Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Himawari89]

I recently spoke to one of my friends currently teaching English in Korea and he just warned me that in Seoul a lot of teachers in high school are being laid off. Also that those teachers are now taking over the other open positions in the city, so I can pretty much kiss my dream of teaching in Seoul good bye.

For a back up plan I figured I could Apply to GEPIK, though KORVIA. I can deal with having to travel and hour to get into Seoul. An hour on the subway is nothing. (New York Girl).

I am graduating in the Spring of 2014 with a Bachelors in English Literature. I am going to complete a TESOl Certificate for 100 hours as well. I also have some experience with Private Tutoring a little girl in my neighborhood that I hope can count as a bonus point on my resume. Before than I am also trying to see if I can shadow a teacher as well, to gain a bit more experience.

I will be 24 when it is time to apply. I'm a nice average looking girl and everyone tells me I'm really friendly, so I don't think I will have anything counting against me for my you tube video and resume photo.

In short based on all this would I still be able to get a decent job with SMOE or Gepik? Is there anything else I can do to make my resume more appealing? I'm just feeling a little discouraged because of this sudden news =/

[Dodge7]

From everything you said, I doubt it. Cambodia is hiring, though.

Good luck.

[Malislamusrex]

Young females without much experience is exactly what EPIK is looking for. I'd be surprised if you weren't on the top of their list.

[Himawari89]

LOL, why do you say it like that? Is having a female teacher instead of male a preference over in Korea?

[Himawari89]

Thanks for being so helpful -.-

[Lucas]

[Tyshine]

EDITED DELETE PLEASE

[cheezsteakwit]

^^^ don't mind him , he's a bitter 'lifer'

I believe I remember reading that as of Sep. 2013 , PS schools are going to start requiring TEFL courses with 100 hours (on-line) & at least 20 hours IN class observation. Double check the EPIK website to make sure of that, though.

High school jobs may be getting cut in Seoul , BUT as a cute, young female, you should have no problem getting another job (middle or elem. level). Cute, young females seem to be in demand by employers.

There are plenty of jobs outside Seoul as well. Korea is a small country , (about the size of Indiana) & it has a world class train system. I'm in a 'rural' area (near Daejeon) & I can get to Seoul in 90 minutes by KTX (fast train) so maybe cast a wider net to find a job than JUST Seoul ??

Otherwise, don't stress. & for EPIK, you can only use ONE recruiter, BUT make sure you have some other recruiters working for you outside of EPIK. I used Korean Horizons & Alistair was very helpful to me in getting a NON-EPIK public school job last year.

[Lucas]

[John Stamos jr.]

You graduate in over a year from now and your dream is to teach in Korea? Over/under 99% this girl is into k-pop?

[Dodge7]

[husker]

It will be much more challenging finding a job now, especially in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. For the big three nationally funded programs SMOE (Seoul) started eliminating middle and high school positions last summer. GEPIK (Gyeonggi) sent letters to middle and high schools on December 17 that they would lose government funding for urban schools. Elementary, rural and specialty schools seemed to be spared. Again these are the nationally funded programs. Schools, cities, and provinces are still free to pay for their own teachers.
I'm an "EPIKer" and, while we haven't been hit yet, it is logical to assume we will be beginning this summer. EPIK does list Seoul on it's website but I don't know how much hiring they do for it. Also EPIK wants "at least a 20 hour offline, in-class component" with their 100 TEFL/TESOL.
If you haven't yet, check-out www.waygook.org. Similar to Dave's but is Korea specific.
Jobs are, and will be fewer but it won't hurt to try.

[nero]

[watergirl]

Try to take what you read here with a grain of salt. Contact KORVIA because she seems to have a lot of PS jobs and is pretty clear on which ones she has etc.
There are still public school jobs as you can see by looking at the ads on this website.
IF u apply easy, have he certificate, and (sorry ) but are a girl, you should be fine.
They have been cutting some but I think elementary is still fine. Other option is to find a good hakwaon for 1 year (u do this by applying to as many recruiters as possible, and sticking to your needs, and then if you really like Korea, it is much easier to get a PS when you're here.
For the Hakwon jobs, always try and get an email of a current foreigner to get a sense of how things are.

s

[watergirl]

and you have a major in English so, from what I've heard, you're in the top employable category, after people with experience, with English degrees, of course.
By the way, I prefer the suburbs outside of Seoul as do many others.

Having an engiish major is not that common by the way, so don't worry.
All u need to do now, is make sure you know all of the docs you'll need, and remember to start applying for PS quite early

I've even seen private public schools hiring for people outside of the country Most of these jobs are better than the regular PS (longer vacation, smaller classes u'll be teaching by yourself )
.
Several of the ads have said explicitly, they prefer English majors, and N American girls.
And by the way, Koreans love New York. Believe it or not, they seem to feel more comfortable if you're from a big famous, status city like NY.
Don;t worry. Have a back-up plan (with the Hakwaons but I think u could get a good one, ie shorter hours) if need be.