Let's just say things have been incredibly chaotic lately. The whole process of getting my documents in order and trying to get the Visa and all is stressful. This has been an incredibly good past 10 days or so and happy ones, but they are still stressful because there's a big time crunch. If everything goes well I just might have everything done in time to get to Korea the end of August. That would be IDEAL for me but, worst case, I leave two weeks later. I tell you, I wish I had thought of teaching in Korea back in May after I first graduated. I would have applied for my passport to get renewed, would have had plenty of time to make sure all my documents got in, and there wouldn't be such a crunch. On the other hand I can be a rather bad procrastinator and sometimes work best under pressure. This is taken from Reach-To-Teach's website:
Korean Visa Process
Part One
All below items will need to be completed/collated.
When you have all the below items in hand, you will need to FEDEX them to your school in Korea.
The Items
1. Criminal Background Check - *Mine is in the mail and should arrive any day now*
2. A signed copy of the employment contract - *interview Wednesday night and i HOPE to have one end of this week or latest end of next week*
3. Sector Background Check - *This one is for Canadians instead of me. At least ONE thing I don't have to do*
4. Apostille or Appropriate Notarization - *Will get my background check notarized soon as it arrives and then I have to make a 2 hour drive down to Columbus, Ohio to get it Apostiled next week*
5. A copy of the first page of your passport - *Passport is on expedited renewal and I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope to get it by end of next week*
6. Two Official Sealed Transcripts - *in the mail and should arrive any day now*
7. Four Passport Photos - *I have 8 taken. This was the easiest part*
8. Bachelor’s Degree - *Finally got in the mail. One less headache*
9. Health Statement - *Haven't gotten this yet. I imagine it'll be included in the email with my contract*
ONE. Criminal background check OR a Vulnerable Sector Background Check
1. **Important/Time Sensitive: Please apply for this right away!**
2. How to get your Background Check: please apply for your Criminal Background Check at your local police station. Request a statewide check if possible (in the United States), if not then a local or county check is fine.
5. The background check must have a contact number for the police station, a signature from the issuing officer, the issuing station’s police stamp and the search result.
6. Please don’t delay in applying for this, as it is valid for 180 days and not having it in time can prevent you from landing the job you want!
TWO. Apostille or Appropriate Notarization
1. **Important/Time Sensitive: Please apply for this as soon as you receive your Background Check!**
2. What is an apostille? Simply put- an international notarization. Right now your criminal background check is only legal in the United States. By getting an apostille, your background check will be legal in any country that recognizes the apostille, in particular South Korea.
3. America: Your Criminal Background Check must receive an apostille from your state’s Secretary of State Office. Sometimes you may have to get a public notarization before receiving your apostille. Please call your Secretary of State to see if this is necessary or if they will notarize the document for you.
THREE. Official Sealed Transcript
1. **Important/Time Sensitive: Please request these from your University right away!**
2. The envelope must not be opened!
3. A stamp from the university must be placed along the seal line of the envelope. Some Universities will do this automatically, but most will not. Please request this from your university just to be safe.
4. One transcript will be sent to Korea in Part 2 listed below. The other transcript will be taken with you to the Korean Consulate described in Part 3 listed below.
5. 2 Official Sealed Transcripts are the minority requirements. For some positions you will need a total of 3 transcripts. We suggest getting a total of 4 transcripts as security.
FOUR. Bachelor’s degree
1. This must be the original copy of your Bachelor’s Degree!
2. If you wish not to send your original degree, then you must have a copy notarized by a public notary and by the Korean Consulate.
3. Please check the name on the degree. It must match the name on your passport.
4. To avoid any problems with your degree, we HIGHLY suggest you send you original degree to Korea. You will receive a tracking number from FED-EX and your school will keep the diploma safe until you arrive, where you will get it back.
