Korean Job Discussion Forums

[abright1dea]

When should I start applying? Thanks

[Ranman]

For a hagwon? Umm, pretty much anytime you want. There's always openings.

[ttompatz]

[abright1dea]

[EZE]

The most important thing to remember is your criminal background check is good for only six months. If you have your background check in February, it will be expired before fall ever arrives.

Besides, hagwons usually don't know when they'll need personnel that far in advance. At my current school, the previous teacher got fired in his ninth month. At my previous school, a co-worker pulled a midnight runner in his seventh month and I pulled a runner two days later in my eighth month. The guy I replaced there pulled a midnight runner after working only three days. So hagwons have to deal with a lot of unexpected personnel changes. Even with teachers who complete their contracts, they don't know that far in advance which ones will go home and which ones will renew. With about one month left in my contract at my first school, they wined me and dined me asking me to renew. I declined, but I did work a 13th month to give them time to get a new teacher there and settled in.

This time, I flew here from China and got a job within 24 hours of arriving at Incheon. I e-mailed a recruiter that night and got hired at my current school the next day. I wouldn't have flown here from the USA, though. If you're in your home country, wait and find a job that will fly you over. Most do.

Oh, and don't accept a job with Wonderland.