Here are the 'you don't have to be part of facebook to view them' pictures of the lantern festival. It really was very pretty. I got to explore the castle in the distance in the picture with the bridge on it.
Work is a little stressful because I'm having a hard time learning the kids names, but other than that I can't complain. I'm only teaching 20 hours a week, spending a total of 23 hours a week at work. Not too shabby. I'm starting to get my feet under myself here.
Thursday I'm going back to the Penguin Bar (so called by us foreigners who don't know its proper name, just like the place that I get my yummy chomchi kimbap (like a tuna sushi roll with many mysterious-yet-tasty ingredients). I went to the Penguin Bar last thursday, too, and I got shabu shabu on friday with another large group of foreigners. Lots of neat people here. Saturday I went with yet more (and some of the same) foreigners to see a band play at O'Briens Pub in Changwon, where I drank more than I ever have in my life and didn't get sick, though I did feel a little nauseous on the taxi ride back to Busan with Sunny, Stephanie and Beth. Korean beer apparently appeals to me. Not too keen on soju, though. Sunday Hazel and I went out for Italian (Korean Style), which was tasty. Then we puttered around until Becoming Jane started at the local cinema. This saturday we're going to Gwangalli (one of the Beaches) to watch fireworks and go to a bar on the beach. I've never socialized this much in my entire life.
Hwamyeoung is an interesting little city-neighborhood. It's smaller than Albuquerque, but the downtown seems bigger because all of the restaurants and shops and stores and religious centers are crammed into high rises (6 - 12 stories) in about 9 city blocks. Most of the surrounding area is high rise apartment buildings. I live a 6 minute bus ride from Hwamyeoung, in the much smaller neighborhood of Yulli, (GeumGok) though we have a better/cheaper Market than Lotte.
For once I feel lucky to be oblivious to the obvious, because I don't feel like a zoo animal yet. Having every random kid I meet yell "Hi!" at me will probably get old soon, though.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Finally in Korea and working.
PICTOOOORS (yoinked from Hazel's camera). This was the Festival. Hazel's computer is a bit odd, since it's Korean, and I can't get Quotation marks in here for doing the pretty http link. o.0
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4834&id=532562747
Sorry for spelling and grammar errors, too tired to fix now.
Arrived on monday exhausted, but because I made myself sleep on the plane to Japan I came out ok. I had no problem going to bed again once I was in Korea. Kelly (one of the recruiters) met me at the airport in Pusan and helped me exchange money, as well as flagging a taxi to take us to my school. I just got to see the outside while we waited for Mr. Kim, my school director, to come with his car and someone to help get me and my stuff to my apartment. The school is in Hwamyoung-dong, as anticipated, and is pretty big. It's on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor of a building in downtown Hwamyoung, which seems pretty big. It's really only 3 long blocks of 5-6 story buildings, but they crammed a lot into those blocks.
Mr. Kim seems nice, with ok english. I like the guard at my apartment building better than I like Mr. Kim, though. Sweet old man.
The apartment itself is much bigger than I expected. It's not a studio, but a real one-bedroom apartment with a seperate bathroom (with a tub! AND A WORKING SHOWER!!! I've taken like 10 showers and 2 baths in the 5 days I've been here and in Japan) and a decent living room. I don't have a couch yet, though. It's only a matter of time - I live on a hill with a ton of other apartment buildings, and it's a lot like living in a dorm. People are constantly throwing good furniture out. I have a stove but no oven of microwave. I'm not much of a baker, so the stove isn't a big problem, but I'll need to get a microwave. Mr. Kim and Kelly got me set up with my cell phone before leaving (still trying to figure out which button is menu and which is select, but I'm figuring it out slowly), and gave me their contact info before leaving me to rest. I slept like a rock in my western-style bed. It must be noted that the furniture that came with the apartment is too big and frou-frou to really go with the apartment. My bed takes up half of the bed room, with the wardrobe taking up the rest. There's also a bit of old dirt (the kind that's more stains than anything else at this point) in my apartment. The front of the building faces a river (pretty!) and the back is up against a small mountain (large hill?) that makes the air coming in to my laundry room fresh and nice every morning. The only big downside to where I live is that it's at the top of a huge hill itself, which makes walking up from the supermarket a pain in the ass. It makes the dorm hill at SCAD look like a speed bump.
My first day on my own it took me a while to work up the guts to just walk down to the corner store and buy something to eat. The lady behind the counter just tallied up what I wanted and showed me the cost on the calculator, and we got on fine even though I speak no Korean and she speaks no English. I met Hazel, who works for in a different branch of my school and lives two floors above me, in the lobby downstairs upon my triumphant return from the convenience store. I might have come off slightly manic. She was leaving for the gym and then work, but said she'd be by after work.
After I realized that 'hey, I can do this!' I decided to walk to Hwamyeong to visit my school (on instruction from my recruiter). Only I could manage to get lost in three blocks, but I managed it fantastically. I did manage to find the dunkin donuts, though - bug plus there. The green-tea doughnuts were pretty decent. At the school I think I scared the poo out of poor mister Kim. His eyes were big when I showed up, but he gamely gave me a tour and showed me how to use the subway to get back to my neighborhood (Yulli subway station, in GeumGok-dong).
Hazel showed up later, as promissed, and gave me a rundown of what to expect. She's been very helpful, and showed me the grocery store on her way to gym again (luckily they're in the same building, so it wasn't any bother to her). I got Korean FruitLoops (they're pretty much the same as american), milk, some household goods I needed, and some of the best grapes and apples I've ever had. They're massive and tasty. Hazel invited me to the lantern festival in Chinju the next day, and I said hell yes.
The next day Hazel and I walked down to Hwamyoung (at this point my feet were killing me from the combination of no walking on the long flights over and too much walking the day before, so they were about to die). She got me my first taste of Kimbap, which was delicious. It's a lot like sushi, but with assorted Korean foods inside. They're huge and filling, and generally cost 1,000 won (about a dollar) each. One is a meal.
The group that showed up at Hwamyoung station to go to the festival was massive. Every time I turned around I found more westerners. One of the guys (visiting his girlfriend in Hwamyoung) was wearing a green lantern shirt in honor of the lantern festival. =D
The crowd that left on the subway was about 12 people. They're all on facebook, so I'm getting one so that I'll be in the know for things that are being planned - trips and such. In Chinju (a subway ride and an hour long bus ride away) they had giant lanterns that looked like statues floating on the water, and big red helium balloons floating above the river hanged with banners. It reminded me of the state fair or the balloon fiesta, because they were selling the same kinds of foods in the tents that completely lined the sides of the river - roasted corn, chicken-k-bobs, sweets. The group split up and I explored the Castle with a bunch of other americans. By the time we were done one of the other groups had decided to eat, and we tried meeting them at the restaurant, but the group was just too big for the space. We left, met up with some other americans, tried to find another restaurant, then realized we couldn't all fit in one. Eventually my group found a small pasta restaurant that had good meat-sauce pasta for 4,500 won. It's so cheap to eat out here, it's awesome.
We met back up with the others on the bridge that crossed the river next to the floats, which were clearly glowing once darkness fell. It reminded me of the luminarias at christmas - the darker it gets, the cooler they look. We watched the fireworks show (very nice) and then made our way back to Hwamyoung (Yulli, in my case). Hazel called to make sure I was ok, since we'd been seperated, and I reassured her that I'd had an awesome time. She's really very nice.
