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talentedcrayon
Joined: 27 Aug 2013
Location: Why do you even care?
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 Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 12:16 pm Post subject: Too far out? |
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I am applying for work with hagwons with a preferrable December start. I am not attracting much interest at this point.
Am I applying too early for jobs with a December start? It seems like most jobs fall into the 1 month away category, then there are ASAP jobs, and then 2 months away.
How far in advance do Hagwons try to recruit new teachers? |
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caribmon
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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They start recruiting as soon as one runs away.
Your resume must say as little as possible. A story is not helpful. They like it to be a grid with borders everywhere.
Picture must be excellent.
Must say can start any time any place. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:44 pm Post subject: Re: Too far out? |
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| talentedcrayon wrote: |
I am applying for work with hagwons with a preferrable December start. I am not attracting much interest at this point.
Am I applying too early for jobs with a December start? It seems like most jobs fall into the 1 month away category, then there are ASAP jobs, and then 2 months away.
How far in advance do Hagwons try to recruit new teachers? |
Hagwons typically know 30-90 days ahead of when they will need a new teacher (the old teacher has made up their mind whether they will stay or not).
This means that their recruiting often hits the boards and/or recruiters 10-60 days before the teachers is needed to be in the classroom in Korea.
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talentedcrayon
Joined: 27 Aug 2013
Location: Why do you even care?
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| Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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| caribmon wrote: |
They start recruiting as soon as one runs away.
Your resume must say as little as possible. A story is not helpful. They like it to be a grid with borders everywhere.
Picture must be excellent.
Must say can start any time any place. |
I was about to write in my original post: "maybe I should dumb down my resume some more?" Its funny that the next poster basically wrote something along those lines.
My current resume is "professional" - I used a similar format when applying to Big 4 accounting firms (successfully)... But, I am thinking that maybe its "too much" for these recruiters?
I already dumbed down my resume quite a bit because most of my skills and experience are irrelevant for teaching overseas.
Maybe I'll retool and try again.
Thanks! |
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tophatcat
Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Location: under the hat
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| Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:49 am Post subject: |
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| caribmon wrote: |
They start recruiting as soon as one runs away.
Your resume must say as little as possible. A story is not helpful. They like it to be a grid with borders everywhere.
Picture must be excellent.
Must say can start any time any place. |
I had a hakwon boss/owner who came to me several times and asked me to look over some resumes when he was hiring foreign teachers. The conversation always ended in him pointing out who he believed to be the most handsome or prettiest in the resume photos. Who do you think always ended up being hired? BINGO! |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 6:23 am Post subject: |
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| talentedcrayon wrote: |
| caribmon wrote: |
They start recruiting as soon as one runs away.
Your resume must say as little as possible. A story is not helpful. They like it to be a grid with borders everywhere.
Picture must be excellent.
Must say can start any time any place. |
I was about to write in my original post: "maybe I should dumb down my resume some more?" Its funny that the next poster basically wrote something along those lines.
My current resume is "professional" - I used a similar format when applying to Big 4 accounting firms (successfully)... But, I am thinking that maybe its "too much" for these recruiters?
I already dumbed down my resume quite a bit because most of my skills and experience are irrelevant for teaching overseas.
Maybe I'll retool and try again.
Thanks! |
Don't think of "dumbing down" your resume, think of tailoring it to the job you are seeking. If you are looking for an accounting job, then all that accounting and professional business experience means something. But, if you're looking to teach ESL to children, your resume needs to show that you have some skills and experience that relate to the position sought. Not only does your professional accounting experience not help, it hurts. A school does not have the same atmosphere and the job requires a different skill set.
What you need to do is "smarten up" your resume. Present yourself as someone who can handle children and keep them in control while they learn something. Highlight experience that shows that you can explain, lead and motivate a room full of students. List your skills that relate to the position you are seeking, not the jobs you've had that are irrelevant. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 6:33 am Post subject: |
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| tophatcat wrote: |
| caribmon wrote: |
They start recruiting as soon as one runs away.
Your resume must say as little as possible. A story is not helpful. They like it to be a grid with borders everywhere.
Picture must be excellent.
