Korean Job Discussion Forums

[LizardOz]

Hey there,

I've been in Korea and actively looking for work for about 4 weeks now. It has been brutal ! Though, I do finally have a job now.

Long story short: I only landed a few interviews but the most memorable was the one was for an elementary position at a hagwon.

The interview went well, I did my mock-class in front of the owner and her assistant (not the kids) and they approved of my teaching ability. Yay.

They even started to talk about the details of the contract, when suddenly they went outside to have a private chat and came back about 5 minutes later thanked me for my time.

I was called a few hours later from the recruiter who informed me there was "some smell" and they were concerned the children would complain to the parents.

That was literally the only reason given.

In my defense, it was a very humid day and I was sweating profusely in my professional attire as I was running around a lot that day...

Regardless, I'll be sure to carry some deodorant on me in future.

When I told the recruiter it was a minor problem that could be easily fixed he replied "Are you sure? Can it be easily fixed? " and went on to mention some kind of surgical procedure... -.-

Just thought I'd share.

[Scorpion]

"Thast was literally the only reason."

Are you friggin' kidding me? That's full reason enough. I wouldn't hire anyone with BO either. Regardless of the weather, personal hygiene is your responsibility. I worked with one smelly co-worker back home and it was most unpleasant....You are also a very bad representative of the West if you're walking around Korea with BO. I have no sympathy for your situation whatsoever.

Were you raised on a farm?

[TheMeerkatLover]

Personal hygiene is an important issue when presenting yourself to the public. I've seen people come to interviews in wrinkled clothing/suits/shorts and pants with little to no regard to their appearance.

Some friendly advice, though it may come off as a little childish to many yet I have seen this happen many times.

1) PLEASE brush your teeth. If your teeth are covered in black stains, go to a dentist and get those removed. Bad teeth reflect on your ability to care about your health and hygiene (my last coworker had black teeth).

2) PRESS your clothing. Don't think no-wrinkles is good enough. Press your clothes and for God's sake don't do the 'smell test' after wearing them for a day or so. Make sure they just out of the dryer or the dry-cleaners.

3) Groom your hair accordingly. If you can't be bothered to make yourself look like you haven't just gotten out of bed, I can't really be bothered to take a chance on you.

4) TAKE A SHOWER! Don't think 'I don't need a shower because I didn't sweat last night' will do. Just take it like you always do in the morning and take that layer of sweat off you. That sweat in turn goes on your clothes. If you think it's OK to wear clothes for 2 days in a row w/o washing them (and still think they are clean/no smell), you need to think again.

5) Use deodorant. Some people I know don't because they are afraid of the chemicals. I tend to sit quite a few feet away from them.

6) Bad breath. Others are painful to talk with because their breath is actually quite strong in a negative way. You won't know it but others definitely will. People with very bad breath don't get a second chance because no one wants to hire the guy who would bring that into the office.

7) Wear clean socks (not worn the day before) and shoes. I've seen people go to interviews in sandals and their feet STUNK.

Have someone else look you over. If they think you're OK (they must be cleaner than you are), then you should be OK.

Body odour is a deal-breaker. I would not hire someone with BO because I don't like it and would prefer to hire someone who's presence didn't stink up the place or put me in a negative mood. It also reflects on your hygiene. From what I've read, the owner has a valid complaint (if true). Try to see if he's right before assuming the worst of him. I've seen enough cases of people who just were painful to be around that I no longer assume it's the local's fault.

The surgery he suggested is listed in the link below:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Body-odour/Pages/Treatment.aspx

[Hokie21]

Yup. Agree with what everyone has posted so far. Koreans tend to think that clean foreigners who shower daily smell weird let alone ones with stinky BO.

We had one teacher who never used deodorant...and I used to hate teaching in his classroom after him because it absolutely stank. Also had a co-worker who never took their wool clothes to the laundry so they always smelled like old onions.

Gross.

[Oreovictim]

Are you one of those "sweaty teachers"? We've all had one of those type of teachers back when we were in school. Congrats! It sounds like you probably have . . . hyperhidrosis.

If so, don't feel bad. It affects about 5% of the population or something. I have it, and it can be embarrassing, oh yeah. There's little things that you can do like dabbing your arm pits with apple cider vinegar before bed or leaving a baking soda/water mix on your pits for 20 mins. or so. These two methods don't work so well.

I just went ahead and did the whole botox under the arm pits method. It's great, and it lasts about 6 months. You're paying about $600 for the procedure, but for me it was worth it. (It might be more here in Korea - I had it done in China.)

[radish kimchi]

I am going to call fake on this one. Not the original poster, but the reason. I don't think it was a BO problem. There are plenty of smelly Asians and even more who smoke.

It's simply the way the teacher looked. Again, I am not blaming the original poster. Schools create a mental image of a person and when they meet you that difference is hard to ignore. Enthusiasm is another aspect, which, if you don't laugh or give facial expressions in sync with the employer then that disconnect ruins your chances of getting hired.

So, instead of them saying the teacher is wrong or not suited, they give a different reason which can be easily fixed. I have had plenty of complaints from schools from certain parents while getting praises from other parents who complain about other teachers. In the end, you can't please everyone. It's a matchmaking business. The recruiter is the one who heard about the complaint because they are the one matchmaking.

If I were the employer and saw a good teacher who really smelled, I would bring up subtle hints. I remember at my first school in Korea, one of my students took me to a bar and they gave out these travel kits of nail clippers to everyone that came in. Kinda odd for a bar. Another school gave foreign teachers a back scrubber for the shower. All teachers got them.

Yea, this was just a cover up because there was something else they couldn't justify to the recruiter. (They can have kimchi sitting out in a room stinking up the place but when a teacher comes in they complain about BO? I don't buy it.)

[denverdeath]

[SeoulNate]

I dunno, I have been in charge of hiring in the past and have turned away two different candidates for personal hygiene issues. It isn't all that surprising.

In the past here, I also worked with a guy that never took care of himself (or his clothes) and the kids would complain constantly.

[PRagic]

Was the OP eating a lot of meat and cheese? THAT does make a perceivable difference in BO to Koreans.

[The Cosmic Hum]

[bobibobbobbob]

Shit, they may not even hire you if you're black.
Or too fat.
Or for any other shallow reasons.

I worked at a hagwon once, and wore hairspray. And the supervisor told me that the smell was too strong when I was around.