Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dcgray322]

Hi,

For the past year or so, I have been on the hunt for a teaching job in South Korea for this fall (Aug/Sept start date). Originally I was planning to do EPIK, but due to certain reasons out of my control, this has no longer been an option for awhile. I have already applied to the TaLK program and am waiting to hear back from them; however, lately I've started to feel that I should not bank on that and find other options. Problem is, I am getting so lost in a sea of mixed information.

I've sent in an application to Appletree Recruiting, but I haven't heard anything back. Out of the companies I've researched on my own, the two that catch my eye the most are Pagoda and YBM and their ECC schools. I'm not feeling certain about these because the reviews on both the teaching companies and the recruiter have been about 50/50.

So does anyone have any suggestions for Private Schools/Hagwons? And if so, can you please specify recommended branches, if applicable? Your help would be GREATLY appreciated.

[Blanca]

First off, if this is Hamish, hey man. Call me. If not, ignore that and keep reading.

You're going about this all wrong - there's no point applying to specific branches of hagwons because they might not be hiring. SM English in Ulsan, for example, is a fantastic place to work, but they won't be hiring until at least November so asking recruiters to get you a job there is going to get you ignored.

I'm currently going through the same process so I'll share some tips. First and absolutely foremost, get your documents apostilled and ready to go. You're going to get ignored if you don't have your docs in hand. Then apply to every single recruiter you can find. Carpet-bomb them with a standard email cover letter, resume and photo. Then (and this surprised me most), stick your resume/details up on the "post your resume" section of Dave's. You'll get a tidal wave of emails, mostly rubbish, but if you can be bothered to sift through them all there's some half-decent stuff in there.

Most importantly though, and I cannot stress this enough, is be prepared to go anywhere and do any kind of job. Or at least, give the appearance of being prepared to go anywhere and do any kind of job. I learned very quickly that barging in saying "I won't do kindy, I won't work in Cheongju, I won't take any less than 2.5" is a quick way to get ignored. Instead, play ball, humour the recruiter when they offer things and feign an interest whilst also asking them to find something else. You can always negotiate salary and conditions when you're further down the road of applying, and they're a little more invested in you.

Good luck though man, it's become tough out there in the last couple of years since I last applied.