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Showing posts with label foreign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foreign. Show all posts

Foreign Market - Itaewon

Posted by Joe on Sunday, June 20, 2010 , under , , , , | comments (0)



My last adventure was a great reminder for me to appreciate all the small things in life both old and new. For instance, one of my friends was cool enough to show me around Itaewon and some of the key places that an expat like myself might enjoy. This conveniently brings up to the topic of shopping.

While looking for new reading materials, my friend and I stopped to get some lunch. Since they were generous enough to pay for the meal I then agreed to go with them to couple of uninteresting touristy type store's. Trinkets aren't really my deal but hey: You gotta pay your debts right?

After perusing through, what seemed to be, a painful onslaught of stores we end up in front of this little gem.



Interestingly enough after reading the sign I became defiant an protested that I didn't want to go in. (You would think that I would appreciate the ONLY store in South Korea with a sign that I could read). And although I didn't have anything against this place the name just didn't register good images in my head. For instance, when I was younger my mother would take me to the Foreign Market in the states. And each time she would force me to go I would attempt to use my secret power to disappear by closing my eyes. However, she always found me....

The reason that I never wanted to go was because I remember her making me try exotic foods that were bland to my adolescent palette. Fortunately now I am careful to stave away from many processed foods that I grew up with.

So the reason that I threw my 23 year-old-man fit was because of an adolesent memory that literally left a bad taste in my mouth. However, after being coxed inside I found the err of my thinking. The "Foreign Market" was filled with AMERICAN FOOD!! Yep, you heard it hear folks. Every so often I become what the French call "Le Dumbass!" I was so excited after leaving that I wanted to show you a picture of all the stuff I got while inside



Now for those of you reading this in the states, this may not seem like post-worthy material. But I tell you this. Trying to fight a cold WITHOUT chicken noodle soup is a crime! Here is a little detailed map to show you how you can get to the Foreign Market in Itaewon.



The address is South Korea Seoul Yongsan-gu Itaewon-dong 132-28 (feel free to copy and paste that into Google Maps if you'd like) but I decided to hook you up with some pictures.



Starting at Point A - You want to come into Itaewon (Stop 630) on Line Number 6. You want to leave out of exit number 3 when you come up to the street.

Then just walk down the street until you see a Dunkin' Doughnuts which will be on the corner (on your right-hand side)This is Point B



Now immediately you will see Sobangseo-gil street. This is Point C. Take a right and go up the hill.



Keep on walking straight and you should be there in about 4 or so minutes of walking. Then BAM! you are at Point D Welcome to Foreign Market!



Alright gang I gotta get going. As always, Thanks for reading and Take care of yourselves. I miss you all very much.

Joe - OUT!!

Songchoo Gamagoll - Food Review

Posted by Joe on Thursday, June 10, 2010 , under , , , , , , , , , , , | comments (0)





Last weekend I was fortunate enough to go to one of Korea's most famous restaurants the Songchoo Gamagoll(click for link). This particular restaurant specializes in Galbi, which are short savory butterfly thin beef ribs are served raw but you can cook them quickly on the table grill. Normally I try to stay away from eating meat on a daily basis but every time I eat Galbi it's soo good that I end up eating way too much.



Of course this meal could not have been complete without the thirteen side dishes that came with it. Among these were Korean style mashed potatoes, two types of salad, garlic, stew, rice, lettuce (for wraps) and a traditional sauce to dip your cooked meat in after grilling.




