By If I’m going to make the public school orientation deadline, things will have to come through this week, and my confidence level is in full neutral. It comes, it comes. It doesn’t, it doesn’t…
We’ve been held up by a hakwon that still owes me $1,500-$2,000. He is required by law to send a proof of prior employment form to the new employer – but when did the law matter much in the ESL industry in Korea? He withheld the form because of a couple of posts I made about his school long ago that he was able to connect to me. I really don’t mind it. It is bad he can still needle me on my future, but I’m glad he has had trouble the past ten years getting some instructors to work for him due to what I wrote. He deserved it. If not getting the proof is the price I have to pay, so be it…
A more irksome fact is — I told my recruiter to tell the public school board that I’d sign a lower contract, no problem, if they’d just send me one. I cared more about the timing than 1 or 2 hundred thousand difference in pay.
But, they didn’t send a new contract until last Thursday. I got it in to DHL Friday, costing another $60, and it arrived today (Monday Korea time). We’ll see how fast the public school gets the Visa number and forms to me. I know from going to the Atlanta consulate to get my wife’s passport renewed that they will process a E-2 within 24 hours – as I saw a group of future TESOLers getting theirs.
So, we’ll see…
If this 2nd round of job hunting pays out as it is supposed to – I’ll be in Korea next week…
As I said, I’m neutral on it with a wait and see attitude…
At minimum, come this time next week, I won’t be in a holding pattern: I’ll either be in Korea or about the leave – or – I’ll be seriously looking for other jobs.
My wife has decided to wait to visit her mother during Chusok next month, and that will be a good time for them.
The only issue I have at the moment with this is that the price of the ticket is going to be significantly higher due to the delay in getting the visa, but I’m not going to buy a non-refundable ticket until I have the visa number…
10:25 pm on August 17th, 2009 1
I do say, sir, your saga of employment-seeking has been compelling drama of the highest order.
Yet it does not go without notice that you seem to have chased your tail more often than not and certainly it has been chased much more than required.
I am finding it increasingly difficult to observe this preventable slow-motion wreck of an employment train in complete silence as concern for my fellow professional compels me to to point out some simple observations followed by constructive criticisms and possible advice. Perhaps this will allow you to rethink your strategy for success in this endeavor.
You have exhibited past distrust of brokers yet you have obtained the services of one rather than exerting the minimum effort required to contact hiring institutions directly. This method is certainly easier but probably not the most productive when wishing to stand out within a pool of equally qualified applicants.
Of course the best way to gain quality employment is to be suggested by those within your social network or recommended by those familiar with you and your accomplishments. Professionally presenting yourself and making a good first impression while demonstrating initiative and ability rates a distant second. Directly contacting employers comes in third place yet still shows some interest and motivation for those incapable of presenting themselves in person. Obtaining the services of a broker arrives at last place as it is known to be a catch-all for any warm body wishing to teach English in Korea while adding another level of expense and unsurity to the endeavor of hiring. Unsurity is not a word but it should be.
Most assuredly, a qualified candidate who presents themselves in person has the advantage over the one who is presented by a broker. This may be especially true for university and public school jobs in which the competition from instructors residing within Korea and available for interview is rather high.
A personal interview may also mitigate focus upon problems with past employers which certainly stand out to any competent human resources employee and may often be the deciding factor between you and an equally qualified applicant.
In previous postings you insisted on conducting your job search from the United States for the purpose of saving airfare. You are now willing to sign a lower contract for 1.2 to 2.4 million won less per year, partly due to the delay brought on by conducting your job search distantly through multiple layers of brokers and time zone-offset emails. I dare say this financial acumen is reminiscent of those who frequent pawn shops and payday loan establishments.
I do hope you gain the employment you are seeking and I eagerly await your next breath-taking installment.
Cheers and Good Luck.
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12:57 am on August 18th, 2009 2
Not true – on two accounts: 1. The public school boards that hire only do so through recruiters. You can’t deal with them directly. 2. My first effort a couple of months ago was to email and send resumes to the HQs of the 3 or 4 big hakwon chains that have adults-only classes.
And in watching the job board at the TESOLer site, very few direct hire jobs are posted each week. The vast majority of the hiring is done through recruiters in the hakwon industry too.
On recruiters – the only one I’ve used beyond initial contact this time is the one I had to for the public school job. But, my past experience in Korea did not lead me to conclude they should be avoided at all costs. They did prove beneficial if at times taxing.
