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andersk
Joined: 05 Jan 2015
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 Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:28 pm Post subject: Finding a job while living in Korea |
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| I have read that it is much easier to find a hagwon job if you are actually in Korea. If this is true, how would one go about finding these jobs? |
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SeoulNate
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Hyehwa
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| Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Bad idea if you have never been over here before as you will not have any contacts, a place to stay, knowledge of the visa system etc. |
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andersk
Joined: 05 Jan 2015
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| Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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| I have been there before and I do have family and a place to stay. Do people usually find jobs through people they know or do they actually apply in person? |
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SeoulNate
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Hyehwa
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| Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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Personal contacts are, of course, the best way to secure good jobs.
However, when people are already here they generally search though all of the job boards (there are half a dozen or more sites like this one that post job offers) and if they have a certain area in mind that they would like to work they will generally go out and drop off resumes to all of the hakwons in the area. |
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Troglodyte
Joined: 06 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 2:45 am Post subject: |
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| andersk wrote: |
| I have been there before and I do have family and a place to stay. Do people usually find jobs through people they know or do they actually apply in person? |
It depends a bit on how fast you want to find a job. If you're totally flexible, you can find one very fast (e.g. two weeks).
If you have friends who are teaching, you might find jobs through them. This usually only works if you have a lot of friends in the local ELT community. You hear from someone that his school is looking to expand and hire another foreign or you hear from so-and-so that he's finishing his contract soon so his school will be looking for a replacement.
Otherwise, you just reply to lots of ads on the various job boards. Most will be recruiters but it's the same procedure. Send in a short cover letter (along with some nice photos) saying that
-you have all your documents ready to go
-you want to find something within X number of weeks
-you're available for an interview in person.
If you're based in Seoul or along the Seoul metro lines, you're in luck. Same with Busan to a slightly lesser degree. That's where you'll find the most recruiters and schools. If you are available for an interview in person, your resume will automatically jump to the top part of the pile of resumes the recruiter/DOS has on his desk.
If you have your heart set on a particular neighborhood/district/town then just go door to door handing out your business card. You should have a couple copies of your resume on hand in case someone asks for it. Otherwise, have a copy available on your website (noted on your business card). It's sort of hit and miss but most cities will be flooded with hogwons and if you spend enough time you'll eventually find one that's interested. This will also depend on your visa situation. |
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andersk
Joined: 05 Jan 2015
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Troglodyte wrote: |
| andersk wrote: |
| I have been there before and I do have family and a place to stay. Do people usually find jobs through people they know or do they actually apply in person? |
It depends a bit on how fast you want to find a job. If you're totally flexible, you can find one very fast (e.g. two weeks).
If you have friends who are teaching, you might find jobs through them. This usually only works if you have a lot of friends in the local ELT community. You hear from someone that his school is looking to expand and hire another foreign or you hear from so-and-so that he's finishing his contract soon so his school will be looking for a replacement.
Otherwise, you just reply to lots of ads on the various job boards. Most will be recruiters but it's the same procedure. Send in a short cover letter (along with some nice photos) saying that
-you have all your documents ready to go
-you want to find something within X number of weeks
-you're available for an interview in person.
If you're based in Seoul or along the Seoul metro lines, you're in luck. Same with Busan to a slightly lesser degree. That's where you'll find the most recruiters and schools. If you are available for an interview in person, your resume will automatically jump to the top part of the pile of resumes the recruiter/DOS has on his desk.
If you have your heart set on a particular neighborhood/district/town then just go door to door handing out your business card. You should have a couple copies of your resume on hand in case someone asks for it. Otherwise, have a copy available on your website (noted on your business card). It's sort of hit and miss but most cities will be flooded with hogwons and if you spend enough time you'll eventually find one that's interested. This will also depend on your visa situation. |
thanks for the reply. I am pretty new to teaching but I do have experience in accounting (my major). With that said, do hagwons like to see professional experience or would they prefer something related to teaching english? So basically my question is, what do hagwons want to see in a resume? |
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Troglodyte
Joined: 06 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 12:58 am Post subject: |
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| andersk wrote: |
thanks for the reply. I am pretty new to teaching but I do have experience in accounting (my major). With that said, do hagwons like to see professional experience or would they prefer something related to teaching english? So basically my question is, what do hagwons want to see in a resume? |
In general they want to see the following on your resume:
-A TEFL certificate (preferably from a university that students/parents might recognise)
-Degree from a university that students/parents will recognise
-A little bit of ELT experience (with the same age group that the hogwon caters to)
-You can play a musical instrument
In addition, they want to see a couple of photos of you. The photos should have the following characteristics.
-you are teaching happy kids (or adults if the hogwon also teaches adults)
-you are wearing a professional yet stylish outfit
-you look happy
-you are at least average looking. If you are "plump", have gray hair (or a bald spot), have facial hair, or whatever else, then have someone help you to make some new photos in which you "fix" these perceived problems plus get the photos touched up for good measure. (Yes. Koreans also doctor their photos when applying for jobs.) |
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YujiKaido
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Sorry to piggyback on this thread. I will be coming to Korea this coming week from Taiwan. I am a white american, and have two years experience in Hong Kong and about 7 months in Korea. I heard peak time for hiring is feb and march. My documents will be ready to be submitted to immigration once I have a job offer by the end of the month at the latest. I know its risky but I have until end of April to find a job that starts asap during this time. Any advice would be a appreciated. I have a face to face interview lined up next week and been telling recruiters I will be in Seoul. Thank you |
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