FIVE. A signed copy of the employment contract
1. Make sure you have completely filled out each part of the contract.
2. Make sure you have signed or initialed each page of the contract.
SIX. A copy of the first page of your passport
1. This is the page with your photograph and personal information.
2. If you are worried about identity theft, you may cover up your passport number.
3. Your passport must be valid for the next 12 months.
SEVEN. 4 passport-sized photos
1. Please take a total of six. You will mail four to Korea and keep two for later.
2. They must all be the same picture.
EIGHT. Health Statement
1. This form is also attached to the Visa Information E-Mail.
2. Please be as honest as possible when filing out this form.
3. Please see below for further details.
PART TWO
When you have all the above items in hand, you will mail them to your school in Korea. We will give you this address, of course! The school will then submit these documents to the Korean Ministry of Immigration.
Private School: After approximately 10 business days immigration provides the school with a Visa Issuance Number in your name (it typically looks like this: HSBO000070). This number will be given to us, and then we will pass it along to you.
Public School: Often times, it takes much long for private schools to process your documents. When it is complete, the public school will mail to YOU a visa issuance letter, not a number. Essentially, this will be a letter of acceptance into the program.
PART THREE
At this point, you will take your Visa Issuance Number or Letter, visa application which was also attached to this e-mail, passport, 2 passport photos and fee money (about $45) and schedule an interview at the nearest Korean Embassy/Consulate (*Chicago in my case - a 7 HOUR drive away!). Subsequent to your interview, the Korean government will take approximately three (3) days to process your application. You can then pick up your passport, with visa inside. At that point, congratulations, you are officially ready to come to Korea!
Sometimes, consulates will grant phone interviews or you may submit a video of you if the consulate is too far away from you. Please note that that is very rarely granted, but some applicants have been allowed to do this in the past. Unfortunately, schools cannot reimburse you for travel to and from the Korean Consulate to apply for or pick up your visa.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Health Statement: Applicants will be required to submit a health statement form to Korean Immigration when they apply for their working visa (mentioned in part one of the visa process). You must answer this form as honestly as possible. Shortly after your arrival to Korea, you will be required to visit one of the local hospitals or health clinics to undergo a health screening. You will be tested for HIV, other contagious diseases and illicit drug use (including marijuana use). If the responses on your health statement form are inconsistent with your health screening results, your visa could be revoked and your contract terminated. Ultimately you could be deported and blacklisted, making it almost impossible to work in Korea again. SEE YOUR DOCTOR!
***************************************************************************************************
So, yes, lots and lots of stress and chaos and a strict timetable where everything just MIGHT fall into place and fit but with no real margin of error. It's hurry up and get everything you can and wait for things to arrive in the mail. Then hurry up and send stuff to Korea and then just sit around and wait two weeks to get the number. And after they send you the number there's the BIG HORRIBLE headache of dealing with having to go to Chicago.
Here's scenarios for that whole debacle from best to worst case:
1. If I go with YBM ECC which are public schools I call the Consulate and they tell me I don't need the interview. I imagine I would just mail them the application and documents and they would mail me the stamped passport. Save me a 7 hour drive and hotel fees. YAY!
2. I overnight mail everything to the Consulate in Chicago and they go through my documents and are nice enough to give me a phone or webcam interview (I'd need to buy a webcam for that but I was planning on it anyway so I could videochat with my family while away) and then express mail the passport with the Visa stamp back to me. An unlikely scenario but possible.
3. I drive down to Chicago with everything I need, conduct the interview, they stamp my passport, and I can drive back the next day - or even they stamp it the day after the interview and I pick it up before going home. Chicago's a 7 hour drive one way so I'd need to stay one night anyway. Very improbably scenario.
4. I overnight them the documents so they arrive 3 days before my interview. I drive down, conduct the interview and get my passport stamped before I leave the next day. Again, very improbable.
5. I drive down with everything I need, conduct the interview, provide them with an a pre-paid addressed express mail envelope, go home the next day, and they mail my passport to me 2-3 days later. Rather iikely.
6. I drive down with everythig, conduct the interview, pay for a hotel, stay around 3 days waiting for them to process everything and stamp my passport, pick up my passport and drive back. This is the most likely, unfortunately, and expensive option considering we'd have to pay for a hotel and my Mom would have to miss work for several days. It's not like there's really anyone close to the main city that we can crash with for the time. But, if this is what happens then at least I wouldn't have to wait the few extra days for the passport to arrive in the mail.