Yesterday I went to Japan on a jetfoil. I got lost finding the international ferry, but other than that had a safe and uneventful trip to japan. I still don't have a camera, so no pictures, but we couldn't go outside so they all would have been bad window pictures. Pusan is a huge port, though. They played a random Korean comedy about three men in different diciplines of the martial arts trying to win the hand of a girl by impressing her dad. Cute movie. Then they played Happy Feet with Korean subtitles. Random.
Getting around (lost) in Fukuoka was frustrating but fun. I left on the wrong bus with a crazy Canadian girl who, deciding she was really hungry, led me into a restaurant with no pictures of food and no english menu. She pointed to something the guy at the table next to us was having and said she'd have that, and I said the same. We ended up having some really delicious food. I still don't know what it was. We parted ways (still don't know her name). I took a taxi to my hotel after wandering around a transit building for a while and getting frustrated at the lack of maps with any english on them.
The hotel room was tiny, about the size of my bedroom in South Korea, and reeked of cigarette smoke, but had a deep, short bathtub that I loved. I got settled and eventually (after a lot of walking) found a bus going to the Yahoo Dome, which is where the Korean consulate is located near. I slid in just under deadline for getting the application in, and then waited through three busses at the bus station - each one crammed full of school kids who just got out of school. My feet were literally dead at this point and I didn't want to stand in a crowded bus, but I finally decided to go. Just then a woman (the first black person I've seen in asia) came up asking if this was the bus going back to the hotel - turns out she was at the same hotel as me. She had her husband and 5 year old daughter with her. Charlie, Aaron and Anaka made the rest of the trip pretty much stress-free for me. Charlie would just ask the bus drivers if they were going where we needed to go, and they could almost always understand and answer with a yes or no. Charlie has been travelling around the world with Anaka in tow, giving her more world-travel experience than most people have in a lifetime - just as Charlie's mom did to her. How cool is that? We went to McDonalds for dinner lastnight, but it was better than any McDonalds here in the states - and more expensive. Japan was pricey, all around, but relatively clean and well-organized. Very efficient. My hotel room wouldn't have any power for lights or airconditioning unless you slid the keycard attached to the door key into a slot just inside the room, insuring that you only had airconditioning and lights on when you were in the room. The bus-fare system was easy to understand once you got a hang of it, which I would have enjoyed if I knew where I was going. The directions the recruiters gave me were to the hotel and to the consulate, BOTH originating from the ferry. How useless is that?
PS. Jessica, I found like a whole row of external USB 10 key pads in an electronics store here. If you didn't have your desktop already I'd have sent you one. ;)
Today I picked up my (automatically Multi-Entry since I'm American =) visa with Charlie and Co., got some delicious chinese food, and left the country. I was behind the same guy in the bus that I had been when I left Korea, and on another one of the busses I'd ridden. He had a very distince necklace, and he and the guy he'd been navigating Japan with made for good conversation on the ferry back. Necklace boy has been teaching in Asia for four years, three of those four in Korea. He says it's hard to find a starting position with the pay, hours, and perks (size of apartment, large support community) that I found. He recommended Hyundae Beach as a good area to teach in - lots of westerners and good food. Not too far from PNU, which has a lot of restaurants and a ton of tourist and western hotspots. I hope he had happy landings.
The first movie was a typical tragic Korean drama where the main character, a little boy, loses his little sister and his dog before his good-for-nothing mom shows up to take care of him. Gragh. The second was My neighbor totoro, without english subtitles. It's hard to sleep with that playing, let me tell you.
I made it back to my apartment with no further pain, and soon after Hazel showed up and offered to let me use her internet, since it will probably take a while to get mine set up. Koreans are known for their inneficiency.
As for pictures, I don't have any from Japan, but there were a bunch of people taking pictures at the Chinjo Lantern Festival, so I'll probably be able to snag some to upload from them. I'll get a korean camera when I get a chance.
Korea is a loud, bright, chaotic place. That is my first impression of it.
Japan is a quiet, busy, and effician place. That is my first impression of it.
I think I'll enjoy my time here. I'm lucky to have ended up where I landed.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4
Sorry for spelling and grammar errors, too tired to fix now.
Arrived on monday exhausted, but because I made myself sleep on the plane to Japan I came out ok. I had no problem going to bed again once I was in Korea. Kelly (one of the recruiters) met me at the airport in Pusan and helped me exchange money, as well as flagging a taxi to take us to my school. I just got to see the outside while we waited for Mr. Kim, my school director, to come with his car and someone to help get me and my stuff to my apartment. The school is in Hwamyoung-dong, as anticipated, and is pretty big. It's on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor of a building in downtown Hwamyoung, which seems pretty big. It's really only 3 long blocks of 5-6 story buildings, but they crammed a lot into those blocks.
Mr. Kim seems nice, with ok english. I like the guard at my apartment building better than I like Mr. Kim, though. Sweet old man.
The apartment itself is much bigger than I expected. It's not a studio, but a real one-bedroom apartment with a seperate bathroom (with a tub! AND A WORKING SHOWER!!! I've taken like 10 showers and 2 baths in the 5 days I've been here and in Japan) and a decent living room. I don't have a couch yet, though. It's only a matter of time - I live on a hill with a ton of other apartment buildings, and it's a lot like living in a dorm. People are constantly throwing good furniture out. I have a stove but no oven of microwave. I'm not much of a baker, so the stove isn't a big problem, but I'll need to get a microwave. Mr. Kim and Kelly got me set up with my cell phone before leaving (still trying to figure out which button is menu and which is select, but I'm figuring it out slowly), and gave me their contact info before leaving me to rest. I slept like a rock in my western-style bed. It must be noted that the furniture that came with the apartment is too big and frou-frou to really go with the apartment. My bed takes up half of the bed room, with the wardrobe taking up the rest. There's also a bit of old dirt (the kind that's more stains than anything else at this point) in my apartment. The front of the building faces a river (pretty!) and the back is up against a small mountain (large hill?) that makes the air coming in to my laundry room fresh and nice every morning. The only big downside to where I live is that it's at the top of a huge hill itself, which makes walking up from the supermarket a pain in the ass. It makes the dorm hill at SCAD look like a speed bump.
My first day on my own it took me a while to work up the guts to just walk down to the corner store and buy something to eat. The lady behind the counter just tallied up what I wanted and showed me the cost on the calculator, and we got on fine even though I speak no Korean and she speaks no English. I met Hazel, who works for in a different branch of my school and lives two floors above me, in the lobby downstairs upon my triumphant return from the convenience store. I might have come off slightly manic. She was leaving for the gym and then work, but said she'd be by after work.
After I realized that 'hey, I can do this!' I decided to walk to Hwamyeong to visit my school (on instruction from my recruiter). Only I could manage to get lost in three blocks, but I managed it fantastically. I did manage to find the dunkin donuts, though - bug plus there. The green-tea doughnuts were pretty decent. At the school I think I scared the poo out of poor mister Kim. His eyes were big when I showed up, but he gamely gave me a tour and showed me how to use the subway to get back to my neighborhood (Yulli subway station, in GeumGok-dong).
