Oops

Andrew Han at YBM Education confirms that I may be looking a bit too early for a job. His email starts with...

It sounds great that you are getting your documents ready. The end of June recruitment starts around March and April.

I guess I'll relax a bit, and try not to get into too much trouble until March.

Unsuccessful application?

Another fantastic email I have received:

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your email regarding the position at Seoul English Village, your application is being processed and if you have not heard back from us in 5 working days it has been unsuccessful.

Kind Regards

SEV

Finding A Job Teaching English in Korea, Day 1

I have quickly learned that if you want to teach English abroad, Dave's ESL Cafe is a great resource. This website was started in 1995, and you can read the FAQ for more details.

The Korean Job Discussion Forums has some great stickys, including a FAQ for living in teaching in South Korea, discussions on working and living in South Korea, and a Buy/Sell/Trade forum. Most of the stickys are older, started around 2003-2005, but still contain valuable information.

After about an hour on that forum, I spent several hours sending out my resume and photograph to potential employers found on the Korean Job Board on January 11th. I sent out 56 emails, requesting information on possible jobs. One email was undeliverable because the receiver's mailbox was full. I was discouraged against applying on websites, because after going to one website, the virus detector on my computer went crazy.

By the next morning, I missed two calls on my cell phone. Number 82226750583 (Johnny from ESL Seoul?) left me a voicemail at 5:09 PM PST, and number 8207075208882 (could not catch name or organization name) left me a voicemail at 8:59 PM PST.

On the evening of January 12th, I received two more voicemails. Number (245) 298-58 (Anna Jeon from Korea Global Connections) left me a voicemail at 6:05PM. Number 821090533019 (Brian from ?) left me two voicemail, first on the 12th at 6:47 PM and the second on the 13th at 6:49 PM.

I received 11 email responses. That is from the 56 emails I sent out. I'm not sure if this is a good ratio or not. I'm sure there are organizations that leave multiple posts and emails on the Job Board, so the ratio may be skewed. I have not responded back by phone or email, as I figure that I have time to plan my next step, and am still working out personal details about when I can leave the country.

I will share an email I received from Young at Talking Club.

I thank you for your interest in our position, but am sorry to inform you that we need a teacher who can arrive in Korea in February. I think you'd better look for another position. I wish you a good luck.

I'm surprised that they wouldn't keep my resume for a later position! Or maybe something about my resume leaves them uninterested?