Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gkim06]

There are a couple ESL companies/schools that have failed to reply back to me for about a month now (I was not applying; just had some questions about their job offers). Sometimes I wonder if my Korean heritage (being an American-born Korean) has anything to do with this lack of cooperation.

So I'm asking all the gyopo teachers in this forum, and anybody else that is knowledgeable in this particular topic, what schools or hagwons accept gyopos? Or if anybody is willing...where do/have you work(ed) that hires gyopos?

Ok...I may be over-reacting but I sometimes feel as though I'm sending my e-mails straight into a wall...or a black-hole.

** EDIT: I need some clarification. I thought Gyopo was a Korean who was born in America....so basically an American but with aesthetic traits of a Korean. No? I just googled Gyopo and some site said that Gyopo was a Korean born in Korea but raised in another country. Which one is it? Can somebody please clarify? Sorry for bringing this up again.

[Juregen]

You might be young and fresh out of college .

In the job market not many will respond to your additional questions regarding the job, before you do the interview. That is in a normal job market.

In the ESL job market, it might be even harder to get to discuss details on contracts since most employers don't understand the details themselves.

[gkim06]

[gkim06]

[quote="gkim06"]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Almost all public school positions will accept gyopos on principal, though how they view you will really vary from school to school. Ask regular posters aphong or pkang to get a first-hand account. Generally speaking their experiences vary as much as with whites (all the way from fantastic to dreadful). Many hagwons do not want Asian faces, but some rather prefer gyopos, for whatever reason. Again, in some cases you get the best of both worlds and in some cases the worst of both worlds (i.e. getting the respect of a Korean teacher while enjoying the priveledges and help of a clueless foreigner vs. having to kowtow to Korean hierarchy while being exploited as an immigrant worker). Unis will generally hire gyopos, but like with whites you usually need experience in Korea, if not personal connections, to land a good uni gig.

At the moment the criminal records check is throwing all sorts of monkey wrenches into the hiring system, so if you can get the appropriate CRC you might be able to put yourself much further ahead in the queue.

[gkim06]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Oh and that should be 'on principle', not 'on principal'. I highly doubt any public schools have a gyopo principal.

[pkang0202]

gkim,

You shouldn't have any problems getting a job. What you should do first, and foremost is get your F4 Visa. Do all the paperwork and get your resident ID card.

After that, finding jobs will be easy. The hard part is sifting through all the jobs to find one that is good. Let me know if you have any questions.

Yes, some places don't hire gyopos. On the flip side, some places will ONLY hire gyopos. Get your VISA. Once you get your VISA the job offers are going to come pouring in. I recommend getting a public school position. It'll give you a chance to get your feet wet into the ESL industry. SMOE if you want to stay in Seoul.

As for getting questions answered about jobs, its going to be hit or miss. A lot of places just don't have answers. Let me know if you have any more questions.

[JeannieAbroad]

I am a mixed blood Korean, not a gyopo. To most Americans I've always looked Asian, to most Koreans over here, I look...they can't really tell. But I did finally get it out of my employer that he "took a chance" on me even though I looked "sort of" Asian. He trusted my recruiter that I was a native speaker. Korean moms are real touchy about the "real" foreign teacher experience for their children, especially in private institutions.

[victorology]

I am a gyopo. Half Chinese, half Korean but born and raised in America. None of the gyopo's I've met here have had problems finding jobs here. I find we're actually better off because we're eligible for an F-4 visa.

I think it's all about putting a little thought into what you want to do. Also, how are your Korean skills? If they're decent, you really have a lot of opportunities out there for you both ESL or otherwise.

My cousin (also a gyopo. half German, half Korean) and I now only teach private lessons. He looks white, I look Asian. Some parents prefer him even though he's as Korean as I am. Some prefer me.

[yeremy]

This is an interesting question: What is a gyopo? Minjung's Handy English-Korean Korean-English dictionary offers these definitions: 1) An overseas Korean, 2) Overseas Koreans (page 90 in my dictionary).

There seems to be a dichotomy here between the dictionary definition, the legal/political definition and the popular definition. The dictionary definition seems to say that you have to be a Korean citizen who resides overseas. Definition number two seems to hint that you only need to be the son or daughter of a Korean citizen and live overseas.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[gkim06]

[endo]

If you're bilingual, you can have some great opportunities with some of the bigger hagwons who are constantly expanding and need new management.

Good luck op.

[yeremy]

My classes run about 35 students a class and the fourth grade at my elementary school has six classes. So, you would be teaching big (35-40 students) classes, if you got a 'cushy' public school job.