Hazel showed up later, as promissed, and gave me a rundown of what to expect. She's been very helpful, and showed me the grocery store on her way to gym again (luckily they're in the same building, so it wasn't any bother to her). I got Korean FruitLoops (they're pretty much the same as american), milk, some household goods I needed, and some of the best grapes and apples I've ever had. They're massive and tasty. Hazel invited me to the lantern festival in Chinju the next day, and I said hell yes.
The next day Hazel and I walked down to Hwamyoung (at this point my feet were killing me from the combination of no walking on the long flights over and too much walking the day before, so they were about to die). She got me my first taste of Kimbap, which was delicious. It's a lot like sushi, but with assorted Korean foods inside. They're huge and filling, and generally cost 1,000 won (about a dollar) each. One is a meal.
The group that showed up at Hwamyoung station to go to the festival was massive. Every time I turned around I found more westerners. One of the guys (visiting his girlfriend in Hwamyoung) was wearing a green lantern shirt in honor of the lantern festival. =D
The crowd that left on the subway was about 12 people. They're all on facebook, so I'm getting one so that I'll be in the know for things that are being planned - trips and such. In Chinju (a subway ride and an hour long bus ride away) they had giant lanterns that looked like statues floating on the water, and big red helium balloons floating above the river hanged with banners. It reminded me of the state fair or the balloon fiesta, because they were selling the same kinds of foods in the tents that completely lined the sides of the river - roasted corn, chicken-k-bobs, sweets. The group split up and I explored the Castle with a bunch of other americans. By the time we were done one of the other groups had decided to eat, and we tried meeting them at the restaurant, but the group was just too big for the space. We left, met up with some other americans, tried to find another restaurant, then realized we couldn't all fit in one. Eventually my group found a small pasta restaurant that had good meat-sauce pasta for 4,500 won. It's so cheap to eat out here, it's awesome.
We met back up with the others on the bridge that crossed the river next to the floats, which were clearly glowing once darkness fell. It reminded me of the luminarias at christmas - the darker it gets, the cooler they look. We watched the fireworks show (very nice) and then made our way back to Hwamyoung (Yulli, in my case). Hazel called to make sure I was ok, since we'd been seperated, and I reassured her that I'd had an awesome time. She's really very nice.
Yesterday I went to Japan on a jetfoil. I got lost finding the international ferry, but other than that had a safe and uneventful trip to japan. I still don't have a camera, so no pictures, but we couldn't go outside so they all would have been bad window pictures. Pusan is a huge port, though. They played a random Korean comedy about three men in different diciplines of the martial arts trying to win the hand of a girl by impressing her dad. Cute movie. Then they played Happy Feet with Korean subtitles. Random.
Getting around (lost) in Fukuoka was frustrating but fun. I left on the wrong bus with a crazy Canadian girl who, deciding she was really hungry, led me into a restaurant with no pictures of food and no english menu. She pointed to something the guy at the table next to us was having and said she'd have that, and I said the same. We ended up having some really delicious food. I still don't know what it was. We parted ways (still don't know her name). I took a taxi to my hotel after wandering around a transit building for a while and getting frustrated at the lack of maps with any english on them.
The hotel room was tiny, about the size of my bedroom in South Korea, and reeked of cigarette smoke, but had a deep, short bathtub that I loved. I got settled and eventually (after a lot of walking) found a bus going to the Yahoo Dome, which is where the Korean consulate is located near. I slid in just under deadline for getting the application in, and then waited through three busses at the bus station - each one crammed full of school kids who just got out of school. My feet were literally dead at this point and I didn't want to stand in a crowded bus, but I finally decided to go. Just then a woman (the first black person I've seen in asia) came up asking if this was the bus going back to the hotel - turns out she was at the same hotel as me. She had her husband and 5 year old daughter with her. Charlie, Aaron and Anaka made the rest of the trip pretty much stress-free for me. Charlie would just ask the bus drivers if they were going where we needed to go, and they could almost always understand and answer with a yes or no. Charlie has been travelling around the world with Anaka in tow, giving her more world-travel experience than most people have in a lifetime - just as Charlie's mom did to her. How cool is that? We went to McDonalds for dinner lastnight, but it was better than any McDonalds here in the states - and more expensive. Japan was pricey, all around, but relatively clean and well-organized. Very efficient. My hotel room wouldn't have any power for lights or airconditioning unless you slid the keycard attached to the door key into a slot just inside the room, insuring that you only had airconditioning and lights on when you were in the room. The bus-fare system was easy to understand once you got a hang of it, which I would have enjoyed if I knew where I was going. The directions the recruiters gave me were to the hotel and to the consulate, BOTH originating from the ferry. How useless is that?
PS. Jessica, I found like a whole row of external USB 10 key pads in an electronics store here. If you didn't have your desktop already I'd have sent you one. ;)
Today I picked up my (automatically Multi-Entry since I'm American =) visa with Charlie and Co., got some delicious chinese food, and left the country. I was behind the same guy in the bus that I had been when I left Korea, and on another one of the busses I'd ridden. He had a very distince necklace, and he and the guy he'd been navigating Japan with made for good conversation on the ferry back. Necklace boy has been teaching in Asia for four years, three of those four in Korea. He says it's hard to find a starting position with the pay, hours, and perks (size of apartment, large support community) that I found. He recommended Hyundae Beach as a good area to teach in - lots of westerners and good food. Not too far from PNU, which has a lot of restaurants and a ton of tourist and western hotspots. I hope he had happy landings.
The first movie was a typical tragic Korean drama where the main character, a little boy, loses his little sister and his dog before his good-for-nothing mom shows up to take care of him. Gragh. The second was My neighbor totoro, without english subtitles. It's hard to sleep with that playing, let me tell you.
I made it back to my apartment with no further pain, and soon after Hazel showed up and offered to let me use her internet, since it will probably take a while to get mine set up. Koreans are known for their inneficiency.
As for pictures, I don't have any from Japan, but there were a bunch of people taking pictures at the Chinjo Lantern Festival, so I'll probably be able to snag some to upload from them. I'll get a korean camera when I get a chance.
Korea is a loud, bright, chaotic place. That is my first impression of it.
Japan is a quiet, busy, and effician place. That is my first impression of it.
I think I'll enjoy my time here. I'm lucky to have ended up where I landed.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Finally, work!
I finally have a job! I'll be leaving the country on the 27th or 28th (after Cheosuk, the Korean thanksgiving), then doing my visa run to Japan on the 2nd or 3rd of October. I'm waiting for them to receive my paperwork before I get a final departure date, but they need someone ASAP so I'm not too worried.
I'll be in Hwamyeong-dong, a quiet, clean little city/neighborhood at the outskirts of Busan, the second largest city in South Korea (some call it the San Francisco of Korea, as Seoul is the New York.) There is a tight-knit, welcoming expat community there, and there are two other native speakers (from English-speaking countries) who live in my building. According to the recruiter the apartment is on the 12th floor and has a nifty view. Vhe shall see. The school is large for a private institute, with 10 Korean teachers, but I'll be the only English instructor. On the upside, according to the current teacher, the longest my days (and, therefore, my teaching hours) are is 2:30 to 7:30. I only have to be at the school for my teaching hours (little to no prep time needed), so when there aren't later classes I get to leave early. This is the only private school I've found with such nifty hours.
