Korean Job Discussion Forums

austinfd · Joined: 14 May 2006

Anyone else new and going with Footprints?

Have you, like me, not received housing info yet? Ben says he doesn't have the details yet..but I know some other SMOE teachers have thier info...

Maybe we all need to lay the pressure on.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

austinfd · Joined: 14 May 2006

Oh, I have it all..visa, school, contract, etc....everything except the housing info...

I arrive on the 24th!

I've gotten somewhat used to last minute stuff already, but I know other SMOE teachers have their housing info...

Ultimately it doesn't REALLY matter. I know they have a place for me. I would just like to be able to give my friends and family an address before I go. I'd sort of like to know now what kind of commute I will have. I'd like to know what area I'm living in, so I can start to dream about what there is to do there....

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

Don't expect your apartment until after orientation week, around August 31st. You may get your address while there, but you will be in Suwon until the 31st.

Ben Glickman · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Canada

I wanted to let anyone that is applying for a job with the S.M.O.E. in February, 2007 know that if you apply with both Footprints and the other recruiter that has been commissioned to supply teachers to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education this spring, and the S.M.O.E. receives your application from both of us, your application will be rejected by the S.M.O.E. This February the S.M.O.E. is offering 4 weeks paid vacation instead of the two they offered last fall. Positions are filling very quickly.

ddeubel · Joined: 20 Jul 2005

austinfd · Joined: 14 May 2006

ddeubel · Joined: 20 Jul 2005

Ben Glickman · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Canada

A couple of things. First - about the vacation time - new teachers arriving at the end of February 07, to start work in March receive 21 working days vacation, plus weekends and national holidays. Vacation can be taken by teachers when school is not in session, with notice given to your supervisor. Unfortunately teachers that signed contracts in August 06 or earlier receive the amount of vacation stipulated in your contract, during the time period covered in your contract - so the new vacation time does not apply to you for the upcoming semester, unfortunately.

With regards to the rejection of candidates received from multiple sources - it is true. Basically the S.M.O.E. doesn't want the hassle of figuring out which company should get credit for presenting an applicant, so they decided to reject all candidates that they receive from multiple sources. Because they offer popular positions the S.M.O.E. can afford to do this, even if they lose a few applicants in this manner they never have a problem filling their positions.

With regards to the placements, this is the first time the S.M.O.E. has hired teacher for spring semester. Part of this is because Seocho-gu got tired of recruiting teachers on their own and turned over responsibility to the S.M.O.E. Thus there are 30 middle school positions in Seocho-Gu, Gangnam, 10 positions in Kuro and 10 to 12 are in locations yet to be decided.

There are currently three companies working on this project. Currently there are 60 to 62 positions available total. Footprints currently has 35 positions allocated. Korea Connections has 15 and a third company has been given 5 to fill. The remaining 5 to 7 spots are up for grabs, so to speak. If the third company doesn't come through those spots will most likely be allocated to Footprints as well.

They will likely be hiring even more teachers in August, provided they get the budget from City Hall, which seems likely at this point.

lover.asian · Joined: 30 Jan 2006

Ben Glickman · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Canada

I'm actually an American recruiter living in Canada, not a Korean one - but I understand what you mean. The ETIS website (English Teachers in Seoul) - hasn't been updated yet - http://etis.sen.go.kr, but feel free to contact them to verify what I have said.

lover.asian · Joined: 30 Jan 2006

Ben Glickman · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Canada

austinfd · Joined: 14 May 2006

Wow - really....

The vacation thing saddens me. It sounds like they just disclosed the two weeks that they give in the summer as actual two weeks - which aren't really mentioned in the contract - but according to people in their second year, it does happen. At any rate....maybe they'll come around and beef up the vacation for the next round! That'd be pretty sweet..

As far as the recruiter thing...I can back Ben up on this. Bt I can't provide anything to prove you. I DID see a statement on the SMOE website, http://etis.sen.go.kr/content/3-wheretosend.html that warned about the wrath to be felt, should they receive two applications from one candidate. Today, the website doesn't say it. Maybe they will change it, maybe they won't. Maybe the policy changed, but last year, it read that I should just stick with one recruiter and not try to up my chances by double dipping.

For what its worth, I can't imaging ever needing to apply twice to any school system. It's not like applying to a huge corporation that may have several different hiring managers, working all over the country, and hiring for different openings.

In a school, you either make it or you don't. If you have the qualifications, then there isn't anything to worry about. If you aren't qualified, then there isn't anything a different recruiter can do for you.

COME ON SMOE! MORE VACATION!