It's Pronounced Dee - Em - Zed

Yesterday, a group of us from Alphabet Street went on a tour of the DMZ. For those of you who are not familiar with what the DMZ is (i.e. if you live under a rock), it is the approximately 4km wide area between North and South Korea that contains the most heavily guarded border in the world.

Though there have been incidents in the past in the DMZ between the North and South (and the Americans), the area is pretty peaceful and I was never really scared at any time (plus, I doubt if there was an issue with security, they would not let two bus loads of tourists up to the demarcation line.

We went to the Joint Security Area (JSA) which includes several buildings that cross between the two countries. We went inside one of these buildings and were allowed to go to the North Korean side of the building - thus, technically, I've been to North Korea. While in the JSA, we saw at least two North Korean soldiers, one even came within a few meters of us (see the first picture, that was taken from inside the meeting room, and that guy walked right up to the line with his binoculars).

The big building (3rd pictures is North Korea and the border is halfway between the blue (UN) buildings. If you look really closely, you can see two North Koreans standing in the middle doorway and the doorway just left of the middle doorway.

The other pictures are of Propaganda village (with one of the world's largest flagpoles and a massive flag - note the haze, visibility was not good), and of the Bridge of No Return. Pictures weren't allowed in many spots (and they wouldn't have been good with all the yellow dust).

All in all, it was a pretty interesting trip, despite the propaganda we were fed. Some other highlights of the trip included: the friendliness of the American Military tour guides (we had three and they were generally pretty nice and even cracked a few jokes), and the trip to the 3rd Tunnel. Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures of the tunnel (it was pretty dark and cramped anyway) or of a few other things.

For 44,000 won ($44) it was definitely worth the wait. The most eye opening fact about the trip was how quickly we got from Seoul to the DMZ. The distance is about 50 or 60km (3rd tunnel is 52km) and that would not give much warning time if something big happened. That being said, the border is extremely well defended by both the Americans and the South Koreans.

A sad addition to the trip were stories of families separated by the signing of the armistice who have not seen or heard from each other since 1953. We saw a short video of one reunion and it was pretty sad.

I would recommend this trip to anyone who comes to Seoul. FYI, we booked through USO, but I didn't do it, so I really can't help you out with that.

Soccer Seoul Style

A few weeks into my stay in Seoul, a few of us Alphabet Street employees decided to go watch a soccer game. The local team, Seoul FC, plays in Seoul World Cup stadium; a pretty cool place as far as stadium's go. It only holds about 30,000 or so, but it has a room over most of the stands, but not the field.

The cost of admission (for the cheapest seats on a weekend game) was only 8,000 won (which is abou 8 dollars). The most expensive seats are 20,000 won. Perhaps next time I will splurge. We'll see.

As you can see from the pictures, the stands weren't exactly packed, but it was only their second home game of the season. The soccer was pretty good (translation: we were entertained) and there was some good food (there were chicken wings and hot chocolate – it was a colder day in Seoul and we had no sun where we were sitting).

Seoul won 3-1 over Daegu (the city I almost went to) and we even got to see a penalty kick. It's definitely something I will go back to and I plan on getting a jersey.

Eating in Korea: Seeing Your Food First

When you first arrive in a foreign country that doesn't even use the alphabet you're used to, it can be very scary to order food (especially considering the fact that foods like squid are common). Unless you make a Korean friend very quickly (or someone who knows their way around), you might want to look for restaurants that have pictures or some other way of seeing the food you're about to order.

These pictures come from the same restaurant The first time Alex and I went out to eat without anyone was here because we could see plastic models of the food (which is fairly common here) and there was a menu that had pictures and a few English words, which helped clear up any possible confusion.

We easily found things we would eat and I must say the food was delicious. We found out a few days later that we actually went to a Japanese restaurant – typically the ones that have the plastic food and the picture menus.

Some restaurants (usually the North American ones) have English versions of their menus which can be helpful; but really, I didn't come here to eat food I could get at home any day of the week.

I will also add a word of warning with these restaurants: look very closely. At this very restaurant I ordered something that I thought was chicken. When it came to the table, it clearly was not chicken – it was squid and other underwater things I never would have ordered. I didn't eat the squid (I had some of the shrimp), but ate mostly rice that night. It was not a fun experience, but now I know not to order that again.

That's it for now, but expect a lot of posts about food – it's perhaps the biggest adventure I've had here in Seoul.