______________________________
We'll see. It all sounds good, but who knows what the future holds.
I am cautiously optimistic.
I'll be in Hwamyeong-dong, a quiet, clean little city/neighborhood at the outskirts of Busan, the second largest city in South Korea (some call it the San Francisco of Korea, as Seoul is the New York.) There is a tight-knit, welcoming expat community there, and there are two other native speakers (from English-speaking countries) who live in my building. According to the recruiter the apartment is on the 12th floor and has a nifty view. Vhe shall see. The school is large for a private institute, with 10 Korean teachers, but I'll be the only English instructor. On the upside, according to the current teacher, the longest my days (and, therefore, my teaching hours) are is 2:30 to 7:30. I only have to be at the school for my teaching hours (little to no prep time needed), so when there aren't later classes I get to leave early. This is the only private school I've found with such nifty hours.
______________________________
We'll see. It all sounds good, but who knows what the future holds.
I am cautiously optimistic.
Monday, September 10, 2007
The prodigal Recruiter Returns
And at an inopportune time. I was finally getting somewhere with the new recruiter (ESL Planet) who was putting me up for the Public school positions, and then today out of the blue I get a call from old recruiter (Duff) saying that his internet has been down for the last week due to construction. I fail to see that as a valid excuse for not even calling for over a week when he promised to call the next day. My time working for Imagic taught me that keeping the customers in the loop is vital to a business, and this is an example of that very principle. I never realized how frustrating it is to just suddenly be dropped, then just as suddenly picked up.
So... Michael says he's found a possible public school position that he has already sent my resume and photo in for. This would be fine, but if EPIK gets more than one application for an individual via different recruiters they normally disqualify you for the position.
Scramble time.
I e-mail the new recruiter (run by a nice man named Rowan) and keep my fingers crossed. He e-mails me back and says that I should just go with Duff Recruiting. While I am relieved that he hasn't submitted my information yet, I am still disappointed - my chances of getting this job with Duff Recruiting, who is not an official EPIK recruiter, are worse than if I could have just stuck with ESL Planet. I thanked Rowan very politely for helping me and shared my regret that he wouldn't be placing me, and in return he sent advice about what to do on the interview - mainly just make sure I know what EPIK stands for, because that apparently is a simple/common but devastating mistake, and also to find out what part of the city the job will be in. I thanked him again and moved on.
______________________
So... I have less of a chance to land a public school position, but through in-the-meantime recruiters (RBI) I have a decent possible hagwon position lined up.
______________________
On the plus side, now I have several positions that have been vouched for, and possibly a public school position. By and large the Universe treats me well.
~KK
So... Michael says he's found a possible public school position that he has already sent my resume and photo in for. This would be fine, but if EPIK gets more than one application for an individual via different recruiters they normally disqualify you for the position.
Scramble time.
I e-mail the new recruiter (run by a nice man named Rowan) and keep my fingers crossed. He e-mails me back and says that I should just go with Duff Recruiting. While I am relieved that he hasn't submitted my information yet, I am still disappointed - my chances of getting this job with Duff Recruiting, who is not an official EPIK recruiter, are worse than if I could have just stuck with ESL Planet. I thanked Rowan very politely for helping me and shared my regret that he wouldn't be placing me, and in return he sent advice about what to do on the interview - mainly just make sure I know what EPIK stands for, because that apparently is a simple/common but devastating mistake, and also to find out what part of the city the job will be in. I thanked him again and moved on.
______________________
So... I have less of a chance to land a public school position, but through in-the-meantime recruiters (RBI) I have a decent possible hagwon position lined up.
______________________
On the plus side, now I have several positions that have been vouched for, and possibly a public school position. By and large the Universe treats me well.
~KK
Striking out on my own...
Sick of being frustrated I've posted my resume on a couple of sites. I'm aiming for public school, but there are a couple of hagwons that look like they'll be ok (I've talked to the current teachers and they say good things.) One in particular is from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm with reported easy-to-teach materials, and though I would be the only native speaker the area has a very nice and welcoming expat community.
Also, kudos to normalcyispasse for being wiling to scout his city for open positions. Somehow I luck into knowing the niftiest people.
Finally, I'm waiting to hear from a recruiter about 2 possible public school positions in Busan. I don't have a current criminal background check (I could get one in 2 weeks) or a current health form, which could fatally damage my chances of landing the positions. I'll roll with the punches as they come. Maybe I'll do what Dad does and ask Spirit.
____________________________________
Spirit... What the hell do I do now? - Love, KK
____________________________________
Also, kudos to normalcyispasse for being wiling to scout his city for open positions. Somehow I luck into knowing the niftiest people.
Finally, I'm waiting to hear from a recruiter about 2 possible public school positions in Busan. I don't have a current criminal background check (I could get one in 2 weeks) or a current health form, which could fatally damage my chances of landing the positions. I'll roll with the punches as they come. Maybe I'll do what Dad does and ask Spirit.
____________________________________
Spirit... What the hell do I do now? - Love, KK
____________________________________
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Things change even as they stay the same...
Ok, here's the lowdown.
My recruiter has not contacted me at all since the last time I posted, which is one day shy of a full week ago. I have, however, found a new ad put out by his agency advertising jobs just today. I'm guessing he hasn't contacted me about any of them because they are almost 100% kindy teaching (read: daycare), which I have never done and don't particularly want to do, and my recruiter knows this. I might be willing to try it, though (depending on how much back-up I have for my 'learning how to deal with 10 small children at a time' phase), because I'm running out of time. The ASAP positions are in Seoul, where I haven't thought of teaching for a long time (ever since I found that the pay tends to be lower in the big city, though these positions advertise starting wages higher than most other stuff I've found in smaller cities - this could be a bad sign...), but I'm never one to turn down adventure. I've e-mailed the recruiter about this. We'll see what he says.
____________________
I've checked out another recruitment agency in Busan, which has set me up with several schools in Hwamyeong-dong for interviews. It seems like a nice enough area, and the schools have good reviews, but I really like the security of Duff Recruiting. Michael's proven himself solidly on-my-side for these teaching contracts, and he's been extremely helpful all 'round. Plus, he's expecting a baby, and I'm all over making sure he's got some extra money for that. Just from watching my brother I know how expensive it can be to have kids.
____________________
I'm going stir crazy. Since I quit my job, I have little to distract me. Thank god for my friends who come over and poke me into packing or getting rid of crap or leaving the house. We're getting my scooter running again with my brother's help (i.e. we sat on our butts and watched Bill pull the whole scooter apart, and today he's coming back to put it back together) so that I can sell it. It's a solid little scooter (that I shall miss *sniff*) that should provide me with enough money to survive my first month of living in South Korea.
I'll keep this updated. Things change almost every day, and then several things change at once.
Life is funny like that.