Like I said, MAJOR headache. Plus, I've already gone through my entire wardrobe and chosen the clothes I want to take. I am going to look GOOD! Mainly dressy/semi-formal business/teaching attire that I can also wear around the city and going out on the town stuff that I rarely ever get to wear plus more casual stuff and rugged stuff I can wear while hiking. At least with international flights I get two bags of 50 lbs each, plus a 45 inch 40lb carryon bag and a shoulder bag/purse. LOL. That might be enough to carry everything.
I've also been doing some research on the computer note. I have the one I want all picked out - one of Alienware's laptops with all the fixings. I have the config I want and once I have more money saved up around XMas time I'm going to email the config to Dell Korea and see if they can make it for me. For some reason the Korea Alienware website doesn't have all the options that the American version does. If the Korea branch can't make me a model with all the US options I picked for a comparable amount of money then I'll just order it from the American website, have it shipped to my parents, and then they can ship it courier to me. Might cost a bit more but it'll be worth it. Until I can save up the $5000 US (yes, that much. Damn it for ONCE in my life I am getting myself my dream laptop and nothing's going to stop me. At least I know the sucker'll pretty much last forever). Oh, and on the engraved nameplate I'm going to get Capt. Elizabeth Monroe. I just can't resist.
I'll be looking into buying a cheap desktop over in Korea. Some folks on Dave's ESL Cafe http://www.eslcafe.com/ forums say there's a place called Yongsun where you can get one for 300,000-600,000 won including monitor. That's comparable to $300-600 US. I'll probably get one of those as soon as I get my first paycheck end of September and use that for mixing and everything instead of my poor little laptop. I'll still take it with me though, and make do til then. But, the end of the year of laptop HELL is in sight. Thank whatever Gods there are out there for that!
All the stress is going to be worth it though to get out of my basement room. out of my house, out of Cleveland, out of the States in general and off to Korea to have an adventure and an apartment of my own for the first time. I won't be coming back to the States for at least a year and even then probably only for a visit before I'm off on another adventure. I'll probably end up renewing my contract or moving on to teach in Japan, China, or Taiwan. We'll see, though. That's at least a year away. I'm still just trying to get through the next month without spontaneously combusting. Though, in my case since my town has a nuclear power plant in it I'd probably turn Lake County and maybe Cleveland into a US version of Hiroshima.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Korea is a real possibility
A few days ago I put out my resume on a few job boards and emailed my resume to YBM in Korea saying that I would be interested in teaching over there. Tonight I got this:
Hi Elaine,
Thank you for applying to Korea's largest chain of ESL schools and Korea's largest employer of ESL teachers, YBM Education Inc, ECC division. At your earliest convenience, please stop by our website at www.ybmecc.co.kr for more information about our teaching program which includes detailed school listings as well as pictures of our ECC schools and locations.
After reviewing your resume and photo, we are interested in considering you for one of our 31 company-owned and operated ECC schools and have made note of your preference for our August and September preferences. We would like to talk to you a bit more in detail about the ECC program and determine if it is the right position for you. As such, if you are interested please be sure to update us with convenient times in your evening hours that you are able to receive a phone call and someone from the head office will be in contact with you as early as the end of the week or by early next week.
Before we have a chance to speak with you, we would ask that you please take time to look-over the attached E-2 visa requirements which contain all the information you need to obtain the necessary documents, including your criminal background check. In your reply, please update us with the status of the E-2 visa requirements including which of them you are in possession of and which you still need to obtain.
