My next move...

The time finally arrived when I had to make a decision...do I stay or do I go? After being in Korea for close to one year, one has to weigh all options and decide if it is time to return to the homeland or stay a bit longer and see what happens. 


I have spent the last two months combing job boards (mostly www.eslcafe.com) and applying for positions both in Korea and back home. I applied for several types of positions, including private academies, public schools, and universities. I was interviewed and offered one position at a public middle school. I turned it down because of money and benefits. I then was accepted by EPIK (English Program In Korea) to teach in the public school system in the city of my choice. This looked like a good option, so I hung on to it for a minute, then decided it was just not what I wanted. Then came the offer from a private academy near Seoul. Hmmm..good pay, good housing, benefits not bad, but it still seemed like a dead end. What exactly did I want? None of these jobs were "bad", they just were not the right fit. Oh, and as far as jobs back home, I did not get so much as one single rejection letter.


I decided to really think about what I wanted in my next job. I decided on the salary I would accept and the benefits that were negotiable and non-negotiable. I created a target: University positions only. Now, let me explain how this works. Universities don't use recruiters. The easiest way to get in is to know somebody who knows somebody who can put in a good word for you. Then, you have to be in the right place at the right time. Competition is fierce and I was told by anyone and everyone who currently works in a university that this was the case. They were right. I cannot tell you the amount of resumes I sent out. Then I started getting responses from these universities. Then interviews. Then an offer! Then a better offer!!


I have finally settled on a position and will start the next phase of my career as a University Professor at a well-known university in South Korea. I'm excited, blessed, happy, and content with this decision. I'm looking forward to another year in Korea and advancing my teaching career in a new way.