Saturday, December 19, 2009
The clothes my students wear
Some are funny, some are cute, some are racist. But they all have one thing in common: my Korean students are wearing them. This will post will be updated every time I find a noteworthy sweater or shirt. Here they are:
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
My School
Front View of the school I work at:
Side View:
My desk in my office:
The rest of my office:
Inside the classroom:
The kids wear interesting shirts... they have no idea what it says!
Side View:
My desk in my office:
The rest of my office:
Inside the classroom:
The kids wear interesting shirts... they have no idea what it says!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The 100,000 won challenge
Yesterday was great overall. Around 9:30am my co-teacher came to our house and we all walked to my school. I am amazed at how close it is. We were walking leisurely and it took less than ten minutes. So the first thing I saw at Song-Il elementary was the playground and modern infrastructure. We go in to meet the School Director (Korean version of the principal) and he seems like a nice guy. A girl came in and served us all green tea. After a short translated conversation, we headed up to meet the Vice School Director, who made us coffee and told Steve and I we were an attractive couple. We waited for a bit until my co-teacher found us a ride to get our mandatory health check-up. Soon, we were in a car with the P.E. teacher driving to "Good Morning Hospital." When we arrived we were sent to a series of rooms to check our height, weight, hearing, sight, teeth, blood pressure, get a chest x-ray, urine test, and blood test. The results come back next week so until then we can't get our Alien Registration Card which allows us to get a Korean cellphone, open a Korean bank account, and set up internet and cable at our apartment.
After the hospital we headed for a speedy trip (seemed like the P.E. teacher was in a rush) to E-Mart (like a Korean Walmart, but more expensive). They had everything there, so we quickly got some necessities and left. One thing that was a little different was that we had to box (not bag) our own groceries.
The P.E. teacher dropped us off at home, we put our groceries away, and rested for a bit. Steve's co-teacher was supposed to come by and show him his school but she never showed up so we decided to explore and look for dinner. We found streets filled with bright neon and flashing lights. After walking a few blocks we stopped in a place and asked, "menu?" A woman pointed to the wall at a list of items and prices, all in Korean. So we point to a dish that a group of people had that looked good and sat down. She brought us soup and asked, "Soju?" to which we nodded enthusiastically (hey, it was our first Saturday night in Korea!). About 5 minutes later she brought out a steaming pot of whatever it is that we ordered and served us. Everything from the soup, to the kimchi, to the main dish was incredibly spicy. We started eating and notice that the dish was full of whole shrimp (or crawfish?) with antennae and eyes lookng at me. I lost my appetite. We noticed a guy who seemed to know a few words of English so we asked him, "How much?" pointing to our food. He looks at us and says, "One-hundred thousand won" (roughly $100 U.S. dollars). Steve and I said thank you and tried to hide our disbelief. We looked at each other like, what the heck do we do? This meal was not worth $100! We checked our wallets and found that we only had 60, 000 won. We sat there and waited a long time, scared to ask for the bill. Finally the woman comes by and Steve takes out his wallet. He starts pulling out money and she takes 13, 000 from him ($13 bucks!). We realized we had been sitting there for a good 30 minutes freaking out about the bill when a guy had just played a joke on us. Wow. Good times.
After the hospital we headed for a speedy trip (seemed like the P.E. teacher was in a rush) to E-Mart (like a Korean Walmart, but more expensive). They had everything there, so we quickly got some necessities and left. One thing that was a little different was that we had to box (not bag) our own groceries.
