Korean Job Discussion Forums

dodgybarnet

Well the title was funny in my head... Anyhow, a question for those mentalists who turned up in Korea sans-job and found them by stalking employers.

How long did you search before you found your job (or was suckered into doing Kinder)?

I'm imagining if you've got 15 years of teaching experience then you managed it faster than a wide-eyed 17 year old who misheard their parents saying "now it's time for you to get a Korea".

On a side note, for a moment there I was thinking that Dave hadn't paid the rent on EslCafe - the day I fly in to Seoul is the day the site goes down. How the hell was I going to get access to ESL Flamewars? Get biased advice on different schools? Read drunken rants about hockey? Phew!

osangrl · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Location: osan

About 4 months, and i couldn't be happier.

dodgybarnet · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 12:32 am Post subject:

4 months??!

I better stop drinking so much coffee 'n' beer if I'm going to be able to afford to be jobless for 4 months.

Do think I can make some cash shakin' my ass down in Itaewon? Rolling Eyes

Juggertha · Joined: 27 May 2003 Location: Anyang, Korea

my job found me.

ghostshadow · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Location: Seoul

My job didn't take too long for me to find but finding a job I like, now I'm still looking... and looking and looking...

osangrl · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Location: osan

4 months...i could have settled but i didn't want to.

I did work the forbidden privates...just at one small homeschool 3 days a week to be able to live, for 9 hours. I also had a generous boyfriend. Wink

shawner88 · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

MOOCH!

dodgybarnet · Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 12:07 am Post subject:

I was/am pretty much expecting to get pestered by recruiters and can therefore bide my time.

I was getting worried after having recieved no responces at all from sending out my CV to every Seoul job that looked half decent, but have today started recieving responses - Phew.

Am getting tonnes of spam though - obviously some of the email addresses stated on job advertisements are fake/spammers. Seems a strange way to cull email addresses? Maybe some of the employers are Spammers in thier spare time? Nice.

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

the perfect job is non-existent, just degrees of suffering. Typically some jobs have great advantages but equally big disadvantages...
The job market is definitely a bit worrying..not a lot out there..I'll be looking in the next few months all over again.. Shocked

Crois · Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 5:24 am Post subject:

10 minutes after finishing my tefl.

Applied to some recutier online and 10 minutes later he phoned me from Korea asking me if i wanted a job and i said hell yeah.

Paji eh Wong · Joined: 03 Jun 2003

6 weeks, from Canada. And I was picky.

chronicpride · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Just a few tips.

Whenever you are out walking the streets, look up at the building signs and keep watch for �ܱ�� п�. These are english academies that hire foreigners. They are a dime a dozen in most high traffic areas.

As this site only hears about a fraction of all of the Korean schools that are hiring, it'd be wise to also conduct your hunt offline, as well.

If you spot a school, pay them a visit and see if they are hiring. If they're not, ask them what recruiter(s) they used in the past to hire their teachers. Many schools use local recruiters who are long on schools and short on teachers. Call the guy and up and put him to work.

Making offline contacts is going to steer you clear of the wrecks that can come from doing an online job search. Don't rely solely on the net.

PS...Send me a PM if you have a TESOL/TEFL, as I know an elementary school gig in Seoul that pays 2.3, right now

dodgybarnet · Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 10:32 pm Post subject:

Well just to answer my own question - it took me 8 days from landing to signing (I have no experience, a non-yank accent, and a Dodgy Barnet).

That said I feel pretty lucky - the other prospective teachers at the hostel are still trawling through recruiter-spam and being offered rubbish rates of pay.

Whether I've got a good postion remains to be seen. Good luck to everyone else looking for work!