Korean Job Discussion Forums

Jellybean · Joined: 17 Jan 2006

Hi,

I'm not just a newbie, I'm a newbie newbie so be kind.

Firstly, anybody know how good the following two recruitment agencies are? - Flying Cows and JC Recruitment.

Also I'm interested in teaching in a city that is not too huge; no bigger than around 200,000 so can anybody recommend a good school in any city that I could contact regarding employment?

Do you think it's best to go through a recruitment agency or do the leg-work myself?

Thanks heaps
JB Very Happy

joelseymour · Joined: 18 Apr 2005

peppermint · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 6:23 pm Post subject:

Go through a recruiting agency or several if you want, just remember that it's the school's rep that's important- not the recruiter.

As for wanting to teach in a smallish city- the 10% rule applies. A city in Korea feels about 10% of the size that one with the same population would in the west. I live in a city of about 100,000 and there isn't a movie theatre, western style coffeeshop, or chain grocery store here.

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

Or focus on smaller cities that offer some special feature -- nice beaches, easy major park access, hotsprings, etc. If its some kind of Korean tourism magnet it will have a bit more going on.

Small towns can be charming, but be aware that a good many of them are just bus stops on the way to somewhere more interesting & can feel quite isolating.

TOGirl · Joined: 16 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

I used JC Recruitement for my first contract.

John is nice but he set me up at a school and told me the schedule would be one thing and it turned out to be crappy split-shifts (perhaps my own oversight for not having made the contract more specific).

One thing that made me really angry though was that he had told me my school had a good reputation and was decent but then he called on the day I was flying out and said yeah the school is ok but its not the best. I didn't really know what to think about that.

And when I got there and my apartment wasn't fit to live in I e-mailed him for help with the school and he never replied.

I would just be wary of using him.

All recruiters can be shady just make sure you do your research and ask lots of questions.

And peppermint is absolutely right about the city size ratio. Be careful about going somewhere that doesn't have any ameneties and few foreigners. From experience I enjoy Korean culture but sometimes you need to hang out with just foreigners.

Jellybean · Joined: 17 Jan 2006

Just want to thank everyone for your insights and advice.

Much appreciated.

JB