A Few Good Words for Alphabet Street

When I first got offered a job at Alphabet Street, I wanted to make sure I would make the right decision. I went online and tried to find out as much information as I could about the school. There was not much that I could find, though I did find that some people were not quite happy with the school. (I won't put the links, but if you really care you can search for them). There were enough positive responses to the negative comments I read, that I decided in favour of accepting the job offer.

I have been working at the school for just over five weeks now and I have been pleasantly surprised. If you are thinking about accepting a job offer here, this is what I can tell you:

One of the best things about the school is the effort that the administration puts into the running of the school. So much goes on at the school, but the staff works well together to get everything done and to keep everyone informed as best as they can. Another bonus is that there is no shortage of people who speak English and Korean. For the few staff members who do not speak English, there is always a Korean teacher around who can help translate. Though this can make learning Korean more difficult (more on learning Korean in a future post).

On the topic of the staff, the staff is super-friendly and super-supportive. Whenever I had a question, I could easily find someone who could give me an answer or who would help me find an answer. This goes for both the Korean and foreign (they call us Native teachers - I think because we're native speakers of English, even though we would never really consider ourselves Natives in the North American sense).

All of our housing and living arrangements have been carefully taken care of by someone. When we needed to go get a medical checkup for our Alien Registration Cards (again, that will be the topic of a future post), we were accompanied to the hospital by an staff member (Mr. Park - who has been so helpful, he probably deserves a post of his own). When another staff member needed to visit the American Embassy to figure out an issue with a visa extension, Mr. Park drove her.

Despite long days (I usually get in around 8 or 8:30am and leave around 7pm), there are many breaks and we are only on contract to work 110 hours every 20 days, which works out to a nice 5 and a half hours a day. Mind you, that's just hours in the classroom, but the work is much less than a teacher back home (as there is very little planning) and any work over 110 hours results in an increase is salary.

Having more than ten English teachers at the school is also helpful as there is always someone who is willing to show you the ropes in Seoul, or just to hang out with. The second week we were here, the Principal took a group of us to Costco in the school van to buy food. No doubt, the group at Alphabet Street - all of the staff included - has made my life much easier than it would have been.

Now to be honest, there are things about Alphabet Street that are not perfect, but the administration is listening to constructive criticism and from what I have heard from other staff members, changes have been made recently based upon that constructive feedback.

So, while there are many dissenting opinions, it is in my experience that Alphabet Street is a good place to work and you will more than likely enjoy your time at the job.

Eating in Korea: Jeju Oranges

When I first came here, I saw oranges being sold that didn't quite look right. They had a leaf still attached (most of them) and the had a little bump on the top where the leaf came out. It wasn't until I was given a free orange at school that I actually tried them. It was by far, the most delicious orange I have ever eaten.

The oranges come from Jeju Island, kind of like a Korean Hawaii. I couldn't find much information on the oranges in a quick search, but rumour has it (i.e. someone told me) that they are a special variety of orange created by cross-breeding other oranges. The oranges are "renowned across the nation" and I can understand why.

If you ever come to Korea, I would suggest trying these oddly shaped oranges - you won't regret it! And if you are lucky enough to go to Jeju (plans to go on a visit in May fell through when their were no flights available when we could go), you can even pick your own oranges.

Coping with a 10-hour Time Change: The Results

Before I left, I wrote about my plan for dealing with the big time change between Ontario and Seoul.

This is what happened. As per my plan, I was able to stay awake the night before I left. I watched some movies and ate some food. I wasn't really even that tired as the sun came up while I was waiting at the Toronto Airport (after my wonderful experience with Air Canada).

The problems with my plan began when my flight to Vancouver started. Though I was very tired, I was unable to sleep due to the uncomfortableness of the plane (my knees were literally pinned against the seat in front of me). I rested for the whole flight, but never really fell asleep. The same went for the longer flight to Seoul.

Needless to say, I was pretty tired when I arrived. We landed early evening (it was about 5:30pm) and after a dinner out (more on that in a later post) and a brief stop to show us where the school is, we got in around 9pm. We slept right away but woke up pretty early (3:30 or so).

Within a few days, I was fully adjusted to the time difference and I feel that my plan was successful in that regard. The problems arose the first full day we were in Seoul. We went into work for some orientation stuff and to meet some children and the staff. Having not gotten a lot of sleep in the two days prior (or however long it was - but it was much longer than 24 hours), I was more sleep deprived than I have ever been. I had dizzy spells throughout the day and often had to sit down.

