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Finding a job at this point in year
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Markrly



Joined: 10 Apr 2012

PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:41 pm    Post subject: Finding a job at this point in year Reply with quote

I'm finding it difficult to land a job currently. Is it typically hard to find work from now until February. I know it is much easier to find a job that will start during the Spring semester in late February but, is it possible to find a good job that starts before February for a teacher not currently located within Korea? The offers I did get the contracts seemed pretty poor.
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modernseoul



Joined: 11 Sep 2011
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 5:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Finding a job at this point in year Reply with quote

Markrly wrote:
I'm finding it difficult to land a job currently. Is it typically hard to find work from now until February. I know it is much easier to find a job that will start during the Spring semester in late February but, is it possible to find a good job that starts before February for a teacher not currently located within Korea? The offers I did get the contracts seemed pretty poor.


Getting a job is possible but as you've pointed out getting a good job maybe not. Not being in Korea is also a weakness.
At this point in time it would take at least 4 weeks for a visa to be issued and that takes you to the start of December. Schools (i.e. Hagwons) are unlikely to recruit new teachers at this point as the start of the new year is the main turnover point for students.
Good roles will pop up again during December and January, otherwise you might need to hope some luck.
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Boffo97



Joined: 08 Dec 2010

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm having the same kind of troubles.

One recruiter mentioned to me that while this time of year is always slow, this is the slowest he's seen it.

Not sure if that's everyone's experience though. Dave's still has a lot of postings every day.
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World Traveler



Joined: 29 May 2009

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Korean job market is flooded and getting continually worse as time goes by. When I first came to Korea in mid 2009, almost no one in the United States had even heard of teaching ESL in Korea (which is why supply wasn't meeting demand). Incidentally, 2009 is year English language hagwon student enrollment in Korea peaked (a verifiable fact), and in 2009, public school hiring was going strong. It's been all downhill since then (and there is no reason to believe the decline will suddenly reverse itself). The going rate for privates and part time jobs has dropped so much recently (especially in the past few months), so it's not surprising the recruiter said now is the slowest he has ever seen it. (Then again, he could be lying- as recruiters often do- to trick you into accepting a crap job).
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matthagwon



Joined: 28 Sep 2013
Location: Japan lite

PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Boffo97 wrote:
I'm having the same kind of troubles.

One recruiter mentioned to me that while this time of year is always slow, this is the slowest he's seen it.

Not sure if that's everyone's experience though. Dave's still has a lot of postings every day.


Don't listen to the recruiter, it's so slow but I found a job for you. The location is close to Seoul only 60 miles south of the city. This is a trick to get people to sign up for hagwons in rural areas that are 3 to 4 hours by bus to Seoul. I work in an area 40 mins by subway to Seoul and all along the way to Seoul are advertisements for ESL teachers.
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wanderkind



Joined: 01 Jan 2012
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 12:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So along these lines:

I understand there are two main hiring seasons during the year for public schools.

However, from personal experience, word of mouth, and reading on here, there is a small, but significant number of people each year who quit before their contract is finished.

This indicates to me that there is probably demand for teachers in public schools popping up throughout the year.

How are these vacancies filled?
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Nolos



Joined: 23 Oct 2011

PostPosted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 1:41 am    Post subject: Re: Finding a job at this point in year Reply with quote

Markrly wrote:
I'm finding it difficult to land a job currently. Is it typically hard to find work from now until February. I know it is much easier to find a job that will start during the Spring semester in late February but, is it possible to find a good job that starts before February for a teacher not currently located within Korea? The offers I did get the contracts seemed pretty poor.


Hey loser. Why don't you try looking for a job in your own country? You have no friends or what? Nothing to lose?
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World Traveler



Joined: 29 May 2009

PostPosted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 2:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wanderkind wrote:
there is a small, but significant number of people each year who quit before their contract is finished.

That's a red flag the school could suck- tons of work, badly behaved students, no support, etc. Maybe, not maybe not, but the odds are much higher.
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ttompatz



Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea

PostPosted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 8:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

wanderkind wrote:
So along these lines:

I understand there are two main hiring seasons during the year for public schools.

However, from personal experience, word of mouth, and reading on here, there is a small, but significant number of people each year who quit before their contract is finished.

This indicates to me that there is probably demand for teachers in public schools popping up throughout the year.

How are these vacancies filled?


Typically, since those (PS) positions are co-teaching with a Korean teacher they are not filled until the next term.

Hagwons hire year round but they are what they are.

