Blogger Notes

Soooo, I had my phone interview with Footprints today and all went well. I was accepted. *yeah!* The next step is to turn in two letters of reference (I already filled out the application) which will eventually be forwarded to SMOE.

I also found out today that I have to get my dog USDA veternarian certified before I can take him to Korea and it has to happen no more than 10 days before departure! At this point, I still don't know if I'll be in Nashville or back in Virginia at that time but finding out is definitely on my to-do list.

One more thing out of the way, one more thing added to the list...

I formally submitted my application to Footprints yesterday. I feel a palpable sense of relief at having gotten that done!

So far, I've submitted

• my resume and cover letter
• a headshot in which my skin looks as soft as a baby's butt via a little Glamour treatment
• and as a bonus, a completed copy of the SMOE teacher application.

The next step is to complete an interview with Footprints in which they'll decide whether or not to represent me. I don't anticipate any problems on that end but at the same time, I have no idea what to expect!

Also, I've decided that if for some reason I can't get a position with SMOE, I will consider GEPIK which is the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education's program to recruit English teachers. Gyeonggi is the province directly encompassing the Seoul metro area. The only thing that prevents me from doing so is my fear of living in the country. I like to visit rural areas but I do not find joy in living there. I kid you not, living in the boondocks raises my anxiety level. Gyeonggi-do is a BIG province so there's no guarantees.

On the other hand, there's always Incheon, Seoul's less glamorous stepsibling. The two are connected by subway but Incheon is best known for lending its name to one of the highest rated airports in the world (and little else). I would consider Incheon a stronger second choice IF and only if I can avoid applying through EPIK, Korea's teacher recruiting program for the entire country. I need some kinda guarantee I'm not going to banished to farm land!

So much to think about. So much time to think about it!

So, as the title of the blog says, I'm pre-sold on going to, not just Korea, but Seoul...specifically. I'm not so hot on small town America so I'm absolutely not down for living in small town "anywhere else". That being the case, and Google being my best friend, I've done a wee bit of research on getting a suitable teaching position.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), there are only four companies authorized to recruit native English-speaking teachers:

Footprints Recruiting Incorporated
•Contact Person: Ben Glickman, Director of Employer Relations
•E-mail: recruiting@footprintsrecruiting.com
•Website: http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com

Korea Connections
•Contact Person: Jay. M. Lee, Director of Employee Relations
•E-mail; jaymlee@koreaconnections.net
•Website: http://www.koreaconnections.net
•North American Office: Cindy Bond, Director of Employee Relations
E-mail: CindyB@KoreaConnections.net

WorknPlay Incorpotated
•Contact Person: Gloria Hwang, Recruiting Consultant
•E-mail: gloria@worknplay.co.kr
•Website: http://www.worknplay.co.kr

Woongjin TOS
•Contact Person: Clara Kim(Kim, Young Hee), Senior Officer
•E-mail: clara@wjtos.com
•Website: http://www.wjtos.com

Of the above, I believe Footprints has been in existence the longest. I sent "general info" emails to all the agencies almost a month ago and Will at Footprints was the only one that responded (and quickly!) Because of that, I plan to apply through them.

I'm going to take a big sigh and dive in!