Monkey Beach and Lose Control in Bundang

Here's the question:

Hi there, have been in Bundang a while but haven't been able to find Lose Control or MOnkey Bar (apparently it's now called Last Angel). Could you tell me where they are @ Seohyeon station?

Honestly, I haven't been to bars in Bundang since Carne Station closed down in 2007. I had to look this one up on Galbijim. I have a feeling that by Monkey Bar, you might mean Monkey Beach. If that's what you mean, Galbijim offers this:

Frequently a hangout for ESL teachers and G.I.s it's not uncommon to find locals as well frequently up for conversations with native English speakers. Previously as cheap as 2000 won for a draft beer the price increased between 2006 and 2008. Draft beer is now still reasonable at 3000 won.

Leave Samsung Plaza to the Krispy Kreme side. In the second building on the left on the third floor you will find an easily recognizable red Monkey Head logo on a black door.

As for Lose Control, I'm just not sure. I know it's close to Samsung Plaza, but that's all I got. There's no website or mention of directions on the web, so again, I must appeal to my readers.

Where is Lose Control in Bundang?

Adult Language Institutes and Hagwons in South Korea

Here's the question:

I hate recruiters. They're stupid and don't speak English worth a damn. I don't want to teach kids, but they don't care. So where are these direct links you keep promising???

Whoa! No need to get feisty, buddy. I do my best to keep up with questions.

Recruiters feed off the uninformed. It's the easiest way for them to make fast cash. If you're diligent enough to do the leg work, you can land a gig without their help. First of all, you gotta know what you want. A lot of prospective teachers know that they want to teach in Korea, but that's about all they know. Inform yourself and then your year in Korea will be so much better.

As I said before, the best way to cut out the middle-man is by applying directly. You'll be able to negotiate your salary and other terms as well as have control over where you'll end up. The problem is that not many schools have direct links. Luckily, you don't want to teach kids, so check out these links.

Adult Language Institutes

Direct English

Pagoda

BCM

YBM

Wall Street Institute

English Channel

I thought about adding a list for kids hagwons, but honestly it would take hours and hours and most of them won't have any English information or application options.

Did I forget any big adult hagwons?

Tips on recruiters and where to look for teaching jobs in South Korea

Here's the question:

Do you have any suggestions on where to find a job? I've applied to dozens of positions through eslcafe.com and the recruiters found through the site. I've had 6 interviews now with different recruiters and two offers. The one I accepted for Seoul, emailed me a few days after and said that the position was filled since another candidate managed to get their paperwork to the school before mine. I'm frantically applying so that I can move and start teaching mid to late August. I currently live in Seattle and have all of my documents ready for an E-2 visa.

I feel your frustrations. As any manager would know, I've had to deliver the grim news to many prospective teachers whom I had already told had a secure position. Since most foreign managers are not the be all and end all when it comes to hiring, this type of thing happens way to often. Recruiters want to connect as many teachers to schools as possible which makes the whole hiring process a first-come-first-serve type deal. Korean management wants their openings filled BEFORE previous teachers leave. In many cases, qualifications don't matter. All that matters is expediency on delivering required documents. The whole process is a headache for everyone involved, especially frustrated teachers who are doing everything they can from their end.

I would recommend a couple things for you. Rather than surfing around Dave's and sending out resumes to countless recruiters, try focusing on just a few recruiters in your target area. For instance, check out Work N Play. They typically have more specified positions and sometimes schools will even advertise individual openings. I say this because recruiters are simply trying to funnel teachers into positions that need filling, regardless of stated preference. It wouldn't hurt to check out Club4Teacher, You Love It or My ESL Job either.

When you contact these schools or perhaps recruiters, make sure you are very up front with them and even a bit aggressive. They will pursue anyone who appears to be easy to recruit, so if you make yourself appear available (not desperate) and flexible (especially about location), then you should have no problems finding a decent gig.

You should also remember that it takes an average of five to six weeks for the whole process (interview to flight) to be completed. If you have a little time to spare then you should be able to land a good job in your target area.

Update on Criminal Background Checks and DUI's for Teachers in South Korea

I still get endless questions about DUI's, so I thought I should keep everyone updated about the current state of immigration and how they are handling DUI's and other crimes that show up on criminal background checks. This is from Ask Now, the only recruiter on "The Expat's Trusted Recruiters" list.

I just wanted to update you with the latest on the DUI and minor incident situation with immigration. Things seem to have gotten even tougher. A week or two ago, we had an applicant for a job in Ansan who sent all his docs and was in the last stage of waiting for his visa number. He had one DUI from 12 years ago and immigration denied the visa. The submitting of a letter of explanation didn't help any. It seems as though even areas outside of Seoul now are getting tougher. I think it's because of the recent court cases involving immigration and I think they are saying "fine, we'll deny anything that we can." This is just my guess, but it seems to be the case.

For us, we have decided that we can no longer accept applicants with even something minor or something from a long time ago. In a situation like this, the visa was cancelled at the last minute and the teacher had spent time and money on preparing and also, the school was depending on this teacher to arrive for classes very soon, and then they were put in a very difficult situation suddenly being without a teacher and no time to find a new one quickly.

So, since it is too risky and immigration is being tougher, we have decided to go ahead only with 100% clean records. That's not to say that some random immigration officer won't issue a visa to someone, but there is no way of knowing.

It looks like the teachers market is getting stiffer. I think that a lot of recruiters are going to be stricter about who they accept, so I too will no longer advise people that they can get around background check. I don't want to cost anyone money.

Does this template hurt your eyes?

I was reading this blog the other day and my eyes started hurting. I was seeing lines after looking away from the monitor and my overall vision was essentially blurred for several minutes. I don't want that at all and since the average reader is on the site for over 4:00 minutes, I imagine that other people might be having the same problem.

So, does this template hurt your eyes?