Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kentucker4]

Are these even possible? Does it really even matter? Is a future employer (journalism....newspapers and such) going to even call all the way to Korea? I doubt it, but my dad insists otherwise and that I need a letter of recommendation.

[diablo3]

I guess the answer is no, I never used any recommendations from overseas as well as most others.

If you still want a reference, be prepared to write it yourself and for them to sign. 99% of written references are done that way in Korea.

[VirginIslander]

[kentucker4]

Think it's possible to get my hagwon director to cut my contract short by two months or even one month and where I'd still get payed airfare back home? My school is starting to drive me crazy. The middle schoolers run wild and my bosses do nothing about it. Plus, I have suspect 'utillity bills.' After my boss deducts utillity bills every month...instead of 2.2...i'm only getting 2. I wouldn't feel bad about leaving, but I'd like to do it civilly since they do always pay me on time.

[Cerriowen]

I got a rather nice one from my boss.

[Justin Kimberlake]

Don't trust a Korean from a school you left to give you one--even if you're on good terms.

They consider it a "loss of face" that 1) you wouldn't want to work for them for the rest of your life (their mentality as they feel they are seen as a bad boss if an employee ever wants to leave for any reason) 2) many times they take it as a double-slap-in-the-face if you ask for a letter or recommendation, as not only do you want to leave, you want to leave them AND have them write a letter saying how good you are--rubbing it in!

Even if you get a letter, don't count on them keeping to their glowing recommendation if they should later be called for verification. Happened to a friend of mine. He got a good recommendtion, but when they called to verify, the former boss tore him apart, saying stuff like my friend was a lazy drunk that slept with prostitutes, and just gave him a good recommendation to get him out of his hair.

My recommendation would be to have your two best friends be your "former bosses," write the letters yourself, just make sure they know to put the "former English Supervisor" hat on when a Korean calls them.

Don't trust Koreans on this. They are spiteful, you probably can't sue over it here like you could back home, it would be a hassle anyways. Just do the simple thing and don't trust them til Koreans learn to act like adults when dealing with this kind of thing.

There's a reason Koreans don't ask other Koreans for Recco's. Because they absolutely know no former employer would ever speak well of a former employee, again, cuz of the face thing.

[ED209]

Set up a fake email account and write your own reference. If they ask for phone numbers give them the one to the local etang pizza. And stop listening to your dad, he's the one that convinced you to stay at your crapwon in the first place.

[JamesFord]