>Thank you to both Mike and Ll, I appreciate your input.

TDear New Gal,

> I am not related or know much about Korea. I found this good material
> written by Recruiter 45. I hope it helps. If you or friends need any
> help on China, please ask anytime. My name is Li and I wish you good
> luck.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Written by Recruiter 45

> Good point Hangul,

> I want to add that jobs in Korea that look too good to be true e.g.
> 2.5 million won, one late afternoon shift, 5 days a week, middle of
> Seoul, single apt, etc...., most of the time are just a bait from
> low-life English language centers to attract naive teachers.

> My 2 cents:

> * Beware of schools hiring directly without a recruiter in between.
> Most schools are too busy (if they are making wons) to spend much
> time screening and hiring teachers. The reasons some schools do this
> is 1) because they don't have $ to pay the recruiter and 2) because
> recruiters know them as a non-reliable school (if the teacher goes to
> a bad school and quits, then the recruiter does not make any $. Most
> schools now ask between 3 to 6 months of money back from recruiters
> in case the teachers quit or are fired. In other countries like
> Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, the money back from the recruiter to the
> school is sometimes a full year).

> * Follow the advice of Hangul and talk ON THE PHONE with other ESL
> teachers at the school before you sign or agree to any contract. Try
> to talk to more than one ESL teacher. Scumbag directors are scumbags
> all the time and everywhere, so the other teachers at the school will
> know this.

> * Try not to get jobs while you are in Korea where you have to work
> in more than one different school.

> * Be careful when any school tries to fly you in quickly to Korea
> without the E2 visa procedure, promising a Japan visa run after. Most
> of the time there is no E2 visa at all during your contract with the
> school.

> * If you have the bad luck to be working in a bad school, that
> threatens you with a breach of contract case if you quit, be
> diplomatic instead of fighting legally (you will lose anyway). If the
> school owes you money, then settle for a good letter of realease and
> reference and FORGET about the money. It would cost you more money
> being without a job or working illegally because of the breach of
> contract case. Do not help the school to get a replacement teacher:
> you don't want another ESL teacher to go through the same bad
> esperience you had.

> * Try always to make around the same salary than the other ESL
> teachers at your school. If you make alot more than the others, your
> chances of problems with the school and the other ESL teachers will
> increase (source of most of problems and physical fights).

> * If you are already in Korea, be aware that you don't have much of
> an advantage over other teachers in Canada and elsewhere who never
> went to Korea. Good schools often ask for teachers abroad; they
> prefer newcomers to teachers that have already been teaching in
> Korea.

> * Listen to your ESL teachers friends for advice, but follow your own
> instint and heart choosing the right job. This point is important
> because the more you wait for a "golden job" to appear, the
> more money you lose.

> * If you have a MA, lots of experience etc. do no look at other esl
> teachers as inferior; you are just the same: a temporary worker.

> * Open your mind and look at other places than central Seoul close to
> the other ESL teacher's gangs and the bars. Try other cities and
> towns in Korea. Always go to work where YOU ARE WANTED, even if that
> is any of the towns of the south where there are no ESL teachers.

> * Looking for an ESL teaching job in Korea is a FULL TIME JOB, so
> please don't sit waiting for an email or phone call from a recruiter
> or school. You have to GET IT, contact as many schools and recruiters
> you can.

> * Happy teachers in Korea are not always the best paid, but the ones
> that are in good schools.

> Best to you all.