How I Got this Gig, Part 2.

Yeah, continuing from the other night, basically I ran into some barriers that impeded my goal of grabbing a teaching stint abroad:

1. Being "Asian:" little did I know that while looking for a job was that for Koreans, they believe this silly stereotype that white people "speak" and "teach" English the best, because they believe that's the people who represent the English-speaking majority; they basically want a white face in the classroom. Most of the ESL teachers in South Korea today are white actually, and that's a reality because of the stereotype. So, there were some moments of frustration when I sent various applications/e-mails in to teaching programs, and would never hear back from them because of the photo I sent of myself (all programs require need your photo for obvious identification reasons). It would get even more frustrating when I would send an application in, get a reply of interest from the supervisor, and then when I sent my photo via e-mail, I wouldn't get anything back. Sucks to be them, because they missed out on a great candidate.

2. Time: I applied too early. I realized that when getting this job, you have to be readily available with your degree in hand and ready to leave for the nation. I thought that you could land a job months ahead like any other white-collar job, but this was a job situation where I had to wait. Schools only want teachers who have graduated and are ready within a month.

3. Public vs Private Schools: There are two kinds of programs for English-teaching: Public schools, which are backed by the Metropolitan School Boards, so the main advantage is that you get public holidays off and you are guaranteed on-time payments for salary. The other are private schools. Yet these are not like the private schools in America: private schools in this definition means that many children in South Korea go straight from regular public school to these paid "after-school" programs, where a private, BUSINESS institution will specialize teaching in a specific subject. This is a way of extra-curricular improvement and achievement. These are called "Hagwons" (Korean), and the specific schools range for music, math, literature, and most importantly, English. The whole goal of these hagwons are for college preparation. Koreans shell out mad cash-funds just to send their sons and daughters to these schools for the extra help. Keep in mind that Korea is a very education-oriented society: your education proves your worth in life. I, personally, opted to try to apply for public school programs because you know they are backed by the government. However, the issue is that they are more difficult to get. With the private institutions, they are more easier jobs to get because of lack of requirements, yet the real issue is that when a school is run as a business, shady practices could be the result. I have read horrible testimonies from people who went to Korea excited to teach, only to find themselves scammed from paychecks or other benefits. It's a tough lot.

So, with these three barriers, I was still determined to trust in the Lord to provide a way for me to get there. And let me tell ya, it was a long road. I was getting frustrated because I would get an interview, but end up not getting the gig because of some technicality. Then in November, I got a job offer from a "hagwon," but the main drawback was that it required long hours, and the possibility of teaching on holidays. Yet, I was considering this position because they had flexible location options.

However, in November 2006, after getting that offer, I got another interview offer from this recruiting company called "Canadian Connections." At first, I did not even bother checking it because it said "Canadian." I am sorry, sometimes I have a bad stereotype stuck in my head about Canadians. Of course they are fine lot, but just the name of "Canadian" attached to the company name caused some unease at first, just because we Americans have this ongoing rivalry with our northern neighbors, those Canucks.

However, the supervisor of the company, Shane, offered me an interview for a public school job. So, not really caring, but saying "why not" at the same time, I allowed him to call me. Keep in mind, I did not even think I would be getting this job in the first place, so I was really lackadaisical when he called me.

Yet that's when God worked with me. The funny thing was, all of my interviews with various schools beforehand were really intense, because this is the first time I did job interviews. Since I did not even care for this interview, the ironic thing was I was very relaxed and just laid-back when I answered all of his questions: in other words, I was behaving like myself. All of the other past interviews were very carefully done, and I tried my best to sound professional and focused, but this time around, this interview was special because I was acting "real." He asked me various questions about my background, my teaching experience, and my experience in Korea. He asked me more serious questions about what would I do to handle culture shock, what are my weaknesses, and what would I do with my spare time. Each question I gave thorough, honest answers. The man himself, Shane, was a very nice guy who did not sound intimidating at all and worked well to keep me informed about the whole hiring process. So, the irony is, instead of being anxious and trying to do my best in an interview, I ended up being the real me and answered each question with ease.

Result? Job offer, the next day. The pay is basic, starting. However, there are chances for an upgrade in pay if I sign on for the next year. But, let's take it one day at a time for now, because, I am not even there yet!