Luckily, everyone understood how I was feeling and I wasn't asked to do much that day.

After getting a good night's sleep that night I felt much better.

In conclusion, my plan would have worked near perfectly had I been able to sleep on the plane. However, I should have anticipated that problem and tried to find some other way to get some sleep. If you are planning to do a time change such as this, make sure you can sleep on a plane.

I don't think the big time change is as difficult as it seems to be, though I went through much more trouble before I left than when I got here.

Why's the sky so yellow?

When I first got here, I noticed a few things that caused me some concern. On most of the days I have been here, the sky has been very hazy, much like the sky in Southern Ontario on a hot smoggy summer day. I was confused since it is only March and not that warm. There are lots of cars on the road, but this just seemed worse than it should be.

I also noticed several people wearing masks outside. Over the last two weeks, I have seen more and more people wearing these masks. Through several conversations, I have figured out just what is going on.

The yellow stuff consists of dry soil particles from China and apparently most of Eastern Asia experiences the "Yellow Dust" at this time of the year. Over here, this has caused many problems. Trying to run outside has been rough and I've already gotten sick (though that may not be from the dust).

Just one more thing to keep in mind when moving to Korea (or Japan, or China or anywhere else in the general vicinity). Read more about it at Wikipedia.

Yellow Dust on a car

Cars and Drivers in Seoul

One of the first things I noticed in Seoul (yes, I know it was more than two weeks ago, but it has been a busy two weeks) was the way people drive in Seoul. Since then I have seen more differences and thought I would share them (for any potential tourists).

For starters, on our way into the city from the airport (in Incheon - it was about a 45 minute drive), it seemed as if anything goes when driving in this city of more than 10 million. I saw cars try to (and succeed) in switching lanes in front of our vehicle (a van) by turning literally one or two feet in front of us. Luckily, the driver of our vehicle (the school's VP) was paying attention and we did not die. I have also seen cars "sneak by" other cars to get into the turning lanes at red lights. It is also not uncommon for cars to run red lights if the way is clear.

Following the same idea, often we see cars not only parked on the sidewalk, but they drive there when they can. In Korea (so I'm told) the pedestrian does not have the right of way and if you get hit, it is your fault. Which kinda sucks cause many streets do not have sidewalks and there is not much room to get out of the way of buses. I have a feeling that when I do return to North America I will be much more aware of my surroundings.

Looking closely at cars in Korea, you will notice that most of them are either made by KIA or Hyundai (both Korean companies). I have yet to see a Ford (or even a Honda or Toyota for that matter). It would appear they do not like their foreign cars. On top of the different types of cars, there are very few large vehicles. There are mini-trucks and mini-buses, but not many SUVs (though they can be found). Motorbikes are present everywhere - especially the above mentioned sidewalks.

So my advice to anyone wanting to drive in Seoul is don't. Unless you are a super good driver and able to drive calmly without getting upset at getting cut off frequently, you are better off taking the subway or buses (the subject of a future post). No word on how the rest of the country is. I've only been in and around Seoul the last few weeks.

Here's hoping I don't get smoked by a bus in the next few days. Enjoy the pictures I took of cars parked in crazy places (unfortunately, I never had my camera out for the cars driving on the sidewalk). Keep in mind this was all on my walk to school on one day.

Parked on the Sidewalk

Also Parked on the Sidewalk

Parked in the crosswalk

A Tale of Two Airlines

To get to Seoul, I took two flights and two different airlines: Air Canada and Korean Air. I cannot begin to explain how different the two experiences were for me.

The story starts in Toronto's Terminal One at the Air Canada check-in counter. For those of you who have never been to this place, it is a cavernous room that looks much like a futuristic spaceport. You have to check-in with a computer which was not as clear as I would have hoped. Then you have to get in line and drop your baggage off. This is where things got interesting. The lady at the counter weighed my stuff (it was heavy) and asked for all of my documents. She asked if I was working in Korea (yes) and then asked if I had documents for that (yes, and I showed her). Then she asked when I was coming back (I didn't know). She said I needed a return ticket in order to be let into the country, or I needed a contract to prove I had a job (even though I had a one-year work visa). She disappeared for about 5 minutes (to check with a manager perhaps, though it was never clearly stated) and when she came back she said I would definitely have to go buy a return ticket (about $800-900) before they could let me check in. I called my recruiter (it was about 6:30am) and she thought – as I did – that this was not quite right. I went to the ticket counter so she could talk to them on the phone (they refused to) and they continued to tell me I needed buy a ticket from them. Keep in mind, I wasn't actually flying to Korea with them. I was just flying to Vancouver. Eventually I convinced someone to let me fly to Vancouver and pick up my bags there instead of having my bags get put on the plane to Seoul. Thus, saving me almost $1000. I did have overweight bags and had to pay $100 extra for them (which is fair, considering they probably have to spend more on fuel for the extra weight).

