Korean Job Discussion Forums

jcm87 · Joined: 19 Jan 2010

Hi, I posted my resume and at seriousteachers.com and immediately got a bunch of automated responses from recruiters, generally asking me a set of questions such as where and who I'd like to teach, desired salary, prior experience, etc. and for a copy of my resume and a photo. I figured I wouldn't hear back from many of them because I can't start until next August and because what I'm looking for is pretty specific (a public high school position in a city smaller than Seoul and no smaller than Jeonju). So I responded to all of them, and already a few wrote me back saying they'd try to help me find something (one or two of the responses were automated). Am I not allowed to have applied with multiple recruiters? I'm afraid that especially since I'm looking for a public school position and they might be applying me to the EPIK (the next one is in September) that I can get in trouble for having multiple applications. Is this true? Should I contact all except one and tell them to ignore my application? Or can I be involved with as many recruiters as I want until I find a contract I like and sign it?

andrewchon · Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 5:27 pm Post subject:

Use as many you want.
Multiple recruiter thing is only bad if you're applying for Public school jobs.
The trio schmo of SMOE, GEPIK, and EPIK got inundated with multiple apps
and sent out a threat of multiple app'ies will not be hired etc.

jhuntingtonus · Joined: 09 Dec 2008 Location: Jeonju

jcm87 · Joined: 19 Jan 2010

jhuntingtonus · Joined: 09 Dec 2008 Location: Jeonju

andrewchon · Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:45 am Post subject:

OP: basically the process works like this.
SMOE administers Seoul area
GEPIK admisters Gyunggi province
EPIK handles rest of Korea except for
Incheon and Gangnam (part of Seoul south of river very Ritzy area) they handle their own.

They get the recruiters to find teachers to apply to them.
So, make 3 or 4 preferential choice of where you want to teach, and age group (in your case, high school)
Then find a recruiter who is offering jobs in your cities of preference and contact them.
For example: If your choices fall in SMOE and GEPIK areas then you get one for SMOE and one for GEPIK. This is not a multiple app.

If you have two recruiters and they both put you up for an EPIK position, then it's a multiple app.

So, you can have one recruiter each of SMOE, GEPIK etc. For these you do not know where you'll go until they tell you after the orientation. Choice over elementary and middle/high school is usually respected.

Sometimes, an individual public school will advertise. This is because the funding for NET comes not from SMOE etc but from other source. For that you can use any number of recruiters, because contract is handled by the individual school (although they may use a standard SMOE etc's contract forms)

jcm87 · Joined: 19 Jan 2010

Well, out of those programs I know I'm going to be applying with the EPIK. I looked at all of the cities they offered, and the only ones I'm interested in are Busan, Daegu, Daejon, and Gwangju. Should I just apply through EPIK directly? Isn't the next one in September? Or do they have people coming in and out all the time, and the recruiter puts you with one of those jobs? If I apply for the September EPIK, do I get to be in the orientation with everyone else in the program?

andrewchon · Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 4:23 pm Post subject:

You can apply to EPIK direct, but the reason why they use recruiters is that they either don't have the skills or manpower to separate teachers from non-teachers. Recruiters are better equipped for that. There isn't any discernible advantage in applying direct.
There are two major intakes each year. You'll be going to orientation with everyone else in those intakes. Sure, replacements are needed now and then, but that's rather sporadic. If a school loses NET during the first semester, it'll wait for September intake for the replacement.