Seoul

Ok, so I officially failed at my Santiago blog, but I think I've discovered why...I didn't know what to be posting. Now that I've lived there and had people ask me things about my stay, things so inane I wouldn't have even considered to mention them, I think I have a new and better direction.

First of all, to start off this blog, I will tell you that my intention is not to discuss my personal life, but rather the life of a foreigner from the US living in Seoul, working at my company. I will be working at Yes Youngdo Education Corporation at the Gangdong-gu campus.

I had an interview, we discussed salary, location, etc., and I received a job offer via email. I read the contract sent as an attachment, sent back my confirmation of acceptance, and thus began my journey with this institute. The director, Christina Kim, is very helpful and answers most of my emails in a timely matter. However, I did encounter a bit of a hiccup in communication...She sent me an email and I hit the reply button, typed up my email, and sent it. About half a second later, I received an email from mailerdaemon. My email was rejected by their server and delivery permanently failed. Luckily, I did have the email address of another man working there. So I emailed him.

When he emailed me back, I again hit reply and the same thing happened. Permanently failed. So I called the school. Someone picked up and we got everything settled. The next time she gave me a different email address, with gmail.com.

This was slightly stressful for me because we were emailing about my visa information. They first have to apply for a visa issuance number for you and then when they get that you are then allowed to apply at the closest Korean consulate. They needed a certain letter from my university regarding my diploma (the original is in Latin and they needed a translation to English) to be able to submit my application. After that, I sent in my paperwork to the Houston Korean consulate on Wednesday or Thursday and they called me and I have my interview at the consulate on Tuesday.

Lesson: get multiple email addresses and contact information from your Korean as their communication may sometimes be blocked.

Information: if you need to know about the visa process (their website walks you through the documents, etc. you will need) for someone who will teach English in Korea, here is a link to the Houston consulate:

http://koreahouston.org/english/affair_index.htm

if the Houston consulate does not serve you (http://koreahouston.org/english/affair_index_where.htm), here is a list of the consulates and embassies in Canada and the US, with a Worldwide section at the bottom:

http://www.asia-pacific-connections.com/korean_diplomatic_offices.html

I hope this blog will serve as a reliable source of information. I plan to post pictures and specific information upon my arrival. For more information, contact me. I have a list of a few websites that can provide a TON of information from a simple neighborhood map to how to cook certain Korean dishes.

Comment with any questions/gripes/grievances...

Edit: I forgot to mention my experience with YBM. I was emailing with Hannah, the one to whom you send your resume, application, etc. and had quite an interesting run. I was set up for a phone interview with one of the schools, with a woman named Michelle. We had our phone interview and she said she was very interested in having me as a teacher at her school. I asked when she would let me know if they had a position available for me, a job offer. She said in a week (this would have been the Saturday after Christmas). I was impressed and said thank you, hung up, went on my way. That Saturday I received no phone call, no information. So I emailed Hannah (I was not privy to Michelle's information) about the situation. Long story short, basically to every 4 emails I sent she sent me one reply. Most of the time with vague or false information.

A month later, when I was offered the job by Yes Youngdo, I emailed Hannah. "Hannah, please withdraw my application". After hearing nothing from her or her co-workers for about two weeks, about 20 minutes after sending this email I received a call from Michelle offering me a job. "Sorry," I said, "I've already accepted a position elsewhere." This was not what she wanted to hear and wondered if I could get out of it. "No, I already gave my word. Good luck with your search."

I don't know if this is common for that organization, but I thought I'd share my experience.

Also, if you're looking for information on who to apply with and how, let me know. I have some sources I could send your way. Good luck!