Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Fat-Elvis]

I'm looking for private positions for this spring, and am being told by recruiters to broaden my search to other cities since only looking in Seoul might be too difficult. Are they blowing smoke up my butt and just want to put me in a school as soon as possible, or is limiting my search to the biggest city in Korea really going to pose a problem for me? I've done my research and I have my reasons for where I want to live (Seoul), and I don't really see myself accepting a position anywhere else, even if it means waiting.

[Oliver]

[Hightop]

Well if you want to live in a Korean city it is a good idea. If you want to live in the country it is a bad idea. But why limit yourself to Korea? Anyway, recruiters will try to place you in the school they have vacancies in and in the schools that pay them the most. If they try to push you into a position in a location you dont want just move on to the next one.

[Rteacher]

Many satellite cities are within easy reach of Seoul, and even many rural areas are within an hour by express bus, which is cheap.

If you're older than 40 it's also more difficult to find a job in Seoul.

[banjois]

Half the recruiters I talked to in my recent job search told me the same thing. "You don't have the qualifications" didn't quite jive with an English degree and years of experience teaching music to children. I actually spoke with a recruiter the night I was waiting to see the contract for the school I signed with, and she started in on the "oh, we won't be able to place you in Seoul..." I cut her off with "I've had five interviews and five job offers in just under a week." She didn't really have a response other than sputtering.

If you want Seoul and nothing but, tell them that. And work with as many recruiters as it takes before somebody's willing to find you a job that you actually want. The recruiter that wound up finding me what looks like a better position than I'd even hoped for seemed really sketchy at first and the first job offer I got through him was terrible. He tried to guilt-trip me about not taking it. I was firm with him that I needed to find something I'd be happy with. I was actually ready to cut him loose when he pulled a shiny rabbit out of his hat.

You can't blame recruiters for trying to get rid of their least desirable positions first. Somebody's gotta take them. Just be firm, use as many recruiters as you can before it makes you dizzy, and keep on trucking.

[lukas]

[sakechan4ya]

[winterfall]

I had a recruiter telling me I didn't have a chance with SMOE. And the recruiter said even with his teaching exp and his TEFL, wasn't enough to get a chance.

Got another recruiter and got a SMOE contract within 2 weeks. A lot of recruiters tend to just assume.

[Steve_Rogers2008]

And I think Elvis could only truly be happy in Seoul.... for gaudy fashions in his size, THE only place to go is Itaewon.

That and they have a really mean peanutbutter-and-banana sandwich there. The secret is they soak everything in soju before serving it up. Is there anything they DON'T think of?

[bsrosenfeld]

I was in the same situation as you. The only city I knew in Korea was Seoul and I was dead set on only working within the city. After a few months of job searching I realized it was time to expand my horizons. I spoke with a few schools near Busan, which is the second largest city. I eventually signed a contract with a public school in Ansan, which is only an hour away from Seoul by subway. Ansan has all of the modern amenities any city dweller would need; multiple grocery stores, lots of shopping, tons of bars and restaurants, subway stops and a decent sized expat population.
While I definitely think that you should voice your desires to your recruiter (if you're working with one), but be open minded to areas in the surrounding vicinities. The most important decision is how long do you want to wait. Some people need to start working right away and will take the 1st job that is offered to them. If you have a stable setup in Boston and can wait for the right job, then by all means wait for what you want.
I have been very pleased with my decision and I am happy that I'm in a suburb of Seoul and not right up in the cut.

[schlotzy]

If you really want to be in Seoul, it shouldn't be a problem. There are 100s of new job postings all the time.

Might I suggest Busan as well? It's still the second largest city, has a subway, and a fairly large foreign community. It also has the beaches and is a bit cheaper.

[dirving]

[dirving]

[bsrosenfeld]

The North Shore of New Jersey.