Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Positive Realist]

Hi everyone,
I have a handful of university interviews coming up and was wondering if someone could give me a run down on what to expect.

[sliderama]

I've had a few and generally they go over your resume asking for details, maybe how you see yourself fitting into the uni, any committees you've served on, publications, your teaching approach/philosophy, how you might conduct a lesson...

good luck and hope it helps.

[Homer]

Use the search function..this topic has been discussed already and you can find all the info you need in those threads.

[Ethan Allen Hawley]

I travelled all the way from Bucheon (west of Seoul) down to Busan a couple of years ago, for an interview at Uiduk University, a second-rate institution jammed amid a couple of the conservative hills of that smog-choked city at the arse-crack end of the penisular.

I get to the big-manager-head's office, take a seat, and the only thing he asks is:

Why aren't you married yet?

He has such a serious look on his face, like he's accusing me of shagging his wife last night or something... that the only response is to laugh at the infantile mind-set behind his pudgy-pokey pout.

Unfortunately, I have to report it's not a useful strategy for impressing people with infantile mind-sets who also happen to be in charge of hiring. Not that I'd want to work with or for such a narrow-minded nut-brain anyway.

Bottom-crack line: Expect anything, and prepare for everything, cos you'll get somewhere in between.

[butlerian]

Expect anything. Sorry to be like that, but they all seem to do it in a different way. Some will be quite demanding, others will be a simple phone interview.

[Ethan Allen Hawley]

Last year I went for an interview at Gachon University of Medicine & Science. I get there nice and early, get met by a nice student as arranged and shown to the waiting room where I meet a Chinese language teacher and a Japanese language teacher, also waiting for interviews. Get offered a green tea, a booklet about the university, get checked that I am the person who's supposed to be there then by an official adult-type person, wait some more, drink my tea, give up being bored and start chatting with the other teachers who seemed relieved that someone finally broke the silence, then one gets dragged away for her interview. I get pulled out next.

I follow my leader into a room along the nice new building's hall somewhere, and around the table are not two, not three, but about seven or eight different people - men and women - with all the papers and serious expressions. They ask me a couple of standard questions checking my resume, then they turn to one of the women, late middle-aged, with glasses, who looks at me, looks up, then back at me, and asks:

What technique do you use?

I discount the concept of replying: Well, I really enjoy the Svanaka, but we had a really good session with the Kaurma last weekend.

Instead, I asked her to clarify her context. This was met with a long brief silence and swivelling heads. Obviously, they all knew the context to which she was referring. Her reply:

'In teaching English'

was not actually very helpful, although I appreciated the look of panic on her face. I obliged her with some examples of approaches to delivery of lessons in class, and also styles of curriculum design, but she still looked mildly mortified. Other faces started to cloud over with looks of accusation.

Then this chubby chump to my left pipes up, asking me if I'm really from the country it says on my resume, because his nephew's shown him photos from his trips there, and I don't look like the locals, to him.

I blink, think, look at the wall for a second, and, consider calmly walking out right then, and then reconsider, including the option of telling him looks like a Japanese person I saw once, if he lived in Burger King, but instead I politely reply that he is correct, because my country was colonised in recent history, so, if you want to look at it that way, I am, actually, historically, genetically, from Europe rather than that particular modern nation-state. Hey, it's a school of law and medicine. They can follow this, right?

Eventually, I am liberated from that absurd charade of a circus, and get taken to stage three, which is a smaller room back across the hall, with three of the women from the second room, who turn out to all be from the English language department, including the cryptic one with the glasses, who turns out to be the manager; wouldn't you know it?!

Thankfully, no, mercifully, the other two speak English with a meaningful ability to include a sense of context, and I start to feel like I'm communicating with people with whom I can work.