The P.E. teacher dropped us off at home, we put our groceries away, and rested for a bit. Steve's co-teacher was supposed to come by and show him his school but she never showed up so we decided to explore and look for dinner. We found streets filled with bright neon and flashing lights. After walking a few blocks we stopped in a place and asked, "menu?" A woman pointed to the wall at a list of items and prices, all in Korean. So we point to a dish that a group of people had that looked good and sat down. She brought us soup and asked, "Soju?" to which we nodded enthusiastically (hey, it was our first Saturday night in Korea!). About 5 minutes later she brought out a steaming pot of whatever it is that we ordered and served us. Everything from the soup, to the kimchi, to the main dish was incredibly spicy. We started eating and notice that the dish was full of whole shrimp (or crawfish?) with antennae and eyes lookng at me. I lost my appetite. We noticed a guy who seemed to know a few words of English so we asked him, "How much?" pointing to our food. He looks at us and says, "One-hundred thousand won" (roughly $100 U.S. dollars). Steve and I said thank you and tried to hide our disbelief. We looked at each other like, what the heck do we do? This meal was not worth $100! We checked our wallets and found that we only had 60, 000 won. We sat there and waited a long time, scared to ask for the bill. Finally the woman comes by and Steve takes out his wallet. He starts pulling out money and she takes 13, 000 from him ($13 bucks!). We realized we had been sitting there for a good 30 minutes freaking out about the bill when a guy had just played a joke on us. Wow. Good times.
Our First Day in Pyeongtaek
I woke up around 6am because we went to sleep around 10pm. Excited for the day. Steve's co-teacher met us at our apartment last night to give us the keys. She also told us that my co-teacher will be meeting us at 9am to take us to the market and help us get necessities and groceries from the store. Then we have to go to the doctor to get a health check up. When we are finished with that, Steve's co-worker is going to pick him up and take him to his school to meet the school director (on a Saturday?! Looks like we'll be starting work on Monday!).
So far I don't feel too much culture shock. I feel like living in LA prepares on for a place like this. It's sort of a cross between LA's Koreatown, Vegas, and the stores in downtown Buenos Aires. So far, Steve and I love what we've seen of our neightborhood. Can't wait to explore!
So far I don't feel too much culture shock. I feel like living in LA prepares on for a place like this. It's sort of a cross between LA's Koreatown, Vegas, and the stores in downtown Buenos Aires. So far, Steve and I love what we've seen of our neightborhood. Can't wait to explore!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Interviewing for South Korea
Ok, so I've only had two real interviews with schools in Korea so far, and two with recruiters. But nonetheless, I think my experiences might help someone out there. Maybe. Someday.
I've figured out that occasionally (although not typically) recruiters will want to conduct a "pre-interview" over the phone before offering you a position. I think this is to ensure that when they are sending out your resumes to schools, they know that you are a native English speaker with a decent personality. My first interview with a recruiter lasted about 10 minutes and went something like this:
Don: Hello Melinda?
Me: Yes.
Don: How are you?
Me: Very good, thank you. How are you?
Don: Good. What time is it over there? (As if he doesn't know)
Me: It's 7 o'clock!
Don: WOW! It's morning here in Korea! So my name is ______ and I went to University at ______ and graduated in ______ with a degree in _____. When I graduated I decided to go into advertising with _______ until the year _______. I have been a recruiter for 7 years and my company______ (You get the point) I am a resident of the United States as well as Korea and I travel back and forth often. (etc., etc...) Have you been offered any other jobs yet?
Me: Yes, actually. I just got offered a position but declined it because it was a split-shift schedule.
Don: Oh, yes, who would want to work such a terrible schedule? How much did they offer you?
Me: 2.1 million Korean Won
Don: That is a standard amount. I think you have a great personality and have a very good character. I will have no trouble finding you a position.
Me: Oh, thank you!
Don: I'm not just saying that to flatter you. Ok, well I will email you when I have a position to offer you.
Me: Perfect! Talk soon!
Don: Bye!
My 2nd interview with a recruiter lasted less than a minute and went like this:
John: Hello, Melinda?
Me: Yes, this is Melinda. How are you?
John: Good.
John: Ok you have your paperwork?
Me: Yes, I have everything.
John: And you are available to teach starting the 26th of September?
Me: Yes, that's right!
John: Cool, I will call you Monday or Tuesday night.
Me: Ok! Bye!
John: Bye!
So now for the important interviews. My first interview was for a couples position in Daegu, the 3rd largest city in South Korea. This is the top choice for me so far. The interview lasted about 15 minutes and she asked me if I had seen pictures of the apartment and I said that I had and that I loved them. She asked me about the TESOL certification that I have, and asked why I wanted to teach in South Korea. And then she asked me if I had any questions. I proceeded to ask her things like:
-How far away is the school from the apartment?
