These ones from Dain:
"I've been teaching in Korea for 2 years at hagwons but now I'm looking to get a university job for March. I know that its difficult to get one, especially since I don't have a masters degree and I don't have any friends who work at a university. I am currently working on an online TEFL certificate and I do have an F4 visa. I was wondering if there is anything else I could do to make me a more competitive candidate for a university job? I also was wondering what is the best job board to find posted university jobs. I know of worknplay and eslcafe, but I haven't seen a lot of uni jobs posted there."
Let me address your questions in a few parts:
1. If you don't have a Masters Degree, it is very difficult to get a uni job in Korea. Not impossible, just very difficult. If you want to make yourself more competitive, don't waste your time with on online TEFL certificate, which isn't worth the paper it's printed on, but get a Masters degree in a TESL/Education related field, or do the Celta Course.
2. You've been here for 2 years, but don't know anyone working at a uni? If you knew this was your plan, you should have been networking for the past 2 years at places like Kotesol.
3. An F4 visa means that you're of Korean descent, but grew up elsewhere. Can you speak fluent Korean? If yes, this is a positive for you and I've actually seen some uni ads that request this. If no, being Korean-American or whatever is actually a strike against you since most places prefer the "whitey." This will make it more difficult for you to get a uni job, even if you do have a masters degree.
4. Maybe it's a matter of perspective, but I actually think there are a lot of uni jobs on ESL Cafe. In prime hiring seasons, there are like 4 or 5 ads a day! Now, prime-time is finished and that's why there isn't that many.
To sum it up, I'd be very surprised if you were able to find a uni position for March. Most unis have already done their hiring and you really have nothing going for you that will distinguish you from any other candidate out there. For example, my uni (way out in the countryside) hired everyone in December already. They got over a hundred applications for just a few positions. They didn't even look at people without a Masters Degree, but just threw them in the trash. I think a lot of unis are the same. And my uni isn't even considered one of the "prime" jobs that the top candidates would want.
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6 comments:
Here's an opening from a a few days back at Jeju National.
There are still a few days left to apply to it, but after reading through the lack of benefits, I'd continue on in the hagwon system if paid airfare and a better monthly salary are to be taken into account.
My college advertised for a recent NET opening through craigslist.org (Seoul) fwiw.
We interviewed folks with no MA, but ultimately hired someone who actually has a PhD (and this is in Daegu, not Seoul).
It's tougher to get a *good* Uni job in Korea these days. I think unis are realizing that 5 months vacation and 4 days weeks are a bit ridiculous and the average teacher will accept far less than that.
Plastic Professorships are nothing like they were 5 year-10 years ago. At one time the pay was far higher than in hagwons or schools, now many pay significantly less.The holidays, though much longer, are no longer a guaranteed 4-5 months but are now cluttered with summer or winter camps.
However, I know a number of people who have recently obtained university positions without an MA.
Networking will pay far greater dividends than an MA. I'm not sure if I agree with the suggestions on taking an MA in a TEFL, Celta type course. This is a 1-2 year commitment and the qualification isn't that useful back in your home country. Plus, a year or two of study for pretty crap pay! Better off getting a teaching certificate and picking up the big bucks in the likes of Dubai, starting pay is around 70000 per month.
And of course, now academic transcripts are no longer a requirement, forgery is an option...
Plastic Professorships are nothing like they were 5 year-10 years ago. At one time the pay was far higher than in hagwons or schools, now many pay significantly less.The holidays, though much longer, are no longer a guaranteed 4-5 months but are now cluttered with summer or winter camps.
However, I know a number of people who have recently obtained university positions without an MA.
Networking will pay far greater dividends than an MA. I'm not sure if I agree with the suggestions on taking an MA in a TEFL, Celta type course. This is a 1-2 year commitment and the qualification isn't that useful back in your home country. Plus, a year or two of study for pretty crap pay! Better off getting a teaching certificate and picking up the big bucks in the likes of Dubai, starting pay is around 70000 per month.
And of course, now academic transcripts are no longer a requirement, forgery is an option...
Plastic Professorships are nothing like they were 5 year-10 years ago. At one time the pay was far higher than in hagwons or schools, now many pay significantly less.The holidays, though much longer, are no longer a guaranteed 4-5 months but are now cluttered with summer or winter camps.
However, I know a number of people who have recently obtained university positions without an MA.
Networking will pay far greater dividends than an MA. I'm not sure if I agree with the suggestions on taking an MA in a TEFL, Celta type course. This is a 1-2 year commitment and the qualification isn't that useful back in your home country. Plus, a year or two of study for pretty crap pay! Better off getting a teaching certificate and picking up the big bucks in the likes of Dubai, starting pay is around 70000 per month.
And of course, now academic transcripts are no longer a requirement, forgery is an option...
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