Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaq]

I am an Asian-Canadian looking for English teaching positions in Korea. I have spoken to a few recruiters and I've been told Korean directors prefer not to hire Asian-Canadians. I did not think this would be an issue since I knew of some Asians who have gotten employment in Korea.

It seems there is preference to hire caucasians or English speaking Koreans.

Has anyone who is Asian successfully found work teaching English in Korea? More specifically in a big city like Seoul?

I would appreciate any insight and information anyone might have

[ohfamous]

I'm Korean-American and it was hard for me. Based on what I've seen and experienced, here's my personal ranking system for Korean preferences in general:

1. White Female
2. White Male
3. Korean Female
4. Korean Male
5. All Other Ethnicities Female
6. All Other Ethnicities Male

However, I do know of a Chinese-Canadians who worked at my old school. Also, I've heard (and believe) that blacks face the harshest discrimination, but I have not seen or heard about it personally. I'm sure it's true though. Education can really help if you graduated from Harvard or something, or if you have an MATESOL, etc.

[chaq]

Thx ohfamous for the info.

What did U do to overcome this barrier? Did U get a MATESOL? Apply in person? Have U any insight on attitudes/preferences from large cities to smaller cities?

[ohfamous]

whoops, forgot to check this thread. well, to answer your question chaq, i just kept doing what most of us do: apply to ads on dave's. applying in person didn't really work for me, although i'll admit i wasn't gung-ho about that approach from the beginning. i eventually got a job from replying to a job posting. there must be better ways, but i haven't found them.

as for insight on what large and small cities are looking for, i've heard accounts going both ways of which prefer gyopos/americans/etc. so i'm not sure. while i was in the states i was offered a job at a public high school in a village in the boonies. and, now in seoul, i'm well-employed. so maybe gyopos are aiight everywhere? however, there may have been any number of factors that played into these employment opportunities, aside from the fact that i'm a gyopo.

[logan2003]

hmmm I am African American...and i have not faced those issues.
I guess I am just lucky? Also my wife is Indian American (not native American), yet it took us 2 weeks to narrow down a job we wanted.

I am sure it is difficult.....just have not faced it personally. I have seen about 2 other African American women do well here, as well as well, a dozen or so non-white ESL teachers as well (legal E-2 holders).

[milesmik]

well i am a korean american and i have had no problems getting a job. I think the main problem with most gyopos is that they do not know where to look. First, come to korea. This is very important. Once here, it really shouldn't be all that difficult, expecially if you are in seoul and if you have some family.

Places that hire gyopos
- CDI
- Pagoda
- Direct English
- Poly English School
- LK English School

Most of the places above actually prefer gyopos. However, they will not hire you unless you are available for an interview in Korea. If you are relatively well-spoken, neat, and have a BA from a recognized university, it will be a cinch. Also, once here, you can teach privates and make tons of dough(legally once you get a f-4 visa). There are literally thousands of gyopos here doing the above so don't sweat it.

[Alyallen]

I'm Black.

I think that I didn't really have that many issues in comparison to anyone else teaching here. You get made fun of by students (but who doesn't) and I guess it is harder to get a job if you are not white. My first job turned out to be crap but I like to think my termination wasn't due to any racial problems. I got a second job within a month of losing the first one. But I'm just rambling.

I think you just gotta put your name out there and wait for a good job to show up. Let's face it, some bosses are more reluctant to hire certain people than others....it's just a matter of making a good impression either from here or from aboard and keep it going from there.

Good luck,
Alyson

[ohfamous]

ok, you guys all shot me down in 3 posts . so maybe it's easy for ANYONE to get a job in korea! well, my post about rankings came from the general consensus from the boards (as i've seen them), the actual job postings themselves (many asking for NA female), and my own personal experience.

glad to hear that you guys didn't have a hard time. maybe korea is not as racist as i thought? come on down, chaq!

one addendum:
the schools that milesmik posted are some of the ONLY schools that hire gyopos. there are countless others that don't.

[chaq]

Thx everyone for your insights and responses.

It has been tough for me. I posted my resume here on Dave's ESL and got responses, but as soon as they found out I was Asian, I didn't hear from them again.

Perhaps, I will take milesmik's advice and apply in person. A friend of mine suggested I record a video introducing myself.

I wonder if there is perhaps discrimination against other Asian races. From this thread and other sources, I have yet to hear many successes from Chinese-Canadians, Japanese-Canadians and such.

ohfamous: At your old school, U said a Chinese-Canadian worked there, do U know how they found employment?

[teachingld2004]

"English Friends" will hire you. I KNOW plenty of negative talk has been on here about them, but it all depends on the school. They are a chain.

[milesmik]

actually, in relative terms, i don't think ohfamous was off with his rankings. Being caucasian does give you a leg up in the korean esl world. But that doesn't mean it is difficult for a gyopo to get a job.

Chaq, don't get discouraged with the lack of job offers. Like I said, it is MUCH easier to land a job if you are in Korea. Along with the hagwons I mentioned previously, there are also jobs available in SAT hagwons and many gyopos i know make a killing doing privates.

I know taking the chance of coming half way across the world without a job in hand sounds like a intimidating and risky proposition, but if you're really set on this experience it is worthwhile. Save some money, do some research, and take a chance. I hate cliches but life is short man.

[ohfamous]

i agree with milesmik. it's probably easier to come here and be able to interview for a job, but it does take some risk. caveat: chaq is not a gyopo, thus will probably not have as easy a time getting privates as gyopos (it will be illegal as well, not that anyone cares).

chaq, i used to work for direct english. they're known to hire gyopos as bilingual teachers for the most part, but one of my co-workers there was a chinese-canadian. dunno how he got the job, but i'd assume just like most people who were working there: replying to the ad online.

[chaq]

It's been awhile since I've posted.

At the moment, I'm still in Canada, kinda broke and have been exploring opportunities in Japan as well (with better success). However, I'm still keeping my hopes up for Korea.

Anyhow, I've heard of another school called Moon Kang that hires non-white teachers, does anyone know of their contact details?

[VanIslander]

[yomuthabyotch]