-Does the school provide training or orientation?
-What would a typical day of teaching be like?
-When would our start day be?
So she answered the questions, we talked for a bit and said good-bye. The Vice-Director interviewed three people yesterday and will be making a final decision in 2 hours. (I hope I get it!)
The second interview I had with an actual school was a lot different. It was for a school about an hour south of Seoul. I am not really interested in the position but I thought I could use the interview practice. The "conversation" lasted 8 minutes and consisted of a woman sounding like she was reading a script, (robotic, broken english):
-Do you like children?
-Have you ever worked with children before?
-Is culture shock scary to you?
-What are your strengths and weaknesses?
-You went to a University in Santa Barbara, so you must be really smart!
-Why do you want to teach in South Korea?
She then proceeded to tell me that they only had one position available at the school, so only I could be hired and Steve would have to find a job somewhere else. She was concerned that if Steve got a job nearby there would be competition between the schools, or communication between us that could put their companies at risk. So she basically told me: "If he gets a job close to you, please don't let it be too close... you understand." It was an interesting experience. She kept telling me that she really liked me and thought I was very sweet. When she was asking the questions, it didn't even seem like she was internalizing or even understanding my answers. I think she just wanted to see if I was friendly or not, and if I could speak English. She complimented me a lot and said she was going to talk to the recruiter and hung up.
So there you have it.
I've figured out that occasionally (although not typically) recruiters will want to conduct a "pre-interview" over the phone before offering you a position. I think this is to ensure that when they are sending out your resumes to schools, they know that you are a native English speaker with a decent personality. My first interview with a recruiter lasted about 10 minutes and went something like this:
Don: Hello Melinda?
Me: Yes.
Don: How are you?
Me: Very good, thank you. How are you?
Don: Good. What time is it over there? (As if he doesn't know)
Me: It's 7 o'clock!
Don: WOW! It's morning here in Korea! So my name is ______ and I went to University at ______ and graduated in ______ with a degree in _____. When I graduated I decided to go into advertising with _______ until the year _______. I have been a recruiter for 7 years and my company______ (You get the point) I am a resident of the United States as well as Korea and I travel back and forth often. (etc., etc...) Have you been offered any other jobs yet?
Me: Yes, actually. I just got offered a position but declined it because it was a split-shift schedule.
Don: Oh, yes, who would want to work such a terrible schedule? How much did they offer you?
Me: 2.1 million Korean Won
Don: That is a standard amount. I think you have a great personality and have a very good character. I will have no trouble finding you a position.
Me: Oh, thank you!
Don: I'm not just saying that to flatter you. Ok, well I will email you when I have a position to offer you.
Me: Perfect! Talk soon!
Don: Bye!
My 2nd interview with a recruiter lasted less than a minute and went like this:
John: Hello, Melinda?
Me: Yes, this is Melinda. How are you?
John: Good.
John: Ok you have your paperwork?
Me: Yes, I have everything.
John: And you are available to teach starting the 26th of September?
Me: Yes, that's right!
John: Cool, I will call you Monday or Tuesday night.
Me: Ok! Bye!
John: Bye!
So now for the important interviews. My first interview was for a couples position in Daegu, the 3rd largest city in South Korea. This is the top choice for me so far. The interview lasted about 15 minutes and she asked me if I had seen pictures of the apartment and I said that I had and that I loved them. She asked me about the TESOL certification that I have, and asked why I wanted to teach in South Korea. And then she asked me if I had any questions. I proceeded to ask her things like:
-How far away is the school from the apartment?
-Does the school provide training or orientation?
-What would a typical day of teaching be like?
-When would our start day be?
So she answered the questions, we talked for a bit and said good-bye. The Vice-Director interviewed three people yesterday and will be making a final decision in 2 hours. (I hope I get it!)
The second interview I had with an actual school was a lot different. It was for a school about an hour south of Seoul. I am not really interested in the position but I thought I could use the interview practice. The "conversation" lasted 8 minutes and consisted of a woman sounding like she was reading a script, (robotic, broken english):
-Do you like children?
-Have you ever worked with children before?
-Is culture shock scary to you?
