Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ippy]

Hi, Struggling at the moment. Applying 10 to 15 jobs/day (seriously). Getting fewer and fewer replies. Obviously running out of avenues. Craigslist is dominated by the SAME EXACT jobs i saw a month ago being advertised on an endless loop. Daves is dominated by mass recruiter mail-outs from the same ten or twenty recruiters ive already likely contacted. So looking for avenues...

Some basic facts:

The BAD:

From Scotland/UK (no accent - i speak the Queen's English, my dear)
Male
Age: thirty<coughcoughcough>... okay, 39.
Outside Korea (China to be exact).
Dont want kindy.

THE GOOD:

Have 9 years of experience.
TEFL certified
REALLY cheerful and energetic.
Have experience teaching SSAT, IELTS, and Toefl/Jnr Toefl.
Taught 2 years in Korea already
and still very cute. Really. Super cute in fact!
Oh, and dont even want a city job. I LOVE rural. I really want a gangwon do placement if anything. VERY flexible on location.
Have driving license from Korea (completed test start to finish in Korea).

THE DILEMMA:

Do I carry on sticking around in China and save all concerned the bother of a Visa run should I receive an offer (and also have a cheaper cost of living allowing for longer job hunt). OR.
Do I come to Korea in late October and run around Bucheon/Gangwon/Suwon armed to the teeth with a backpack of Resumes and see whats up? As i understand it, when they say they want someone in country it usually means they want someone to switch the E2 visa rather than they physically want someone. Would it therefore make all that difference coming to Korea?

Solutions?:

I have ready the forums. Well, first 5 pages for similar situations and I see a lot of mention of the following:

1. Facebook job sites. Anyone have links theyd care to share. Ive tried various search results and its usually just a recruiter page. Anything more substantial?

2. Ive also seen reference to bypassing the Recruiter roadblock (it seems to be my big issue at the moment) and heading straight for the employers. Where can i find those employers directly? Anyone have a link, again?

Sorry to ask, just want to try and get around this wall at the moment Thanks for the help and advice.

[basic69isokay]

I know exactly how you feel.
Craigslist IS in fact the same lowball offers on loop that no one wants.
The problem once you have experience is that you see through the BS. The blinders are off and u dont fit the gullible pushover profile that recruiters love. That said, I have found great jobs recently. I'd say:
Your age is a majjjjjjjjor disadvantage. I know academy owners and the first question they ask is age and gender. Rarely do they care about experience AT ALL. They just lie and say youre an ivy leaguer to the parents anyway. recruiters just pass on these preferences.
So, you need to go super rural. Chungnam province often has openings.. Public programs. Try JLP too, jeolla province. Apply directly. Bypass slimy recruiters. Tell em to f off.
Coming to Korea could be an issue because like if you apply for spring 2015 gepik or something, you gotta wait 4months. So just prepare your docs, thats enough.

[ChrisPK]

You're in China. Try to find a job there. Why are you trying to come to Korea?

[KimchiNinja]

It's who you know, not what you know. Double true in Asia.

[ippy]

Thanks dudes.

In answer to the why: several reasons.

1. Pay and conditions ARE better than China. I admit, this is realistically on EPIK. But having that E2 puts me back where i need to be.

2. I <3 korea. Really. I know some people on the site hate everything about it, but not me. I love the country and the people.

3. I also love snowboarding. I COULD get a job in china (and if theres a yunnan job that puts me near yulong mountain so i can go snowboard 6 months a year on a glacier 5000m above sea level, ill take it. But Korea means easy snow industry on my doorstep (and id also like to be set up and in place for winter olympics to be honest as well - kinda cool to be teaching in a school near Yongpyeong in 2018).

4. I want my drivers license back. I lost it in Japan. Only way to get it replaced is with an ARC. I need a job in Korea to get it replaced. And cars are cheap as chips. Three months in work and i have wheels which means i have travel and rural means nothing.

5. And rural means nothing anyway. Its such a small country that youre barely a few hours from a major city.

6. I miss my friends in Korea. As i said, korean people are awesome.

7. And my students. I loved teaching in korea. The students were so friendly, cheerful, positive, and enthusiastic. I might have gotten lucky. Then again, i might not have. Either way, keen to see.

8. Food is yum.

9. Cycling is awesome. I fell in love with cycling in Japan. Im very keen to take it up and bomb around the hills of Korea.

10. I really cant stress this enough, i loved my time working there. Korean people are awesome, the job was awesome, and the workload was perfect.

As for China, the people are great, but the workload is rather high, and the scale of the country is so vast that just getting out of your city is a 2 hour mission. Im basically doing work/home/work/home. Its genuinely kinda boring. Also, my current employers wanted to keep me, but i said no and id feel like a real jerk if i took any job on the same or lower pay. I would sooner let my contract lapse, then reapply from step 1, than slap them in the face like that
Finally, i HATE the food. I LOVE Chinese food back home, but in China its so damn oily. I keep getting sick from it. Thanks Hogwash oil! (google it)

So thats why. I like China. Ill definitely be back some day. But id rather be in korea for the next four or five years is all as i set up a real career in ESL.

[ChrisPK]

You are almost 40, but you sound like a 20 yr old kid.

[Chaparrastique]

[swashbuckler]

[ippy]

[schwa]

You sound very sincere & capable & I honestly wish you luck. I was well into my forties when I started in Gangwon but those were different times. Theres much more ageism now & epik here is facing a budget crunch.

But! There are still academies in the region that will take who they can get. Some are decent. I get where you're coming from. Its a nice corner of the world to call home.

[basic69isokay]

You said Korean people are awesome several times.
Are you sure its not just nostalgia? I mean Korean people are tolerable in small doses but awesome? Hmm you might be idealizing Korea (and the job market as well). Its truly nothing like it was 5 years ago

[Sesame]

lol your "GOOD" portion of your OP is actually a negative. They want Noobs, not experienced guys who might demand better wages/conditions. But good luck to you brother.

[ippy]

I understand a lot of what you guys are saying. But as i say, ive never wholly given myself over to cynicism. I understand the market pretty well. I realise image trumps substance. And i understand that recruiters are just delivering on the demands of their clients (who in turn are delivering on the expectations and demands of their customers). I also understand that some of it is based on anxiety of male teachers for whatever <AntiEnglishSpectrum> reasons exist. I know the market. But im not yet cynical enough to feel bereft in it. I just need more avenues is all. Solutions, solutions! Im a very good teacher, with very natural in demand skills and qualities. I like the job. I love working with kids. I have experience. I have energy. And i am relentlessly positive. Its simply a case of casting my net nice and wide, sticking at it and keeping on working to land a position.

The two big questions though are:

1. Where can i find schools directly online and avoid the recruiter buncer-check? And this leads to

2. Should i just get on a plane in three weeks and start pounding the pavement armed with a bunch of CVs and headshots?

(which leads to supplementary question: a) when people want you in country do they just physically mean 'in country' or do they mean 'with visa'?)

I dont want to rain on anyones hard won cynicism. Im sure youre right. But id rather look for solutions than problems here. Lord knows theres enough problems with my age, my experience, and my CRC taking TWO freaking months just to get an apostille on it. Hating korea or the market just seems needlessly adding to the weight of everything anyways. I know the market. I understand it. I recognise my age, gender, and experience arent necessarily wonderful qualities on a superficial level. But im hoping that my massive personality helps balance that

[jleblanc]

[jleblanc]