I'm a S.African teacher going to S.Korea to teach. Is ParkEnglish a reliable recruiter? If not, who is?

Question

I've read some horror stories over the net about slimeball recruiters and even more shady hogwan owners. Apparently withholding pay, passports and changing contracts and working hours are the order of the day in many English teaching institutes in S.Korea.I've even read stories where airfare and severance bonuses (as agreed to and signed by all parties concerned) were also withheld. I'm applying for positions through ParkEnglish.com. Can anyone tell me whether they're reliable? Are there reliable recruiters for Korean teaching jobs?If so, who can you recommend?

Answer 1

I'll say too that recruiters are a pointless idea, just a bunch of goofballs looking to make money. Dave's ESL Cafe will give you just as much information and as much protection. My suggestion would be to go with one of the bigger schools at first like Sisa or Pagoda if you can, and when you get there you can ask around until you find out more about schools. Expect changes and unexpected stuff to happen. Folks who are happy there just roll with the punches and learn to pick their battles, most of which can't really be won by us anyway because we don't know how to work the system. These schools are businesses and they are trying to keep profits up.

Recruiters really have no power to make sure you get what you are supposed to and most of them don't really care.

All that being said, go, acquire the taste for kimchi and stay away from the whiners there that will infect you with their unending culture shock.

Answer 2

I am an English teacher in Korea. I dont know ParkEnglish but if they are charging money I would advise against it. There are lots of internet sites which you can use to find work in Korea. I used Daves Esl Cafe (http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea/).
If you do find a school and are unsure of whether it is OK of not, there are blacklist on the internet which you can do a google search for. This should give you an idea of how good the school is. Good luck - I love it here! I hope you enjoy your time here too!

Answer 3

oh yeah i totally agree about the whiners.
i also hate the losers from canada who dont know anything about korean culture but suddenly become "mr.professor" making loud and annoying 19th century claims about Korea.

"Koreans dont know anything about art." and dumb things like that.

By the way, your students will love you, but 99% of Korean society thinks English teacher is a really low-level job. It's because many Koreans think that the only reason why youre teaching English is because you cant get a job in your home country. Maybe that's not your case, but dont be surprised if it bothers you.