Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gingercat]

Like any good American, I eat too much - and it shows! Ha. I know Korea won't hire fat teachers, but what about other Asian countries? And how come when I go on YouTube and search for "teaching ESL in korea" I sometimes get a video of portly, dumpy looking men teaching. I don't understand how they got jobs?

And what about outside of Korea - is any part of Europe more open minded?

[PatrickGHBusan]

I do not know what you have been drinking but Korea does hire overweight people to teach....

Just apply.

[emmajuno]

Yeah, I know a fair few overweight teachers. And I'm a bit on the chubby side myself. They hire you, you just have to put up with "teacher, my teacher is imshin (pregnant). You imshin?" and my friend had the guy taking her from the airport arrivals terminal to the bus stop tell her "people in Korea are going to think you're fat." three times in 5 minutes.

[gingercat]

[gingercat]

[PatrickGHBusan]

[WadRUG'naDoo]

[mugshotz]

I'm overweight myself, and while I hope to lose weight while teaching in Korea in the near future, I feel that being overweight can be a blessing in disguise for the process of applying for a first job. I have heard that many schools don't care about your credentials, just what you look like. I have no desire to work for people such as this so if my being heavy prevents them from offering me a job...fine. I'm aware that it may take a little longer because of my appearance, but I'm hoping to find a school that wants to hire me for my teaching skills/experience and how these skills can benefit the students. So, OP, unless you want to work for a boss who is only interested in his/her employees' sex appeal, count your blessings and hope it helps you find a school with who you are.

[mugshotz]

[PatrickGHBusan]

Questions are great and inexperience can lead to numerous questions.

Still, I found the OPs line of questions to be odd. No big deal and I wish him/her well.

Recruiters do not look out for an applicant. They put an applicant in contact with an employer. That is the extent of their mandate. They do not represent teachers they place, they offer a networking service. You (teacher) do not pay a recruiter one cent, hence they do not represent you.

Concerning learning the ropes, I will and have helped any teacher who contacts me with serious questions and a willingness to work hard and learn.

As for looks (as in being good looking) their impact is largely exagerated by people on here who need a quick cop out explanation. A simple look at the foreign teachers you meet in Korea invalidates the good looking blondes only argument.

Anyway, people are free to believe what they want.

To the OP, you want practical advice, here goes:

1- Get ALL your documents in order and in hand BEFORE you apply.

2- Figure out your preferences (reasonably) before applying (city vs countryside, teaching kids or adults...)

3- Contact recruiters or schools directly and APPLY.

4- Present yourself professionally. This means an error free and concise CV, a cover letter if required and a professional looking picture.



Cheers

[cj1976]

There are definitely some employers who will hire you predominantly because of your appearance or complexion, but judging by the number of lardies trundling around, I think you stand a fairly good chance of finding a job. Good luck with your job hunt.

[ttompatz]

[minos]

[gingercat]

[oldtactics]

Honestly OP, the rumours about Korea not hiring fat teachers seems to be perpetuated more by the expat community than by Korean schools. There are lots of overweight foreigners here, especially in Seoul. They work at hagwons, public schools & universities. Present yourself professionally when you apply and see how things go.