Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Desperate Seeker]

Hey there. Am an old guy that spent two years in Korea a while back, and after going to Thailand and China, I'm thinking of returning to Korea because, trust me guys, you don't know how good you've got it there when if comes to work/life/money balance.

Anyway, I was previously with EPIK, but I'm looking to potentially higher paying positions and I stumbled across this posting: http://www.idealist.org/view/job/X7S29ZgSz5P/

Can't find much about them online. They seem to just have a facebook page for their website, which red flags them to me as some fly-by-night operation, but on the off chance I'm wrong, I figured I'd ask around here to see if anyone has had any experience with them.

[OBwannabe]

I'm also an older teacher and have used JAK, but didn't take their job offer. They are legit. One recruiter, who shall remain nameless, was really cool to deal with.
Thing you have to understand is, they are going to try to place a teacher in whichever job they think will be easiest to have the teacher placed in. The more they get placed the more money they make. So young blue eyed blondes have the pic of the litter. Old guys, like you and me, come pretty low down on the totem pole. So recruiters know we are more desperate and more likely to take the tougher/crappier jobs, so those are the ones they are likely to push on you.

With that said....use loads of recruiters. Post your resume on Dave's and you'll get loads of responses.

Anyway, good luck!

[Desperate Seeker]

Thanks. Yeah, when I say older, I mean I'm 34, but I recall that Korea is mostly filled with recent college grads, and on top of that Korea considered over 30 to be dead, pretty much. I could be wrong, things could be different or changed. It's been 5 years since I was last there. Mostly what I hear is that all the jobs disappeared and the ones that remain are the crappiest of crap due to a glut of teachers and less demand.

Do you think the $45K-$50K claim on the job posting is legit, though? That seems high, nearly double what epik offers, which is perhaps the biggest red flag. Back in 2008-2010, the most I ever knew anyone making was 2.8mil won at a well respected university and he had a Ph.D. I'm dubious. I used Footprints for both Korea and China and was mostly pleased, however, footprints typically only gets you middle of the road assignments at the base pay rate and I'm hoping for something a little more that the standard 2mil won.

I'm still not convinced about returning to Korea either, but that's another story. I'm just exploring options for now.

[ttompatz]

[World Traveler]

GEPIK pays slightly less (or a lot less if adjusting for inflation) than before. Salaries are capped at 2.5 for the highest pay level.

[PRagic]

34 isn't 'old', especially if you have a couple of years of experience in Korea already.

But do NOT limit your search to one recruiter. USE THEM ALL. And post your CV on job sites, too.

As a previous poster inclined, recruiters don't work for you, they work for the (potential) employer. They get paid when they put people in slots, and the fastest way for them to get paid is to slam you into any position for which they may have an opening.

Contact EVERY recruiter you can find and don't settle. Be specific about location, pay, and students (e.g. kindy, kiddy, or adults).

Get your documents all in order. That might take a bit more time to do if you're currently abroad.

Good luck.

[ttompatz]

[Desperate Seeker]

Thanks folks. Yeah, I may have been hasty calling myself old, I just recall the median age, at least for my wave of EPIK kids and the general age of teachers in Busan in 2008-2010 being mid 20s, fresh out of college. I also remember a few of the older guys, as in late 30s/early 40s, complaining about being pushed out of their schools at the time. So by mt estimation, I considered myself old. I tell you, living back in America now, I FEEL old, since I'm still in my reverse culture shock phase and have trouble relating to anyone here.

All good info. I've only ever used Footprints for my Korean and Chinese postings, and did it on my own petitioning schools in Thailand for three years (miserable being a free agent, in my opinion). I was happy with them, but as you all said, they slam you into the first open slot and as such, I should be looking more broadly. Any you guys would recommend specifically for adult students? I know the hakwon market is mostly kids, and universities as a who-you-know thing, but if I could get a position with college or older students for a fair wage and not shoebox apartment, I'd flip.

Anyway, thanks all! I'm currently filing my FBI report, so it'll be a few weeks anyway.

[PRagic]

Decent university gigs these days want a related MA and 2 years of university experience. For the better jobs it gets competitive from there, with many people also holding their CELTA and DELTA on top of the base criteria. For some schools, mostly in the sticks, you can still get in with just a BA and some experience.

There are usually quite a few university positions posted on here. If you have the qualifications, fire away. Most schools like to hire from within country, but you never know. You might ge able to find an old thread, 'University job without university experience' that might help with some info.