Must say can start any time any place. |
I had a hakwon boss/owner who came to me several times and asked me to look over some resumes when he was hiring foreign teachers. The conversation always ended in him pointing out who he believed to be the most handsome or prettiest in the resume photos. Who do you think always ended up being hired? BINGO! |
I always laugh at this idea - that teachers are chosen because they are pretty or handsome. Just where are these beauties and adonises? I've met hundreds of foreign teachers here and they range from plain to ugly to grotesque and frightening. Perhaps one percent of the group rates higher than just plain looking. |
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tophatcat
Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Location: under the hat
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| Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 6:47 am Post subject: |
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| ontheway wrote: |
| tophatcat wrote: |
| caribmon wrote: |
They start recruiting as soon as one runs away.
Your resume must say as little as possible. A story is not helpful. They like it to be a grid with borders everywhere.
Picture must be excellent.
Must say can start any time any place. |
I had a hakwon boss/owner who came to me several times and asked me to look over some resumes when he was hiring foreign teachers. The conversation always ended in him pointing out who he believed to be the most handsome or prettiest in the resume photos. Who do you think always ended up being hired? BINGO! |
I always laugh at this idea - that teachers are chosen because they are pretty or handsome. Just where are these beauties and adonises? I've met hundreds of foreign teachers here and they range from plain to ugly to grotesque and frightening. Perhaps one percent of the group rates higher than just plain looking. |
I have to agree. The teachers the boss picked from the photos never looked as photogenic in person. For some reason he was always wanting someone from California. He finally got the magic resume from Mr. Cool Hollywood. A photo of a blonde guy wearing sunglasses on the beach, California. The boss couldn't hardly wait for the new teacher to arrive. The guy arrived with a full beard looking like a mountain man. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 6:58 am Post subject: Re: Too far out? |
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| talentedcrayon wrote: |
I am applying for work with hagwons with a preferrable December start. I am not attracting much interest at this point.
Am I applying too early for jobs with a December start? It seems like most jobs fall into the 1 month away category, then there are ASAP jobs, and then 2 months away.
How far in advance do Hagwons try to recruit new teachers? |
Yes, you have been looking a bit too early - up till Chuseok - for a December job. First off, do you have all of your documents? Most schools and recruiters will not bother with you until you have all of your documents in hand. There are many problems with time delays, or teachers who suddently discover that blemish on their background check they'd forgotten - so it's smarter to focus on teachers with documents in hand.
It's true that schools will often decide whether to extend or terminate an employee 30 to 90 days before the end of their contract, just as teachers often decide to extend or seek a new job in that same time frame. So, most openings become available just 90 days out or less.
Of course, many teachers come to Korea for a single break year, so the school knows nearly a year ahead. But although a school may know of an opening 6 to 12 months out, most teachers look for ASAP jobs with early or immediate start dates. If a school looks too early they will have a much smaller pool to choose from. Many teachers don't know or haven't decided that they will be available for a new job until two or three months before. In addition, since people's lives change, a teacher hired 6 months in advance will often experience life events that cause them to change their plans. So, it makes little sense for schools to look early.
It won't hurt a teacher to look early, you might get a hit, but as a practical matter, both the schools and the teachers work on a shorter time frame.
Since December first is now less than 90 days away, if you have your documents this is an ideal time to start looking. Up until the Chuseok holiday this week, it's unlikely that schools would have been planning ahead for December. They will be all back on Monday, however, and you should have your retailored and focused resume out there starting this Sunday.
Be sure to post your resume on Dave's as well. You will get lots of hits from both recruiters and schools. And be sure to use a special job search email account that is separate from your personal email account, so you can escape the junk mail when you're done looking. |
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talentedcrayon
Joined: 27 Aug 2013
Location: Why do you even care?
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| Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:42 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Ontheway,
The resume I sent out to recruiters focuses heavily on my previous teaching experience in Korea and in Canada. However, I still think it could use some work.
I have my docs ready (I read in other posts that this was essential for being taken seriously).
I had one recruiter phone me right away - but I think she lost interest when I said I wasn't available until December 1. But, I have to give reasonable notice to my current employer because I don't want to burn any bridges here in Canada.
As for basing their hiring decisions completely on appearance... that was actually the main reason I was hired last time (This was explained to me on arrival by my British coworker). The lady who did the hiring was looking for a foreign boyfriend (which is why she hired him too). Didn't work out for her... Once she realized we weren't interested... she despised us for the remainder of our time in Korea. She even deleted us both on Facebook when we left... Haha! |
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