Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bcjinseoul]

Last August I left Korea after my fourth (and what I thought would be last) year teaching ESL in South Korea. Long story short, I have had a bunch of plans and ideas fall apart, and obviously can�t seem to get a great paying job, and didn�t even get accepted into a school I applied to. It�s a good thing last August (as a backup plan) I also began the process of getting a notarized and apostilled copy of my degree and a notarized and apostilled FBI check�the latter will have the apostille seal from the US Secretary of State hopefully any day now, as I have waited about 10 of the up to 15 required business days it takes to get it done.

The market has changed quite a bit within the last 2 years�.

I�m a 29-year-old white American male with an average build and looks who qualifies for an E-2 visa. I don�t expect to get a college job, although I did apply to 40 colleges, mostly in Seoul, Busan, Gyeonggi, and Gwangju, although truth be told, I�d rather work sooner than later. I don�t want to work in a rural location, if it must be outside of Seoul.

Having said all of the above, I�m considering flying over with the docs in hand (I made two of each, to play it safe) and getting a job when I�m there in person�also, I might apply to jobs after I buy my ticket but before I arrive, for a job in December, that is.

While I�m open minded about the job search, I�d rather not work at some horrible kindie that�s 9-7 or even 10-6, wherever it�s located, or some public school out in the country. In fact, I�m pretty much done with �regular� public schools (EPIK/GEPIK/SMOE) and their mandatory co-teaching, large classes and beginner speaking abilities, and nowadays minimized time off. Just not worth it anymore. I don�t want to work before 8am in the morning, so that rules out adult hogwons and their vile split shifts.

What I�d like is a short shift afternoon hogwon in Seoul (like 2-7, 3-8, etc) or an after school program in Seoul (1-530, or at least 12-6), as long as it includes housing and full benefits, (+2.5M?) although if they don�t the refund flight money when I land I�ll deal with it. I�m open to Gyeonggi (especially Bundang) or a big city (Busan or Daegu, for example) as well. Again, I just don�t want to be part of the newbie intake of EPIK/SMOE, as I�m tired of those kind of public schools and what they�ve devolved into, or settle for a kindie, or even work in a town smaller than, say, Seongnam, that�s nowhere near anything.

Thoughts?

Lastly, I�ve thought about funding an online degree in computer science with a minor in video game programming while back in the ROK. Has anyone ever earned a degree online while in Korea, especially some kind of technology related one?

Thanks.

(Oh, and I have networked a tad with two people I know who work at two different unis I applied to, which might lead to something. Pretty much everyone else I know works in �regular� public schools and the wrong kind of hogwons, or at least the ones I�m not looking for)

[ttompatz]

You are aware that the "after-school" type programs you are looking for are scaled back in December (the time you are looking) since the kids are headed for 6 weeks of holidays) so the chances of finding that kind of job are slim at best - doubly so in the current market (with the influx of economic refugees from the states).

If you fly in on your own dime the employer will have to pay for your visa run so getting your flight re-imbursed is probably NOT going to happen (again - because with all the new teachers they don't have to).

Your experience and pay/benefit expectations are working against you in Korea.

Side note: you may want to look at some of the 8-12k RMB (1.3-2.0 m KRW) jobs in China.

Jobs are certainly more plentiful, your experience (especially in a public school) counts in your favor and the net savings (because of the MUCH lower cost of living) at the end of the day will be as much as or more than you end up saving in Korea (500k - 1.5m krw).

.

[discostu333]

Well, let me be the first to say, you want it all don't you?

Instead of spewing the contents of your mind on this forum, why not get out there and start looking for yourself.

Is anyone else sick of posts like this?

[Junior]

[qcat79]

this guy is both delusional and pathetic if he's gonna get a job that he "wants" in this market. and applying to universities with just a bachelor's degree with no adult teaching experience....forget it.

i don't get why so many people are addicted to korea like it's the last place to live on earth.

china is the future.

[Mr. BlackCat]

I was in Korea for a while and then left this past summer. I'm bored tonight waiting for a friend to finish work so I thought I'd pop over to dave's and see what's going on in the land of bad haircuts. I keep coming along this theme that the ESL market in Korea is oversaturated and I can't help but roll my eyes. This line of thinking has been going around for over a year now. It's like an echo chamber and people here seem to be happy to repeat it.