-What are your strengths and weaknesses?
-You went to a University in Santa Barbara, so you must be really smart!
-Why do you want to teach in South Korea?
She then proceeded to tell me that they only had one position available at the school, so only I could be hired and Steve would have to find a job somewhere else. She was concerned that if Steve got a job nearby there would be competition between the schools, or communication between us that could put their companies at risk. So she basically told me: "If he gets a job close to you, please don't let it be too close... you understand." It was an interesting experience. She kept telling me that she really liked me and thought I was very sweet. When she was asking the questions, it didn't even seem like she was internalizing or even understanding my answers. I think she just wanted to see if I was friendly or not, and if I could speak English. She complimented me a lot and said she was going to talk to the recruiter and hung up.
So there you have it.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Getting a Criminal Background Check in California
I will preface this message by saying that I live in Southern California, therefore many of the steps to obtain a visa will be different than what you have to do. Also, I have not obtained my Visa yet so this is just my experience thus far.The Visa that is required to teach English is the E-2 Visa. After quite a bit of research, I've found that this website is the most useful in explaining what is needed in order to get a Visa. A condensed list of what you need:
1) Citizenship from an English speaking country
2) University Degree (yes, must be the original)
3) 2 sets of University Transcripts
4) Passport
5) Criminal Background Check (The hardest part, see below)
6) Health Assessment form
7) Interview with Korean Consulate
The first thing I would suggest working on is the Criminal Background Check. It takes the longest time, most amount of work, and is valid for 6 months after you receive it. We started by calling our local police department and telling them that we needed an appointment to get a Live Scan, which is a state-wide check (County-wide or local checks aren't good enough, and Federal Checks are unnecessary and take much longer to process). We were told to fill out this form, print it out, and come to the station with $42 and the form. We got to the station, they fingerprinted us, and then we waited for the background check to come in the mail. Within two weeks, we both had received them and the next step was to get them notarized, authenticated by a county clerk, and then get an Apostille (pronounced uh-PAW-steel). If you are in Southern California I am going to tell you the EASIEST way to get these steps done. So easy, in fact, you can easily do it in one day with these three steps:
1) Drive to:
12400 E. Imperial Hwy
Norwalk, CA 90650
Get your background check notarized on the 5th floor, room 5214 (Cost = $20).
(562) 462-1878
2) In the same building, go down to the 2nd floor, room 2001 and get the notarization authenticated (Cost = $9).
(562) 462-2060
3) Drive to Ronald Regan Building
300 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Proceed to the 12th floor, 12513 to get an Apostille (Cost = $26)
(213) 897-3062
I tried to 'make it easier' for us by trying to get the first two steps done in Van Nuys, since we happened to be in that area at the time. Big mistake, just follow the steps above, trust me. So first I called the County Clerk in Van Nuys and asked if I could get a notary public's signature authenticated there. He said, "Yes, but that the notary public MUST have been sworn in by the Van Nuys office." So I started calling notary publics. No one knew what I was talking about. I finally settled with a lady that seemed like she was sworn in at the Van Nuys office, but looking back I think she was just trying to get money from us. I asked her how much it would be and she said $50 for both documents, which I thought was steep but we wanted this all to be done so we were willing to pay it. Ten minutes later she calls me and says, "I'm sorry, I told you the wrong price, it will be $30 for both documents." Ok... so we show up to her house, get the notary, pay $15 per document and leave to the Van Nuys office. After waiting in line, the county clerk says, I'm sorry this notary public was not sworn in at our office, you need to go to Norwalk." Woo-hoo, waste of time!
But wait, that's not all! I go to the 2nd floor to try to get her signature authenticated and the county clerk in Norwalk says, "I'm sorry, but her signature does not match the way she signed her oath. You can go up to the 5th floor and get another notary." The county clerk also suggested I try to get a refund from the notary public.
This is what it is supposed to look like:
This is what our documents looked like:
To me personally, it looks like the same person's signature, just a lot messier. But I also understand the county clerk not being able to authenticate it. I tried calling Carmen Herrera to get a refund from her, but she wasn't having it. She sent me this exact text message, typos and all: "I did my job who ever told you my signature was not right they dont know what their talking about I sing documents everyday that is my job."