Thank you again for you interest in a teaching position and we look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Kind regards,
Jonathan DeBlois
Personnel Coordinator
YBM Education HR Division
They seem far more legit than many of the companies out there which was why I sent in my resume. The benefits also seem to be rather nice. According to their web page these include:
1. A competitive salary based on 26.25 hours per week or 105 teaching hours a month plus preparations
2. Rent free Furnished Housing (Most of our housing will be a private single studio apartment near the school)
3. Prepaid airfare from most major cities (Usually E-tickets)
4. Severance Pay (One extra month’s salary upon completion of one year contract).
5. Compliance with the Korean Pension Fund and National Medical Insurance.
6. At least ten pre-selected vacation days + all Korean national holidays.
7. Relocation allowance - 200,000 Won relocation allowance to help defray the cost of settling in Korea.
8. Visa application fee subsidy - 50,000 Won to help defray the cost of the work visa application fee.
9. Paid orientation and training - 30,000 Won per each full day of orientation.
10. Sick days - 10 paid sick classes with a medical note from a physician or approval by the employer.
11. Medical check paid for and arranged by YBM
12. Attendance Bonus: Under the 12-session contract employer will pay employee an attendance bonus for the following levels of attendance
.... * 300,000 Won bonus for missing no classes (Medical or non-medical reasons)
.... * 200,000 Won bonus for missing 5 or less classes (Medical or non-medical reasons)
.... * 100,000 Won bonus for missing 10 or less classes (Medical or non-medical reasons)
The rent-free apartments according to their pictures are actually very nice and larger and better furnished than lots of the pictures of the ones I saw in my research on Japan. The pre-paid air fare is also a very nice thing considering plane tickets are expensive. I also like the start-up bonus. The average pay for new teachers starting out in Korea is 2.2-2.7 million won a month. About $1700-2000 US. The company in Japan I was looking at paid about a thousand more a month but half of that it taken up by rent, utilities, etc and I'd have to pay my way over so it rather evens out. The other company does have more paid vacation days but that's not too big a deal with me. Considering full time in the US is 40+ hours a week and I'd be only working a bit over half that in Korea or Japan I'll have plenty of off time to explore no matter where I go.
So, I'm going to see about prying my diploma out of CSU's grasping fingers, save up some start-up money (starving to death before the first paycheck would be a baaad thing), see if my passport needs renewing (probably), and see about getting the other things the company needs. A year in Korea wouldn't be a bad thing at all. I've emailed them in response and hopefully sometime this week I'll be getting a call from Korea and talk with them more. Perhaps, in a few months time, I'll be off on an adventure. Perhaps even this fall instead of this January. Wouldn't be too soon for me! I want the hell out of Cleveland. Just want to make sure it's to the right place so that I'm not way in over my head on the other side of the world. I might be adventurous but I'm not suicidal=)
Hi Elaine,
Thank you for applying to Korea's largest chain of ESL schools and Korea's largest employer of ESL teachers, YBM Education Inc, ECC division. At your earliest convenience, please stop by our website at www.ybmecc.co.kr for more information about our teaching program which includes detailed school listings as well as pictures of our ECC schools and locations.
After reviewing your resume and photo, we are interested in considering you for one of our 31 company-owned and operated ECC schools and have made note of your preference for our August and September preferences. We would like to talk to you a bit more in detail about the ECC program and determine if it is the right position for you. As such, if you are interested please be sure to update us with convenient times in your evening hours that you are able to receive a phone call and someone from the head office will be in contact with you as early as the end of the week or by early next week.
Before we have a chance to speak with you, we would ask that you please take time to look-over the attached E-2 visa requirements which contain all the information you need to obtain the necessary documents, including your criminal background check. In your reply, please update us with the status of the E-2 visa requirements including which of them you are in possession of and which you still need to obtain.
Thank you again for you interest in a teaching position and we look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Kind regards,
Jonathan DeBlois
Personnel Coordinator
YBM Education HR Division
They seem far more legit than many of the companies out there which was why I sent in my resume. The benefits also seem to be rather nice. According to their web page these include:
