Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SydneyGuy]

Hi,

I am currently teaching in China and when my contract finishes in July next year I am looking to come to Korea to work. By then I will be 48 and have been told that it can be very hard for someone my age to get work. I am just wondering how true that is.

I have a TESOL, BA and also a Master in Applied Linguistics and I am wondering if that will work in my favour.

Also is it possible to get an apostille overseas? I am from Australia but have no immediate plans to go back home and I would like to have a job lined up before leaving China.

Any help you could provide would be really great.

[le-paul]

in all honesty, id say korea seems to be very superficial. i have had job ofers based on my photo and they didnt even look at my cv
that being said, there seems to be a changing tide and some schools may be looking for more experienced teachers as there is more pressure for test results. and presentation also goes along way (being professional/polite/well dressed etc. ). if youve lived in china youll understand how important it is to follow customs. this really helps in interview ive found once you get one.
btw, im forty. ive also had the same worry, but in my last interview they seemed to be more interested in my experience and that fact that i wasnt a part time alcoholic than my looks.
i dont know, i just get the feeling that schools are getting a bit sick of underqualified, pizzed up young-uns who mouth off about anything and everything and now they want results.

as for tips id say...
get a good cover photo. koreans photoshop theirs all the time, its quite acceptable here.
write a good covering letter, friendly and showing that you can work with anyone and maybe even saying what good results youve had recently/ in the past.
being prepared for a phone interview would be helpful. be friendly on the phone.
get all your documents ready. others will have their stuff done and recruiters may choose them over you

[Skippy]

Please search this board more, this one has been done multiple times.

Search using Google use the words "site:forums.eslcafe.com/korea" in the search box.

Still, in short ago can effect your ability to be hired. But so can other things. It becomes a balancing act. Play up what is good about you. Come on your degrees and that are pretty nice. The recent market situation has made been older a touch harder to finding jobs.

My father worked here for about 5 years when he was 60 to 65. True the market at the time was nice. Plus he also had some good credentials.

[Ruthdes]

Re: apostilles, here's what you have to do:
For your diploma, the original has to go to a notary to be copied and notarised. You can find a list of notaries in your state by searching online. It then needs to go to DFAT in your (or any, I guess) capital city to be apostilled.
https://www.dfat.gov.au/melbourne/index.html#

DFAT takes credit cards and will send the apostilled documents directly to you by registered post for an extra fee. I'm not sure if they would accept a notarised copy from another country's notary. If you have your degree with you in China, that would reduce the complication. It's worth emailing them with any questions; I found Victorian DFAT to be the most responsive and professional bureaucratic body I've ever dealt with.

For your police check, I was going to write all this crap that you have to go through, but I just checked and apparently you can now submit the form online and pay by credit card (this wasn't the case in June when I had to do this!) If they'll send it overseas for you once completed, that would make your life much easier.
http://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/police-checks/national-police-checks.aspx

If you have someone in Oz, helping you, and they're willing to do a little bit of running around for you, it would make your life much easier. If not (and assuming you can't use a Chinese notary), you'd need to send the degree to the notary, have him/her send it and the notarised copy back to you in China, then send it to DFAT to be apostilled and have them send it back to you in China. Same with the AFP: have them send you the police check (I'm not sure if they'll do this), then send it to DFAT and have them send it back to China for you.

So, short answer - it's doable if you have the patience to deal with it and don't mind paying a lot of money in registered post fees. The timing may be a problem (because I believe your police check is only valid for a certain amount of time - maybe 6 months), and getting a hold of the police check from the AFP may be a problem. If you've got someone to help you out it will save you time, money and aggravation!