Not a week goes by since I left that I haven't been offered an alright position in Seoul by contacts there. Friends on facebook routinely post their old positions that are pretty good as they move up the ladder to better ones. I'm not saying these are all wonderul jobs, but the market is far from full. I know several recruiters and directors of hogwons who are very desperate for teachers. Is it as wide open as 10 years ago? No. But the vacancy void is hardly full.

And by the way, showing up ready to start is much better than applying from overseas, and it's a better way to find a job you want. And I know at least 10 people with BAs who got jobs at universities, some of them in Seoul. The guy's just trying to maximize his contacts here. You never know where a tip or an email address might come from. This is how you find jobs. I mean, how dare he use a message board in a country he wants to work to spefically dealing with the industry he's looking for work in to get info! The audacity! Or maybe it's because I've been removed from the bitterness, ridiculous competitiveness, one-upmanship and pettiness that is ESL in Korea (and Korea in general) that I'm confused by the responses. Though, to be honest, I miss many parts of it sometimes.

[imoscardotcom]

oooooh OP, I'd like a job like that, too! But does a job like that exist? I have seen those pay + benefits, but not with the hours you would like.

[hagwonnewbie]

I've given up the idea of finding the perfect job in Seoul. Actually I had the perfect job in Gyeonggi-do that I kept for 2 years. Evening hours, 2.7 mil, 1% tax, bonuses, dinners, only worked about 5 hours a day, nice officetel, no pressure, etc. Those kinds of jobs can be had but you'll probably be waiting an entire year to find it. I ended up getting that job because of timing.

The market isn't what it used to be and I'm 4 years older than I was when I came to Korea. Getting a lot fewer responses from employers, I decided to go through a recruiter and settled on a big chain with a franchise in Seoul near my girlfriend's house. The pay is less and I'm sure the conditions will be much different when I start next month.

[bcjinseoul]

Blasted to a lot of recruiters over the weekend...long story short it's looking like GEPIK or a 7-8 hr long afternoon hogwon somewhere in Seoul in Gyeonggi. Seems impossible to get an after school program or college gig outside the country...

I need a change from the public school scene, and the glory days seem over vacation wise, so if I end up in Korea again (I probably will) I'll just take the afternoon hogwon with the shortest shift. All the GEPIK jobs seem to be starting in late Feb anyway, and I'd rather work sooner than later.

[HanlSky]

[hagwonnewbie]

[qcat79]

@ blackcat,

well, you must know tons of people then to be hearing about all those open positions....or be the perfect candidate for a hagwon job, that is: degree in education, blonde hair, blue-eyes, under 30, etc, etc

last january and february when i was applying for public schools in gyeonggi-do, the recruiters told me they weren't hiring anybody that didn't have a b.a. in education/tesol/english. i found it absurd, since i spent over $2,000 on a CELTA and at the time had 3 years experience on the peninsula, two of which were AT PUBIC SCHOOLS.

@ hanisky

china still hasn't quite hit the korean salary mark just yet. there aren't THAT many jobs going for 12,000 RMB. and the ones (in the ESL market) that do usually don't include the housing. if you're working in shanghai under 10,000 RMB, you just aren't gonna be going out that much or you'd be buying all your beers at convenience stores and eating the street food. shanghai is just as expensive as seoul in most aspects. at least it does have a few advantages: you won't get busted for doing privates and the currency is only bound to get stronger whereas in korea good luck getting privates these days and worrying about the stable won.

if you're willing to go to a second tier city in china like: Qingdao, Tianjian, Chengdu, Nanjing, Chongqing, Wuhan...then if you don't mind making 5,000 RMB at your normal job and moonlighting on the side, you can save maybe at least $300 a month minimum. i don't know what your target is though.

[HanlSky]

qcat, how much would you make moonlighting on the side in those 2nd tier cities?

How much does the cheapest rent cost?

[qcat79]

moonlighting pays anywhere from 100-200 RMB per hour. but i'd bet on the lower end of the scale if i were you.

jobs in china most always offer you an apartment with the job....but sometimes the high paying ones like i mentioned might not. 98% of the time you'll get an apartment with your contract though.

[passport220]