Teaching English in Korea experience on your job resume, is it good or bad?

[naturegirl321]

LIke peopel have said, if you can add useful info, such as

working well under pressure
communicating with people from other countries
learning new customs, about a new culture, new language
flexibility
ability to plan,
etc

It'll help you get a job.  That being said, if you stay in Korea 10 years and try to get into a totally unrelated field it might be more challeging than say teaching for only a couple years in Korea

ALso, if you want to teach in the EU (legally!) and you don't have an EU passport, try here,
http://tefltips.blogspot.com/2009/03/europe-for-non-eu-passport-holders.html

[alta_aigner]

This is kind of off-topic, but I was wondering if you, as an "award-winnng" resume writer, can suggest a good link for writing resumes/CVs (is there a difference?)

A Cover Letter and a Resume are two completely different things.

A Cover Letter is a formality. It is a short letter that summerizes who you are, what you are applying for and why, and directly responds to an ad's requirements. This is your biggest piece of yourself that they will see. A CV is your personality and intelligence.

A Resume is a fact sheet that discribes what your qualifications are in less direct terms. Of course, you can tailor it to look even more like a perfect resume by being subtle in your wording to match what they are looking for. This can be between one and two pages. Three pages if you are a doctor or someone who has such star spangled awesomess experience that it takes three. Most people need only one page. I do two cause I can get away with it.

When it comes to linking to a good resource, I can't think of any. The reason why is that by the time one "rule" gets published, it is outdated in 6 months. The thing I tell others to do is to have your friends and family look at it before you send it. Give each one a fresh copy that you made and a red pen. Ask them what they would change. Do that with four to ten people. Never give them a copy that you edited from one person. I mean, if you see Mr. A and he says "do this this and this" and you go home and fix it, and then bring it to Mr. B for his opinions, you are kind of getting hurt. It is best to see how each individual reacts to what you made and then look at the marks that they made. Find the most common reoccuring marks. Those are your problem spots. Just because one has a good idea, it doesn't mean everybody thinks that way.

Or if you could give some pointers about good resume structure that would be great. I ask because I always seem to get slightly confliciting info on the topic from different sources...

You can make structure however you like, but I think the good ones are like this:

Name
Address
Contact Info and whatever else you need

Skills

Experience

Schooling

Award



I left out two "traditional" things:  an objective and references. An objective is outdated and useless because your CV should explain all of it. Besides, if I am a hiring manager, and I already don't know you are serious and you want to have this job that you applied for, your resume is being shreaded, or I am a SH*T boss and you don't want to work at my company. As for references, it isn't good anymore to freely hand them out. If they ask for them, just say that they are available upon request. I don't even think Award is so important, unless you have some good ones. Award can be changed with relevent non-work experience or something.

Focus hard on experience and schooling. Tell them what you can do. And make sure that it is as relevent as you can get to the job. If you can carve a jack-o-lantern in 23.5 seconds, would that be relevent to becoming a bed pan cleaner? Show that you have an interest in the field by doing something about it. Get a certificate or degree or something. Passion and knowledge are key.

Remember that it should be longer than the pledge and shorter than war and peace.

I think she said resume/CV, not cover letter... Are you sure about your expertise on the subject?

[Driver 8]

It might count against you for some jobs.  If you came over here just after graduating, it'll more than likely be considered a good thing.  If however, you were older when you came over, it leads to more questions about your reasons for leaving home in the first place and this is when it starts to get tricky.  My cousin taught in Japan for four years in her mid-20s and then went to Mexico for 2 years.  When she returned to the UK after the 6 years abroad, she found it nearly impossible to get a job that wasn't teaching.

However, I do agree that many prospective employers see overseas work experience as a plus because it shows that you're adaptable and willing to learn.

Well, let's say you want to be a teacher.  Don't you think with the continual growth of  the ESL population and diversity (buzzword) in the public school, that having this experience would be considered an asset?  Of course, it would!

[Janitor]

This is kind of off-topic, but I was wondering if you, as an "award-winnng" resume writer, can suggest a good link for writing resumes/CVs (is there a difference?)

A Cover Letter and a Resume are two completely different things.

A Cover Letter is a formality. It is a short letter that summerizes who you are, what you are applying for and why, and directly responds to an ad's requirements. This is your biggest piece of yourself that they will see. A CV is your personality and intelligence.

A Resume is a fact sheet that discribes what your qualifications are in less direct terms. Of course, you can tailor it to look even more like a perfect resume by being subtle in your wording to match what they are looking for. This can be between one and two pages. Three pages if you are a doctor or someone who has such star spangled awesomess experience that it takes three. Most people need only one page. I do two cause I can get away with it.