The Menu-------------------------
Gamagoll Galbi (Marinated and Grilled Beef Ribs): 32,000 won / $26 USD
Cheonhaeyeom Galbi (Grilled Beef Ribs Marinated in Mineral Salt): 38,000 won /$31 USD
Teukseon Yukhoe (Sliced Raw Beef): 35,000 won / $29 USD
Naengmyeon (Cold Buckwheat Noodles): 6,000 won / $5 USD

Now at first this might seem a little step but considering the service that you get with your meal is simply amazing. There are many tables throughout this establishment and their is about one waitress to every 3-4 tables. So as are meal was cooking our waitress either came to fill our glasses, flip the meat for us, cut our meat for us, or bring us more side dishes. Which is A LOT for an American like myself who isn't used to seeing this extra effort in a restaurant. And to clarify, when I say 'us' there were nine people in our party that sat down for a meal and we each were tended to. Since the food was replenished after eating (with no charge) you can easily see why I was stuffed :)


How to get there-------------------------
Now the particular restaurant I went to was in Yangju-Si. The address is Gyeonggi-do Yangju Jangheung-myeon Bugok-ri 624-34. To get there you can take the Seoul Ring Expressway, get off at Songchu IC, and go towards Uijeongbu on National Road No. 39.

Local Transportation-------------------------
Bus: Take Bus No. 23 at Uijeongbu Station, Bus No. 360 or 34 at Uijeongbu Ganeung Station, or Bus No. 23, 34, 360, 7724, or 704 at Gupabal Station, and get off at Songchu Elementary School or in front of a Zelkova Tree

Lastly our evening was concluded with some ice cream for the kids and so Soju for the adults. There outside seating is also gorgeous. Where those who would like to enjoy a casual first date might consider moving their meals outside.


When I took this picture I laughed because it greatly identifies the two most important parts of the South Korean diet. The great majority of all the food I have tried has had a spicy option. They will serve Jalapeños or chili peppers as a side dish. While that is easier to pass up if you know the proper phrase you can always enjoy a nice glass of Soju. At first I couldn't stand this drink but I think it has grown on me. It is the equivalent of drinking a sweet vodka.

With that I'm off. I will write again soon. So until then, stay well, be healthy and Thanks for reading!

Joe - OUT!!

Drum Performance at the Festival

Posted by Joe on Sunday, May 23, 2010 , under , , , , , , , , , , , | comments (3)




I'm back! Please hold all of you applause until the end, please. I'm switching it up in this post. Instead of writing a boring article for you to read I decided to make a boring video....(See? I told you to hold your applause).

But seriously I had a great time at this drum performance regardless of how random it was. And to commemorate this day I have hired a new staff member on the minimalist of wage $0.00 Take that OSHA! The character, Kevin Steel, will be played by myself on my Expat News show. So without further ado lets watch the embodiment of my neurosis fly out of control in: KIDNAPPED!

Everyones favorite neurotic news anchor, Kevin Steel, has returned for another installment of Expat News. While Joe describes a recent drum performance it is ruined by Kevin's interpretation of Joe's story.



Alright everyone, I hoped you enjoyed it. It took FOREVER for me to make it. So now the polls are open and I will be taking new suggestions for my next video. You can leave them in the Comments or on my Facebook and hopefully I will receive some good ideas. What do YOU want to see? Until next time, take care and stay healthy.



Joe - OUT!!

Busan Galbi - Food Review

Posted by Joe on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 , under , , , , , , , , , , , | comments (2)





Now I'm not actually in Busan, unfortunately, but I did have a chance last weekend to taste what the food would be like if I ever decided to go. Considering that Busan is a beautiful port city in Southeastern Korea and Galbi refers to traditional Korean dishes which usually require grilling, I thought "How could this get any better?!"

To begin, I had the opportunity to go to lunch with my good friend Sarah. This was cool because since she has taught longer than I have, is part Korean and speaks Korean I used this as a chance to ask a lot of questions about types of food and etiquette. She should be given a medal, because normally my inquisitiveness is bad enough for even Mary Poppins to tell me to "take a teaspoon of sugar, and shut the Hell up!"



Since this restaurant was located in Itaewon I was comfortable navigating my way around. After attempting to find a good spot for lunch Sarah and I came across 3 potentials after walking down a busy alley. Each of us were feeling pretty indecisive at the time so we chose this particular restaurant by playing a very sophisticated game of Rock, Paper, Scissors (which I lost).

