Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jaybert06]

I have been offered a couple jobs in hagwons. One so far is mediocre (nothing outstanding, not really the area I want to live in, but the contract seems pretty straight forward), but I am also waiting to interview with a couple schools that I would really like to work with (locations I want, great benefits). One is a GnB which I heard is really hit or miss, but they currently have 9 foreign teachers. I plan on emailing a few of them as soon as I can get the info to get the low-down on this location. The other is a YBM ECC which I have heard pretty good things about (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong so I'm not holding out for something lame) and again, right where I want to be.

My question is, what is the best way to tell the first school? If I wasn't interviewing with these other schools, I probably would take it, but I don't want to sign anything and then find out that I could have gotten a job that was way better for me. At the same time, I don't want to say no, and then find out neither of these other schools are offering me a job. Now I know in a normal job, I would just ask for a week or two to make my decision, but from my interaction so far with recruiters and schools, they want to know ASAP or they'll hire someone else.

Obviously this isn't the "we make your decisions for you" forum, but any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially since I am not that familiar with Korean ways of doing things yet.

[Louis VI]

[tanklor1]

Don't tell them anything. They're not going to wait while you interview for other jobs and you shouldn't expect them to. If you're offered a contract you're going to be pressured to send your details to the school as fast a s possible otherwise they'll move on to the next name on the list.

[jgarci17]

Like tanklor said, they aren't going to wait for you since many of these schools are on a schedule get a teacher fast and they know they have someone waiting right behind you for that position. It's not like in the United States (assuming your from there) where you can ask for some time in your decision and it will more than likely be granted.

If you see something you like better or want more, then your best bet is waiting and trying to delay on the other position as much as possible (or declining if you aren't really sure on it), or bugging your recruiter about those other positions you like better as much as you can before accepting the position you have the least interest in. I was in a similar position where I was offered a position that was pretty nice, but there was this other position I would've taken had I received an offer. I tried to delay as long as possible, even told the recruiter that I was waiting on another offer, but it seems to me that they just pushed more to have me make a decision faster (just my experience). I never heard from the other school, so I took the offer. Then of course right after I accepted and sent out my docs, the other school calls the next day and offers me the position I had wanted more. While I'm by no means sad by the position I took, I will always wonder what if I had just waited one more day or asked the other recruiter I was using to get me a decision on that position. Moral of the story: If you want a position more, don't accept the lesser position in your eyes until you've tried every possible way to find out if the other school is not interested in you. If you don't have the offer you want, don't take the offer.