“What Now? I’ll Tell You What Now”
A month back it seemed as if I was heading to Korea for a one year teaching contract. Now, the plans have folded and it's not very likely that I'll be going there within the year. Here's what happened in between:
1.) I was offered a job by my cousin's friend. She gave me the salary, contract terms, the name of the school, and when she expected all of this to go through. Looking good! All I had to do was look into the visa.
2.) I checked out the E-2 Visa process and it looked like a lengthy process. I would have to: get my academic transcript ($$$), get my degree notarized ($$$), go through an interview with the embassy, as well as pay for the actual visa ($$$). This would have taken some considerable time and money, so I wanted to make sure that I was certainly getting this job. I asked for a job contract.
3.) No reply from their end.
4.) I didn't want to go around town doing all this stuff without being absolutely certain that I was getting the job. I told them that the embassy would most likely not give me a visa unless I had that contract. This is true because any idiot can print out an email and say that they have a job waiting for them on the other side, but without an actual contract, no one is going to believe you.
5.) I finally get a reply. She informs me that I'm looking at the wrong visa. I'm positive that the E-2 Visa is the right one, but I tell her that regardless of the Visa issues, I need a contract before I can pursue anything. No embassy is going to give someone a visa based on a job someone told them they might get, and I sure as hell am not running around Toronto for nothing. Thankfully I haven't actually done anything yet.
6.) No reply. At this point I give up. Until I get that contract, nothing happens.
If I'm going to go to Korea, I'm going to go through the normal procedure of going through an organization that sets you up with schools. It's lengthier, but at least I don't have to be the one that deals with that bullshit.
Korea
Good morning all, or I suppose it would be the night time for you folks. It's 8:39am in Korea right now and it's a Friday. Korea has got to be one of the cleanest places I've ever been to. You know how the TTC has this kind of yellow grime to it? Their subway system is bright white and sterile looking. I felt I dirtied up the place just being there and I guess judging by the looks that some of the people gave me, they thought so too.
I had my first experience with ordering food and trying to get somewhere on a Taxi last night. Looks like I'm going to need to learn some Korean or get used to doing some signs so I can get what I want. This wouldn't be that big of a problem except I have some money that I need exchanged and the last thing I want is to seem like a crazy man in a bank.
That's all for now. Toodle-ooo.