.
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na1489



Joined: 03 Jan 2011

PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:16 pm    Post subject: what the hell Reply with quote

When I first applied to teach in Korea back in 2010/2011, it was unbelievably easy to find a decent position. It seemed like all I had to do was send my resume to a couple places and I was bombarded with offers for teaching contracts.

Three years later, I have MUCH more experience under my belt (in the ESL field) and I can't even seem to find a decent position to apply for.

I sent off a polished resume touting my years of experience in the field to a couple of different recruiters and one of them actually got back to me only to tell me that they were unable to proceed with my application. Haven't heard anything from the others.

Luckily I have a great teaching job in the States right now, so I'm in no rush but I'm worried that the plethora of teaching jobs in Korea, which there once seemed to be an unlimited supply of, is finally starting to dissipate.

I am attributing this to the following possible explanations:

1) Competition for teaching jobs in Korea has drastically increased thanks to the shitty economy

2) English language education as an industry in Korea is not doing well (or at least English language hakwons aren't) OR Korea has decided it no longer needs to waste money on hiring native speaking teachers

3) Bad time of the year to be looking for jobs

4) A combination of the above

Someone please tell me I'm crazy and that things aren't really as bad as they seem in comparison to the "golden years" of 2010-2011....
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Ranman



Joined: 18 Aug 2012

PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 9:34 pm    Post subject: Re: Finding a job at this point in year Reply with quote

Nolos wrote:
Markrly wrote:
I'm finding it difficult to land a job currently. Is it typically hard to find work from now until February. I know it is much easier to find a job that will start during the Spring semester in late February but, is it possible to find a good job that starts before February for a teacher not currently located within Korea? The offers I did get the contracts seemed pretty poor.


Hey loser. Why don't you try looking for a job in your own country? You have no friends or what? Nothing to lose?


A ban for this guy has been long overdue.
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Popocatepetl



Joined: 14 Oct 2013
Location: Winter in Korea: One Perfect day after another

PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

World Traveler wrote:
The Korean job market is flooded and getting continually worse as time goes by.


Thats the overall picture, yes.

It started in October 2009 when supply exceeded demand for the first time in Korean efl history, and the trend has continued.

2011 was probably the worst year, due to the state of the US and western economy.

Things may have shifted very slightly since then but the fact is that Korea has been discovered... and things aren't going to improve.

What you can expect in 2013, is 2003 wages and probably even less favorable conditions, for ten times the amount of visa paperwork.

Newbies to this game should be heading for fresh fields. China.
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young_clinton



Joined: 09 Sep 2009

PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 10:54 pm    Post subject: Re: Finding a job at this point in year Reply with quote

Nolos wrote:


Hey loser. Why don't you try looking for a job in your own country? You have no friends or what? Nothing to lose?


Dodge 7 my main man, how come your working overseas? Unless of course you're not working overseas and are basically just an ongoing troll coming up with false topics.
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World Traveler



Joined: 29 May 2009

PostPosted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 12:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Popocatepetl wrote:
2011 was probably the worst year, due to the state of the US and western economy.

Things may have shifted very slightly since then but the fact is that Korea has been discovered... and things aren't going to improve.

I think 2011 was way better than 2013 in terms of privates and odd jobs like voice recording. They were much more plentiful then and the going rate was higher.

The Great Recession began in 2007 and ended in June of 2009. The Korean ESL market is in such bad shape because more and more people are finding out about it and coming over, flooding the market. Now it's gotten to the point it is no longer worth it for a newb generally speaking. There has been a steady deterioration from 2009 to 2013, and the long gradual decline has been going on well before that too. And it will continue, too. Forever.
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Ranman



Joined: 18 Aug 2012

PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

World Traveler wrote:
Popocatepetl wrote:
2011 was probably the worst year, due to the state of the US and western economy.

Things may have shifted very slightly since then but the fact is that Korea has been discovered... and things aren't going to improve.

I think 2011 was way better than 2013 in terms of privates and odd jobs like voice recording. They were much more plentiful then and the going rate was higher.

The Great Recession began in 2007 and ended in June of 2009. The Korean ESL market is in such bad shape because more and more people are finding out about it and coming over, flooding the market. Now it's gotten to the point it is no longer worth it for a newb generally speaking. There has been a steady deterioration from 2009 to 2013, and the long gradual decline has been going on well before that too. And it will continue, too. Forever.


The "Great Recession" never ended. Governments and banks around the world just wanted to pass the buck and only started another bubble that's going to burst as well.

The idea of this being an economic recovery is laughable at best.
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