Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Johnkim]

Getting older really is both enlightening and frustrating. In Australia getting older is a sign of both maturity and coolness. The problem with getting older in Australia is that less women are interested in you if you are a male, whereas women can sell their wares a lot easier because women can pick and choose the first dog that approaches them.

So far quite a few applications I have been making to Korean recruiters have failed to make it past the ''Age hurdle''. It is a mandatory question, ''How old are you?'' and we are obliged to answer it because it is part of the selection process. But why are Koreans so averse to foreigners with grey hair? I am in my mid forties but look younger than that. I have grey hair but what am I to do, that is a biological consequence of ageing.

According to educational theory and practice, the older a teacher is the better they are. So if a teacher improves with age, so too will their teaching be more effective and students will learn more efficiently. Why is Korea so obsessed with youthful appearances? We all get old and we all get grey hair. And Korea's fixation with Hollywood looks is a true concern if you know what education means.

The retirement age of Civil servants and professionals in Australia is 60-62. Experiential wisdom comes with age and there is nothing better that an older teacher. We are like vintage red wine, we get better as we mature. I am a very photogenic person according to women that meet me and I am a good teacher too. But once again, women in Australia prefer younger men, even though that is a moot point and besides the issue of teaching.

Most teachers and academics would agree 100% that a mature teacher makes a great role model for younger teachers. After all when young teachers perform their teaching rounds they have to observe mature teachers. Korean recruiters do not know what they are doing because they listen to the opinions of mothers that know nothing about education and are obsessed with Hollywood appearances. Are people really that stupid to assume that all Westerners look like George Clooney and Gwyneth Paltrow? And that a young person is a better teacher than an older teacher?

Korea really needs to learn from the West what constitutes a good teacher, it is not youthful looks but experience, its is not blonde hair but maturity, it is not blue eyes but insight, it is not a specific English dialect but knowledge.
I am 46 and have a lot to offer. I will not consider China as an option as China is way more disorganised than Korea. And China�s cavalier approach to education is a reflection of the late 90�s of South Korea.

Unemployed and miserable.

[Zackback]

So true what you are saying but from what I can see Korea will not be changing for a loooong time.

Why not dye your hair?

[Vix]

I am sorry to hear you are struggling to find a job in Korea because of your age, that really sucks. If it makes you feel any better I have been going grey since I was 22 ( I am 25 now) and need to dye my hair all the time

[edwardcatflap]

If Koreans wanted people who looked like George Clooney, they'd employ people with grey hair wouldn't they?

[Johnkim]

Thanks for the replies, though I am not too sure they make me feel any better. I don't want to look like George Clooney. Though I have been told I look like a mix of American actors all photo shopped in to one, ha ha. It's true, but I make no bones about it. Besides, I would rather have a real job, working with real people, associating with real people, talking with real people that don't give two quid about appearances. And there is nothing more desirable than real women that like real men. Boo hoo..

[atwood]

If you're looking for somewhere older men are respected, two places come immediately to mind--Thailand and the Philippines.