Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BTSskytrain]

Can somebody please share the starting dates for the spring and fall university semesters. When is the best time to start hitting the pavement to apply for a university teaching job.

Thanks

[bluelake]

Generally, the first semester (spring) begins at the beginning of March; the second semester (fall) begins either the end of August or beginning of September (varies from school to school). If you are interested in applying for a university position, now would be a good time to start looking for the spring semester, while April/May is a good time for the fall semester.

[PRagic]

Done to death:

Start Dates:
March 2
September 1

Hiring Starts:
November/December
June/July
...in some cases, the hunt begins a bit earlier

Advice:

1) Check individual university websites for positions.
2) Have sealed letters of recommendation ready.
3) Have your transcripts (sealed) and diploma (original) ready to submit, but initially submit copies.
4) Get a criminal investigation report
5) Write up a general cover letter to go with your resume
6) Write up a 'teaching philosophy' essay. Some places want one.
7) Have pictures (passport size) ready in bulk. Wear a suit, and look clean cut and professional
Really confident and want to go nuts? Get a video of you teaching a university level/adult class.
9) AND THE BIG ONE...KNOW SOMEONE AT THE UNIVERSITY YOU ARE APPLYING TO!

[BTSskytrain]

done to death? hmmmm, that's very interesting. two replies thus far and two different answers pertaining to when the hiring starts. what a batting average that is. "done to death" perhaps or maybe not done enough as the conflicting info. has already begun.

either way, thanks for the info.

i just find it rather amusing that some posters PRagic for instance, insist upon passing what they consider to be a cute, judgemental comment before actually providing the info. requested.

as a teacher, if you are a teacher, you should know full and well that saying something that isn't helpful is only a waste of breath. save it for those times when what you say doesn't really matter.

[PRagic]

Done to death because someone ALWAYS asks this twice a year, once before the start of each semester.

Judgemental about the topic, not the poster. Guilty as charged. Didn't mean for it to be cute.

Starting dates and hiring starts were both pretty much the same. Notice that I added, "...in some cases the hunt begins earlier.'


Grow a thicker skin. Good luck with your job hunt.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

I started this semester on August 27th and the spring semester on March 2nd. In the spring it seems to always be after the March 1st holiday, but in the fall there is hardly a set date for all Korean universities. They don't seem to co-ordinate it at all.

[PRagic]

Good point. I'm just going from my personal past experience. I've worked for 4 different Korean universities, and they have all begun the Fall semester on 1 September. Live and learn!

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Part of the reason is that some universities have 15 week semesters, others 16. Some use the 16th week for exams, some teach all the way to the end. I have 1.5 fewer teaching weeks left in this semester than some people I know at other unis. Annoyingly, some schools (mine for example) will also start the semester on a Thursday or Friday rather than on a Monday. March 2nd this year was a Friday, but the school didn't count it as a week so our attendance sheets were all off by one class for the whole semester (but only for classes that were held on Fridays, the rest weren't affected.) Ah, the wonders of working in Korea.

[BTSskytrain]

really appreciate the explanations. will be very helpful in my job hunt.

[Hyeon Een]

[bassexpander]

You'd better be applying ASAP to some positions, which are listed in the Job Forum right now.