Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thadbeamont]

I am a first time TEFL teacher and I specifically want to work in Ulsan or Busan. Living by the sea really appeals to me, it always has.

I will consider other places, but just fear ending up in a rural back water, going out of my mind with boredom and isolation. I've read some horror stories on here!

I was wondering if anyone can give me any advice on how realistic I am being.
And possibly recommend any particular schools or recruiters.

Several recruiters have told me I am very unlikely to get a decent job in a place like Seoul or Busan, because the market is so much more competitive than it was a few years ago.

And the adverts I've seen do seem to support this. They often want more than just a degree and cert. They want a Masters in Education.

Meanwhile, some random people and agencies have contacted me after seeing my CV on this site and claim to have 2.6m won jobs in Busan etc. But I�m not na�ve and realise there are a lot of cowboys out there.


My current situation is this:

I have a UK honours degree in Film & Literature.
I have a 50 hour TEFL Cert.
And various relevant employment and voluntary sector experience.

I nearly have all my E2 Visa Documents. Just need to get my CRB check and degree authenticated.

I am officially registered with half a dozen agencies.
I have found "Footprints" to be very thorough and professional.
Not sure about �Atop� yet.
And have found �RBI Korea� to be absolutely shite!

Any help would be appreciated�

[shostahoosier]

At the very least, you should have no problem getting Ulsan. Be careful what you wish for though.

[RMNC]

Register with even more agencies. You can never have enough. They lie through their teeth to try and get you to sign a contract in the countryside because they get a bigger paycheck for it. Don't believe anything a recruiter tells you, good or bad.

The truth is that 70%+ of the ESL jobs in Korea are in Seoul and Busan. Busan and Ulsan jobs are easy to get. The only jobs that are harder to get are in Seoul.

A 50 hour certificate won't get you anything, only 100 hours or more is worth anything in Korea. Relevant experience is more important, though.

[jonpurdy]

50 hours isn't recognized here. You need at least 100 hours to get the pay bump.

If you're looking to live by the sea Ulsan is pretty decent. Though I wouldn't want to live here without my motorcycle to explore everything.

[isitts]

[DeLaRed]

[austinmc86]

Ulsan is kind of boring.....


If you live in Ulsan, you will always be going to Busan, so you might as well just live there.

Aim for Busan, but if offered a nice job in Ulsan ... take it. Busan is a short trip from Ulsan, and it is cheap.

[sublunari]

I've never heard anyone say it was difficult to get a job here in Busan. Two years ago it was a matter of weeks between deciding that I wanted to go and actually arriving here. I used Footprints and they were great.

You should also be aware that in Busan, all the expensive real estate is located near the ocean (obviously), so you'll be really lucky if you live somewhere that's within a twenty minute subway ride of any of the beaches or ports or nice nature spots. I live almost an hour from most of the good stuff in a ridiculously dull residential area, but there's the Nakdong River as well, even if it seems to be condemned to be forever surrounded by construction equipment.

If you're really concerned about this you should try to get your future employers to tell you where your apartment is, then check that neighborhood with the Busan subway map or ask about it here on this forum. Good luck!

[Son Deureo!]

[Prevlin]

hey guys

im also trying to get in Busan with Ulsan being my 3rd choice,hope it works out

[southernman]

Ulsan's a good city, I worked there for two years. The beach is a probably at least 30-40 minutes from downtown, though.

Anyone that says Samsang-dong (downtown) in Ulsan is boring makes me laugh. Ulsan people are very pro-western and friendly.

If you present yourself well, can hold a conversation and don't look strange then you'll have a ball in Ulsan. One of my main problems was that I was spending too much money there.

Just make sure you get a job downtown if you got private, If you go the PS way, then I think most schools house their teachers downtown, because thats where the teachers want to live. Another plus about PS in Ulsan is that you usually get a lot of extra classes in the afternoons hense extra money.

I knew a young grad from the states, she did 2 winter/summer camps at a time. Four classes in the morning and four in the afternoon ( with an hour for lunch). She hated it but she got an extra 20 K per class so 160K a day for 10 days, plus her salary. Then 3 weeks holiday.

Personally, I would have been smiling all the way to the bank with a job like hers. Ulsan is wealthy, you get looked after and there are some very nice bars.

I got to see the beach about 3 times in 2 years

[thadbeamont]

thanks everyone for your tips and help. good response.

I left out one significant detail, I also want to earn at least 2.2m won per month.

As for the 100hrs thing, I did read that somewhere a while back, and thought that if I couldn't get the type of job I wanted I would do an additonal 50hr to top it up.

[southernman]

[shostahoosier]

[busanliving]

You will be able to get a job in Ulsan, however unless you live in the beach area it will take you about 40 minutes by bus to get there (from downtown Ulsan you can get to Haeundae beach in Busan in 1 hour). If you want to be in town look for Samson dong, Okdong (accom might be in Mugadong) or Seongnam dong.