Korean Job Discussion Forums

classydame · Joined: 03 Aug 2009 Location: Korea

My husband and I are currently looking into teaching in Korea, a little bit for the adventure and a lot for the ability to knock out some student loans and other debt. We are hoping to move around March.

So my questions are, when can we/should we start applying if we aren't looking to move for several months? Are there any recruiters who specialize in placing couples in the same school? Also, is it usually a problem to bring pets to Korea (we have two cats)?

This noob thanks you in advance!

andrewchon · Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 10:44 am Post subject:

Register with some teacher advertising sites and set your profile: availability to March 2010. If you are not available now then most recruiters or schools won't be interested straight away, but some will make job offers to change your mind, anyway. As for placing couples: I've not heard of one specializing in that. You can tell the recruiter that is one of your requirements. You could get lucky and get placed in a school together; ESL insiders, in general, do not see having a married couple as an advantage. The pets: no particular problem aside from usual quarantine.

iammac2002 · Joined: 12 Jun 2009 Location: 'n Beter plek.

Pets... the problem isn't so much BRINGING them, it's TAKING them when you leave. But you won't have that problem. I do though feel sorry for animals who have to sit indoors all day long (no gardens in this country!, and only a balcony outside of Seoul or if you are lucky enough to have a nice apartment). Especially cats. Not many people would take their cats for a walk!

classydame · Joined: 03 Aug 2009 Location: Korea

Haha I bought my cats leashes and harnesses when they were kittens thinking that I could train them to go for a walk. They just ran back in the house and that was that. Needless to say, they are indoor cats:) Is it easy to find cat food, litter, etc.? The only thing I worry about is that my cats are weird and will only eat Cat Chow.

FistFace · Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:16 pm Post subject:

Don't let them outside alone. You'll notice a lot of cats with chopped-off tails around Korea.

silverquill · Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Location: Cheonan, Korea

The time from initial contact to contract signing is several months, so start your search now, even if you are not sure this is for you or exactly when you will be available.

My wife and I have been here a year. For six months we taught together in the same private school and it was great! Due to problems there, we got a release and signed a new contract to teach in public schools. The program is administered by a university, so we are together but teach at different schools. Right now we're in a university paid ESL course which will eventually grant us a certificate.

I don't know that any recruiters or agencies actually specialize in couple placement, but some may be more willing than others to work at it. We went through TeachESLKorea and found them to be excellent in matching teachers and schools.

As for the cats. Check with the airlines you might use because they have different policies on transporting pets. I think there is a mandatory quarantine for all animals upon arrival in Korea. There are adequate pet supplies and health care for pets here. Also, make sure your school is willing to provide you with housing that accepts pets. So do, but not all. Also check to see what the regulations are about re-entry to your country are. Lot's of extra hassle, esp. when you want to travel or take vacation time here. So consider carefully. (I'm not sure if there are boarding facilities here). We ultimately left our pet behind, but that's another story.

gaffe · Joined: 06 Aug 2009 Location: N.C.

wakingup · Joined: 20 May 2009

I don't think anyone specializes in placing couples, but some jobs will advertise for couples. If you go to an area with a lot of schools, you could always work at different schools too (you might even prefer that, depending on how in-your-face you like to be with each other). I meet loads of couples here, so I don't think it's a problem.

If you're looking for a PS, it'll be nearly impossible to get placed in the same school. I think PS sees married couples as a hassle, but if they want you, they'll try to accommodate it.

As far as private academies go, I've heard a lot of schools like couples because they save money on housing, and it's easier/a safer bet that they'll stay (and not get homesick, etc). The problem is you have to go to an area with hagwons large enough to have two openings around the same time.

Most of the couples I know have to pretend not to be couples at work, though. (They can't let the kids know, etc. Maybe this wouldn't be the same if they were married, though.)

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

Gangwon EPIK has lots of couple positions. Sokcho alone has 5 couples working in elementary positions & another pair working the highschools. Couples are specifically recruited for these jobs & theres no need to be actually married.

Its a savings for the schools in housing & furnishing costs. Theres no extra housing allowance but their apartments tend to be quite spacious. Most of them work apart in different schools.

joyfulgirl · Joined: 05 Jan 2006

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

Didn't have time to read the full post or replies. Both can be neutered.

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

Seriously --- I don't know about recruiters or bringing animals. I'm a cat person. I wouldn't bring my pet to Korea if I had friends or family they could stay with for a couple of years.

What I wanted to say after reading the post is ---- you need to watch the exchange rate while you're thinking about coming to Korea.

The last economic crisis in Asia really blasted TESOL work out of the water. People still came, and schools had to adjust their contracts higher to attract people, but if you were in Korea already and were used to the pre-crash of the Asian Tiger Economies, it hurt.

Now, the world economy is in the toilet, so I don't know what that will do to the exchange rate in Korea. You might want to watch the ESL job market and exchange rate in Japan and Taiwan as well. In the past, Korea was easier to get a job in if you didn't have teaching qualifications. Japan was harder because the market was saturated. I don't know about now. But stability in the exchange rate will be key for being able to pay off loans back home...

...but job markets are going to tighten up as more people go to Asia as TESOLers...

himynameishowie · Joined: 03 Mar 2009 Location: Daegu

I'm also here with my husband and we brought our 2 cats along. Although we weren't able to get jobs at the same school location, we were able to get jobs with the same company (YBM)--just different branches in the same city (Daegu).

Our cats are doing great, there's no reason at all not bring them--however it could be pretty expensive to get them on the plane, depending on the airline. Korea Air charges them as excess baggage so it was a few hundred dollars for us.

If you have any specific questions as time goes by, feel free to email me at [email protected] (I can't PM yet). Smile