Towards the end of a wide-ranging free-flowing conversation, which of course involves various aspects of my personal life as much as my professional, they finally point out that the hours stated on the advertisement do not include those which I'd have to work at the 'language institute' which is of course 'seperate from the English department' but still automatically part of my job. I smile, and reply that this is an interesting proposition. Eventually this elaborate whole waste of time drivels to an end, and I collapse out the door down the street through the wind and find the sanctity of the subway to take me home.

More than a month later, and after I've been offered many other jobs better paying and with better all round conditions, I finally get an email inviting me to consider the contract. The contract states the actual number of hours to be worked at the institute. It significantly changes the entire job description from that given in the advertisement, and is essentially just another insult.

Bottom line: walk out if and when your gut tells you to, because a 'university' job in this country might mean you get more looks from young locals looking for a marriage partner, but it does not mean that the Korean people working at that particular institution will have any respect for you whatsoever, 'wheyguk'.

[Ethan Allen Hawley]

wait, wait, I must add this:


while I was waiting in the first room, with the other teachers, a nice man representing the university walked up and presented me with a bag with a wrapped gift inside, in thanks for coming to the interview. I think it was a smallish pottery vase, nicely presented.

It seemed to be a genuinely nice touch.

And, at the immediate time, it made the rest of the experience there simply all the more perplexing.

BTW
I'd love to hear from anyone who actually took on that job. How's it working out there?

[bassexpander]

My uni had me do a full class demo in front of 7 professors.

Six months later, they turned around and hired someone without the demo.

I think they found it to be too much work the first time around.

[butlerian]

[Intrepid]

I love the "too much work".
My university has at most one position open per year, so they mention to us that a job might be available. Then, the "interview": Can you provide confirmation of your degree? If so, when can you start?
The latest hire came about two hours for the interview, and while he wasn't disappointed to be hired, was a bit surprised to be in and out in three minutes.
I think they used to do more, but they're so wrapped up in their "research" that they can't be bothered.

[karma police]

wear your best suit, get plenty of rest/sleep the night before and bring your best, detailed lesson plan. have ready at hand a shortened, single page draft of your lesson plan focusing on the most communicative component of the plan(7-10 minutes). ask to demonstrate it to the hiring commitee and take your best teaching shot...

during the interview, always look confident. don't sweat or get nervous and directly answer all the questions without inflated elaboration that sucks up all your interview time. remember, you only have but a little time to sell yourself so make the best of it... if asked to expand on an interview question, NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES should you say anything negative about yourself, your present employer or any former employers. trust me, if you have had problems with past employers, they will already know.

don't forget to bring at least a few copies of your detailed CV. even if you have emailed it or sent a hard copy to them, sometimes having extras pays dividends and wins friends...

finally, if asked if you have already done interviews at other universities, say no or say at just one other then name 1 of the top 3 SKY universities...

hey, good luck...

[Homer]

Ok..here goes.


1- Wear a good suit, shave and look professional (if you are not guy..wear a professional looking outfit).

2- Bring your detailed CV (a few copies)

3- A ready list of references

4- A demo lesson that you are ready to show.

As far as preparation...

Be ready to present your teaching philosophy or a pedagogical statement.

Be ready to answer questions about your experience in Korea.

Do not lie or exagerate because the better universities check on your details (mine does anyway).

Make sure the experience you list is referenced, especially in Korea.

Good luck.

[anyway]

You should perform any combination of the following before answering a question (if they ask any) ...

1. Suck your teeth with a slightly pained expression. Make sure you open you mouth so they can hear it.
2. Hold your fingers to your chin and state off into space as if contemplating the mystery of the universe. Watch any Korean advertisement for examples.
3. Nod and say 'yea, yea, yea' quietly before answering.
4. Stare intently at the questioner for 3 seconds before answering.

[Hanson]

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?p=1074082&highlight=#1074082

[jlb]

My uni seems to have a panel of 5-7 people or so. Then they ask you a range of questions...are you a Christian? Do you study Korean? How would you handle a class of 40 students? Etc, etc. No teaching demo.