Korean Job Discussion Forums

Pateach · Joined: 11 May 2006

If I am taking phone interviews, how late can I reasonably be expected to take calls? (One recruiter called me at 11:30pm. Sorry, if no one's dead, I don't talk to people at 11:30pm on a schoolnight!) Maybe I'm just being uptight and using American standards, but.....

poet13 · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 3:40 pm Post subject:

How badly do you want a new job?

canuck in Ansan · Joined: 27 Jul 2005

I had my recruiter calling me anywhere from 11pm-1am. Before midnight was fine, because I was up anyway, but anytime after that she usually caught me sleeping. And it was funny, since everytime she called, she'd ask what time it was, and everytime she'd be really surprised that it was so late... (If it was late last time you called me, its also late this time!!)

I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong. I wanted the job.

Homer · Guest

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

They're pretty clueless about time zones, and a lot of hogwans only become operational around 2pm Korean time when it's getting late in North America. I'd cut them some slack on this one, as going to bed late two or three times is a lot better than missing out on a good opportunity for a year.

denverdeath · Joined: 21 May 2005 Location: Boo-sahn

I think I got a call at either 2am or 3am from my first hakwon. I think they may sometimes look at the time in Vancouver or sth(maybe they don't look at all?). Problem is, I was on the other coast. Oh well. Actually, they don't really operate on the 9-to-9 or 10-to-10 system that is common in North America anyway. I've had a few wrong number calls from drunk punks looking for their g/f at 3 and/or 4 in the morning a few times while here. You can always unplug your phone if you think it's really rude, but you might miss a job offer if you do so.

steroidmaximus · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: GangWon-Do

Col.Brandon · Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Location: Seoul

Get his number and tell him you need to check on something and get back to him. Then call him back at 4 or 5am his time. He'll be too dumb to to get the irony, but it'll make you feel better Smile

SPINOZA · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul

You should take a call when they call you, like it or lump it. There are many considerations when hiring, and I suspect that candidates' beauty sleep is rather near the bottom in terms of prioritization.

Let's say Mr Park has 5 interviewees he wants to consider. One's in NYC, one's in Vancouver, one's in London, one's in LA, and one's in Auckland. It's 4pm in Seoul, 2am in NYC, 12am in LA and Vancouver, 8am in England and 7pm in New Zealand.

Mr Park's a busy guy, he's under some pressure to recruit a suitably-qualified foreign teacher ASAP. He has a schedule and needs to make these calls at 4pm approx.

Wangja · Joined: 17 May 2004 Location: Seoul, Yongsan

'Tis the buyer who dictates the seller's waking hours.

SOOHWA101 · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 6:27 pm Post subject:

steroidmaximus · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: GangWon-Do

Let's see if I can use Wangja's analogy to support my position:

In this case, the English teacher has the final say which school s/he chooses. Since there are so many jobs, the Hogwon is the seller of a position, of an adventure / work package for a year. The teacher gets to decide which one to buy from.

Hogwons all offer the same basic package. How they may treat you when you arrive will be one of the main deciding points. A potential employer who makes the effort to call you at an appropriate time speaks volumes about your value to them. It's a small thing, but small things can make the difference in what distinguishes a good job from a bad job.

I hear what some of you are saying about busy schedules etc, but if all other things are equal and you got 8 calls, three of them at 2:00am, 3 at 12:00 am, 1 at 9:00 am and 1 at 8:00 pm, which ones would you lean towards more? Which ones would you seem more partial too? The ones that called at more appropriate times, obviously.

plattwaz · Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Location: <Write something dumb here>

The couple of times I have applied for jobs from abroad I always included a little line in my email/application that said "I can be reached at (telephone number) between (insert times), Korean Standard Time."

I try to give a large enough window for them to call, so that it's not just within one hour. The time might depend on how good their job looks on paper -- the better the job, the more inconvenienced I am willing to be.

Pretty much anywhere in the world you are living, there is at least a one hour window where both parties are only slightly inconvenienced.

Aussiekimchi · Joined: 21 Apr 2006 Location: SYDNEY

It takes about 30 secs to work out the timezone of a potential teacher.

ajgeddes · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Location: Yongsan

Holy $hit, suck it up. You can't stay up for one night to answer the phone. Take a nap from 5-7 and then buy yourself a box of tissues and go cry about it in the bathroom. Ever notice that people in Korea all stay up really late? Maybe they don't realize that all these people are a bunch of babies and have to be in bed by 9PM or they will be cranky in the morning.