Once inside I ordered a bowl of Mixed Noodles while Sarah ordered the Bulgogi. Bulgogi is typically made of thin slices of sirloin or cuts of beef. The meat is usually pre-marinated marinated in soy sauce, sesame seed oil, garlic and sugar before it is grilled. What you have in the end is this tender meat mixed with vegetables and served with.....




....you guessed it, Side dishes! Coming to understanding that all restaurants in South Korea offer you side dishes I still get excited when I see them come out with a tray of bowls for you. They really do spoil you with food and side dishes out here. In this picture we have some spinach, lettuce, coleslaw, kimchi, garlic, bean dip, sliced radish and bean sprouts.



And this is Sarah showing me how it's done.



This was my main dish Mixed Noodles! They weren't spicy at all, but the noodles tasted kinda funky. They were very thin and chewy, not my favorite. After about 4 bites I returned to the side dishes and the Bulgogi.



Regrettably my fixation with the city of Busan was not enough to deter the veraciousness of my taste buds. I will have to rate this restaurant as FAIR. Although the food was cheap and the helpings were plentiful, it doesn't really matter if you can't enjoy the food. But hey if your don't believe me go check it out for yourselves.

Its Itaewon, located near the Hard Rock Cafe. Its to the left of the this building...



... and down this alley short alley way.



Thanks for reading, take care of yourselves and until the next blog....

Joe - OUT!!

The All American Diner - Food Review







A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity of doing two really neat things. The first was meeting some really cool people that are friends of my coworker. And the second was that I had the chance to experience the Korean rendition of American foods.

Both of these were novel to me because since this was my first month here in South Korea I jumped at the chance to meet new English speaking Foreigners. Plus making new friends is the equivalent of finding a 50 dollar bill in your couch (kinda gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside). Plus I was curious to see how this American style breakfast tasted and if it would bring back any memories of home.

I first made sure to hike up Bulgosan mountain prior to meeting up with everyone, so that way I would have an healthy appetite. Once I finally arrived in Itaewon it was still relatively early in the day. After we all met up at a local Starbucks (yeah, go figure) we headed to the All American Diner for a midday breakfast.

I know, I know what you're thinking. Joey just shut the hell up and tell us what you ate. Now I had this delightful little dish:



Two words....Simply Amazing!! I'm serious, I've been to Canada so I know what a good pancake tastes like. Even the sausages were up to par. Plump, juicy, and not burnt. My only complaint was that there could have been a wheat toast option then it would have been perfect.

Now the best thing about this place is that it doesn't just serve breakfast. It also prepares sandwiches, burgers and the like. All of which, I am sure, are as delicious as their breakfast menu. On that note I rated this place as EXCELLENT because of it's diverse array of foods that they serve at any meal time. A case and point; this monstrous dessert was only $5 USD. Unfortunately I didn't pick one up. If I weren't making so much headway with this new diet I would have definitely picked up two....what? One for now and one for later Baby! ;)



Now these great folks were cool enough to waste some of their day hanging out with me. It was really good to chat it up with these kats (From left to right: Sarah, Clint, Alec, Leana and yours truly).




Another good weekend for the books. As far as I'm concerned everybody wins. I get to eat great food and meet new people while you get the inside scoop. Before you run off and pick up some food yourself (because I know that you're hungry now) don't forget to leave a comment. Take care of yourselves and until the next blog....

Joe - OUT!!

Payday!!

Posted by Joe on Saturday, May 1, 2010 , under , , , , , , , , , , , | comments (2)



So all my hard work has finally paid off. Just in time too! My poor refrigerator was over here making threats. It was crying about something like "Child Protective Services" I don't know?




Enough about my refrigerators emotional outbursts; I once ate Ramen for an entire week and I didn't cry about it! (It's called College). But seriously, I was getting anxious about when I would be getting paid. Although everything is quite cheap in Korea I would like to open a bank account, set up a direct deposit, and get a cell phone as quickly as possible with the money that I had been working for. Besides the world needs me mobile!



Above is a what you could expect from your employer for your first paycheck. Since I am still waiting for my Alien Registration Card I will have to wait a little longer until I can set up a direct deposit with my employer. This green note is 10,000 Won which is the equivalent to about the U.S. 10 dollar bill. I put the iPod nano in the picture for scale.