Things didn't get much better after that with Air Canada. The plane was cramped and whenever the guy in front of me put his chair back he pinned my legs against my chair and I couldn't open up my tray (if you don't know me, I have short legs and this never happens to me). The guy beside me was pretty close to me as well. I was very tired, and I was trying to sleep the whole flight but it wasn't possible in that situation. There was no food service and we only got two drinks (no snacks!). We were also delayed for almost an hour waiting for passengers who were coming from another flight. The upside was that the flying time was about a half hour quicker than what we were told so I was not quite as late as I could have been getting into Vancouver.

Contrast that with Korean Air. When Alex and I originally checked in we did not have seats together, but the airline was nice enough to find us two seats together by the time we boarded the plane. I only had to pay $70 extra for my overweight baggage (for a flight that was more than twice as long). The seats were wider and had much more leg room. We got two large meals (both Korean food, which was nice, even though I didn't really know what I was eating).

We even got snacks with our drinks (honey roasted peanuts!). Overall, even though the second flight took almost 11 hours, it was by far the more enjoyable flight. If only I could have flown with them (or West Jet) from Toronto to Vancouver, I would have had a much better journey

But as my sister said: if the worst part comes at the beginning (Air Canada trying to steal my money) then the rest of the trip will be easy. And it was.

For those of you wondering, we didn't actually go over the Pacific Ocean to get to Korea. We went North over Alaska, the Bering Straight and then Russia (but we did not fly over North Korea for some reason). It was mostly ice and not much else, but it did make for some nice views of mountains.

Note: I should also mention that Air Canada told us that the ticket we would have to buy would be refundable. Personally I did not believe that it would be, but I would have made sure of it and gotten guarantees in writing from the workers. I just wanted to make sure I added that clarification to my account of the events of February 27^th.

Arrived in Seoul

It took two flights and more than 15 hours in the air, but I have finally arrived in Seoul. I have been here for less than 24 hours and I'm still trying to find my bearings and deal with what seems to be a huge sleep deficit from my "plan."

Currently I have no internet in my apartment, but I am able to do some things quickly at school here (yes, I am working less than 24 hours after I crossed halfway around the world) on the internet.

Hopefully I will get an internet connection at home and then I can post stuff from my laptop (and some pictures).

Lots of stories about my journey will also be coming as it was definitely an event-filled trip.

Final Thoughts Before Departure

In approximately 3 hours I leave my house for the Toronto Airport. I thought I would share my thoughts at this time.

For starters, in roughly the next 30 hours I will be present on two flights which both will be longer than any other flight I have ever been on (continuously). Being cooped up in a tiny metal tube for so long is likely to be one of the least exciting things I have done (though I was on a train for 74 hours once with only a few breaks and that was pretty neat). About 30 minutes into my second flight I will be farther from where I grew up than I have ever been before. Then I have 11 hours more to fly.

Big changes are not new to me. Every time my life changed (usually because of a new school - though you could argue this is a new school for me too) I have enjoyed the change and have become a different person. After these moments pass it is often hard to look back and understand why I was the way I was. I think that sometime very soon I will experience one of those moments. Life will never be the same.

Change is never easy, even if it is for the best - and this certainly is better than my current situation. Change is even harder when you're not completely sure of what to expect.

On some level I do have some expectations, but most of those are vague. One thing I do know is that the distance from home is likely to be the easier adjustment than my way of life. I am not worried though. What I consider normal circumstances has changed so much even in the last few years that I think I could adjust to almost anything. The speed of this adjustment, however, will likely be a shock to me.

I want to go into this with an open mind and a sense of adventure and exploration (that being said, I won't kid myself: I am not a traiblazer by teaching in Korea; I am following in the footsteps of thousands of others).

It is because of all the above reasons that I have been alternating between excited and scared out of my mind. There are so many unknowns and that is both thrilling and terrifying. I am certainly glad I am not doing this alone (well, I am getting to Vancouver all by myself, but that's easy - I've been there before).