Thanks to Diana for keeping tabs on me. ;)
My recruiter has not contacted me at all since the last time I posted, which is one day shy of a full week ago. I have, however, found a new ad put out by his agency advertising jobs just today. I'm guessing he hasn't contacted me about any of them because they are almost 100% kindy teaching (read: daycare), which I have never done and don't particularly want to do, and my recruiter knows this. I might be willing to try it, though (depending on how much back-up I have for my 'learning how to deal with 10 small children at a time' phase), because I'm running out of time. The ASAP positions are in Seoul, where I haven't thought of teaching for a long time (ever since I found that the pay tends to be lower in the big city, though these positions advertise starting wages higher than most other stuff I've found in smaller cities - this could be a bad sign...), but I'm never one to turn down adventure. I've e-mailed the recruiter about this. We'll see what he says.
____________________
I've checked out another recruitment agency in Busan, which has set me up with several schools in Hwamyeong-dong for interviews. It seems like a nice enough area, and the schools have good reviews, but I really like the security of Duff Recruiting. Michael's proven himself solidly on-my-side for these teaching contracts, and he's been extremely helpful all 'round. Plus, he's expecting a baby, and I'm all over making sure he's got some extra money for that. Just from watching my brother I know how expensive it can be to have kids.
____________________
I'm going stir crazy. Since I quit my job, I have little to distract me. Thank god for my friends who come over and poke me into packing or getting rid of crap or leaving the house. We're getting my scooter running again with my brother's help (i.e. we sat on our butts and watched Bill pull the whole scooter apart, and today he's coming back to put it back together) so that I can sell it. It's a solid little scooter (that I shall miss *sniff*) that should provide me with enough money to survive my first month of living in South Korea.
I'll keep this updated. Things change almost every day, and then several things change at once.
Life is funny like that.
Thanks to Diana for keeping tabs on me. ;)
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Contact and Contract woes
The whole 'getting there' deal has slowed to a crawl.
My recruiter (who in every other way has been totally awesome) keeps calling my cell instead of the land line when I'm at home, regardless of the fact that I told him specifically when and how it's best to get a hold of me. It's gotten to the point that I've call forwarded my cell phone to the land line. I waited at home all freaking day in the hopes that he would call, only briefly leaving in the morning for a dental appointment.
Unless the call forwarding screws with his international calling, he didn't try to call today at all, as he said he would in the last message he left (on my cell phone). It's so freaking aggravating, because I'm thisclose to being on my way. Plus, I have a question for him:
In the ad for the teaching job, it said I'd get 2.2 mil won a month (about $2,390) for teaching 2:30-9:30, mon-fri. Now, I had a hard time understanding the school owner when he called, but I could swear he said if I took on morning classes (AKA split shift) I'd get another 200,000 won (about $210) per month. In the contract it says I'll just be getting 2 mil won a month, with 200,000 more if I take the morning classes. This might just be a misunderstanding (these "misunderstandings" are common for hogwan owners to have, or so I hear ¬.¬) but regardless of that, the ad for the job is grossly inaccurate, with absolutely no mention of split shifts whatsoever. My recruiter also caught that the overtime rate, which is supposed to be 22,000 won per teaching hour (50 min) is down on the contract as 20,000 won per hour.
The more I deal with the school owner the less I want to deal with him, despite the fact that the job itself looks like it could be pretty fun, working with adults as well as kids. The only thing keeping me from pulling the plug and getting a mind-numbing, not-as-well paying-but-with-possibly-more-time-off public school job or another hogwan is how much effort Duff Recruiting has put into this as well as the fact that most people don't like public school much better (there are pros - you can be super lazy and cons - you have to deal with a co-teacher, which can make fore some interesting politics) and most hogwan owners are the same - the ones that are nice tend to have low turn over (obviously), which means few chances to snag one.
Maybe I should go for a public school job... but that'd ad another 2-4 weeks before my departure date, which would kill the whole be-back-in-time-for-Shelby's-wedding thing unless I leave the school early, which forfeits the extra month of pay AND the airfare home...
But with the pace things are moving now with these contact and contract woes, it might well be the same difference. I'll continue to put out feelers.
_______________________
[edit 12:06am]
Got the call from the Recruiter, and he says he doesn't want to place me with the school. He said that both he and his wife (who is Korean) started getting bad vibes off of the school owner after several meetings with him. He was wanting to change things in the contract, the hours, etc.
He's checking with some other schools that he's worked with before to see what they have available ASAP. I should have more info tomorrow.
My recruiter (who in every other way has been totally awesome) keeps calling my cell instead of the land line when I'm at home, regardless of the fact that I told him specifically when and how it's best to get a hold of me. It's gotten to the point that I've call forwarded my cell phone to the land line. I waited at home all freaking day in the hopes that he would call, only briefly leaving in the morning for a dental appointment.
Unless the call forwarding screws with his international calling, he didn't try to call today at all, as he said he would in the last message he left (on my cell phone). It's so freaking aggravating, because I'm thisclose to being on my way. Plus, I have a question for him:
In the ad for the teaching job, it said I'd get 2.2 mil won a month (about $2,390) for teaching 2:30-9:30, mon-fri. Now, I had a hard time understanding the school owner when he called, but I could swear he said if I took on morning classes (AKA split shift) I'd get another 200,000 won (about $210) per month. In the contract it says I'll just be getting 2 mil won a month, with 200,000 more if I take the morning classes. This might just be a misunderstanding (these "misunderstandings" are common for hogwan owners to have, or so I hear ¬.¬) but regardless of that, the ad for the job is grossly inaccurate, with absolutely no mention of split shifts whatsoever. My recruiter also caught that the overtime rate, which is supposed to be 22,000 won per teaching hour (50 min) is down on the contract as 20,000 won per hour.
The more I deal with the school owner the less I want to deal with him, despite the fact that the job itself looks like it could be pretty fun, working with adults as well as kids. The only thing keeping me from pulling the plug and getting a mind-numbing, not-as-well paying-but-with-possibly-more-time-off public school job or another hogwan is how much effort Duff Recruiting has put into this as well as the fact that most people don't like public school much better (there are pros - you can be super lazy and cons - you have to deal with a co-teacher, which can make fore some interesting politics) and most hogwan owners are the same - the ones that are nice tend to have low turn over (obviously), which means few chances to snag one.
Maybe I should go for a public school job... but that'd ad another 2-4 weeks before my departure date, which would kill the whole be-back-in-time-for-Shelby's-wedding thing unless I leave the school early, which forfeits the extra month of pay AND the airfare home...
But with the pace things are moving now with these contact and contract woes, it might well be the same difference. I'll continue to put out feelers.
_______________________
[edit 12:06am]
Got the call from the Recruiter, and he says he doesn't want to place me with the school. He said that both he and his wife (who is Korean) started getting bad vibes off of the school owner after several meetings with him. He was wanting to change things in the contract, the hours, etc.
He's checking with some other schools that he's worked with before to see what they have available ASAP. I should have more info tomorrow.