1. A competitive salary based on 26.25 hours per week or 105 teaching hours a month plus preparations
2. Rent free Furnished Housing (Most of our housing will be a private single studio apartment near the school)
3. Prepaid airfare from most major cities (Usually E-tickets)
4. Severance Pay (One extra month’s salary upon completion of one year contract).
5. Compliance with the Korean Pension Fund and National Medical Insurance.
6. At least ten pre-selected vacation days + all Korean national holidays.
7. Relocation allowance - 200,000 Won relocation allowance to help defray the cost of settling in Korea.
8. Visa application fee subsidy - 50,000 Won to help defray the cost of the work visa application fee.
9. Paid orientation and training - 30,000 Won per each full day of orientation.
10. Sick days - 10 paid sick classes with a medical note from a physician or approval by the employer.
11. Medical check paid for and arranged by YBM
12. Attendance Bonus: Under the 12-session contract employer will pay employee an attendance bonus for the following levels of attendance
.... * 300,000 Won bonus for missing no classes (Medical or non-medical reasons)
.... * 200,000 Won bonus for missing 5 or less classes (Medical or non-medical reasons)
.... * 100,000 Won bonus for missing 10 or less classes (Medical or non-medical reasons)
The rent-free apartments according to their pictures are actually very nice and larger and better furnished than lots of the pictures of the ones I saw in my research on Japan. The pre-paid air fare is also a very nice thing considering plane tickets are expensive. I also like the start-up bonus. The average pay for new teachers starting out in Korea is 2.2-2.7 million won a month. About $1700-2000 US. The company in Japan I was looking at paid about a thousand more a month but half of that it taken up by rent, utilities, etc and I'd have to pay my way over so it rather evens out. The other company does have more paid vacation days but that's not too big a deal with me. Considering full time in the US is 40+ hours a week and I'd be only working a bit over half that in Korea or Japan I'll have plenty of off time to explore no matter where I go.
So, I'm going to see about prying my diploma out of CSU's grasping fingers, save up some start-up money (starving to death before the first paycheck would be a baaad thing), see if my passport needs renewing (probably), and see about getting the other things the company needs. A year in Korea wouldn't be a bad thing at all. I've emailed them in response and hopefully sometime this week I'll be getting a call from Korea and talk with them more. Perhaps, in a few months time, I'll be off on an adventure. Perhaps even this fall instead of this January. Wouldn't be too soon for me! I want the hell out of Cleveland. Just want to make sure it's to the right place so that I'm not way in over my head on the other side of the world. I might be adventurous but I'm not suicidal=)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
More than ready for a new adventure
Well, I just got a journal for a grad present. It’s a rather nice one, too. It’s cover image is The Spirit of Flight by Josephine Wall. You know the one – the rainbow lady flying through the sky surrounded with feathers and butterflies. It really is a gorgeous picture and I actually have a poster of it on my wall. Just happy chance that it’s on the cover of the journal. I’ll be taking it with me to Japan or whatever country I end up teaching English in. But the journal also reminded me that I haven’t blogged in ages. Mainly that was because I had nothing really to blog about. Life right now at home is rather tedious and I don’t intend to go on about it. I can only write so much about Gaia because my own spoiler gerbils will come and eat me alive. So, I’ve been rather quiet.
Now, at the moment I am unemployed and living at home with my parents. No hubby, no kids, no car. Hell, even the dog and cats are family pets. At my age that all could be more than a bit depressing. It is at times and for awhile I was getting a bit down in the dumps about it. My family is great and all but I REALLY need to get out of Cleveland. But, I’ve recently come to see it differently – as a good thing instead of bad. I don’t have any of those things that tend to plant people in one place. I am completely free to move where I please when I please and do what I please as long as I have the money to pay for it and enough leftover to pay the school debt. I don’t have to worry about anyone else. I don’t have a dedicated career or home and kiddies to tie me down. If I want to find a job in Japan, Italy, Brazil, Africa… wherever… I can as long as it pays enough to cover living expenses and school debt with a bit left over in the bank to pay for the next adventure. Quite a liberating way to look at it and it’s gotten me quite excited, really.