For better or for worse I want to look back on my decision to teach in Korea as a wise decision. No matter how bad it could be or how great a time I have, I will not regret trying. I'd rather know this one slice of life than wonder what it's like.

So here's to big changes and doing what you want to do. Here's to living.

See you on the flip side...

Coping with a 10-Hour Time Change: The Plan

Since I decided to teach in Korea, I've known I would have to face a 10-hour time change (well, it would have been 7 had I left from Victoria, but I'm not there right now). With this change looming in a few days I thought I would share my strategy.

Since Korea is behind us (well to be completely accurate, they are ahead, but it's less of a change to make the change this way), all I have to do is gradually stay up later until I have adjusted. This seems easy enough except for a few reasons, the biggest being that if I were to get up at 8am Seoul time, that would be 6pm for me here. Since I have a lot to do during the days here, this was not an option. My flight also poses some challenges for me in that I leave early in the morning for Vancouver (see my flight plan in a previous post).

I have been staying up as late as I can the last few days and trying to sleep in as late as I can. I've been able to stay up until 3:30am so far and am going to try for 4:00 or 4:30 tonight. The plan for tomorrow night is not to go to sleep at all, until I get on my plane in Toronto at 8:30. Hopefully I will be konked out for the entire 5+ hours of that flight. That will leave me waking up around 3am Seoul time. If I nap on the second flight, I should be able to get into a normal pattern. So far the plan has gone well (except me waking up earlier than I would like and being pretty bored late at night).

We'll see if this works well. I probably have to do a lot in Seoul this weekend (like figure out how to get to work, where to buy food, etc.).

Stay tuned to see if my plan works or if I fall asleep at the gate in Toronto and miss my flight to Vancouver.

Flights Are Booked!

I have my flights!

According to the itinerary sent to me by my good friends at Canadian Connection, I will depart from Toronto Airport on Wednesday February 27th at 8:30am. I land in Vancouver at 10:40am (local time). I then have an almost 3 hour wait in Vancouver (I've had worse) for my 1:30pm flight to Seoul-Incheon Airport where I will arrive on Thursday at 6:00pm (local time, which is 8:00am in Ontario).

There is much to do in the next couple of days, and I'm sure you'll hear all about it.

Note: the flights are assuming I get my visa from Toronto by the time I leave. With the consulate website being down at the moment, I am a bit worried.

Getting a Visa (Part II)

It took a long time, but eventually I did get my Visa Issuance Number from Korea. The process has since changed (at least for me) since I last wrote about this. Once I got the number, it was much easier to bring the Visa Application Form (with said number written in the correct space - remember, don't leave anything blank, put "N/A" for anything that does not apply to you), a sealed transcript, a photocopy of your passport information page, your passport, a passport sized photo and $55 in a money order to the consulate myself.

So I got on the Go train and took off for the big city of Toronto (until I get to Seoul, I'll still refer to Toronto as a big city, but I'm sure living in a city of 10 million may change my perception of Ontario's largest city). If you're trying to get to the consulate in Toronto the directions are simple enough. Take the subway to St. Clair Station (the one at St. Clair and Young). When you get out of the subway you will probably be pretty disoriented. The first time, I started walking the wrong way. You want to head toward Yonge Street and keep going until you get to Avenue Rd and St. Clair. The consulate is on the northeast corner of that intersection (if you're really lazy or have never taken it, the streetcar goes from the station to the intersection - it's route 512).

Here is a picture of the consulate:


So far I have been here twice. My first visit was to drop off my documents. This was very quick. I talked to the nice lady and she gave me an appointment to come back for an interview - almost a week later. I had to fill out yet another form (answering many of the same questions I have repeatedly answered over the course of the last few months) for the interview.

When I came back, I found myself waiting in a room with between 10 and 20 others who were also their for E-2 visa interviews. We talked a little bit about what we had been going through the last little bit (the general consensus was that everyone dealt with people who didn't really know what the rules were). I waited a bit but the interview itself was super short and super easy. They asked me: a) my name, b) my birth date, c) my major, d) what age of students I would be teaching in Korea and e) what I knew about Korea. It took probably less than 2 minutes.

I have to wait a few more days to pick up my visa (I can check online to see if it's ready - but right now, that site is not working... this could be bad). So I will have to return to Toronto for a third time.

