Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wonkavite62]

I am an experienced teacher, so maybe I am over-reacting. But, right now, I feel terrible. I have tried(unsuccessfully) to get to Korea.

The other year, I went to Japan, and I stayed over a year. It was okay, but housing costs got me into debt. So, I come home. I have a new 3- year visa for Japan.
I got a very busy, 6-week summer teaching job in Oxford, England, and it was just great. I came back happy, in August feeling very satisfied. My plan was to teach in a public school in Korea. (And in Korea, your take home pay is a lot higher than in Japan).Well, I assumed I would get in.
Well I failed twice-although I passed interview on the second attempt- because they didn't give me enough time to gather documents. The process was 3 times more complex than even with Japan. They want you to prove everything in 3 different ways. I tried again(with Incheon education programme), and when I had completed this Herculean task, the agent told me that the Office of Education had cancelled my application. I feel ill. All that effort is wasted.
Apparently they had called the boss of a hagwon I had worked in a few years ago. It was the typical story of a very small hagwon, with no resources. The boss had fired me, and his previous 3 Western teachers, after 6 months. But the officials wanted references from everyone.

I feel awful. You see, I had counted on the money to pay my debt, not wanting to just stay in my country.
Astonishingly enough, the agent said that if I want to work in Korea at all, it must be in a hagwon, because the public sector won't accept any imperfections. tHE HAGWONS DON'T CHECK REFERENCES.
I had imagined the public schools had longer vacations, but often they don't and they don't always pay that much.
So what do you folks think? Personally, I don't mind teaching adults or children, but I won't teach little children. I wanted to go to Korea, because you can save money, unlike in Japan.

[mountainous]

Thanks for posting. Which aspects of Japanese culture did you find most interesting? Did you adopt any Japanese customs while you were in Japan?

In reality, you may incur some debt while in Korea if your hakwon refuses to pay the Korean salary. This happens all too often.

[teachergirltoo]

Find the right recruiter and try again. Since you are a qualified teacher you are exactly what they want and need in a public position. Since you have all the documents together now the process should move very fast for you. If you want the name of a recruiter that I think is pretty good, pm me.

Once you are here, settled into your job and apartment, chances are you will really enjoy it.

[DrunkenMaster]

a good first step would be to take that hakwon off your resume

[jlb]

I had a bad experience at a hagwon my first year and I didn't even put it on my resume. There's no way I'd want potential employers contacting them!

[TeeBee]

Change recruiters! There are plenty of public schools looking for teachers.

Sounds to me like the recruiter wants to push you into a hagwon position.

I also have a name of a good recruiter. PM me if you want it.

[oskinny1]

I am trying to figure out how housing costs got you into debt in Japan. I am able to save 100,000� a month and I live just outside of Tokyo. I have friends living in Tokyo and they are having no problems paying off their debts from earlier in life.
First thing you need to do is follow what other posters have said and get rid of that hogwan that is bad mouthing you. Second is to get a new recruiter ASAP. Finally, you need to see how you are spending your money and change your lifestyle, sorry, no more hostess bars for you.

[Cornfed]

[Hank the Iconoclast]

The public school system in Korea is currently accepting anyone with a pulse.

[Sody]

[teachergirltoo]

I'm a qualified teacher and I love my job here.