Korean Job Discussion Forums

[aweitzm1]

I am applying for Hagwon positions to get into Korea, but eventually I would like to apply to teach in the public school sector. How recent does the reference letters have to be? I would like to request them from people I know in the USA before I leave for Korea. I would probably use them in a year or so when I apply for a public school position. Should I have the reference letters dated?

Also what are the requirements for a good reference letter in Korea to obtain a public school job?

And if anyone wants to know the reason I am not applying for a public school job first is that the pay is too low but while working in Korea I plan on obtaining my TESOL certificate which would bump up my pay.

[withgusto]

I think that your hagwon can give you a letter of recommendation.
Don't the other posters think this will hold more 'weight'?

[aweitzm1]

I would love to hear what everyone says, but I still need two reference letters and what if my Hagwon and I do not get along?

[gunners girl]

i'm applying for a public school position at the moment and references do need to be dated. they have to be less than two years old, so if you get references from america now, those should be fine if you're applying for a public school position next year.

obviously, in a year's time you probably would want to use your hagwon boss as a reference but you might as well sort out references from home anyway as you will need two.

[drewbudd]

From my recruiter.

[aweitzm1]

Do the employers contact your references? Because if I don't use my reference for a year they might not be at the same job. I could tell them to use their home contact information.

[kimdeal54]

Strange... cause I sent two references for my public school job earlier this year, and one of them wasn't dated but was accepted anyway.

[ttompatz]