Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ohhellojanie]

I only recently have been looking seriously into becoming an ESL teacher, and have been in contact with Lindsay from SayKimchi recruiting for the past few days. This is obviously my first time applying and so I felt it would be best to go with a recruiter to guide me along the process, but I want to teach in Seoul or very close to Seoul (even though it's my first time) and SayKimchi is telling me there's a very slim chance I'll get a job there without a masters/TEFL certification (she did admit after I pressed her that my chances are slightly better because I have an English BA). Most of the recruiter websites I've looked at have similar policies stated about placement in Seoul. So anyway, I guess this boils down to these questions:

1) Is it too late to find a good public school job in Seoul or very close to Seoul for Spring 2012 (starting any time in March-April) using a recruiter? Can anyone recommend a recruiter to get into contact with?

2) What's the deal with Seoul and first-timers? Is it really impossible to get a public school job there with no experience?

3) Can anyone give me a brief version of the current situation with GEPIK 2012? How are first-timers finding jobs in Gyeonggi-do for next year if, from what I've observed, there don't seem to be many recruiters using GEPIK now?

Thanks guys! Sorry for so many newb questions in a row - believe it or not I HAVE actually been browsing here for a couple of days but these things are still confusing me & I'm being told I'm on such a short timeline!

[Gorf]

Nope. Early, in fact. Most hire around January-February or August-September. However, there are public school jobs opening up all the time.

Apply directly or through one recruiter. They're all the same, pretty much, but be aware that they're still recruiters and they're still only in it to make you sign. Remember that if you submit more than once you're disqualified.

Yes, Seoul is the second most populous area in the world. There are always going to be zillions of jobs in Seoul. the trick is finding the right one. Get a cheapo 100-hour TEFL certificate right now to hedge your bets.

GEPIK is downsizing everywhere, most public schools are. You're better off aiming for SMOE and only doing GEPIK as a back-up.

Others should be able to provide more info, but that's the basic gist of things.

[ohhellojanie]

Thanks for your response!

I'm really surprised to hear that I'm still early as many of the recruitment agencies I've looked at (Korvia, for example) list their Spring 2012 application/interview period as being limited to basically the month of October. And Lindsay from SayKimchi told me that EPIK hiring was already underway so I'd have to get my letters of rec & other documents ready NOW. Some other recruiters I've seen (like Footprints, I think) didn't have a strict application period, however. Part of me feels like it'd be best to go with one of those, but I also feel that the ones using this earlier Oct-Nov timeline will be more proactive in finding me a job. Then again, it could just be that I'm seeing a lot of posts on these forums of people who applied through Korvia and are already past the interview stage, and it's stressing me out.

So getting TEFL certified is worth it then, if I want to work in/near Seoul?

[katbrady]

The recruitment agencies are there to help you apply to EPIK for public school placement. They don't help you find specific jobs when it comes to EPIK. It's a first come first serve process and you dont even find out where you are going in Korea until January. So recruitment agencies that have a stricter timeline are being realistic when it comes to applying to EPIK. Since there are so many people that apply to it, its best to get things in now to be safe. EPIK stops accepting apps by Dec 1st

[aarondo]

I thought I read somewhere that I should send my EPIK application to three different recruiters, each that is slightly different (one for metropolitan cities only, one for rural cities only, one with no limitations). Will I be disqualified? Should I tell two of the recruiting agencies to cancel my application?

Thanks,
Aaron

[ohhellojanie]

Okay, so if I'm understanding correctly, the recruiters may have their own deadlines but EPIK itself is accepting applications for a little while still.

How does this plan sound?
I send in my application through SayKimchi recruiting to apply for EPIK-SMOE, and keep my fingers crossed that I can hear back from a school in/near Seoul. In the meantime, I also post my resume on Dave's job board specifying that I'm a first-timer looking for Seoul/Gyeonggi-do jobs.

[bentobento]

[Gorf]

No, applications are over for public schools until the previously stated times. I actually think they start accepting apps on Feb 1 and Aug 1, but I could be mistaken. After that they fill up fast, so make sure you have the forms ready to send by that date, or in the hands of a recruiter to send by that date.

As to your question, yes, send one to EPIK, one to GEPIK and one to anywhere else, but as they said in Ghostbusters, don't cross the streams. Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light... and also you'll be disqualified.

[ohhellojanie]

Gorf, what do you mean by "applications are over for public schools until the previously stated times"?

The thing about applying to GEPIK is, I'm mostly going through recruiters' websites, and most if not all of the GEPIK sections on their websites look like they haven't been updated since last year for the Fall 2011 application period (when the budget cuts to the GEPIK program started if I remember correctly). That makes me nervous, because it seems like the recruiters aren't bothering at all with GEPIK (and SayKimchi for sure is not working with them this year).

[Guajiro]

[isitts]