When it comes to linking to a good resource, I can't think of any. The reason why is that by the time one "rule" gets published, it is outdated in 6 months. The thing I tell others to do is to have your friends and family look at it before you send it. Give each one a fresh copy that you made and a red pen. Ask them what they would change. Do that with four to ten people. Never give them a copy that you edited from one person. I mean, if you see Mr. A and he says "do this this and this" and you go home and fix it, and then bring it to Mr. B for his opinions, you are kind of getting hurt. It is best to see how each individual reacts to what you made and then look at the marks that they made. Find the most common reoccuring marks. Those are your problem spots. Just because one has a good idea, it doesn't mean everybody thinks that way.

Or if you could give some pointers about good resume structure that would be great. I ask because I always seem to get slightly confliciting info on the topic from different sources...

You can make structure however you like, but I think the good ones are like this:

Name
Address
Contact Info and whatever else you need

Skills

Experience

Schooling

Award



I left out two "traditional" things:  an objective and references. An objective is outdated and useless because your CV should explain all of it. Besides, if I am a hiring manager, and I already don't know you are serious and you want to have this job that you applied for, your resume is being shreaded, or I am a SH*T boss and you don't want to work at my company. As for references, it isn't good anymore to freely hand them out. If they ask for them, just say that they are available upon request. I don't even think Award is so important, unless you have some good ones. Award can be changed with relevent non-work experience or something.

Focus hard on experience and schooling. Tell them what you can do. And make sure that it is as relevent as you can get to the job. If you can carve a jack-o-lantern in 23.5 seconds, would that be relevent to becoming a bed pan cleaner? Show that you have an interest in the field by doing something about it. Get a certificate or degree or something. Passion and knowledge are key.

Remember that it should be longer than the pledge and shorter than war and peace.

I think she said resume/CV, not cover letter... Are you sure about your expertise on the subject?

If you read this closely this is actually the frame work for a CV/resume. Notice that there is no mention of paragraphs and greetings? This is because they were giving the framework for a resume not a cover letter.

[jdw501]

It might count against you for some jobs.  If you came over here just after graduating, it'll more than likely be considered a good thing.  If however, you were older when you came over, it leads to more questions about your reasons for leaving home in the first place and this is when it starts to get tricky.  My cousin taught in Japan for four years in her mid-20s and then went to Mexico for 2 years.  When she returned to the UK after the 6 years abroad, she found it nearly impossible to get a job that wasn't teaching.

However, I do agree that many prospective employers see overseas work experience as a plus because it shows that you're adaptable and willing to learn.

I can't think of any situation in which this experience could be viewed as a negative. With the above example, the problem isn't that they had this experience. It didn't count against her. It was the length of time that she had away - especially important in this example as mid-20s is probably the most productive period for someone's career advancement. Ultimately an employer will be impressed if you've been away to Korea and done something like this. If you can't sell to an employer what you've learnt during this experience and how it's made you a better prospect for employment, then you probably don't deserve to get the job. Off the top of my head, I could think of a number of ways to sell it. However, you can prove it having done it for one year. You don't need to be away for 6 years doing it. These will inevitably lead to a whole host of questions. Most employers want to see diverse experience and most will accept that people want to have an adventure and do some travelling. You'll get plenty of bonus points in their evaluation of you if you spend that year productively like we are (I am at least) than sunning yourself on a beach in Thailand.

Well, let's say you want to be a teacher.  Don't you think with the continual growth of  the ESL population and diversity (buzzword) in the public school, that having this experience would be considered an asset?  Of course, it would!

[rhizome]

can suggest a good link for writing resumes/CVs (is there a difference?).

Disclaimer: when I worked in the UK, I heard a lot of people I worked with in bars and retail refer to their resumes as CVs, so there may be some cultural differences at work.  Just a guess.


afaik, in the academic industry (my skin just went crawly from typing that), a resume is typically a one page document (just f'in edit the thing 'til you weep blood) unless your experience REALLY warrants more than one page.  For example, if you've had several jobs directly related to exactly the job you're looking for, not just with transferrable skills, feel free to go on for days.  imo, no one needs more than 2 pages for a resume.  They're typically used for "non-academic" jobs.  I use a resume when applying for secretarial work.

Outside of academia, I've seen something of the same division.  For example, if I was applying for the office manager postion in an architectural firm, I'd send a resume.  If I were an architect, I'd send my CV (and portfolio).  I don't know how common it is, though.

