Korean Job Discussion Forums

[matt__]

Hi, I've been reading through the various forums here for a few weeks trying to get all the information on ESL I can and have found this place immesurably useful.

The main problem I can see standing between myself and a decent job in Korea is that my CV is pretty thin. I didn't work at anything I can reference while I was doing my degree, and my jobs since then have been for the most part temp office gigs. Admin assistant and the like. Being temp positions, they don't last long and it seems fairly unlikely that they'd even remember me if I approached any of them for a reference letter. I'm looking to Korea as an entry into ESL, to see if I have any aptitude for the role of teacher, so I don't have a CELTA. I still have time to enroll for a CELTA course somewhere in the UK before the end of the summer, would that help counterbalance my unimpressive resume? The CELTA is a pretty substantial investment anywhere in the world it seems, and especially so in the UK, costing the guts of �1000 in most places.

Any advice is welcomed, thanks.

[RachaelRoo]

The demand for foreign English teachers in Korea currently exceeds the supply. By a lot.

So, as long as you are under 40 years of age and don't look like a total freak, your thin resume won't matter at all. Your job search will consist of you trying to sort out the good job offers from the bad ones, not competing with other applicants (if you are looking for the average hagwon deal).

Don't spend any money on an EFL course, at least not until you've had some experience and have decided that a CELTA is a worthwhile long term investment.

[matt__]

[ilovebdt]

As you are probably going to be working a hagwon, I would advise you to get some experience of working with children if you haven't already.

I am a Brit myself, so I'd suggest you contact your local Volunteer Bureau or CSV and try to volunteer on a summer playscheme or something like that.

Any questions, please PM me.

ilovebdt

[Zark]

You really don't even need to be under 40 - my first job in Korea (in 1992) was at age 42.

Hogwan jobs really are entry level. Really, just make sure your resume meets Asian standards and looks sharp - they don't expect much else.

A good place to see about resumes and CVs appropriate for this part of the world is:

http://tefldaddy.com/Resumes_and_CVs.htm

Good luck!

[Njord]

[Pak Yu Man]

YOu could always lie about your qualifications. There a pretty good chance your boss will be lying to you...so return the favor. Hey a bunch of clowns can get jobs with no degrees, you should have no problem finding one.

[matt__]

[SirFink]

[itchy]

[Hotpants]

No work experience to date? Too old? Too ugly? No problem. One of the jobs I had listed on my early resume was 'toilet cleaner'. Didn't affect my chance of being hired as a teacher.

The quote you have for the Bulgarian course is expensive. If you take a TESOL it'll be cheaper. Oxford House College in London, for example has TESOL cert programs starting from 500 pounds.

TESOL, CELTA, TEFL...doesn't matter. It's only useful if you are considering teaching as a potential long term career. Otherwise, you can get by without it. But, yeah, experience with kids is perhaps the best thing you can have prior to coming over to teach. Apart from that, if you can write a good cover letter, you can get a decent job. Guaranteed.

[creeper1]

[Jodami]

Hi Matt__

Don't worry - there's plenty of efl gigs out there, for backpackers like you. You'll probably end up doing kindy stuff.

Here's some golden advice that I always give to newbies;

When you teach kindy, ALWAYS ALWAYS wear a 3 piece suit. Being immaculately dressed, will easily overcome your paper thin resume.

Good luck.