Keep in mind this is the process for Toronto. The Vancouver process was different (Alex may or may not share her story) and I imagine the Montreal and Ottawa processes would be different as well.

Not much more to do beyond packing now...

Why Is English Important?

In all of my waiting (see the post below), I've been trying to broaded the news I read (online). In one of my attempts to get caught up on news in Korea, I found an interesting article about the need for English in South Korea.

To sum up the article (for those of you who are too lazy to click on the link and read it):

- many Koreans are not as fluent as they would like to be in English (as evidenced by many Koreans who work abroad and work with foreigners)

- some are worried about a focus on English (which takes away from the rest of the curriculum and could potentially lead to the eventual demise of the Korean language)

- foreign languages (more than English, though it is certainly one of the more useful ones) are helpful in a world in which barriers to communiction and trade are frequently being broken down.

For my part, I look at my teaching job not as colonialism (which I'm sure is what some people see it as), but as helping the Koreans gain a valuable tool. If Koreans can speak English and Korean, they have tools to deal with more people. If they learn other languages (French, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic), they are even more equipped than the monoliguists who need phrasebooks to have the most trivial of conversations.

The irony is, of course, that while the west supports this teaching of English, we do not teach our children other languages to the degree that the Koreans do (by mass hiring native speakers of a language to teach it). In a world that is largely anglocentric we have not had to do this. One day we may have to learn other languages (my guess would be Mandarin) to communicate with the rest of the world.

Why not start now?

Playing the Waiting Game

I am starting to get a little impatient and anxious about my job in Korea. According to the contract I signed, I am to start teaching March 1st, which is approximately 17 days away.

In that time I need to get my VISA (approximately a 5 day wait once I get all my documents to the consulate), and then get my flight booke (and who knows how far in advance that needs to be booked, but I imagine it's at least a few days). The problem is that right now, there is not much I can do on my own. I'm just waiting for a response from Korea for a number I need to put on an application form and for my transcripts to come from Victoria (they were apparenly supposed to come yesterday).

At this point I don't think I'll actually get to Korea when they want me there (9 days from now) and I'd be surprised if I actually got there in time for me to start working when my contract starts.

This has been a very difficult time because I'm living in limbo. It's hard to stay motivated and do the other things I need to do when I'm in the dark from the most important details.

So I sit and pass my time reading other people's blogs about the good and bad times. It's really cold and snowy here in Ontario (see picture below) and thus I am not feeling all that up to going outside.

Getting A Teaching Visa, or How To Spend a Lot of Time and Money and Give Yourself a Headache

Once you get a job teaching English in Korea, the next (and probably most time consuming) task is to get your Visa. In my case, my recruited helped me with this process, though since the rules changed in December, this has often been difficult for all parties involved. We have repeatedly gotten differing information (I'm not sure the origin of this, but I'm pretty sure our recruiter is as much in the dark as I am). Here is a brief outline of what I had to do to get an E2 Visa (to teach):

Step One: Gather Documents
This is a bit more difficult that just collecting things. You will need to get a medical checkup done and this may differ depending on your school. For my checkup I had to have a few easy tests done (colour blindness and sight, blood pressure, etc.) and then some blood tests and a chest x-ray. They test for some pretty scary stuff so sometimes it takes a week to get the bloodwork back. (As a side note, I had been sick a few weeks before my test and had some issues and had to be retested before I was cleard - I am healthy though). Since BC health care won't pay for things if you aren't sick, you will need to pony up some dough (for us it was $65 for the checkup, $65 for the x-ray and the blood work was free) to get this done.

You will also need to get a criminal record check (a vulnerable sector search actually) to make sure you haven't been convicted of any crimes or that you weren't pardoned for any crimes against children (the vulnerable sector). The check alone costs $50. This then needs to be notarized ($10) and sent to a Korean consulate which will stamp it ($2.20). We were in a rush so we sent it next day mail and had to give a return addressed envelope to get them back quick.

You will also need to get passpost photos ($10), your original degree or equivalent (you can get a degree issued from most institutions before convocation if you need it for this purpose - check your records office for more info on this), a photocopy of your passport, a self medical check questionnaire, a signed copy of your resume, and official transcripts ($10).

Step Two: Sending the Documents
In our case, we had to send the documents to the school. This costs about $50 for an envelope that takes about 7 business days. When the school gets the documents they will do something to get you a visa number (I'm not too sure, I haven't gotten to this step yet). You will need this number for step three.