Resume:  Name, contact, education, relevant work experience - show measurable things you achieved on the job, related work experience, and so on.

Your Curriculum Vitae is your academic "life story" in comparison.  My supervisor's CV is 8 pages long and I can't make it any shorter.  Mine is 3 pages for research-related applications, 1 1/2 pages for teaching jobs.  For all other gigs, I've used a resume. 


Aht.  i'm going on too long.  Here's this instead.  The University of Toronto's Career Centre pages on CVs and Resumes.  :shameface: as I see that's all you asked for in the first place - a link.

I hope this helps.


On topic --> Depends on what you're looking for and who you're talking to.  Whatever the gig you're applying for, focus on the postitive aspects, talk about what you learned, and why it's important: how will these specific things help the employer you're talking with.

[kimjoohui]

I'm glad to see a thread like this on waygook as in about 6 to 7 months I'll be heading back home to America and looking for a job. I came directly to Korea after I graduated from uni. Planned to stay for only a year, but somehow it turned into three. 
 
My major was in accounting, so I'm hoping to find a job in that field, but I'm not too sure about my prospects of actually being able to do so. My only accounting experience was two summer internships at the federal reserve bank internal audit department 4 to 5 summers ago.
 
Has anyone on waygook had experience/ planning on making the leap from teaching in Korea to doing an accounting job/ business related job back in their home country? Are you planning on waiting until you get back to try to land a job? What have you been doing to make yourself seem like a good candidate for an accounting/ business job?

To try to make my teaching experience in Korea more business related, I've changed from teaching elementary students conversational English to teaching adults "business English." I took the GMAT recently (with the plan to eventually go to grad school for MBA after I've accumulated more business experience). I've also been taking Korean language classes, so I hope to sign up for the TOPIK when the registration period opens up again in Feb. I'm still worried though that I'm not doing enough to help me get a job when I get back to the US!

[Davey]

I'm glad to see a thread like this on waygook as in about 6 to 7 months I'll be heading back home to America and looking for a job. I came directly to Korea after I graduated from uni. Planned to stay for only a year, but somehow it turned into three. 
 
My major was in accounting, so I'm hoping to find a job in that field, but I'm not too sure about my prospects of actually being able to do so. My only accounting experience was two summer internships at the federal reserve bank internal audit department 4 to 5 summers ago.
 
Has anyone on waygook had experience/ planning on making the leap from teaching in Korea to doing an accounting job/ business related job back in their home country? Are you planning on waiting until you get back to try to land a job? What have you been doing to make yourself seem like a good candidate for an accounting/ business job?

To try to make my teaching experience in Korea more business related, I've changed from teaching elementary students conversational English to teaching adults "business English." I took the GMAT recently (with the plan to eventually go to grad school for MBA after I've accumulated more business experience). I've also been taking Korean language classes, so I hope to sign up for the TOPIK when the registration period opens up again in Feb. I'm still worried though that I'm not doing enough to help me get a job when I get back to the US!

I'll be straight up: a teaching job in Korea won't likely help you get an accounting job back home. I can't speak for other fields, but in accounting/finance, they only want directly relevant work experience.

The only ways I can envision that it might help you is if

1) the hiring manager is Korean (or the hiring manager also did a teaching gig in Korea as well);

and/or

2) the company is based in Korea (e.g., Samsung, Doosan,  etc.)

Even if these conditions are met, it's still highly unlikely. TOPIK would only be really useful if you're trying to find a non-teaching job in Korea.

For more experience, consider volunteering. Educationally, MBA is the route to go (and network as much as you can) and think about getting your CPA.

[kps1]

I think my experience teaching English in the EPIK program helped me land a non-teaching job in Korea. That and I'm awesome.

[SpaceRook]

I think my experience teaching English in the EPIK program helped me land a non-teaching job in Korea. That and I'm awesome.

I also landed a non-teaching job in Korea after teaching here for 2 years.  For those who are thinking about using their teaching experience to get a job back home, I suggest maybe looking for a non-teaching job in Korea.  You might be surprised what you find. 

[tgates209]

How could it possibly be negative?

In any case, it shows a remarkable strength and flexibility. You took a job that you (probably) weren't specifically trained for in a different country that doesn't speak English! I can't think of many jobs back in the States that would  present as much adversity as you've probably experienced here.

I think it also shows an open-mindedness and broader world-view that more progressive recruiters/companies are likely to appreciate.