Monday, August 27, 2007
THISCLOSE
Sometimes Getting There Takes Gumption
My recruiter is meeting with the school director soon. Because I've been talking to current and previous teachers at the school, I've requested a few clauses to be put into the contract - one being; I must have air-conditioning in my apartment. Two being; I won't work split shifts. (the job advertisement said 2:30 - 9:30, and that's what I'm holding him to. Unlike the previous teachers there, I won't let the school rule my life from 6:45 in the morning until 8:30 at night.) And finally; If you're giving me 10 days of vacation (and not letting me choose my own vacations) GIVE ME ALL FREAKING 10 DAYS. The way that the contract reads, all of the days off, including Korean holidays (aren't there supposed to be 13 - 15? I only count 11) are lumped together in one long read-out. I had someone who's worked in Korea go over it and they told me that 1-2 of my 'personal holidays' are scheduled for after I'll be gone! And about three others are in the middle of the week. Even in the US teachers are allowed to take their holidays in combination with weekends for best effect. I do want to see a bit of Korea and maybe some other Asian countries while I'm in the area, people. Next year I'll see if I can't snag a public school job at a school that lets me take the same vacations as a Korean public school teacher.
Also, he (the recruiter) caught several things that I should have in going over the contract - for example the school docking twice my hourly wage from my pay for classes missed (this is illegal under Korean Labor Law - they can only dock my hourly wage). Also, if I would need to leave for any personal reason, there is a line in a clause stating that I would have to stay until another teacher is found to replace me. With the reputation of this school among the foreign teaching community this could take some time. And a clause stating that if I don't meet all of the teaching criteria (a big list about lesson plans and testing) the school would dock me 50,000 won per month - this is also illegal under Korean Labor Law.
_________________
Long story short, don't take contracts without getting them checked by people familiar with Korean labor laws. Duff Recruiting has been awesome for me so far, but if you're not with a recruiter to to some place like the koreabridge forums or the Contract Posting thread on Dave's ESL Cafe. The Korea Job Discussion forum in general is a good place to check out. EFL-law used to be a good place, too, but now it's gone. ;_;
_________________
The recruiter is meeting with the school owner to go over the revised contract. I'll post more as more comes up.
~KK
My recruiter is meeting with the school director soon. Because I've been talking to current and previous teachers at the school, I've requested a few clauses to be put into the contract - one being; I must have air-conditioning in my apartment. Two being; I won't work split shifts. (the job advertisement said 2:30 - 9:30, and that's what I'm holding him to. Unlike the previous teachers there, I won't let the school rule my life from 6:45 in the morning until 8:30 at night.) And finally; If you're giving me 10 days of vacation (and not letting me choose my own vacations) GIVE ME ALL FREAKING 10 DAYS. The way that the contract reads, all of the days off, including Korean holidays (aren't there supposed to be 13 - 15? I only count 11) are lumped together in one long read-out. I had someone who's worked in Korea go over it and they told me that 1-2 of my 'personal holidays' are scheduled for after I'll be gone! And about three others are in the middle of the week. Even in the US teachers are allowed to take their holidays in combination with weekends for best effect. I do want to see a bit of Korea and maybe some other Asian countries while I'm in the area, people. Next year I'll see if I can't snag a public school job at a school that lets me take the same vacations as a Korean public school teacher.
Also, he (the recruiter) caught several things that I should have in going over the contract - for example the school docking twice my hourly wage from my pay for classes missed (this is illegal under Korean Labor Law - they can only dock my hourly wage). Also, if I would need to leave for any personal reason, there is a line in a clause stating that I would have to stay until another teacher is found to replace me. With the reputation of this school among the foreign teaching community this could take some time. And a clause stating that if I don't meet all of the teaching criteria (a big list about lesson plans and testing) the school would dock me 50,000 won per month - this is also illegal under Korean Labor Law.
_________________
Long story short, don't take contracts without getting them checked by people familiar with Korean labor laws. Duff Recruiting has been awesome for me so far, but if you're not with a recruiter to to some place like the koreabridge forums or the Contract Posting thread on Dave's ESL Cafe. The Korea Job Discussion forum in general is a good place to check out. EFL-law used to be a good place, too, but now it's gone. ;_;
_________________
The recruiter is meeting with the school owner to go over the revised contract. I'll post more as more comes up.
~KK
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Lesson Plans
Once I get there, the real challenge starts
I'm trying to work out some basics for how I want to teach my classes, because it seems like too many post-college-'I-want-an-Asia-experience' kids go in and completely gyp the paying students. I've had good teachers and bad teachers, and while my personal experience with teaching is pretty much limited to substitute teaching, I want to be a good teacher.
In trying to dream up a possible syllabus I'm hampered by the fact that I don't know how many students I'll have, what ages they'll be, and what kind of teaching materials the school will put in my hands. I'm generating ideas based on teaching styles that appealed to me as a student (hopefully they will lend themselves to ESL teaching as well.) If I can stay away from using the provided books as a crutch instead of a guide I'll do well - or at least better.
Some general plans are as follows:
Daily Topic Journal -
Starting with 'why do I really want to learn English?'
That's about 5-10 minutes of a 50 minute class, and I want to be sure to do review at the end of class.
The funnest review I've ever done included each of us students having a paddle made of white board that we wrote on in dry erase markers. We were asked a question and we had to (silently) write out the answer and raise our paddles. After everyone had their paddle raised (we were allowed to help each other with hints, but no direct answers) we read off our answers. The person who got the correct answers the fastest got a prize - I'm thinking with little kids it can be stickers and such from the US, and with the bigger kids ?.
I'm thinking I'll do a game day every other week as a treat.
I've been checking several websites for lesson ideas, and so far I like using comics and editing (or erasing) the lines in the balloons so that the students can write in the dialog. It's fun for most people, and it's conducive to scenario-thinking
Also, an idea that I like from BigHominid is having the students work on something in the longterm - a storybook or magazine - that they write articles/pages for throughout the semester, which I'll put together and print for them on the last class.
I foresee one of my biggest problems being discipline. I'm a big softy, and my friends lovingly and exasperatedly tell me that I want to be everyone's friend. I'll have to toughen up, and fast.
_________________
That's all for now - more when I find out when I'll actually be in Changwon.
~KK
I'm trying to work out some basics for how I want to teach my classes, because it seems like too many post-college-'I-want-an-Asia-experience' kids go in and completely gyp the paying students. I've had good teachers and bad teachers, and while my personal experience with teaching is pretty much limited to substitute teaching, I want to be a good teacher.
In trying to dream up a possible syllabus I'm hampered by the fact that I don't know how many students I'll have, what ages they'll be, and what kind of teaching materials the school will put in my hands. I'm generating ideas based on teaching styles that appealed to me as a student (hopefully they will lend themselves to ESL teaching as well.) If I can stay away from using the provided books as a crutch instead of a guide I'll do well - or at least better.
Some general plans are as follows:
Daily Topic Journal -
Starting with 'why do I really want to learn English?'
That's about 5-10 minutes of a 50 minute class, and I want to be sure to do review at the end of class.
The funnest review I've ever done included each of us students having a paddle made of white board that we wrote on in dry erase markers. We were asked a question and we had to (silently) write out the answer and raise our paddles. After everyone had their paddle raised (we were allowed to help each other with hints, but no direct answers) we read off our answers. The person who got the correct answers the fastest got a prize - I'm thinking with little kids it can be stickers and such from the US, and with the bigger kids ?.
I'm thinking I'll do a game day every other week as a treat.
I've been checking several websites for lesson ideas, and so far I like using comics and editing (or erasing) the lines in the balloons so that the students can write in the dialog. It's fun for most people, and it's conducive to scenario-thinking
Also, an idea that I like from BigHominid is having the students work on something in the longterm - a storybook or magazine - that they write articles/pages for throughout the semester, which I'll put together and print for them on the last class.