Step Three: Getting Your Visa
Once you get the visa number from your school, you need to fill out a visa application form and send it to the nearest consulate. Give it a few days (I'm told) and call them to make an appointment. Go for your appointment with $55 and they should give you your visa that day.

Sound easy? Well, the required documents kept changing so we had to send off two packages of documents to Korea. The second package is currently en route and hopefully will get there by Friday of this week. This has been a very difficult task (especially because we've had to bus around to do everything and I've been working when most places are open), but hopefully we will both get our visas before we need to fly out of here.

I hope this post hasn't scared anyone away from wanting to teach in Korea. I thought I would be as open about the costs as I could be because it has turned into something much bigger than I had expected. The jury is still out on whether or not it's all worth it, but stay tuned to this space and I'm sure that answer will be delivered in due time.

I Got A Job!

So I think the title speaks for itself. Actually, this isn't really news per se. If you've talked to me recently you would know all about my plans. So what are they you ask (as most people probably don't talk to me)?

Well, I the school that I will be working at is called Alphabet Street (I googled it and found a lot of Prince lyrics) and it is located in a rather nice area of Seoul (or so I'm told). Alex and I will be both be at the same school (a plus) and we'll get to share a two bedroom apartment (another plus, though I'm not sure yet if their definition or a two-bedroom apartment is the same as mine - only time will tell).

Some other hilights I can share with you (that I know right now):

- The apartment is aparently (I'm using this word a lot) within a 10 minute walk of the school (not too shabby cause I can probably do it in 7 or 8 if they say 10).

- We start March 1st, though rumour has it the school wants us there on the 22nd of February (more on that later) to get settled and such.

- We get two (separate) weeks of vacation and one is in August so there is still hope to get to the Olympics.

- About half the day is devoted to teaching a small (about 10) group of kindergarten students and the rest of the day will be elementary students.

That's about all I think you might find important. Since I last wrote Alex and I have been frantically trying to get all of our documents together so we can get our visas. I think my next post will be about that fun and exciting process (on the plus side, I can now say I don't have HIV or Hepatitis C).

Getting a Job

Now that you have a recruiter working for you, your job search becomes much easier. In my case, my recruiter gave us several options to pick from and gave us time to look at them. Like anything you do in this process, the most important part is to do your research.

Where can you do this research you may ask? Finding out about a place that doesn't even use the same language as we do is not an easy task. Wikipedia can provide some insight to some cities in Korea, so that might be your first task (some recruiters may even allow you to pick from any region of the country). Lonely Planet and other travel books can be helpful - though I did find the libraries in Victoria only had older versions of the Lonely Planet book and not the various other series of Travel books. Simple search engines can also provide some results, but most of them won't search through Korean sites unless you make your searches super specific. Looking for a particular school online can be fairly easy, though often if a school has a website a recruiter will give it to you for you to check out (even though they are mostly in Korean - or whatever your browser determines the characters are, usually "???" - I found that pictures of students and other teachers can be very telling). There are also several sites out there that "blacklist" certain schools. Don't believe everything you read, but don't ignore it either. If you have concerns, make sure you ask. If you're curious make sure you ask. Just ask a lot of questions, ok?

You will likely also have to make a decision between public and private schools. I will assume that if you've gotten this far you've likely run into one of the many resources on the internet that talks about the differences. Your recruiter will probably give you information on that as well, so I figure there is no point in repeating it here.

If you like a school then your recruiter will contact them with your info and the process is pretty simple from there: set up an interview if they like you, do the interview, the school decides and then you have to decide if you want to work at the school.

As everyone should tell you at this point, don't immediately answer. Take your time to consider the terms of the contract. Read it over. Get your friends and parents to read it over (maybe someone who has a law degree too). Do more research just to make sure. The most important thing though, is to get an email address of someone who has worked at the school or someone who is working there. Ask them questions, but if the school can provide someone who says good things about the school then that is definitely a good sign. If you can make multiple contacts with this person (not just through the email - often teachers in Korea have facebook) then that just assures you that the person actually exists (though I doubt a school would go through all of that trouble just to get someone to Korea to give them a raw deal).

Once you have made your decision, then you should make sure the school finds out (probably through your recruiter). There is still more work to be done, however, before you step in front of your class the first time.

If you have any questions about the process up to this point, please don't hesitate to ask.

Big news is coming soon to this site, so stay tuned!