Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Cohiba]

I read in the Job section (and now I can't find it again) that people
apply to one of these government job thingies without a clue about
where they will be going. Is this true?

Who would submit papers for a job without knowing their work location
first? I would never do this in a million years.

I'm just checking if this is true and wondering about the kind of people
who would voluntarily participate in such a program.

[itstiff]

I work for GEPIK and on the application they let you choose which city you want to be in. I applied for Anyang and got Suwon, right next to each other. Also, you can say no to the school offer they give you. GEPIK is going crazy hiring teachers right now, it's like they found a billion dollars or something.

But, in the long run I choose a public school because I didn't want to risk a hagwon (yes, I might read the horror stories on this board too much), even though I got offers from a few top hagwons. Also, I apparently missed the dates for SMOE and you spend a lot less, not in Seoul. But total downside is.. there's a lot less foreigners if you're not in Seoul.

[bogey666]

[bede777]

I work for GEPIK and it is somewhat true that you don't know exactly where you will be. But I knew I would be on the outskirts of Seoul and close enough to a subway to go anywhere I want. That was good enough for me. I ended up in Namyangju which can be a pain at times. But overall couldn't have asked for better.

[prideofidaho]

When I finished my TESL course, part of the deal was that they would help me find a job by sending my resume out to recruiters. I really didn't know where to begin, and didn't consult message boards like this one. I was very open to any experience, so when I was contacted by a recruiter about applying to SMOE, I said o.k.

I had never been to Korea, or Asia for that matter, so how could I have known where I would want to move? Even if I consulted a message board, it's all opinions and preference...I was more interested in playing it by ear. Obviously doing that is a crapshoot, but it was a chance I was very willing to take.

I think people do it because maybe there a bit more adventurous and open to new experiences, and are comfortable with not having a firm idea of what they're getting into. Planning every single detail of my move was never an interest of mine. That's just not the way my life goes. That's just not me, so going with SMOE and being open to a surprise was fine by me.

I was really lucky. My chance paid off with a great reward. I met the love of my life through SMOE. For em, it was the best un-calculated move I've ever made.

[pkang0202]

With GEPIK they let you choose where you want to go, and they try to accommodate you.

With SMOE, you have no idea where you are going until the last day of orientation.

with SMOE, you CAN write down which area you would like to be in, but its jut a suggestion. If you don't like it then you are pretty much stuck.

With GEPIK, the contract is with teh schools and GEPIK serves as like an intermediary. So, if you know of a school in the area you want to go who needs a native teacher, you can talk to them directly.

[Xuanzang]

SMOE just guarantees you`ll be in somewhere in Seoul

[sonicmatt]

i think i remember, could be wrong, I put my top 3 locations and I got my 1 choice. So if you really want to be in Seoul pick SMOE or if you want some choice where you want to be pick GEPIK

[Bibbitybop]

I have 2 friends with connections in Korea (one was a Kyopo) and got hired with SMOE. SMOE, not the recruiter, said they would be placed in their requested districts (to be near friends or family). It didn't happen. One reason is that you are not special. SMOE's office is understaffed and many administrative assistants are sub-par. Even if they want to put you in a certain district, they will forget and you'll end up an hour away.

[nizpaz]

Well with SMOE you know you're getting Seoul. And that's as far as it goes! You can request the prefered age group but again it's pot luck.

Why would someone do that?
Well, if you've never been to Korea you really wouldn't know your Gangnam from your Suwon. The most you could hope to learn about would be Itaewon from the net. And if you've never taught before, how do you know your preference? And if you've got a lot of experience in one age group you've got to make sure that point gets home in the interview.

Why would someone do that? Well you swap uncertainty about location for certainty of pay and benefits. Other than that, EVERYTHING for a newbie about Korea is russian roulette, so it's a case of taking the best you can get at the time and making the best of it.

Korea is like no other ESL destination, so why should the hiring process follow normal rules???

It's all a mine field.

[sojusucks]

It's better to have connections in Korea than to "shoot blindly."

Connections are everything here. Make them as quickly as possible.

[buttons]

I have a job interview with SMOE this saturday and my recruiter asked me to have an idea of where in seoul i'd like to be placed. my boyfriend is also applying through SMOE too, but we're not sure about whether or not we should ask to live together as we dont know where in seoul we'll end up.

2 questions..

can anybody recommend any parts of seoul to ask for? i heard bundang is really nice. anywhere else in seoul.

have any of you been for an interview with smoe? any idea how long it will last and any awkward questions they may ask?

[broken76]

There is very little choosing that can go on because of the demand of certain locations.

SMOE will pretty much place you anywhere in Seoul. If you want a specific location in Seoul you're pretty much out of luck. Also for the high demand area of Gangnam, SMOE doesn't really do any placing there since the schools do it themselves.

With GEPIK there is a lot of leeway in getting the location that you want. The main thing is to apply a few months before the start of a new semester. If you're coming in March or September you'll have a lot more options then coming in later when all the positions have been filled.

If you want to be with someone tell them beforehand and again try to match it up with when the most positions are available.

[prideofidaho]

Hi Buttons,

The interview I had lasted less than ten minutes. They asked me how I'd deal with different levels of students, why I want to work for them, ect. Basic interview questions. I was personable and relayed my own language-learning experiences. It was super easygoing and the interviewer was kind.

In terms of where to live...that's difficult to say. I don't know what Bundang is like, so I can't be helpful there. I said I'd live anywhere, and was placed right downtown, which suited me. It was a gamble though...I didn't know anything about Seoul, and it paid off.

I would encourage you to tell them you and your boyfriend are applying. Talk to your recruiter about this. There's a chance you could be placed ages away from him, and I know I wouldn't be keen with that. I knew a few couples (one married, two not) and two asked to be able to share housing (one married couple, one not), and the other couple asked to be placed in separate apartments, but to be located in proximity. Not sure what you're plans will be, but I just wanted you to know that sharing accommodation could be an option if you are interested....no guarantees.

Good luck & don't sweat the interview.

[buttons]

Yea im applying for march next year so hoping there will be more options with placement.
yea ill get incontact with my agent and see what happens. thanks for the info