Recently, though, some exciting possibilities have come to light. Over the last month I’ve been chattering away with David Ault – well, I chatter and he nods in the right places, really. Anyway, he pointed me at Google for some of the places he finds his overseas jobs and I started searching just for the hell of it. It turns out that there are a lot of jobs out there all over the world to be found on the internet teaching English in foreign countries. All you need is a Bachelor’s degree and a taste for adventure. I have the Bachelor’s as of this May. As for the taste for adventure… well… I have that in excess. I also have another nice ace up the sleeve in the fact that I have about 95% of a dual major in Elementary Education and Special Education. That’s just icing on the cake and makes me even more qualified.
Why isn’t it 100%? Let’s just say that Edinboro’s program and I didn’t work out and I went back to Ohio. Ohio’s education programs didn’t over the Ele Ed/Sped dual major lined up like Edinboro did and I was rather burnt out on education so I switched to Anthropology/Archaeology instead. I was planning on going to grad school for Archaeology but I am REALLY burnt out on school in general.
Now, why would someone who was burnt out on school want to teach school in a foreign country? Simple, it’s in a foreign country! I wouldn’t want to teach school in the US even if I were qualified – which I’m not. Well, I would substitute teach but not the big thing with my own classroom. Mainly, because bloody Bush completely screwed the US education system over with No Child Left Behind. Really, don’t get me started on THAT fiasco. Anyway, it’s a foreign country and I’ve been living quite the boring life for far too long now. Last time I had a real adventure was my last time in Alaska back in summer of 2005.
Teaching’ll be a good way to get away and have an adventure in a time when the economy and job market pretty much stinks. I couldn’t find anything good around here except perhaps substitute teach and I REALLY don’t want to stay here any longer than I absolutely have to. So, the plan is to put together a good resume and then fill out apps online in a bunch of different countries and see what comes up. So far my favorite one I’d like to get is http://www.amityteachers.com/ over in Japan. There I could make $3000 a month US and after rent (my own little apartment instead of dorm or basement living) and other expenses I’d still have about $1500 a month to use to pay off school debt and buy my dream laptop and travel through Japan. Plus, any of you who know me know I am absolutely ADDICTED to sushi.
The Japan job would be a really nice starting off point. They are year contracts with decent money and living expenses are reasonable. If it works out well they’ll probably give me a chance to renew my contract. Maybe I’ll do that but most likely I’ll get that TEFL certification (can get it online for a few hundred bucks for the class) and it’ll mean I’ll be more employable with better money in other countries. I can country hop all over the world teaching English for as many years as I please. All I need is my laptop and internet access (for calling home via skype as well as keeping up with Gaia and mixing Doctor Who and blogging), perhaps a bike, and a few bags to hold my gear and I’m good. Oh and a very nice digital camera and hopefully someday a video camera. I go rather photohappy on adventures.
I’m hoping that after this first job away I can line up another job perhaps somewhere else that would start a few months after the first one ends. I’d take those few months to make my way all over Europe as cheaply as I can and visit all my friends over there. That could be a lot of fun.
Of course it’s all dreams and ideas at this point but my parents are both agreeing that it’s a very good idea that I go. I plan on typing up my resume and showing it to a family friend who is a VERY good judge of resumes for her to go over. I’ll apply to Amity and perhaps a half dozen other places and see which comes up trumps. Then I want to get a temporary job to start saving up some money til school starts and I can hopefully do some subbing and make $100 a day to save up money to pay for my plane ticket to wherever I end up teaching. Hopefully, by the start of 2010 I shall be on the other side of the world from Cleveland, Ohio, and not likely to go back for a VERY long time. I know this feeling. Last I felt like this it was when I was bound and determined to spend a summer in Alaska and I made it happen. I’ll make this happen too.
Now, at the moment I am unemployed and living at home with my parents. No hubby, no kids, no car. Hell, even the dog and cats are family pets. At my age that all could be more than a bit depressing. It is at times and for awhile I was getting a bit down in the dumps about it. My family is great and all but I REALLY need to get out of Cleveland. But, I’ve recently come to see it differently – as a good thing instead of bad. I don’t have any of those things that tend to plant people in one place. I am completely free to move where I please when I please and do what I please as long as I have the money to pay for it and enough leftover to pay the school debt. I don’t have to worry about anyone else. I don’t have a dedicated career or home and kiddies to tie me down. If I want to find a job in Japan, Italy, Brazil, Africa… wherever… I can as long as it pays enough to cover living expenses and school debt with a bit left over in the bank to pay for the next adventure. Quite a liberating way to look at it and it’s gotten me quite excited, really.