I agree with jaspar.  I am 39 years old and worked in the IT industry for 15 years and I can say in confidence that this has and will always be something potential employers will embrace.  They will both admire and envy you and will show you are flexible and willing to break your mold as a person.  It just shines a good light on you.  If you are planning on being a teacher back home, than this will be a big plus I'm sure.

[bobrocket]

I think my experience teaching English in the EPIK program helped me land a non-teaching job in Korea. That and I'm awesome.

I also landed a non-teaching job in Korea after teaching here for 2 years.  For those who are thinking about using their teaching experience to get a job back home, I suggest maybe looking for a non-teaching job in Korea.  You might be surprised what you find.

I'm curious, what do you do? and are you on an E2?

[kps1]

I think my experience teaching English in the EPIK program helped me land a non-teaching job in Korea. That and I'm awesome.

I also landed a non-teaching job in Korea after teaching here for 2 years.  For those who are thinking about using their teaching experience to get a job back home, I suggest maybe looking for a non-teaching job in Korea.  You might be surprised what you find.

I'm curious, what do you do? and are you on an E2?

You can't do a non-teaching job on an E-2 Visa. You have to get an E-7.

[SpaceRook]

I think my experience teaching English in the EPIK program helped me land a non-teaching job in Korea. That and I'm awesome.

I also landed a non-teaching job in Korea after teaching here for 2 years.  For those who are thinking about using their teaching experience to get a job back home, I suggest maybe looking for a non-teaching job in Korea.  You might be surprised what you find.

I'm curious, what do you do? and are you on an E2?

You can't do a non-teaching job on an E-2 Visa. You have to get an E-7.

E-7 is one.  There are others, oo.  I'm going for an E-3 (Researcher).  Basically, once you find a new job, your new employer will sponsor you. 

[Chudava]

Why would it be bad?

[kimjoohui]

I'm glad to see a thread like this on waygook as in about 6 to 7 months I'll be heading back home to America and looking for a job. I came directly to Korea after I graduated from uni. Planned to stay for only a year, but somehow it turned into three. 
 
My major was in accounting, so I'm hoping to find a job in that field, but I'm not too sure about my prospects of actually being able to do so. My only accounting experience was two summer internships at the federal reserve bank internal audit department 4 to 5 summers ago.
 
Has anyone on waygook had experience/ planning on making the leap from teaching in Korea to doing an accounting job/ business related job back in their home country? Are you planning on waiting until you get back to try to land a job? What have you been doing to make yourself seem like a good candidate for an accounting/ business job?

To try to make my teaching experience in Korea more business related, I've changed from teaching elementary students conversational English to teaching adults "business English." I took the GMAT recently (with the plan to eventually go to grad school for MBA after I've accumulated more business experience). I've also been taking Korean language classes, so I hope to sign up for the TOPIK when the registration period opens up again in Feb. I'm still worried though that I'm not doing enough to help me get a job when I get back to the US!

I'll be straight up: a teaching job in Korea won't likely help you get an accounting job back home. I can't speak for other fields, but in accounting/finance, they only want directly relevant work experience.

The only ways I can envision that it might help you is if

1) the hiring manager is Korean (or the hiring manager also did a teaching gig in Korea as well);

and/or

2) the company is based in Korea (e.g., Samsung, Doosan,  etc.)

Even if these conditions are met, it's still highly unlikely. TOPIK would only be really useful if you're trying to find a non-teaching job in Korea.

For more experience, consider volunteering. Educationally, MBA is the route to go (and network as much as you can) and think about getting your CPA.

Thanks for the input. I was suspecting this, but wanted to see what others thought. * Sigh * Guess I'll just be looking for whatever will have me when I get back to the US.

[Jrong]

In my experience you get a job because of who you know. Building a social network (and involving yourself in communities of potential bosses or potential clients if you're an entrepreneur) seems like what the focus should be on, not small sentences on your resume.

[SpaceRook]

Why would it be bad?

It's bad if you are not capable of explaining how teaching skills are relevant to the job you want.  It's bad if you are re-entering a field and didn't do anything to maintain your skills while you were a teacher. 

[JT]

I think, without a doubt, recording something of the likes of teaching abroad on your curriculum vitae is as valuable an addition as, perhaps, recording your very university degree.  Why would you exclude it? But saying that, I agree completely that one must pitch your job application to the job specifically.  For instance, if you are looking to imitate Kevin Spacey and resume working in the drive through window of your local burger joint, including your tenure teaching abroad may not be seen as such a positive thing, because it may be viewed that you are educated and wish to travel more and that you do not possess long term commitment to the greasy obesity corporation.