Korean Job Discussion Forums

[re:cursive]

Hello,

This is my first post to this forum. I've done a bit of looking around at it seems like there is a fairly large amount of knowledge on the forum. I'm hoping to tap into a bit and contribute when I can of course.

I'm an Aussie whose been eager to travel to South Korea for a few months now. I've been going through an agent based here in Australia (The Gwanju Agency http://www.gwanju.com/ )who I have a sneaking suspicion has been giving me the runaround. They initially stated it would take a maximum of 3 weeks to secure a job but it is getting on 2 months now and the closest I've come to getting a job has been a 1 minute phone conversation with a school which went nowhere.

I'm going to start pursuing other avenues to get over there but I'd like to get a few of the excuses I've been hearing from my agent cleared up.

1. They told me that it is virtually impossible to get a job in Seoul (where I want to go) unless you have 2 years experience teaching in Korea.

2. They told me that no schools in either Seoul or Ilsan want teachers unless they are North American.

Is there any truth in this? I really want to get over there ASAP and ideally in Seoul. Is it possible for a first time Aussie to do this at the moment?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[coulter]

My advice would be to apply with a lot of different recruiters and hold out until you get the job you want. Your recruiter doesn't have a job in Seoul for you but another one will. I think I filled out applications with 6 different agencies to land my first job. They will all tell you different things and some will offer you stupid jobs that you don't want, but you can get a job in Seoul your first time. As for being Austrailian, it is true that some schools prefer a North American accent (I'm Canadain so it was never an issue) but there are a lot of non-North Americans teaching in Seoul.

[ilovebdt]

[re:cursive]

Thanks for the quick replies.

I suspected the agent was speaking out of the wrong orifice but just wanted to make sure. I feel a lot better now about holding out for a job in Seoul.
I guess I will just keeping sending applications to agencies until it happens. Hopefully it won't take too long (I'm itching to get over there).

[diablo3]

Stay away from them. They prowl on the innocent/ignorant/etc like most agencies.
Use other avenues.
Learn something about ESL in Korea from forums like this one.
Just remember, it is no bed of roses in many cases.

Anyway, how dd you find them?

[Grotto]

Rule #1 recruiters are liars
Rule #2 did I mentioni all recruiters are liars?

[crazykiwi]

[re:cursive]

So I've taken your recommendations and filled out an application with http://www.teachkoreanz.com. I'm starting to look for more agencies to use as well. Any other suggestions for good agencies? (I'm going to look through previous posts for them but any time saved is always a blessing )

[Banana Bender]

Try " Koreana Teachers Club " they are helpful.

Just remember to say " no thank you " to all the offers the recruiters contact you about that don't match your preferences.

BB

[Binch Lover]

[plato's republic]

Koreana Teacher's Club are not helpful! I applied through them early last year and never even got a reply, I wouldn't quite call that as being 'helpful' or 'professional'.

[Dan The Chainsawman]

Having just spent the night in the not so comfortable care of a recruiter as he shuffled me to two different interviews I have some unique insights for you.

Recruiters for the most part are like Dixie Cups. Use them once then throw them away! Funny how many Dixie Cups you can go through in one day. (This by the way does not include the active practice of littering. This is a metaphor for using the little leeches for all they are worth, then dispensing with them like they are a piece of used toilet paper.)

As I am currently in the process of finalizing my new contract with a new school down in the Ansan area I used three resources. Englishspectrum, eslcafe job board, and recruiters all to the fullest limits that I possibly could. Being in Seoul I had a definite advantage as I was able to go to the school and see it in person. After 5 interviews I have received 4 offers, and one interview ended with me being hustled out of the office no sooner than I entered.

Apparently the boss man was annoyed that I could not partake in what he passed off as English. Being the broadcaster of a soft Southern accent that I am, I have heard some fairly atrocious examples of spoken English during my time living in the great state of Alabama. What he spoke was quite possibly a mix of Swahilli and masterbatory gruntings from a chimpanzee. Back to the point of course!

One thing the recruiter told me as he shuffled me about from point a to point b is that their is a lack of teachers at this particular point. This of course was at the same moment he was searching for the door of the building to a school he claimed to had investigated thoroughly. As we ambled around the building like little lost sheep he also confessed that he liked to drink alot. Between the discovery of the front door, and his offer to take me to a 24 hours sauna he did point out that he was careful to investigate the finacial condition of the school he placed his "Teachers" with.

All this rambling comes down to the basic premise of that I am bored, and need to go down to the pub for a beer. Also I want to include that there are perfectly good resources avaliable that do not require recruiters. I know we all love the little bottom scrapers, but try English Spectrum, and even the Dave's Esl Resume Board for toots and giggles. Me thinks you may either get a good computer virus or at least one or two offers to work as a cyber pimp for Wonderland schools. Either way it could not hurt your chances in the slightest.

[joelseymour]

...

[Homer]

Contrary to the opinions expressed in here there are some good recruiters out there and using one has definite advantages for a newbie.

This being said, for every good recruiter their seems to be about 4 bad or shady recruitment agencies focused only on the placement fee they get.

There are several pros and cons of either using a recruiter or of looking for work yourself as a newbie.

1- Recruiter option

If you use a good recruiter they will:

Sift through job offers that match your preferences and thereby save you from that sometimes overwhelming task.

Be able to give you information on Korea and on the location where you will work.

Arrange the visa and other travel arrangements.

Be a source of information and support once in Korea (there are recruiters who do this).

All this being said, be wary of fly-by-night recruiters...there are hints and clues that indicate if a recruiter is shady operator or not.

2- Do it yourself option

a) From your home country.

This means looking through jobs on websites, contacting each employer and negociating your job with them. More work but possibly a better job if you know what the heck you are doing and informed yourself about Korea and the teaching market here.

b) From Korea by going there on your own coin.

This means you can see schools first hand. It also costs more for you as you have to shell out for airfare and accomodations while you look for work. Again this has a huge upside if you know what the heck you are doing and prepared prior to arrival with some research

[mysteriousdeltarays]

The "recruters" are all scum.