In all honesty I don't plan to go out clubbin' or blow it on frivolous things. Instead I plan to save up and pay down these college loans. I previously tried to pay off my debts by offering my Loan Lender a Hi-5 and a hug for each dollar that I owe but they still only take "legal tender" pssh!

This is my very 1st published/posted video. I actually have 4 in the works but they need a lot of editing so keep your eyes peeled for them. Now before you play it, just remember that I haven't lost my mind. This was a request that my friends Luc and Darnell who gave me the concept and then I decided, meh- "why not?" Prepare to laugh~

Payday!! from Joey Johnson on Vimeo.


Joe - OUT!!

Korean Stew Joint (Gam-Ja-Tang)

Posted by Joe on Saturday, April 24, 2010 , under , , , , , , , , , | comments (0)





Here it is, the moment that you all have been waiting for....Korean Food! This particular place is very close to where I stay and teach at. Not only is the location good but food is Great as well!!

The service is really fast and the people here are very friendly. Clint and I went to grab a quick bite to eat before our evening classes started, and we were happy to find place somewhat empty. Due to the fact that this small restaurant is always busy.

We got an order of Kimchi Chigae. It's really good stuff, think of a spicy beef stew broth mixed with sliced kimchi (cabbage), vegetables and dok-bok-ee (rice cake).




With it came plenty of side dishes. Starting from the back (from left to right) we received cooked eggs, kimchi, fried tofu, (middle) seasoned roots of local plants, dried fish, and finally rice.



At the end of our meal we were able to wash up with a complimentary wet napkin. I normally would have just used the tissues behind it but they were nice enough to provide us with the wet napkin.



Now the best part of this whole experience was the cost of this little feast. All of this was only 4,000 won ($3.62 USD). Needless to say that I will be coming here more often when I don't feel like cooking.

Let me know what you think and be sure to leave a comment!

Joe - OUT!!

The Happy Gardener





A couple of weeks of ago Clint and I had the opportunity to show our young students the importance of hard work. Normally Clint, my fellow English teacher, and I have separate classes throughout the week but every Friday we combine our students for one big Activity Class. This particular Friday just so happened to fall on the same day as Korea's planting season. Since agriculture is big in this area it seemed appropriate to transfer these valuable life skills to the children.

I remember that it was cold this morning and I had to fuss and fight with my little ones to get their jackets and shoes on. As we walked across the street we quickly made our way to the location.


As you can infer from my facial expression I was not ready for what had awaited us. I was under the impression that it was just going to be our class that planted potatoes. Instead several schools had stopped instruction to join in with us. Now surrounded by children I was eagerly awaiting what our next step would be. My co-teacher Lauren and my director Jenni came behind me and told the students to sit down while an older gentlemen spoke about the importance of the potato crop and how to plant them. Feeling relieved that my kids were quiet and attentive during the lecture I took this opportunity to speak with Clint about what I should expect next. After shrugging his shoulders Jenni came over and told me that they needed help plotting holes in the ground. Considering that this was my first big activity since I had arrived, I was eager to strut my stuff and earn my keep. So while my kids were listening to the lecture I was off to plot gardening holes. It was actually quite fun.




After I finished I met with Lauren who gave me some potatoes to hand out to the students. I felt that the task of putting small little potatoes in the ground would be easy enough, but they always seem to get into some unnecessary mischief:



Kevin here was attempting to fit as many potatoes as possible into one hole. And when I wasn't looking he would take potatoes from the other children's plots.



Mandy would just throw the potatoes in upside down and forget to bury them. Or she would just throw dirt in a hole without a potato inside.



Atom was my only good one. He is diligent if you give him explicit instructions. Otherwise he will sit there and just pick is nose.



Andrew was working on giving me a heart attack. It looks like he is planting his potatoes but he was putting dirt in his mouth and biting his potatoes.


