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nate1983
Joined: 30 Mar 2008
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 10:33 am Post subject: How do recruiters work? |
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I know there have been some threads on related topics, but I'm just curious what benefit recruiters actually provide. It seems like there are hundreds of schools looking for teachers, and thousands of potential applicants...what's so hard about them finding one another directly?
Do schools stipulate certain types of applicants, and do applicants only want to work at certain schools, so do recruiters try to "matchmake" based on each group's conditions?
Also, how much would a recruiter typically get paid for placing a candidate, and what protections, if any, serve to protect applicants from a "race to the bottom" of recruiters trying to place teachers into the most undesirable, hard-to-fill positions first? |
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andrewchon

Joined: 16 Nov 2008 Location: Back in Oz. Living in ISIS Aust.
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 12:11 pm Post subject: |
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1. School staff usually can't speak English well enough to deal with a foreigner, so they use recruiters. Nor do they want the blame if a foreign teacher turns out to be no good. Easier to blame agents. They don't like saying 'no' either should there be too many candidates. Let the agents do that.
2. Yes, they do match making.
3. They get paid one month's salary of the placed candidate from the school.
4. No protection at all. It's up to the applicant to do the research. |
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Daelim
Joined: 18 Jun 2011
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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andrewchon wrote: |
1. School staff usually can't speak English well enough to deal with a foreigner, so they use recruiters. Nor do they want the blame if a foreign teacher turns out to be no good. Easier to blame agents. They don't like saying 'no' either should there be too many candidates. Let the agents do that.
Yes, the lack of English is a big reason why schools use recruiters.
2. Yes, they do match making.
Yes, they do the matchmaking and fill positions in schools the request certain "types" of teacher.
3. They get paid one month's salary of the placed candidate from the school.
That's an old wife's tale. These days it is around 1.0m and 1.2 if the recruitment company provide airport pick up.
4. No protection at all. It's up to the applicant to do the research.
Exactly.
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But the main reason schools use recruiters is because the visa paperwork is one MASSIVE headache for schools to go through with each new teacher they hire. Chasing up candidates who say they have "all" the documents then send a package minus their FBI check because they "must have missed that part" are extremely common! |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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So pay a recruiter a thousand bucks to avoid have to deal with filling out forms or checking paperwork? That sounds like a bad business strategy.
I think recruiters are paid 1.2-1.5 to get a hagwon worker, and less for public school- I've heard as low as 700,000 or 800,000 for bulk contracts, with a mil being common. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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Like leeches... Proceed with caution son! |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:14 am Post subject: |
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EAsy: they are middle men, end of story.
Use their services as such and it can be WELL worth it for an applicant. |
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ttompatz

Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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Weigookin74 wrote: |
Like leeches... Proceed with caution son! |
Nonsense.
They are an introduction to a potential employer that you yourself would not otherwise be able to find.
Then, if they are any good at their job, they guide you through the placement and assist with the paperwork necessary to get you as far as the employer.
They are NOT your friend.
They do NOT work for you (they are paid for and work for the employer).
They are like a used car salesman.
You walk onto their car-lot (website), peruse the cars (available jobs), if you see one you like you inquire about it.
After you listen to the sales pitch you let YOUR mechanic have a look at it (due diligence checking out the school).
If it is all good then you make the offer (accept the contract) and complete the sale (begin the paperwork for your visa application).
A good salesman will ensure that the paperwork is in order to make the sale and allow you to register the car. (A good recruiter will make sure your paperwork is in order and help get you through the paperwork to get your visa.)
I have no problem with using a recruiter or telling anyone else to use one (or more the case, many). They are your best option for fining the BEST fit when it comes to a job in Korea (or most of Asia for that matter).
For someone who is abroad, no connections and no ability to communicate in Korean then recruiters are a necessary evil.
That doesn't mean it is a crap shoot.
ALL recruiters are good. All recruiters are bad.
BUT they are a bridge to a job that you would not otherwise find.
The trick is in understanding what they are and what they do then understanding that due diligence is YOUR responsibility BEFORE you sign on the dotted line.
7777. |
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AubreeB
Joined: 20 Nov 2012 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 4:12 pm Post subject: help please!!! |
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So i passed my epik interview and my recruiter was waiting for me to send my documents. I've emailed the company over 3 times with copies of all my documents and now they won't answer!!! No response to emails and no one will pick up the phone. How can i send my documents to epik without them??? |
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cheolsu
Joined: 16 Jan 2009
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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World Traveler wrote: |
I think recruiters are paid 1.2-1.5 to get a hagwon worker, and less for public school- I've heard as low as 700,000 or 800,000 for bulk contracts, with a mil being common. |
That sounds about right. I had an interview in January at a middle school that was really just a job offer and a discussion of how soon I could get my paperwork to them. Assuming that I couldn't understand Korean (speaking up after they had already started talking about me would have caused embarrassment), the department head asked the recruiter what her fee was. She said it was 1.2 million won. The department head asked "what happens if he doesn't stay with us?" and the recruiter said that they would find another teacher for free in that case. I'm not sure for how long the recruiter remains on hook, though.
This was a recruiter from a very well-known agency, though not Korvia. |
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