Job Hunting

With November approaching, it's time to start looking for jobs in Korea! I know Japan typically posts jobs and ends deadlines during the month of October, and while there are a good deal of jobs posted for Korea during the month of October, many of them are for positions beginning in November/December. Still, since I've decided to move to a different school, I've been looking at several job boards trying to nail the perfect job!

And so what I would like to do is share with you the sites that I've been looking at. Two years ago I went through a great recruiter, Korvia Consulting, and I'm so happy I did! But now that I'm trying to get a job with an international school, or a school with an English immersion program, I'm taking to the job market alone.

If you are in Korea and looking for a new job, maybe these boards can be of assistance to you. The same goes for those of you outside of Korea, too, of course! Many recruiters also post on these boards in case you decide to go through a recruiter to find a job.

Happy hunting! :)


First- here is a great site I found for Japan:  GaijinPot - You can search by industry and location! You put all of your information on the site to make your CV, and then apply to jobs directly on the site simply by choosing to send them your already made, online CV. So nice~


Now, on to Korea:
Dave's ESL Cafe - I look under the job description link for who is posting the job (school, recruiter). There is also a section where you can post your resume!

I Love ESL Korea - This is one of my favorites to look at because the website design is clean and organized. You can search for jobs by age (adults or kids) and location, as well as post your own resume.

Planet ESL - This site lists jobs with their start date right next to the header, and I find that really convenient.

Korea Job Finder - I'm also quite fond of this site. It's updated frequently and the presentation is nice. You can also post your resume on the site, and search for jobs by location or full-/part-time.

ESL Fish - Now, this site is not updated as often and that is really too bad because the site functions are pretty cool. You can refine your job search by location and pay, as well as post your resume.

Here are some others, though they are not updated as frequently as the above. I still like to check them all ;)
Work N' Play
ESL Jobs Korea
ESL Jobs Now

There's also this one - ESL Employment - but I HATE the website layout so I never use it.

And Online TEFL, which allows you to check available jobs throughout many different countries.



I've tried out some others, but they didn't work as I wanted them to, or they sent me emails for jobs in Utah. And I have absolutely no desire to teach in Utah.

With some of these sites, however, your email is visible as it is how potential employers can contact you. So I take that into consideration when choosing which email address you supply :) (The plus side is when you get funny messages from people asking you to move to a different country and be paid six grand every month to teach a family.) Still, some of them keep your information hidden until you're interested in contacting someone!

If you have any other job sites for teaching abroad, please share them!!

Kyoto and Osaka 2013

Japan, Japan! I finally went to Japan! Two weeks ago...

But we saw temples, shrines, and statues. We ate takoyaki, okonomiyaki, ramen, yakisoba, and sushi. We drank beer and sake and danced with some cool kids to The Flaming Lips and Pavement. Oh, and we saw a couple of national treasures that I studied at university. It was a pretty awesome trip.

Since I left work early and my work is near Gimpo Airport, I just hopped on a bus to Gimpo and took the airport express train. It's fast, clean, and quiet! I took Peach Airlines over to Japan. Anyone who has lived in Korea and looked into traveling to Japan can attest to the fact that they're consistently one of the cheapest airlines available. And they're no United, either. ;)

It's a pretty quick flight, too. You're up in the air for about an hour and a half (Incheon Airport to Kansai International Airport). Kansai International is on a man-made island with a few hotels and a shopping plaza. While on the island you can purchase train passes from 2 to 4 days unlimited on the JR line trains, or something called an ICOCA pass, which honestly I have no idea about. If anyone can enlighten me on the matter I'd appreciate it! We went with the 4-day pass, which runs 6,000 yen (a little over 60 bucks). Unfortunately, travel in Japan is expensive. Thankfully, though, we only needed trains that cost 210 to 250 yen. There were some that cost 700! I mean you might as well take a taxi at that point.

We spent two days in Kyoto and walked around a lot! Kyoto is such a large city. And a really awesome one, too. It so easily and beautifully blends the old and the new. You could be walking on a main street with a bunch of shops and a convenience store, look through a break in the buildings and catch a glimpse of a pavilion. There's the food market, Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion), Ginkaku-ji (The Silver Pavilion), Fushimi Inari, Todai-ji, and so many more famous, outrageously beautiful places!

Here are a few Kyoto photos:

In Kyoto we stayed in a really cute, cozy, and friendly hostel just outside of the city near Uzumasa Station. The hostel's name is Bola Bola, and I definitely recommend it! Here are some pictures:

After two days in Kyoto we headed to Osaka! Osaka has an even more modern feel, with tall, elaborate signs and advertisements adorning the streets. You can escape it and tuck into the side streets where the billboards disappear and find yourself a few clubs, strange bars, and more kind people. That's one thing I really loved about going to Japan; the people are so nice! Anywho, this is what I mean about Osaka:

Banaaaanas. Now. The food. Regrettably I did not take pictures of everything I consumed, only of the okonomiyaki, which was quite delicious. The food in Japan was really great! And mild. The spiciness of Korean cuisine was absent in most of what I tasted. Like how Korea uses the pepper paste in a lot of foods, there was something similar in the sauces for the takoyaki and okonomiyaki. Takoyaki is a ball of batter with some octopus inside, which is then cooked in a special pan and topped with this sauce, some tempura, and green onion. Okonomiyaki is like a pancake, or 전. Looking into it I learned that okonomiyaki can be translated to "as you like it". There are many ways to make this pancake, so it seems quite fitting! But at the base of every okonomiyaki is some cabbage and some batter. Then you can add some egg, meat, seafood, bean sprouts, or even throw some noodles on top! Yakisoba is the fried noodle dish, and also really delicious. Apparently it migrated from China to Japan, but I'll eat it and enjoy it either way! Since it's the only food picture I have, please enjoy looking at this picture of a piece of okonomiyaki:

It was a really nice trip! I want to go back and see so much more!