All in all it was a good day. I actually learned a lot about this cities way of life and what the food that they produce that in turn feeds their community. In truth I don't know exactly what Yangju-Si produces but from what I've seen thus far I would way metals, military training, and agriculture. As time progresses I will undoubtedly come to find out.

Joe - OUT!!

The Day I was Ordained a Minister

Posted by Joe on Saturday, April 3, 2010 , under , , , , , , , , , , | comments (0)




I know that the title seems a little far-fetched but just spend a little time with me and you'll understand. On this particular day I was teaching on one of my longer days which usually ends around 10pm. About halfway through the first week I was feeling pretty comfortable with the flow of the school and I was beginning to feel pretty confident as a teacher, but that would soon change!

In the evening I teach a class called "Berkley Studies" which is pretty much a handful of students at different ages who are above their peers in reading, comprehension, and writing. These students meet with me for about 45 minutes for private instruction every Wednesday and Friday.

At the start of class I asked the students for their English names. Each student with clear articulation complied with my request, however there was one particular student that looked very confused. When it was his turn to respond with his English name he uttered his Korean name. I repeated my initial question, "May I please have your English name?"

Now my student was flipping hurriedly through his book trying to look for something. I can only imagine he was attempting to find some foreign indication that might have been recorded by a previous teacher as his English name. I asked my class to remain quiet as I grabbed one of Korean Teachers to translate my request.

Shortly afterward I returned with another Korean teacher, Samuel, at my disposal and I repeated my question. Samuel and my student spoke in Korean for a short while and Samuel returned and informed me that my student did not have an English name.

Feeling empathetic I reached for my Korean-English Dictionary and said, "Well that's too bad. We'll look up how to say his Korean name in English."

Without even listening Samuel brought the student in front of my desk and said "Please give him a name."

Stunned, I was completely taken aback by his request; thinking to myself 'This cannot be Ok!' I repeated, "What? You want ME to give HIM a name?"

Samuel nodded and told me to "Give him three choices and he will choose."

Now my mind raced for names. I looked at my student, attempting to match his face with the appropriate name, and I sputtered "Well...how about Ryan, Jason or Tommy?"

My student said each name twice and choose Jason as his new and permanent English name.

After my day of instructing was over I retired to my room which is directly adjacent to my fellow English teachers (John) room. I informed him of what had happened earlier that day. John laughed and said, "Yeah man, that's what they do here. Since some of the students aren't given English names at home it is up to us to give them English names. They usually keep these names forever and will use them when conducting business or doing international business." He proceeded to list some of the individual students that he himself had named, but all I could think was 'This..-ish..is... crazy!'


Joe - OUT!!

Day 1 in South Korea - "Because that's How I Roll!"

Posted by Joe on Saturday, March 27, 2010 , under , , , , , , , , , , | comments (4)



Yesterday was the beginning of a very long journey from Portland, Oregon to Incheon, South Korea. This particular day when I left at 4am for the airport the state of Oregon felt the need to come down with a week's worth of rain in the course of 2 hours. Have you ever driven on a highway going to 70 mph in what feels like a monsoon and you couldn't see more than 8 feet in front of you? Good because you REALLY don't want to; it felt like I was going to hydroplane and die before I even got this adventure started.

Unfortunately the wet road was no match for my AMAZING driving ability! After arriving at the airport with 3 pieces of luggage I hit road block number 1 almost immediately*.

*Now if you are like me and you have not been to an airport in a really long time you might have forgotten some of the airport protocol. Rule number 1 - TAKE ONLY 2 PIECES OF LUGGAGE.

Now you could choose to follow the rules or be like me and disregard any piece of logical reason, but be prepared to pay the price! Just because I choose to keep my 3rd piece of luggage I was charged $350 dollars! "There goes my milk money!"

