In fact, I visited this job listing so much that, in the past, I wrote a Greasemonkey userscript to make browsing it easier by removing all of the recruiter postings from the list. Pretty nifty, but you need Firefox + the Greasemonkey extension to make use of it.

Now here’s an even easier way to do it in any web browser!

1. Simply Bookmark this in any web browser: ESL Cafe: Remove Recruiter Job Ads
   (I suggest you put it in your browser’s bookmarks bar, if you use that)
2. Navigate to the ESL Cafe Korean Job Board
3. Use the bookmark you made in Step 1.

You will see, instead of navigating you away from the Korean Job Board, that the job board has actually changed.  Whereas there were job postings from recruiters scattered throughout it before, now they are all gone.

Happy Job Browsing!

I found my current and previous job through Dave’s ESL Cafe Korean Job Board, mostly because it’s wonderful. It’s a no-nonsense thing – a page of job titles/companies, and you can click on each link to see whatever info the employer chooses to provide, all surrounded by superfluous text and ads. Beautiful and ugly at the same time.

In fact, I visited this job listing so much that, in the past, I wrote a Greasemonkey userscript to make browsing it easier by removing all of the recruiter postings from the list.  Pretty nifty, but it had its drawbacks:

1. You need Firefox + the Greasemonkey extension to make use of it
2. You have to manually download updates to the script every few weeks as new recruiting pop into existence
3. You have to manually visit the ESL Cafe Korean Job Forums to get the job listings

Now I have come up with a better solution:

But here’s the kicker: this list has already filtered out more than 115 Korean recruitment agents, and it’ll automatically filter out even more recruiters every time I update it from my secret, non-disclosed location in the Korean outback.  You don’t have to redownload anything or change anything.  Just keep checking back to your RSS feed, and keep noticing that recruiters aren’t in the list, or, if they slip in, drop me a line and I’ll disappear them.

Meanwhile, for those folks who prefer the unadulterated version of the Korean Job forums with all recruiter ads intact, I have also created a standard RSS Feed, that does zero filtering.

Click here to get the RSS Feed: Dave’s ESL Cafe Korean Job Forums (including recruiters)

I’ve successfully tested both of these RSS Feeds in Google Reader, but please let me know if you have any trouble.

Happy RSSing!

This script also comes with a loosely-related but perhaps more useful feature: image links in any post are automatically displayed as largish-thumbnails in the bottom of that post. Here’s a screenshot:

Automatically embedded images in Dave

Finally, this script also fixes the profile link for any poster, so that clicking on their name or avatar takes you properly to their profile instead of to an error page.

Dave’s ESL Cafe is a massive repository of all things ESL. But a huge collection of answers is only as good as the tool you use to ask the questions.

The search function on Dave’s ESL Cafe has been poor, extremely slow, and sometimes unresponsive since I started using the site. Instead, I have rolled my own custom Google ESL Cafe search.

You have two options for using it:

Option 1 – Any browser – Quick & No Installation:

Simply bookmark this Custom ESL Cafe Google Search or this Custom ESL Cafe KOREAN FORUMS Google Search page in any web browser.

Custom Google Intro Page

Custom Google Results Page

Option 2 – Firefox + Greasemonkey – Some Installation but more intuitive later:

Use my Greasemonkey userscript which replaces the functionality of the actual “Search” button on any Dave’s ESL Cafe forum page with something better and simpler.

Install The Script

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Now, instead of linking to the search page, this link simply pops up a box asking you to enter your search terms as you would normally enter them into Google. It then goes off and does a custom Google search that zeroes in on only ESL Cafe.

Note: if you hit the “cancel” button in the new popup search, it will just redirect you to the standard ESL Cafe search page, as it used to.

Option 3 – Firefox + Greasemonkey – Some Installation but EVEN MORE intuitive later:

Use my NEW Greasemonkey userscript which replaces the functionality of the actual “Search” button on any Dave’s ESL Cafe forum page with something better and simpler, and ALSO replaces the Dave’s Banner with a Search Banner.

Install the Updated Script

————————————

With any of the above methods, I think you’ll find the search results to be substantially more relevant than they ever had been in the past.

Install The Script

Problem:
The sticky posts on Dave’s ESL Cafe forums are full of absolutely vital information and should be read by any new user. That being said, 11 sticky posts on the Job Discussion Forum mean that, even at a moderate screen resolution, you have to scroll down beyond them to see even the first new post.

For long-term users, already familiar with the content of the stickies, and just checking to see the latest posts, the sticky posts just get in the way and become an annoyance. That is why I wrote this Greasemonkey Userscript to wipe them away as though they never existed.

Solution:
Simply install this script, and the rows entitled “Sticky: …” will be wiped away instantly, and it will appear as though they never existed. Note that this script does not affect announcements.

This script now removes just over 100 recruiters job listings on Dave’s ESL Cafe Korean Job Board.

Install The Script

(updated 2008/10/21)

Here’s the problem it addresses and how it works:

Problem: Recruiter ads on Dave’s ESL Cafe obstruct Direct Employer ads

More appealing ads direct from employers (the people for whom you will actually be working) can be hard to spot at a glance on Dave’s ESL Cafe Korean Job Board, since they are outflanked vociferously by recruitment company ads, screaming in All-Caps and with poor grammar:

“HERE ARE BRILLANT TEACHING POSITIONS & RELIABLE SCHOOL ,CLICK HERE!”

Sure, there are some reputable recruitment companies out there, but most recruiter ads are either abstract or misleading, falling on a spectrum ranging from the general “We exist! Email us!” to specific but unrealistic guarantees of:

“You will receive 2.8 million won and 4 weeks of vacation!”.

Also, many of those teachers already in Korea visit the job board to update themselves on how the Korean job market is evolving, and maybe to consider switching employers.  They are not the target audience of recruiter ads.

Solution: Wipe away all recruiter ads as though they never existed

Simply install this Greasemonkey userscript I wrote in order to nix recruiter ads on Dave’s ESL Cafe Korean Job Board once and for all.

Features:

1. Works on a long list of recruitment companies that have posted on Dave’s in the past. I will update the list as necessary, but you will have to redownload the userscript for each update.
   
   [Alternatively, I have made it easy to add new recruitment companies to the list.  Just edit the userscript, and look to the bottom of the recruiters list to add your own list of recruiter names.]
2. Completely wipes away (hides) recruiter posts as though they never existed
3. Changes the Browser’s title bar to show how many recruiter ads were removed (For example, on 2008/10/09, 240 ads removed)

Restoring Recruiter Ads

Greasemonkey makes it easy to temporarily or permanently disable any script, include this one.  Just uncheck “enabled” in your list of scripts to disable it temporarily, or click “uninstall” to get rid of it forever.  Either option will allow you to see Dave’s ESL Cafe Korean Job Board as normal the next time you load/reload it.

Before - Too Many Recruiter Postings

After - Zero Recruiter Postings

Coming tomorrow: How To Hide Sticky Posts from Dave’s ESL Cafe forums to see the newer postings without having to scroll down past the stickies