Recently, though, some exciting possibilities have come to light. Over the last month I’ve been chattering away with David Ault – well, I chatter and he nods in the right places, really. Anyway, he pointed me at Google for some of the places he finds his overseas jobs and I started searching just for the hell of it. It turns out that there are a lot of jobs out there all over the world to be found on the internet teaching English in foreign countries. All you need is a Bachelor’s degree and a taste for adventure. I have the Bachelor’s as of this May. As for the taste for adventure… well… I have that in excess. I also have another nice ace up the sleeve in the fact that I have about 95% of a dual major in Elementary Education and Special Education. That’s just icing on the cake and makes me even more qualified.
Why isn’t it 100%? Let’s just say that Edinboro’s program and I didn’t work out and I went back to Ohio. Ohio’s education programs didn’t over the Ele Ed/Sped dual major lined up like Edinboro did and I was rather burnt out on education so I switched to Anthropology/Archaeology instead. I was planning on going to grad school for Archaeology but I am REALLY burnt out on school in general.
Now, why would someone who was burnt out on school want to teach school in a foreign country? Simple, it’s in a foreign country! I wouldn’t want to teach school in the US even if I were qualified – which I’m not. Well, I would substitute teach but not the big thing with my own classroom. Mainly, because bloody Bush completely screwed the US education system over with No Child Left Behind. Really, don’t get me started on THAT fiasco. Anyway, it’s a foreign country and I’ve been living quite the boring life for far too long now. Last time I had a real adventure was my last time in Alaska back in summer of 2005.
Teaching’ll be a good way to get away and have an adventure in a time when the economy and job market pretty much stinks. I couldn’t find anything good around here except perhaps substitute teach and I REALLY don’t want to stay here any longer than I absolutely have to. So, the plan is to put together a good resume and then fill out apps online in a bunch of different countries and see what comes up. So far my favorite one I’d like to get is http://www.amityteachers.com/ over in Japan. There I could make $3000 a month US and after rent (my own little apartment instead of dorm or basement living) and other expenses I’d still have about $1500 a month to use to pay off school debt and buy my dream laptop and travel through Japan. Plus, any of you who know me know I am absolutely ADDICTED to sushi.
The Japan job would be a really nice starting off point. They are year contracts with decent money and living expenses are reasonable. If it works out well they’ll probably give me a chance to renew my contract. Maybe I’ll do that but most likely I’ll get that TEFL certification (can get it online for a few hundred bucks for the class) and it’ll mean I’ll be more employable with better money in other countries. I can country hop all over the world teaching English for as many years as I please. All I need is my laptop and internet access (for calling home via skype as well as keeping up with Gaia and mixing Doctor Who and blogging), perhaps a bike, and a few bags to hold my gear and I’m good. Oh and a very nice digital camera and hopefully someday a video camera. I go rather photohappy on adventures.
I’m hoping that after this first job away I can line up another job perhaps somewhere else that would start a few months after the first one ends. I’d take those few months to make my way all over Europe as cheaply as I can and visit all my friends over there. That could be a lot of fun.
Of course it’s all dreams and ideas at this point but my parents are both agreeing that it’s a very good idea that I go. I plan on typing up my resume and showing it to a family friend who is a VERY good judge of resumes for her to go over. I’ll apply to Amity and perhaps a half dozen other places and see which comes up trumps. Then I want to get a temporary job to start saving up some money til school starts and I can hopefully do some subbing and make $100 a day to save up money to pay for my plane ticket to wherever I end up teaching. Hopefully, by the start of 2010 I shall be on the other side of the world from Cleveland, Ohio, and not likely to go back for a VERY long time. I know this feeling. Last I felt like this it was when I was bound and determined to spend a summer in Alaska and I made it happen. I’ll make this happen too.
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