The first flight from Portland to San Francisco was easy but I dreaded the 2 hour layover and my extremely long second flight to South Korea. On the second flight to Korea I was pleased to know we were being served food not once, not twice but 3 times! I was ecstatic! I've lived with my mom for weeks and she barely even cooks for me. Now for the first meal we had some traditional "Bi-Bim-Bab." Now the word literally means "Mixed Rice" and is served with either a Beef, Wild Greens or Octopus base. With this meal you have the vegetables in front of you in a bowl and a pouch of rice on the side. Put the rice on top and then you can choose to use the supplied sweet and spicy red pepper paste along with the sesame seed oil provided to add a mild tangy flavor to your dish. This was served with a soup, a selection of fresh pineapple slices, a light soup made with bits of squid and sliced onions, and a side of noodles. Ahhh perfection!



While the first dish was exciting, new, and damn delicious the other two meals were a boring; a ham and cheese sandwich and grilled chicken with vegetables :(

Arriving at the airport I passed through immigration check and was picked up by my recruiter in no time. After being in a plane for over 10 hours I would have been happy to have seen ANYBODY! I'm just saying, if Ronald McDonald had been standing there to greet me I would have hopped into his McRollesRoyce!



But after my recruiter met me he bought me a bus ticket a bus ticket and said "Bye." This pissed me off because I was feeling that we had made a connection in the last 8 minutes.

So in bus ride I head into the city of Uijeongbu where I was picked up my employer. Now my employer Jackie was in a medium sized van with his adorable 4 year old daughter Hara . So I had the pleasure of meeting both of them in while Hera forced both of us to listen to Barney sing along songs throughout the last part of trip.

Now finally at my apartment I met the rest of the family/employers. Jenny, Jackie's wife, was with her two boys Kenny (14) and Hanu (1) and did not hesitate to help me with my enormous bags while Hanu was on her back. While I insisted her not to with the baby, all was lost in translation. Once inside my cultural lesson began with Jenny at the helm. "Here in Korea we take off our shoes and put on house shoes once inside the building" she exclaimed.

Now on the third floor of this 4 story building I was shown my apartment. They told me to take my time and rest while they changed. Mind you at this point I lost an entire day because of the 16 hour time shift, so I rushed to the bed and curled up.

After about 25 minutes of solitude Jenny comes knocking, "Joey, you look tired. You need eat now!" With no energy left to contest I followed her back downstairs where the whole family was waiting for me in the van. At night the city was beautiful but I can't recall much of the evening because of how tired I was. The food was amazing and they were willing to share much of the language and the culture with me. The last thing I remember was little Hera whispering to her mother while looking at me. Clearly aware that she was talking about me I raised an eyebrow awaiting her question. Jenny quickly tapped Hana on the head and told her to "Ask him yourself, don't be so shy?"

Without missing a beat I responded "Yeah Hera, don't be shy. I won't be mad I promise." Now Hera was completely frozen as the room fell silent and how quick I was to embrace conflict. I laughed and urged her again "Ahh Hera, go ahead. You can ask me." Hera's eyes now were on her mother pleading for her assistance. Jenny rolled her eyes and said, "Hera wants to know why you have one earring in your ear?"

I laughed and looked at her while simultaneously placing my hand on my chin in order to strike an exaggerated pose and said, "Hera darling...That's how I roll!"

Joe - OUT!!

What is the Process for Teaching in South Korea?

Posted by Joe on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 , under , , , , , , , , , | comments (1)



Now I'm sure that for all of you who are very serious about teaching aboard this has not the only source that you have read. If it is, no problem! You're in safe hands. Since I am currently going through the process I hope that by sharing I can save you a BUNCH of time. This post is going to be an overview explaining what qualifications are needed, your necessary documents, the best times to apply and lastly the perks!

Before I get started you must be prepared to come into this with an open mind, therefore allowing yourself to be flexible with your potential teaching assignments. If you do have any preferences toward ANYTHING make that known at the beginning so that way your recruiter can be upfront about if they can or cannot provide that service. Normally your recruiter will be able to do the following:

1) Place you in a desired location (e.g. Busan, Seoul or Ilsan).

2) Preference in the age/ level of your students (Kindergarten, Middle School, etc).

3) Accommodate you and a friend/partner. Now this is tricky part because if you and your friend start the process at the same time there is a really good chance that they can place both of you in the same area. Which is awesome because anytime that you can go overseas with a group of people that you know it is way more enjoyable! Now run along and "Hi-5" because you pass.