I foresee one of my biggest problems being discipline. I'm a big softy, and my friends lovingly and exasperatedly tell me that I want to be everyone's friend. I'll have to toughen up, and fast.
_________________
That's all for now - more when I find out when I'll actually be in Changwon.
~KK
Friday, August 24, 2007
The getting there is getting there. Then I'll get there.
Time flies as it crawls
Current deal is this:
I've been e-mailing back and forth with my recruiter, who provided me with the e-mail addresses of the teachers currently teaching at the school, as well as the ones who had my job before me (it was a couple). The previous teachers e-mailed me back telling me not to teach at the school. I'm still going to teach there, and the reason for my insanity is this: the main issues that the couple had with the owner have already been handled by my recruiter. Hagwon owners, as a rule, tend to try to cut corners. That's part of why so many native speakers have crappy experiences teaching in South Korea. The owner tried to get them to work on tourist visas, which is a big no-no (resulting in fines and deportation when you're found out). Also, they got a craptastic apartment(s) - among the tamer problems were a non-working sink, shower, and toilet. Finally, they worked a split shift that made their days too long and exhausting.
Duff Recruiting (as I've said before) is just about the only recruitment company that I could find that didn't have any negative comments about it, mainly because it's run by an Australian (Michael Duffy) who went to Korea to teach and ended up having a family there. He was an active voice in the EFL Law forums, and that's the main reason I went with him. He knows what the main issues are and how to deal with them.
He has promised that I'll have a visa run to Japan as soon as I arrive, he has personally seen the apartment I'll be living in and says everything is in working order, and as I've told him flat out that I won't work the split shift, he's writing a clause into the contract stating that I will not work a split shift. When I raised my doubts as to whether the contract will make much of a difference, he sent me a copy of Duff Recruiting's contract with the school - and it's pretty solid. If contract is breached (and breaches are clearly defined) with me, contract is breached with Duff Recruiting. He set out the rules for the owner (mainly that everything has to be above-board and he has to abide by the contract) when he started doing business with him. We'll see if this actually takes care of the problems.
In the meantime, I'm getting ready to go. My friend Marie, who visits her grandparents in Japan just about every summer, has advised me to take nylons in bulk - they're apparently really pricey in Asia. Other than that, I've been stocking up on business casual wear and prepping as much as I can. More when I know more.
Current deal is this:
I've been e-mailing back and forth with my recruiter, who provided me with the e-mail addresses of the teachers currently teaching at the school, as well as the ones who had my job before me (it was a couple). The previous teachers e-mailed me back telling me not to teach at the school. I'm still going to teach there, and the reason for my insanity is this: the main issues that the couple had with the owner have already been handled by my recruiter. Hagwon owners, as a rule, tend to try to cut corners. That's part of why so many native speakers have crappy experiences teaching in South Korea. The owner tried to get them to work on tourist visas, which is a big no-no (resulting in fines and deportation when you're found out). Also, they got a craptastic apartment(s) - among the tamer problems were a non-working sink, shower, and toilet. Finally, they worked a split shift that made their days too long and exhausting.
Duff Recruiting (as I've said before) is just about the only recruitment company that I could find that didn't have any negative comments about it, mainly because it's run by an Australian (Michael Duffy) who went to Korea to teach and ended up having a family there. He was an active voice in the EFL Law forums, and that's the main reason I went with him. He knows what the main issues are and how to deal with them.
He has promised that I'll have a visa run to Japan as soon as I arrive, he has personally seen the apartment I'll be living in and says everything is in working order, and as I've told him flat out that I won't work the split shift, he's writing a clause into the contract stating that I will not work a split shift. When I raised my doubts as to whether the contract will make much of a difference, he sent me a copy of Duff Recruiting's contract with the school - and it's pretty solid. If contract is breached (and breaches are clearly defined) with me, contract is breached with Duff Recruiting. He set out the rules for the owner (mainly that everything has to be above-board and he has to abide by the contract) when he started doing business with him. We'll see if this actually takes care of the problems.
In the meantime, I'm getting ready to go. My friend Marie, who visits her grandparents in Japan just about every summer, has advised me to take nylons in bulk - they're apparently really pricey in Asia. Other than that, I've been stocking up on business casual wear and prepping as much as I can. More when I know more.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Still Getting There
Ironing Things Out
I'll probably be in Korea by the last week of August. They want me out there as soon as possible. I will be (if all goes as expected) teaching kids from 8-16 years in a hagwon. I've been pretty cautious about taking these jobs because a lot of people go in blind and have a bad experience, ending up teaching much longer hours than stated in their contracts, not getting their severance pay, getting unjustly fired, etc. I picked the best recruiter I could find, as most will avoid telling you the truth of a situation in order to sell you a more attractive job. My recruiter (Duff Recruiting, an Aussie who's married to a Korean woman and living in Changwon, where I'll be teaching) has been upfront with me about the owner of the school. He says the guy is known for cutting corners, but if I put my foot down I'll do ok. He also said that the owner can always get me overtime if I need more money. We'll see how true all this is. The contract states that teaching hours are 2:30 - 9:30 pm, though I can do a split if I want to (not likely). I've told him I won't do a split, as my first act of assertion. Go me.
We'll see how that pans out when I'm actually at his (the owners) mercy, living in Korea. Another plus of using my recruiter, though, is that his office is a few blocks away from the school I'll be teaching at. ;)
________________
Also, NO co-teacher. That's mainly public schools. I'll be in charge of the kiddos, and we all know how much Kat looooooves children. Hopefully they are more respectful than the kids I've subbed for here in the US. The classes are supposed to top out at 10 kids, though, which should be more manageable than the 25-30 I had to ride herd on in APS. If anyone has experience teaching ESL, send me tips. While the school will be providing teaching supplies, I'm getting mom to run me to Learning is Fun for some teaching supplies. She's got her TESOL accreditation and her Masters is in English. With her 20ish years of teaching, I figure she's a good font of info to draw from.
________________
According to the contract, I'll be making 2.2 million won a month, which currently translates to $2,314. I'll have about 8% of that taken out in taxes, health care and pension (the Korean income tax for that bracket tops out at 2%! How is it that we pay so much more and yet don't have the nice state-run health care programs? $6 for an amalgam filling!). I'll be getting pretty much all of this back when I leave, because 4.5% is for the national pension. My employer puts in the other 4.5%, and I get the whole 9% back when I leave Korea, as I won't be needing a pension in Korea. I also get an extra month of pay as a longevity bonus, assuming I finish out my contract. And, of course, I get the furnished apartment. ;) Keep in mind, these perks (sans apartment - they'll house me even if it's a crap apartment) are the very things that some people get denied by greedy owners. Hmmm.
______________
I will have internet in my apartment. It'll cost $20-$30 a month. Who knows what speed it will be?
I'll be taking my laptop with me, obviously. I bought some outlet step-down converters expressly for it (the voltage in SK is 220, not 110) but who knows how long and well they'll last? Also, what if I need to use the outlet adapters, as well? They have three different kinds of plugs in use in Korea, some more than others. @_@ There are some big, clunky hard-core step-down converters that I might need to obtain. I just don't want to fry my laptop. I shall take something with me to test their efficiency.
