Korean Job Discussion Forums

[worldtraveler]

I've been searching for a job through many recruiters for 2 1/2 weeks and I list the following preferences:

Work in Busan
Teach Kindy-Elem
Work at a school who has other foreign teachers
Want single furnished housing near the school

Is this too much to ask?? Most recruiters come back saying they can't find me a postion in Busan but offer every other city in SK. Is Busan really that hard to find a job in with these specs?

Also, so many posts on this site say avoid recruiters, but how can I? All the job sites I have found only have jobs posted by recruiters. Does anyone have any job listing websites where schools post their openings directly?

[Zark]

The problem may be that everyone wants to work in Pusan and/or Seoul.

I spent three years in Chung-ju - about 90 minutes drive from Seoul - and loved it. You might want to consider a smaller town near Pusan. Once you have some experience under your belt, make the move to Pusan with your next contract.

[Alias77]

When I started searching for positions(within last 2 months), I was told that Busan was difficult to obtain and that I would likely have to wait some time for openings. I'm guessing that the number of positions available there are limited and quickly filled by those who have been in the business for awhile.

[PRagic]

Just some suggestions:

1) Stick your resume on Dave's free posting service with those preferences, and you'll probably get some bites.

2) Use ALL the recruiters! One of them is bound to be able to do something for you.

[RachaelRoo]

The truth here is that most jobs hire based on your photo.

Try wearing some business type clothes and, if possible, take photographs of yourself looking happy with asian children, preferably in what looks like in a school.

[tumbleweed31]

Stick to your preferences and wait for what you are looking for. I thought the same as I began my search late July and am just now packing. Granted I switched gears and added Korea to my list late in the game. There are tons of jobs to choose from if you put in the time to seach. I browsed daily looking for those of interest, wrote down the info. and contacted the recruiter. It was time consuming, and not all the recruiters were overly helpful, but finally something came along that I was satisfied with.

Keep looking, and something will come up. Don't give in to some job that you don't really want because you think you are being to picky. After all, a year can fly by or drag along depending on your placement.

P.S. I noticed you are from Seattle, WA. I live in Lynnwood, WA now and am set to leave at the end of the month. If you have anymore questions, I would love to help if I can. Go ahead and PM me.

[Homer]

Actually...

The truth here is that most newbie jobs of mid-level quality may hire based largely on your photo.

[Panic]

Understandably the Pusan job market has been dead for the last two and half weeks because .... most Koreans have been preoccupied with Korea's major national holiday.

Anticipate the job market picking up between now and eternity but exclude times when families must socialise with one another.

Panic out

[Hyeon Een]

Put your resume up on every site you can find, and register with every recruiter you can find. You'll find a job in Busan no problem. Don't be sucked into going with one recruiter, or avoiding them all together. Get yourself OUT THERE and you'll get a job in the place you want (definitely don't take the 'princess' approach of refusing to use recruiters, and refusing to work at places that need you immediately etc...

[Hotpants]

Give it a bit more time. If you want to find a 'good' job, you need to be looking out for more than 2 1/2 weeks. If you can hold out, allow for at least a couple of months to come across something decent. Especially, as some have said already that this past week has been a major holiday in Korea. I don't think you're being too picky with your preferences, but as a first time teacher in Korea, you might have to be even more flexible if you're going through a recruiter. Keep scouring the job boards everyday.

[tomato]

I remember jobhunting in Pusan, and I was told that single apartments for foreign teachers in Pusan were rare.
I don't know why that is.
I don't think that's true in every big city.
My last job was in Suweon and I had a single apartment there.