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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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UnJef
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 9:00 am Post subject: trying to find a job on the web |
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Hi all...
I'm hoping to move to Seoul in late-October/early-November, and am hoping to find a decent job before I leave so I won't have to deal with airfare and having a place to stay when I arrive. Unfortunately, I'm having some real trouble getting responses to my applications/emails. Out of approximately 20 resumes I've submitted, I've gotten only about 3 or 4 responses. Is this typical? Is there a better way to go about this (telephone, perhaps?)?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
See you soon,
~Jef |
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chronicpride
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 11:20 am Post subject: |
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I don't normally care to draw attention to my previous posts, but I once answered a similar question with the following:
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When a school or recruiter puts an ad on ESLCafe, they get inundated with emails. I put a few ads before and I got hit with 150 resumes within 48 hours and I only needed 8 teachers. Some recruiters need less, some more.
Not known for their email management prowess and customer service savvy to begin with, they would likely then skim through the resumes and pictures and sort their response pecking order by:
1. Who's in Korea now that can start ASAP and is a North American female under 35.
2. Who's in Korea now that can start ASAP and is a North American male under 35.
3. Who's in Korea now that can start ASAP and is a non-North American female under 35.
4. Who's in Korea now that can start ASAP and is a non-North American male under 35.
5. Who's in North America that can start ASAP, and is under 35.
6. Who's in North America that can start ASAP, and is over 35, but look younger in their picture.
From there, depending on other factors that may differ with each recruiter, you can lump everybody else, regardless of experience and education, into the pecking order after they get through the first 6.
In other words, if you fall within the first 6, keep trying. Email them repeatedly, like daily. Shouldn't take long. But then once you get feedback, expect the lousy customer service and accountability to show through, when they offer you jobs contrary to your specifications.
If you fall outside of the first 6, as above, keep after them daily, and don't get discouraged if it takes you a month or more to get close to something that you like.
I know teachers that are qualified, but 50 yrs old in North America and they have been hunting hard for 4 or 5 months.
And if a recruiter only needed 10 teachers, they'll have who they need within the first day or so of the ad. That's why there is not much email follow-up.
Best advice is to fly yourself over and hunt in person, if you can. Other than that, myself and 3 other friends are in development of our own online recruiting business that (hopefully, if the web designer delivers on all of his promises) will try to alleviate some of the angst that teachers have with recruiters. We'll be using Daegu as our test market within the next few months, before we go into other areas.
Hope I didn't sound too cynical with take on the industry, but this is my vantage point from recruiting myself and dealing with other recruiters and directors. |
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BTM
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Back in the saddle.
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| Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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Things are slow at the moment (for some sectors of the EFL in Korea market at least). Be patient. Read the forum archives as well as the threads linked from waferbaby's FAQ - there are heaps of useful tips buried there.
Oh, and with all due respect to chronicpride and his useful advice (for the hagwon market at least), 'ware recruiters. |
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just because
Joined: 01 Aug 2003
Location: Changwon - 4964
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| Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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Chronicpride,
I know North Americans are preferred but I think it is based more on age than where you come from. I know they want us other country types to pull off bad american accents(which is a strange skill I have acquired) which I know most have no problems doing.
I am finding that outside of Seoul they are having trouble getting any teachers. My hagwon took 2 months to find someone(he is a bit fussy) but the last 3 to come in have been Austalian and New Zealander. he told me(his English is great) that hagwon owners are starting to have a prefence for people outside of the North America because he says they are easier to deal with than(I quote) those arrogant people from America. He said that is the general feeling of hagwon owners all of the city. These are not my feelings remember.
So to the original OP, how about outside of Seoul. Seouyl isn't all that, it is good to visit but to live give me a small city in the countryside any day of the week.
To all concerned...I like North Americans, it happens to be that about 75%of my friends here hail from that continent, so be happy  |
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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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I'm in seoul now and I've had problems. The fact that my old director is demanding some compensation in exchange for a release letter hasn't helped- but even still, the response to my initial ads has been slow to say the least.
With time and persistence you should be able to land something. however you can't afford to be too fussy these days. i truly believe the korean glory days are over, at least for a while.
as i said in a different post, hakwons are closing everywhere, or at least cutting back. The economy is low, worse than the meltdown a few years back, some koreans have told me.
At this stage of the game, if you land a 1.9, but without a return airfare, you're probably doing well. |
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