So anyway, after all that I had to start from step one. But then it all worked out fine. As of now, I have the necessary documents, except I am still waiting on my Diploma. For some reason, UCSB waits about four months to send out your diploma. If you plan on doing something like this right after graduating, I suggest putting a rush on your Diploma as soon as possible.
Boring so far, but I'm hoping the closer I get to departure date, the more exciting things I'll have to talk about. And even more exciting stuff once I'm there!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Introductions
Hi all! If you don't know me, my name is Melinda. I'm going to South Korea to teach English next month. I thought I'd start a blog to discuss South Korea related stuff, whether annoying bureaucratic issues when getting a visa, culture shock, or anything! I hope you enjoy my adventures as much as I will.
First off, why South Korea? I'll be honest, at first the thought of teaching in a foreign country for a whole year scared me, and it still does. But being a recent graduate of UCSB and having nothing lined up after graduation the real question was: why not? I began researching what teaching in South Korea would be like and the benefits were incredible. A typical Korean employer will provide you with the following:
1) Round trip flight to South Korea
2) Your housing paid for
3) Half or all medical insurance
4) Typical monthly salary of 2-2.4 million won (approx. $1,600-$2000 USD)
5) Paid vacation time (5 days-4 weeks)
6) One month's salary as a bonus for fulfilling your year-long contract
The first step I took was to enroll in a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification class. This certification is not required, but we felt that it would help, since neither of us had experience teaching. After researching online, we found a reasonably priced course through LCC. I commuted to UCLA to attend classes and immediately found the information invaluable. Not only did we learn how to teach others without knowing their native language, we gained knowledge about relationships, communication (verbal and nonverbal), grammar, teaching children, teaching business English, and much more. I would suggest that if you are interested in taking a TESOL/TEFL course, make sure to look for one that includes hands on teaching practice. Another good quality is having about 100 hours for the certification course, because employers look for about this amount.
After I graduated from the certification course, I began applying to jobs right away. You can find many job postings online with a quick google search. A good website to start with would be Dave's ESL Cafe.
I'll leave it at that for tonight. Later I will talk about the process of obtaining a visa and the differences between Public and Private (Hagwons) Korean schools.
Before I go, check these out:
1) Three Sheets: South Korea (A fun look at the drinking culture in South Korea)
2) Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations: South Korea Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 (From YouTube.com, so sorry for all of the separate links)
Bye for now!
First off, why South Korea? I'll be honest, at first the thought of teaching in a foreign country for a whole year scared me, and it still does. But being a recent graduate of UCSB and having nothing lined up after graduation the real question was: why not? I began researching what teaching in South Korea would be like and the benefits were incredible. A typical Korean employer will provide you with the following:
1) Round trip flight to South Korea
2) Your housing paid for
3) Half or all medical insurance
4) Typical monthly salary of 2-2.4 million won (approx. $1,600-$2000 USD)
5) Paid vacation time (5 days-4 weeks)
6) One month's salary as a bonus for fulfilling your year-long contract
The first step I took was to enroll in a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification class. This certification is not required, but we felt that it would help, since neither of us had experience teaching. After researching online, we found a reasonably priced course through LCC. I commuted to UCLA to attend classes and immediately found the information invaluable. Not only did we learn how to teach others without knowing their native language, we gained knowledge about relationships, communication (verbal and nonverbal), grammar, teaching children, teaching business English, and much more. I would suggest that if you are interested in taking a TESOL/TEFL course, make sure to look for one that includes hands on teaching practice. Another good quality is having about 100 hours for the certification course, because employers look for about this amount.
After I graduated from the certification course, I began applying to jobs right away. You can find many job postings online with a quick google search. A good website to start with would be Dave's ESL Cafe.
I'll leave it at that for tonight. Later I will talk about the process of obtaining a visa and the differences between Public and Private (Hagwons) Korean schools.
Before I go, check these out:
1) Three Sheets: South Korea (A fun look at the drinking culture in South Korea)
2) Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations: South Korea Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 (From YouTube.com, so sorry for all of the separate links)
Bye for now!
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