Answers Part Hana

Question: How on earth did you ever find out about teaching in Korea?
I knew I wanted to teach english overseas. It, for me, was the easiest way to live abroad and still make money. After going to www.nomadicmatt.com and doing some research, South Korea seemed like the best spot...aka, they are on the upper end of the pay scale. I stumbled upon a TESOL course in Thailand that also guaranteed a job in South Korea, and bam...exactly 4 months after deciding to do this, I arrived in SoKo!

However, it wasn't as easy as it sounds. The application process was long, uncertain, and stressful. If it weren't for my mom, I would not be here right now. She ran errands for me to get the correct documents I needed, shipped some for me, and more importantly, helped me keep my sanity. I had to get background checks from every state I've lived in. And get them apostilled (had no clue what that meant, but I sure do now).It was rough doing it in Florida and having to keep it a secret from my boss. I volunteered to work so many Saturdays just so I could actually use the copier and fast internet. I also had 2 phone interviews. One of which, I forgot the time change was also a day before, so it was unexpected. Luckily, I was at home and not sitting in a movie or something.

Then, once I got to Thailand, my recruiter informed me that I no longer had the position in the central province of Korea. So for almost two weeks, I was searching for jobs in Thailand instead. I did NOT want to work in Thailand, but I really had no choice. One day, I received an email for an interview near Bangkok. Luckily, the next day my Korean recruiter informed he found me a job in Seongnam. Whew, close one!

Alright, so I answered a little more than "how did you find out", but there ya go. And the visa-getting process? Even more stressful. My "Getting There Is the Battle" post in August paints a pretty accurate picture.

Question: Are you raking in some big bucks for this teaching gig?
Yes. Well, I shouldn't say I am. My two credit cards, my bank, and the US department of education are raking in some big bucks. This accounting grad is doing some lesson learning this year! Granted, the debt was worth it...I went to Europe last summer, and lived by the beach last year. So, while my paycheck is pretty nice considering my apartment is free, more than half of it goes straight into my US account and pays all of my bills. So, not really, no.