Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ghost]

It's so easy to get a job in a Hakwon in Korea, but applying for Uni. jobs seems to be so hard, despite many Unis. in Korea being of dubious (translation=poor) quality.

It seems every Uni job has hundreds of application for just one post, or in rare cases several positions. There is also a lot of red tape with the application for Unis.

I had one interview with a certain Uni. which turned out to be a complete farce, with the panel asking me questions (are you Christian?, do you go to church?, how old are you?, why are you not married?) that had little or nothing to do with teaching EFL.

I feel reasonably qualified (B.A., B.Ed., M.A. and T.E.S.L. Certificate) but the Unis. tell me that now, unlike the past, many PhD's apply, because the situation in their home countries is not rosy. Also, I get the feeling that Unis. do not want to hire people over the age of 40-50 in Korea. They seem to be very focused on youth and appearance, rather than substance. And that contradicts the notion that PhD's are desirable.

Although I am happy in my present job, the boss wants to push me out, saying that although I am a good teacher etc., my evaluations are not high enough to keep me. For that reason, I am now looking elsewhere.

With all that in mind, do you think it is still worth applying for all these Uni jobs?

Thanks for feedback.

Ghost in Gyeonggi Do

www.gifle.go.kr

[Hanson]

Simply sending in your resume will probably yield very little. They are worth applying to, but visits in person and making contacts/networking are far more important than your qualifications.

You should follow the advice found on Dave's, especially the_beaver's thread/advice.

[ghost]

[HapKi]

At our last hiring period, we had a total of 5 resumes qualified to call in for an interview. Qualified as in, living in the country, at least some teaching experience, BA. Of those five, one had already found another job, one was unreachable, and I don't remember about the other. We had two people come in for interviews, and we hired one of them. I work at a university in Seoul.

Although I don't agree with it, our school only advertised in the Korea media. They are of the opinion that teachers with Korean spouses, or teachers with a high level of Korean capability, are somehow better or lower risk in the long run. It certainly cuts down on the amount of applicants.

My advice would be search out ways other than ads on Dave's. Stopping by English Depts. and asking to speak with someone is one idea. The Korean newspapers is another.

[Milwaukiedave]

Ghost,

Certainly your qualifications are good, so I would encourage you to keep applying to different universities. The thing I would look at is what areas of the country you want to teach in. It has been said by others on here that it is harder to get a position near Seoul then in other parts of the country. If you are flexible about teaching in another city, that will help you quite a bit.

[Pyongshin Sangja]