I will try and give you some useful help.
First, Korean isn't too hard to learn, or at least picking up some basic useful stuff isn't too hard. Learning the numbers (like for money) and learning the characters (hangeul) isn't that hard. Sorry that I can't point you to any sites, but basically I'm saying that it's not as hard as you might believe.
Second, check your clothing. If you left in a hurry, you may have missed some things. Make sure to dress as nicely as you can for any interview. I definitely would reccomend a tie. If you're staying at the motel for a while, you can ask them if they can get your clothing cleaned. At the least, they can point you to where you can. I stress this, because Koreans really judge people by their clothing and style.
Finally, if you're going to live here, don't be dick towards everyone just because one guy is a wiseass. Good luck!

[PRagic]

Don't pay any attention to those guys. With your positive attitude, ability to work with others, flexibility, and ability to take constructive critisism, you'll go far here.

[Qinella]

[riley]

I change my mind. PRagic couldn't have said it better.

[Bibbitybop]

[Fredbob]

Wow, thank you!

the first time I've ever been called a deuche
-not really familiar with that spelling but like the rest of your posts, I can understand very poorly written material without too much effort.

and

the first time I've ever been directly insulted online

I'll always remember my first.

I'll be kind to you since you're new and probably still jetlagged. Otherwise I would have started a pool/poll for how long you are going to last in Korea or at least how long before you get "randomly attacked by a bunch of Koreans" when you weren't doing anything.

Good Luck 똥구멍

[ajgeddes]

[Son Deureo!]

[hydrogonian]

Alright, I was real tired when I skimmed the responses to my post and was really just responding to djsmnds..whatevers response..which really wasn't that bad now that I read it again. Although unnecessarily sarcastic given my current position of vulnerability. My apologies to everyone else( I'm much more rested now).
In any case, I have been using as many basic Korean phrases as I can remember and confidently pronounce since I arrived.
Thanks to everyone else who made an even slightly sincere offering of advice. I'm sure I'll have a job shortly. But please start that "how long will I be here post" that would be interesting and original. (note the more tempered response to negativity) ...at least I'm trying

[matthews_world]

Make sure you got your transcripts in order. They should be sealed inside an envelope w/ the school's 'letterhead' on the front and stamped w/ the school's seal on the back. Immigration is pretty picky here.