I'm sure I'll visit again soon <3

Threats of North Korea

I've been seeing a fair number of posts on Facebook and I've been asked about the situation by my family, so I thought I would write a little blurb about what's been happening with North Korea.

This won't turn into some advertisement for living in South Korea, nor should it by any means be read like I have a degree in some form of international relations. But because I'm living here in South Korea, and because I've been reading articles posted by Korea, Canada, England, and America I do want to share my thoughts.

The world is not going to end.

South Koreans have become numb and deaf to the threats of the North for the most part. Threats are a preferred strategy for North Korea in order to get other countries into negotiations with them, as they are in constant need of more food and money.

But with the young, new leader, who many think is incompetent and being controlled by men behind the scenes, as well as the types of threats being made, and the form of rhetoric being used, there are some who do worry. Kim Jong-un did not have the training his father had. He wasn't even known to the world until shortly before the death of his father. Will he do something stupid? Will he go too far? Does he want to assert himself as a leader to be taken seriously, or even feared? These are questions that even I myself wonder.

Life here is normal, though. No one is stocking up on food or emptying their bank accounts. People still laugh and go to movies, bars, and shopping malls. I haven't been instructed to locate any shelters near my house. The situation with North Korea has not impacted daily life.

But there is some cause for concern. Not in the vastly out of proportion way you can find  in any American article where fear is a top seller for news, but in a more honest, suspenseful way. As I was talking to my co-teacher about all of this, she pointed out how South Koreans should be more aware of North Korea. That being numb to their threats isn't really such a good thing. To paraphrase her, 'North Korea is the biggest threat to South Korea.' The situation isn't dire and no one is afraid for their life, but if something can hurt South Korea, it's probably the North.

The North has cut the military hotline that runs between North and South Korea, but it's not the first time. And the line for air-traffic between the two Koreas is still open, so not ALL communication has been cut-off. However, just this week the North has blocked South Korean entrance into the Kaesong complex, a joint industrial zone (this happened before in 2009). Still, I think this is a bit of a bigger deal because this zone makes so much money for the North. How much further will it escalate?

Hopefully not much more.

China is telling everyone to calm down. Russia is sending warnings. America is on stand-by waiting to "defend its ally". But still, I think this is a war no one wants, and that the hope is that it doesn't happen. If Korea went to war, there would be casualties- mostly Korean. And, after it ended, Kim Jong-un would likely lose everything. Is that something he would risk? I really don't think so.
(However, it has been pointed out that if the Koreas ever did reconcile, that the natural resources, products made, and work ethics here, when combined, would make Korea into quite a wealthy country. But who wants to lose power right now?)

So, everyone... Yes. There are threats. And, yes, North Korea is able to inflict a bit of damage if it decides to do so. But the consensus on this matter seems to be that it's unlikely. There is a bit of uneasiness when I think about the situation, but I'm not afraid. A little worried and anxious for the outcome, but I think I worried more about what score I was going to get back from my final exam at Sogang University last semester.

If you want to follow news on North Korea with BBC, here is the link, but please don't fret too much. If the situation becomes dire, the embassies will contact all of the foreigners here. Although, there are many reasons I hope that phone call never comes. I don't want to leave yet, and I don't want my Korean friends to be in danger or dragged into a war. But, again, it's unlikely.

Kim Jong-un, whatcha gonna do~?


I don't know if this helped, or will help, but this is how I feel. I can't put you at ease, and it's nonsensical to hype you up. But I can tell you not to freak out. Seriously, don't. All anyone can do now is wait and see what happens.

Have any thoughts? Comment or let me know :)

ESL in Asia

As promised in my previous post, I will discuss English teaching opportunities in locations outside of South Korea. Native English teachers are wanted in Asia, South America, Europe, and Africa. What gets tricky is that some locations require teachers to have at least 2-3 years of teaching experience before being eligible for their public schools. Speaking to a recruiter about your qualifications and location preferences would direct you to the best options for you, personally.
Public schools are often a safer bet for guest English teachers because they are associated with and sponsored by the government. Private schools can go under without notice, and aren't always on time with their pay. Their contracts should be read more thoroughly, as well, as they may not come standard as with public schools. That being said, private schools will most often offer better pay, smaller class sizes, and increased English-speaking staff members. If you can land a job at a reputable private school, then you will most likely have smooth sailing.

Here is a chart that I put together for public school opportunities in Asia:

Keep in mind that salaries aren't the only things that very. Cost of living is also different in each country. Here is a website that allows you to see prices of groceries, housing, internet, transportation, etc for various countries, even specific cities. This way you can compare the actual amount of income that you will have left after expenses. You will be responsible for utilities, groceries, and probably transportation with a job as an ESL teacher.

If you have any questions or other topics you would like me to cover, please comment!


Ciao,
Kaitlin