Now when it comes down to attempting to bring your girl/boyfriend or wife/husband who will not teaching than-ugh! All I have to say is "Good Luck" with that. The school has already invested a lot of their limited budget selecting you, helping get your visa, paying for your plane ticket and the like for there to be someone else not working in the equation. (However if I do find something more about this circumstance I will update my blog about it.



Qualifications
1) A Minimum of a Bachelors Degree
2) Must be a citizen of the US or Canada
3) English must be your first language
4) Must be in good physical and mental health
5) No criminal record

What Do You Need?
1) A valid Passport with at least 12 months left before it expires.

2) Your Original BA or BS Degree or a notarized certified copy with Apostille. Trust me, just send the original. How often to use that decoration on your wall anyway? Just send it and save yourself the time and money! I promise you'll get it back.

3) A Criminal Background Check (CBC). I cannot stress this enough. You must have a STATE LEVEL CBC! Trust me I tried to send a local level that was notarized and with an Apostille* but it ended with me just me being heartbroken and me postponing my application.

*In the U.S. an Apostille must be done by the Secretary of State. So be prepared to either send or take your documents to the appropriate office.

4) You need 5 Official Transcripts from EACH University you have attended. These can be delivered to you but they must remain UNOPENED and each must have an appropriate SEAL or STAMP on the back of the envelope.



5)Passport Photos (6-10) - This may seem a bit excessive at first but after you make several copies of your contract and submit your final documentation to the Embassy you will begin to run out of these expensive trinkets as fast as Aladdin ran out of Wishes!

6) Your current Resume with your current address listed.

How Long does the Process Take?

When I began I used a recruiter who did little to nothing toward finding me a position overseas. So me being still green behind the ears I relented and waited for a phone call that never came. So needless to say I switched to my current recruiter (Gloii Recruiting Services) who have been nothing but pleasant throughout the whole experience. They have kept me up to date with all of my contract information and guided me through this process with a FULL TEAM devoted to informing me via email, phone, Skype, and multiple IM services.

Now you don't have to use Gloii, feel free to look around for different Recruiters. However you must fill out your recruiters' application to get the ball rolling and for someone to contact you within about 72 hours.

Once they contact you (usually via phone) they will confirm the information that you have given them. Then they will ask you about the documents that you have currently and if you are missing any. After this phone conversation is over you will have to wait. Give them about 2-3 weeks. They aren't slacking; they are trying to match you with an open school that fits all of your previously indicated preferences. Be patient and just wait it out, but if you don't have all of your documents you'd better get on the ball! Because once a school has agreed to hire you have 24 - 72 hours to either accept or reject the position before it's filled.

A quick side note: Some recruiting agencies will ask you to put together a small video introducing yourself. Don't be shy just use this as a guide and put together a short 1:20 video.

Once you get your contract from the school your recruiter will email the document to you. After you send out ALL of the materials they will submit the Korean Immigration Bureau to get you Visa Issuance Number (About 1-5 days). When the number is distributed then you will have to go to your closest Korea Consulate for you final interview. This interview is for those who have never taught in South Korea. Click the link for more info:


The Perks!

1) Visa sponsorship
2) Free or reimbursed round trip airfare
3) Free housing (w/ everything paid except for heating, telephone and elec.)
4) Medical insurance assistance (usually 50/50)
5) Paid holidays
6) Severance pay (after a successful 12 months they will pay for an additional month)
7) Renewable 12-month contract
8) Curriculum and teaching resources
9) Living a country that has a very low cost of living)
10) Amazing pay!!

Well there it is! A little prolific on my part but I hope that this helps you navigate the process easier. Lastly here is a link to view a Sample Contract. C'mon I wouldn't leave you hanging like that =)

http://rs.gloii.com/jobinfo/job-documents
Joe -OUT!!

Green Like a Stop Sign?

Green Like a Stop Sign?
Compliments of Elaine Fino