Korean Job Discussion Forums

[some waygug-in]

Hmm, I must have missed something . Sorry.

What I mean is this: I think it's perfectly cool for new teachers to ask for phone numbers or private email addresses of present or past teachers.

If the school is decent, they will ask the teachers before they give them out. If not, well then I can see why you would be upset, but why at the new teacher? Should you not be upset with the school?

It's a huge risk coming to a foreign country for the first time, even the second or third time. The more you can find out beforehand, the better off you will be.

It's a common trick for recruiters to try and get (especially newbies) to sign a contract without even having time to read it. That's why there are so many complaints on this board, or at least one of the many reasons.

[Lou3511]

i'll definitely agree that you cannot compare working to wal-mart to working at a foreign school - with wal-mart, you know what you're getting. and if you don't, you can go to the store and have a look. people don't come overseas simply to work in wal-mart. they may come over here first and then decide to work at wal-mart, but they're already here by that time and can take care of things themselves.

however, with foreign schools (especially in korea, with all of the deceiving that seems to go on - making it hard to get a straight or trust-worthy answer from a recruiter), most of the time you have no clue as to what exactly you're getting into. speaking to another teacher there is the best you can do (or as close as you're gonna get) to get an honest answer as to the situations there.

[FUBAR]

[Gord]

[some waygug-in]

A lot of people get jobs back home that require them to move away from home. When I worked from IBM, my second day on the job I was a thousand kilometers from home. By end of the second month, I was two thousand kilometers away. Just because I was going to be 2000km away means that I can now magically ask for the private contact information of other workers? Of course not.

However, I am NOT saying they are off limits to talking to. Rather, if a person wants to talk to a person already teaching there, then they can try and talk to them when they are are work.


True they can talk to them at work, sometimes. But the only way you
can be sure that they aren't being pressured by the boss is to talk to them
privately away from work.

A thousand Km from home is still a hell of a lot closer than coming to Korea, where the present or previous teacher may be the ONLY person who is able to comprehend your questions.... let alone give adequate answers to them.

If you don't like being contacted privately, that's your business I suppose.
But why do you insist that everyone follow your personal beliefs?
Many of us are quite happy to be contacted privately away from work.

Are you working as a recruiter?

[Gord]

[some waygug-in]

OK, All right, I get your point. I wouldn't like 100 calls a day either.
I'm sorry if I angered you.

But I sure don't mind answering a few emails.

and if the teacher wants to talk to me privately, they can ask me through email.
Teachers can and do lie sometimes.
That's why contacting teachers who have finished their contracts and no longer work for a school are the best source.

I agree with you that a move in Canada can be more expensive, I've done it enough times to know.

The big difference is that coming to Korea involves moving to a place where few people speak your language - hence the job opportunity.

This fact alone is probably the most difficult thing for a new teacher.

Suddenly, they can't communicate effectively on even simple issues or concerns.


It also means surrendering a lot of your rights as a citizen of Canada, something that you don't have to worry about back home.

It is a far scarier thing to come to Korea, than to move across Canada.
At least in Canada you know you will still be able to talk to people, unless of course you were moving to Quebec.

The other factor is the 1 year contract. In Canada, if a job sucks I can quit any time I want to with little or no reprocussions.

Not so in Korea.

[hadeshorn]

Jesus tap dancing christ Gord.

Ok you have all your self righteous crap. Oh nooo my privacy is all too important.

I am not thinking they are DEMANDING phone numbers from the school. Im sure the majority that gets handed out anyway is emails. Who cares if someone has your email address to ask a question?

So Gord to protect your precious privacy. Ask your school not to give out your phone number or just tell them you are not interested in talking to any prospective teachers. However that might not go down well as I am sure your director values your judge in character that you have mentioned so many times in the past.

But I find that the talking to teachers already at a potential school is a must. Also talking to teachers at the school isnt always reliable as the walls have ears.

But yes you always make a good point with people lying to get you over here to fulfill a vacancy that they are creating. However there is a better chance of avoiding a bad school by getting a heads up instead of coming over without talking to them and landing in a bad school.

[stejskalova]

So anyways....

[Gord]

[darrenn]

Seriously Gord, can you not tell the difference between your posts and the other posts here? Most everyone has agreed to some of your points
and generally been quite cordial. Cut out the negativity, everyone is (presumably) on the same side here.

Can it not be stated definitively here?: Gord, you do not like your information given to other people. Other people don't mind being contacted. Case closed.

Now back to the questions the original post had stated. of which I am also interested, as a "newbie" planning to head over to Seoul in May.

----
Should I contact the school and send a copy of this ridiculous email?

I hope this isn��t the norm. Any help or resources that aren��t as slimy as recruiters would be great, thanks!

Jammed Newbie

P.S. What is with this new idea of making teachers pay back a recruiters fee��s if they don��t fulfill at least 6 months of a year long contract? In a previous contract we looked at, I had the school remove it, and they did, but rather hesitantly. Annoying, and in my opinion, not the responsibility of the teacher.
---

[just because]

As I stated in another post i was dealing with BOB recruiting last month.

She offered a completely mismatched position and said I should not complain and take it as i am lucky to be offered a position and should not let her down

I turned it around and told her you are working for me so when I say it isn't suitable you should find something else or I won't deal with you at all

She changed her tune very quickly to a much more apologetic one.

[some waygug-in]

Good answer! If more teachers would do that, there would be a lot less problems dealing with recruiters.

The argument that if we don't accept a bad contract, some schmo will come and take the job away from us is just plain stupid.

If some bonehead wants to come along and accept all kinds of ridiculous
conditions just to get a job, that's his problem. Let him have it.

He's going to be the one in a month's time complaining about "exploitation" and stupidity in the workplace, not me.

[mishlert]

The recruiter's worst nightmare is that a teacher will go back to the school, cut a deal with the owner, and leave him out in the cold with no fee.

[chronicpride]