Korean Job Discussion Forums

[everpassingpxpx]

I just received a return call from Park English recruitment in regards to my ESL application. While I still need to gather the appropriate documents for my visa application, I was hoping to get an early consultation from everyone on the boards here.

Being my first time applying for ESL, I figured a recruitment agency would help me through the process of finding a job. So far, Park English has been very very prompt in responding to me and the American rescruiter was very kind over the phone. Have any of you dealt with this agency before?

Unfortunately the recruiter has informed me that most public school offers were delivered earlier this year and that the next round of major PS opportunities wouldn't be until late August or September. Even then the likelihood is that they would not be in or around Seoul (I currently have friends in Seoul and it'd be nice to be located a reasonable distance from them, including Gyeonggi-do). They said they would keep PS opportunities at the top of their list for me in the case that any open in that area.

This leaves me looking at mostly private school options. In the event that they approach me with a private school offer, what should be some of the key questions I should ask? I realize location, pay, vacation, and other benefits are important, but I'm sure there are other things that my lack of experience would leave a blind eye to. Would it be appropriate to ask what the job atmosphere and stress level are like? Maybe even see if I could have an opportunity to speak with a current overseas teacher?

Please share any considerations I should pay close attention to in this process. Thank you all for your insight!

[Ebrown]

If you're set on public school, just apply to EPIK yourself. It's not drastically late in the game to do so, and it isn't hard.

[NYC_Gal]

www.koreanhorizons.com is a good agency.

Alistair is extremely helpful, and will probably be able to find you a position in a public school.

[Depths of My Soul]

[fergalreid]

I would've thought that is the overall number. I'm guessing now, but I think most people are hired through recruiters. The speed with which direct EPIK applicants are hearing back compared to the general delay for the rest of us points to there being maybe a shorter list of applicants to vet.

[panicman]

I used educationadventure.com and my recruiter's name was Sally. She was great. She gave me good offers fromschools and returned my email's and calls right away. I found other recruiters did not follow up as well. Tell her Dan sent you.

[Dude Ranch]

[v15ben]

I'd also recommend Rowan at ESL Planet. I researched the recruiter options in a lot of detail on this forum and there is plenty of info out there. Found Rowan to be very prompt and knowledgeable. Just waiting for an EPIK interview time now.

I've also dealt with a few other recruiters and would recommend Alistair at Korea Horizons too.

[schlotzy]

I'm going to be blunt, and this might sound cocky, but you can basically get a job anywhere you want. It's not a matter of IF you will get a private school job offer...it's a matter of how many, and which one you choose. This is especially true if you have any teaching experience or your certification in a Western country. I have both and would receive interview offers and jobs to consider like everyday basically. A lot of the hagwon teachers have zero experience and are fresh out of college, so I wouldn't worry too much if you're okay with working at a private school. If you're dead set on working at a public school, it's true that there are two times a year that most people are recruited. However, it's not like there are NEVER jobs available at other times.

As others have mentioned, Education Adventure is a great agency. Sally is the queen of returning phone calls. Canada Connection is also excellent and is based in Toronto.

Things to ask beforehand--The most important thing to do is find out more information about your school. Your recruiter is just finding a job for you. That's all--they're like a mediator between parties. They will not babysit you and in general, you will never hear from them again once you are in Korea. They are doing their job, so make sure to do yours The best way to do this is to ask your recruiter for the email address of a current native english teacher. Fire off some emails to get them on Facebook. I would suggest asking direct, to the point questions like--How is the housing? Is the location good? What's the apartment like? What is the school like? Do they always pay on time? How is your schedule? Do you work a relatively standard 20-30 hours a week? (because any more is starting to push it really in teaching here). How many people work there? etc. These are the types of questions you wouldn't really ask a recruiter or the Korean teacher who has a phone interview. Both of them have a reason to want you to go to their school. Most of the other Westerners will be straight up.

[everpassingpxpx]

schlotzy, that was a great response. Not just because it was kind of uplifting, but it was to the point.

I don't have a degree in teaching or certification, however I do have over 2+ years of professional work experience in prestigious marketing firm. It may not be teaching, but has to give some ounce of credibility. If anything, I think I might be selling myself short on what kind of opportunities there are available for me.

As I mentioned, I am already working with Park English and the recruiter has been very kind and responsive so far. Does it cause issues to send out resumes to other recruitment agencies at the same time, or is this something I should definitely do to expand my opportunities?

I was also thinking along the lines of what you mentioned regarding contact with other Westerners. I just was unsure as to whether it would culturally be a rude thing to ask or bring up. But I guess if there's one thing I've learned since college, searching for jobs is as much of an interview for the place of employment as it is for you. If you don't find a place that fits you, it could be a very miserable experience.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[shazzankorea]

I applied through ESLstarter in Feb and they were brilliant. They always got back to me within a day even though i'm a total stress head and asked them about a million questions. LOL! They were totally honest throughout the whole process too which I really appreciated. My recruiter was Claire: [email protected]