Korean Job Discussion Forums

[oneofthesarahs]

So my contract's finishing up in another 2 months, and I plan on finding a new job in Korea starting in January. Obviously while looking for a job I want potential employers to see that I have already worked for a year in Korea, and see that in my favor. However, due to some recent drama at my school and me standing up for myself, I know that my current employer would spin the situation and give me a bad reference.

So what to do? Do schools really call up your past employers? I'm working with a recruiter who knows about my current situation and has done all he can to help out with it, if that makes a difference. Will his word override a previous employer's?

What's the dealio, people?

[Donkey Beer]

Yes, they will definitely call up your past employer. My former employer told me she received so many phone calls back when i was job hunting.

If there is a Korean you're cool with you can use their number as your reference rather than the school's.

If no Korean likes you it might be a problem.

[Atavistic]

I got fired from my first job and evicted from my last job (still never got fired or whatever, just stopped getting paid and stopped being housed, so I quit going).

Nobody has ever contacted my past employers. However, for my current public school job I had proof of a REAL teaching job in the States for three years. I also got the letter of rec from my taekwondo kwanjangnim's father. Kwanjangnim wrote the letter but signed his father's name because his father is on some local school board or something.

I honestly believe most hogwon owners know other hogwon owners are awful and thus will still hire you.

[oneofthesarahs]

[yingwenlaoshi]

So the *beep* finally hit the fan there? I knew from your previous posting about the roommate thing that things weren't all hunky dory.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just don't use them as a reference and look for a higher salary anyway. Or just tell them you had a falling out and explain yourself. Sell yourself. You'd probably be surprised. Just tell them that you want to work for a good place and that whatever place you're applying to seems quite impressive, etc.

Once you have the job, you don't have to worry. Just don't apply in the same area and you'll be fine.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Go ahead and ask for the certification that you worked at the school. The only information it has is that you worked from 'date' to 'date'. They are really more a certificate of employment rather than a letter of recommendation.

In your resume, list names and phone numbers for potential employers to call. Just skip putting that school's number down. (It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway : put down the names of the oldest, highest ranking people you possibly can.

[The Bobster]

[tob55]

[ED209]

Get a Korean friend to ring up and pretend to be a prospective employer. It'll be fun you can prepare a back story for them and create a fictional Hagwon name like 'Cowboy English School'

or give your friends number as your previous employer let them give you a shinning reference(if you're that desperate)

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Left my first employer on the worst of terms, and I just told perspective employers my story, why I was so dissapointed with my first job, and why I wanted a better one. I still got a number of good offers. I used two of my previous co-workers (one English and one Korean) as references and it worked out fine.

[pest2]

I had to hire 2 people at my last job (hakwon). My boss wanted someone with Korea experience. He told not to bother to call references because they ALWAYS trash you, even if you were a good employee. He told me to find another way to verify the person had Korea experience -- that consisted of using a book with all the hakwons in Korea and accompanying phone numbers to see if the referees' numbers were correct as listed on the resume. Then, if the applicant had completed the contract, that was good enough... But I did call applicants' referees in thier home countries.

[fusionbarnone]

[Fresh Prince]

Another thing that might help is to get a letter before you leave, printed on the school's stationery including the school's stamp, that says that you completed the contract in full and received your bonus.

[The Bobster]