If you can’t handle taxing, then you shouldn’t get into the ESL market in Korea to begin with…
Doing so outside of the country is even more so…
Throw in the fact that hakwons often don’t begin recruiting until the last minute, and the idea of sending out a lot of emails contacting them directly or waiting around for a want ad for a direct hire to come up on one of the Korea TESOL sites becomes even less attractive…
True – but it is still how the majority of TESOL jobs are given and obtained in Korea. I don’t make the rules or the system. I just have to live with it…
On the last point, I’m not sure how you calculated your figures.
The signing of a lower contract I’ve mentioned before, if I remember correctly, was solely connected to the public school hiring board’s stipulation on what form of proof of previous teaching employment it would accept and one of my old boss’ refusal to give it.
That would have been the same in country or out, and it would be a matter of refusing the public school job or not. Next, the lower pay scale I have had to sign for the public school job is still the same or slightly higher than what I see a typical hakwon offering these days.
The only other pay and benefits items I can remember writing about here concerned weighing the public school vs university job offers I had.
The only realistic way I could see putting your suggestions into action would be —- if I went over to Korea with my wife and had her put in the F series spousal visa for me and then going door to door looking for work. The F series people seem to be much more in demand and get much higher pay which would make the initial investment in getting to Korea and job hunting in country worthwhile.
But, my wife would balk at the idea of going to Korea without a job lined up to begin with. With her father having passed away, it would not be a good time to press her to go through the process. And I’m not sure what immigration would say in the first place since she and I both do not have a job in Korea:
From what little looking around I’ve done on the F series visa, it seems means of support is a key item, just like it is here in the US. I don’t know if we could get the F series visa without one of us working in Korea already.
I know we couldn’t get my wife’s immigrant visa to the US even after we were married without using my sister as a sponsor, and according to the Korean Consulate in Atlanta, you can’t sponsor an F series visa like that in Korea. It has to be through the wife or husband.
So, though I might be able to accept your comment as a good-natured piece of advice, as I weigh your evidence and mine, I’m satisfied with how I’ve approached it.
I certainly don’t think it is a clear cut issue of my having chased my tail.
This is the ESL system in Korea we’re talking about.
If TESOLers are to be judged by the efficiency with which they land a job or resolve an issue, the whole country must be filled with losers…per that criteria.
Hopping on a plane with a ticket you bought and heading to Korea where you’ll have to put up more money for living arrangements while you look for an easy but high quality job — is not a clear no-brainer choice to pick.
It also seems that your objection to how I’ve gone about this is based significantly on the amount of “trouble” it has brought – the wear and tear it has produced.
As I noted in the comments section of another thread, I don’t consider thinking these things through as too much of a bother. Certainly not enough of a bother to warrant paying my own way to Korea and paying for day-to-day expenses in Seoul to personally go door to door looking for work just because there are headaches involved in having to go through recruiters and trying to land a job from overseas…
And I want to emphasize this point again:
If the amount of hassle in obtaining a job in Korea from abroad is too much a bother to a person, they really should stay out of the ESL market in Korea altogether, because this level of hassle is easily beaten in most TESOL jobs you’ll find in the market in Korea.
Your comment boils down to “Why are you going about it so much the wrong way!! There is a much easier, tried and true way to go about this that should have been readily visible to you or anybody. I can’t believe you’re dumb enough to do it as you have…”
I think the evidence for that is lacking…
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11:08 pm on August 19th, 2009 3
FYI on the F-visa thing. I have one and you are correcet about it having to be sponsored by your wife. Your wife does not have to have a job but she will need proof of about 30,000,000Won in her bank account to show she can support you. My wife doesn’t work…I do….but that didn’t matter. She had to have the money in the account.
As far as F series folk making more money…mmmmmm not really. The jobs pay the same for E2 and F2. However, schools do like to see the F for it saves them loads of documents and red-tape with immigration. In addition, you can do all the sidework you want, legally.
My friend worked for the SMOE and he got the job directly through them, not a broker. He was here in country so that might have something to do with it.
As always…best of luck. Still think the Uni gig would have been better in the long run but to each their own:)
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August 20th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Thanks. We couldn’t swing the 30,000,000.
The university job was going to be hard because my MA diploma wasn’t going to come for a couple more weeks. I also got some fairly consistent negative reports about it from a couple of sources and had read some stuff in the Korean press. The fact they were hiring a lot of people for a new program was also a factor. And the almost complete lack of contact after offering the position. It didn’t feel right.
Now, I’m back to square one.
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