______________
That's it for now, kiddos. I'll keep this posted with my happenings as they happen.
I'll probably be in Korea by the last week of August. They want me out there as soon as possible. I will be (if all goes as expected) teaching kids from 8-16 years in a hagwon. I've been pretty cautious about taking these jobs because a lot of people go in blind and have a bad experience, ending up teaching much longer hours than stated in their contracts, not getting their severance pay, getting unjustly fired, etc. I picked the best recruiter I could find, as most will avoid telling you the truth of a situation in order to sell you a more attractive job. My recruiter (Duff Recruiting, an Aussie who's married to a Korean woman and living in Changwon, where I'll be teaching) has been upfront with me about the owner of the school. He says the guy is known for cutting corners, but if I put my foot down I'll do ok. He also said that the owner can always get me overtime if I need more money. We'll see how true all this is. The contract states that teaching hours are 2:30 - 9:30 pm, though I can do a split if I want to (not likely). I've told him I won't do a split, as my first act of assertion. Go me.
We'll see how that pans out when I'm actually at his (the owners) mercy, living in Korea. Another plus of using my recruiter, though, is that his office is a few blocks away from the school I'll be teaching at. ;)
________________
Also, NO co-teacher. That's mainly public schools. I'll be in charge of the kiddos, and we all know how much Kat looooooves children. Hopefully they are more respectful than the kids I've subbed for here in the US. The classes are supposed to top out at 10 kids, though, which should be more manageable than the 25-30 I had to ride herd on in APS. If anyone has experience teaching ESL, send me tips. While the school will be providing teaching supplies, I'm getting mom to run me to Learning is Fun for some teaching supplies. She's got her TESOL accreditation and her Masters is in English. With her 20ish years of teaching, I figure she's a good font of info to draw from.
________________
According to the contract, I'll be making 2.2 million won a month, which currently translates to $2,314. I'll have about 8% of that taken out in taxes, health care and pension (the Korean income tax for that bracket tops out at 2%! How is it that we pay so much more and yet don't have the nice state-run health care programs? $6 for an amalgam filling!). I'll be getting pretty much all of this back when I leave, because 4.5% is for the national pension. My employer puts in the other 4.5%, and I get the whole 9% back when I leave Korea, as I won't be needing a pension in Korea. I also get an extra month of pay as a longevity bonus, assuming I finish out my contract. And, of course, I get the furnished apartment. ;) Keep in mind, these perks (sans apartment - they'll house me even if it's a crap apartment) are the very things that some people get denied by greedy owners. Hmmm.
______________
I will have internet in my apartment. It'll cost $20-$30 a month. Who knows what speed it will be?
I'll be taking my laptop with me, obviously. I bought some outlet step-down converters expressly for it (the voltage in SK is 220, not 110) but who knows how long and well they'll last? Also, what if I need to use the outlet adapters, as well? They have three different kinds of plugs in use in Korea, some more than others. @_@ There are some big, clunky hard-core step-down converters that I might need to obtain. I just don't want to fry my laptop. I shall take something with me to test their efficiency.
______________
That's it for now, kiddos. I'll keep this posted with my happenings as they happen.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Getting there
To Blog Or Not To Blog
I'm setting up this blog to share my experiences in teaching in South Korea. Whether my experience is good or bad, it's experience that I want. Why? Because I've still got the stars in my eyes. They shouldn't be there, but somehow there they are, sickening the seasoned, the experienced, the pessimistic, and a few of my friends. I am a graduate from an art school (SCAD), with one of the most useless and fun to get degrees out there (there's a reason it's rare) - Sequential Art, aka Comics and Storyboarding. Upon leaving college I made the mistake of moving back home, and was promptly sucked into my family's woes and dramas and loves. I worked as a substitute teacher, then a call center drone, then settled into a nice, if poorly-paying job doing graphic design and secretarial work.
Why am I going to Korea, then? Because it meets several needs that need meeting.
1. Life Experience - Like most college-kids-returned-home, I'm craving independence again, as well as the simple experience of living abroad. The most interesting people I've talked to have worked and lived in other countries. Being American, as insulated as we are, I'd like to get a bit of perspective.
2. Travel - It goes hand-in-hand with the whole starry-eyed thing. I grew up listening to my dad talk about hitchhiking around the world. Whether the experiences were good or bad, he enjoys looking back on them. I'd like to be able to say to my spawn (one day) "I remember that one time, in Morocco..."
3. Teaching - Last but certainly not least. My goals include teaching art at a college level. From what I've seen, I fall into the 'youth wanting an Asia experience' category, who tend to become fodder to the hogwan system. While mentally I'd like to separate myself from that group, the fact is that I've had limited teaching experience and no certification for teaching ESL. I'm hoping that being as prepared as possible will help me navigate the craziness, both for teaching and the hogwan system. My mother taught english for years and has her TESOL certification, so she's helping a bit.
4. Oh wait, there's one more! Money! Yes, I have astronomical student loan debt. I want to make a dent in it so that I can go to grad school to obtain the creds I need to teach at a college level.
I'll be updating here with my full experience as it happens to me, if for no other reason than to keep track of it. If you're reading this, I hope it helps.
I'm setting up this blog to share my experiences in teaching in South Korea. Whether my experience is good or bad, it's experience that I want. Why? Because I've still got the stars in my eyes. They shouldn't be there, but somehow there they are, sickening the seasoned, the experienced, the pessimistic, and a few of my friends. I am a graduate from an art school (SCAD), with one of the most useless and fun to get degrees out there (there's a reason it's rare) - Sequential Art, aka Comics and Storyboarding. Upon leaving college I made the mistake of moving back home, and was promptly sucked into my family's woes and dramas and loves. I worked as a substitute teacher, then a call center drone, then settled into a nice, if poorly-paying job doing graphic design and secretarial work.
Why am I going to Korea, then? Because it meets several needs that need meeting.
1. Life Experience - Like most college-kids-returned-home, I'm craving independence again, as well as the simple experience of living abroad. The most interesting people I've talked to have worked and lived in other countries. Being American, as insulated as we are, I'd like to get a bit of perspective.
2. Travel - It goes hand-in-hand with the whole starry-eyed thing. I grew up listening to my dad talk about hitchhiking around the world. Whether the experiences were good or bad, he enjoys looking back on them. I'd like to be able to say to my spawn (one day) "I remember that one time, in Morocco..."
3. Teaching - Last but certainly not least. My goals include teaching art at a college level. From what I've seen, I fall into the 'youth wanting an Asia experience' category, who tend to become fodder to the hogwan system. While mentally I'd like to separate myself from that group, the fact is that I've had limited teaching experience and no certification for teaching ESL. I'm hoping that being as prepared as possible will help me navigate the craziness, both for teaching and the hogwan system. My mother taught english for years and has her TESOL certification, so she's helping a bit.
4. Oh wait, there's one more! Money! Yes, I have astronomical student loan debt. I want to make a dent in it so that I can go to grad school to obtain the creds I need to teach at a college level.
I'll be updating here with my full experience as it happens to me, if for no other reason than to keep track of it. If you're reading this, I hope it helps.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
