Korean Job Discussion Forums

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[jleblanc]

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[jleblanc]

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[jleblanc]

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What a daft discussion/thread crap.

Love love. But awesome is just color. Its like swearing. If i want to say something a bit more colorful because it makes me happy writing it, i probably will. If you met me youd likely think i conformed to your stereotype anyway: i do have quite a happy, big personality.

I dont mind. I've scored jobs on the strength of my energy and cheerfulness, and lost jobs for the same reason. I've gotten jobs from being serious and knowing my shit, and lost jobs because i was too serious, too experienced, and too knowledgeable (started happening around my late thirties). Theres no exact fit. So it goes. I'll could try and keep the two in balance. But this might of course cost me work because im neither one nor the other... its hard work trying to outsmart people. Best just be myself and say awesome when i feel like saying it.

[Chaparrastique]

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Not this time around im afraid. Only had 4 interviews out of all this: one direct and 3 with recruiters. All recruiters seemed keen enough to move forward. Direct was honestly the least professional interview ive ever had.

It seems i'm blocked primarily at the application stage rather than the personal one at the moment though. Recruiters are fine, but the fact is they have to sell me to the school or director and if I don't fit the profile, then there's little they can do at the end of the day. So its not hatred of recruiters or anything, it's just that I'd like to bypass them and it seems that the best way of doing so would be to get on a plane and start knocking on doors? So far no one has really said this would be pointless, so assuming that's a plan then

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[Chaparrastique]

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haha, will do Just read the thread below me from that dude already in Korea. My, its bleak. I actually left Japan for similar reasons. It seemed like the market was getting too too saturated. Not sure whats happened in Korea to make it this bad. Guess the whole cut back on EPIK over the past few years hasnt helped. But thought the recession was over and the k-pop explosion was done.

Almost starting to think perhaps i should just stick to China. Got 7 days left on my Residency Permit. Scored a job literally on day 1 of looking last time (not a bad one either). Was offered a job this afternoon in fact, 20 hours/week, middle school. All holidays. 10,000. They didnt specify if it was public school or not, but if it is, i might actually consider it if theyre including school holidays. Its in Chengdu, so nice and near hong kong, Yunnan and Tibet. Well... not near, near. This is china, the scale is gigantic. But nearer than Tianjin. Could be fun living near the himalayas (well, nearish... well... nearer). I could sacrifice another season riding i guess. But i really would love my damn driving license back! >

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Actually, now i think about it, this is an interesting meta-point:

What happened from 2009 to now? I strolled into a public school gig in 2009. This was at the height of the recession (september 2009 when it was well underway).

Hell, even in 2011 im fairly sure i could have still walked into a job. Bear in mind i was well into my thirties by now.

What changed in the market? I know EPIK were cutting back. First on high school placements which were all but phased out around 2011 and then middle school by the looks of it. But the argument always was that hagwons would pick up the slack? Was it just delayed effects of the recession finally coming to hit private schools in Korea pulling down demand overall? Was it
the consequence of EPIK cutting back? Or even the status of English being devalued by the incessant hate of pressure groups like AES? Has it been devalued? Im not there. I havent been keeping up to be honest.

Was it that jobs in Japan were pretty much all-but taken up by people in the country already blocking off one of the most important markets to new graduates looking for an adventure year or two? Was Korea the new way into sanitized Asia now that Japan was all but closed? Was massive supply following the recession in the West and the boom of the Korean culture industry responsible for the flood of applicants?

I remember last year being shocked that so many people wanted folks already in country. In Japan i understood it since you own your Visa, but in Korea... it was weird. I couldnt understand it. Youd still have to do a visa run and you save like what? 2 days or so? It boggled my mind. I always felt Korea was just the Japanese market about a decade behind. Perhaps it really was closer than i imagined?

I really wonder what happened? Its fascinating if im honest. There just CANNOT be such a saturation of applicants now compared to 5 years ago? So it must be available placements?

Someone has to have written a thesis on this? What happened in the last 4 years? It seems mad to be honest. Are people just sticking about a bit longer and trying to stay out of the rat race? Maybe a generation ago people would pop in, but more often than not go home after a year or two. Now, perhaps theyre staying in significantly greater numbers lowering the options? So many questions. Sorry to threadcrap my own thread with them? But thats going nowhere anyway... two pages and no ones posted a link yet so seems a better thread if im honest. I am genuinely curious