It's Getting Real! The First Interview

In a matter of hours, the idea that I could jet off to South Korea to teach English went from a fantasy to a reality that I'm spending almost all of my waking hours working towards.

No, I haven't been accepted. But, just a few hours ago, I was informed by Greenheart that my application and letters of recommendation have been received and approved, and that I am ready to schedule interview #1 with a Greenheart rep.

As of now, all I can think is EEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPP.

An intelligent and informed reaction, I know.

The fact that I really really want this position, paired with the fact that this is my first *real* adult interview has sent me into a fit of panic. And more preparation. More lists. There's always more lists:

To be perfectly honest, I haven't felt this way since I was obsessed with a boy in high school. It's a nice feeling to get this jittery about a rewarding, productive experience, rather than a French boy with a penchant for juvenile insults.

I know this isn't a terribly groundbreaking blog, but as I'm trying to document every step of the way, let it be known that the excitement is strong with me here. Maybe that'll be a helpful reminder when I'm sent into a fit of tears that next time I have to deal with government paperwork.

Do I Have Enough Experience to be a Teacher?

For those of us who aren't education majors, yet are applying to teach abroad programs, a major question that may be going through our heads is do I have enough experience to be a teacher?

Having a myriad of friends in education majors have helped me glean both the short answer and the more complex justifications for teaching without a teaching degree.

The short answer is no. While I've volunteered in classrooms (okay, one classroom), and worked as a teaching assistant, in my current state, I don't have enough experience to be a full-time teacher.

Apparently no one understood that teaching my father that stripes and plaid don't go together may as well have been a full-time job.

However, the point is, if you didn't spend four years studying and working to become a teacher, you shouldn't have the experience. What you need is the qualifications and the drive to welcome an opportunity to get the experience.

As my wise friend once reminded me, everybody has to start somewhere. And since not everyone who joins EPIK graduates with a teaching degree, that somewhere may seem to be far less relevant than those who did the student teaching, who led a classroom for a straight semester, who took the qualification exams.

As much as I would like to, I can't just march into a public classroom and announce, "hey guys! Today I'm going to teach about the amazingness that is the semicolon!" But I can gather the qualifications and knowledge I need to get to that point. I can read up on education theory. I can ask teachers questions. I can observe willing teachers. I can take an online certification. The opportunities aren't as vast, but they are there.

Generally, there will be some tutoring centers that would be happy to see your level of interest and enthusiasm to learn how to be a better instructor. A lot of public ESL teachers are so swamped in work, they could really use a (free) helping hand when conducting lessons (hint: I got my TEFL practicum hours by taking a shot and emailing every ESL teacher ever, thinking it would go nowhere. Two teachers emailed back, begging me for the help).

As far as EPIK goes, while having an impressive resumé certainly isn't going to hurt you, it seems to be more about the willingness to learn and have the experience than having the experience itself (and also finally learning how to make a successful lesson plan. That helps, too).

In this regard, it's similar to working as a writing tutor. Throughout my first month as a tutor, I was terrified that I wasn't qualified enough and that every student would see right through me. Turns out, I just had to learn by observing other tutors, understand the theoretical articles on tutoring, and just practice, and I would be okay--okay enough to, one year later, be trusted to mentor a new tutor.

Of course teaching is a more involved process, but, in the end, having an open mind and being willing to learn from your teaching mishaps will get you further than you think.

So, to my fellow EPIK applicants, good night and good luck. 

The FBI Background Check: Or, That Time I Wanted to Tear My Hair Out

I chose to work with a recruiter as I apply for the EPIK program. I've chosen Greenheart Travel, and all of their representatives have been lovely and helpful.

(I'll probably write a post about going the recruiter route later on, but for now I just want to moan about the US government).

The associates at Greenheart really stressed getting the FBI background check early in the process, since it can take months to receive the results. It's a bit of a gamble, since you have to get the background check before you've been accepted into the program, but it's worth the hassle. A little strange to get fingerprinted when you just want to run up to the Korean government and go, "hey I'm not a criminal!", but still well worth it.

Being the oh-so-intelligent person that I am, I decided to get a head start and apply for a background check before I even sent my EPIK application to Greenheart. I had been fingerprinted at Penn State through 3M Cogent for my writing center job, so I, with the air of arrogance of someone who has it all figured out, registered through that same company. $25 later and I thought I was worry-free.

Oh, past-self, you're cute.

This happened like two weeks ago. I don't want to talk about it.

Shortly after, my recruiter was all, "hey, what are you doing; this is a Pennsylvania background check, not federal." And I was all, "hah, just kidding, I have no idea what I'm doing!"

And thus the wild goose chase began.

Thankfully, the Internet gave me a list of FBI-approved fingerprinting agencies in my town, one of which was the State College police. The very notion of going to the police station got me shaking in my boots a little bit, since I've always hated to be that person who did something wrong. But, I figured, if I'm going to live across the world, better start with an open mind now and face my fears of dealing with a terrifying institution.

Because, friends, at this time, I thought dealing with the State College police was a terrifying idea.

The following act is a short rendition of Kira's wasted-hour-running-around-town-that-she-will-never-get-back:

Me: [giving the officers my widest grin] Hello! I have a quick question for you.

Police officer: [Silence]

Me: I would like to get a federal background check for a work visa [I add in the work visa part because I'm still irrationally terrified that people think I'm a criminal].

Police officer: Before you go any further, you're gonna have to go to the UPS store. We don't do prints here.

Me: You're at a police station. 

Police officer: Bye now!

Still trying to give "positive attitude" vibes, I walk a mile to the UPS store, and come across a friendly worker.

UPS worker [before I even say anything, shocking!]: How are you today, Miss? What can I do for you?

Me: [Losing confidence in the system entirely] Do you do federal background checks?

UPS worker: We do!

Me: Great! Let me show you the form. [Pulls out fingerprint form]

UPS worker: Oh, no, we can't do that. We only do digital prints. You're gonna have to go to the State College police.

Which is ironic, since I WAS ALREADY THERE, AND I'M ABOUT READY TO THROW MY FACE INTO A WALL.

UPS worker: Do you drive? There's also a police station in Bellefonte that we usually refer people to.

Me: Great. Yes. Just tell me where it is.

UPS worker: Oh, it's at the jail.

Me: Say what now?

And so, trudging back another mile to my apartment, I have to call my father to ask for a ride (because I'm 22 years old and the notion of driving still sends me into hysterics) to the local jail.

I'll spare you from my Foucaultian observations on how disorienting it is to be inside an institution from which society has tried to alienate the average citizen, but basically, my morning consisted of spending a half hour trying to figure out the prison intercom system, making awkwardly-lengthy eye contact with a prisoner who was also getting fingerprinted, and trying not to run in fear at the very sight of a holding cell (not that I could have run very far, since I had to wait for the security guards to unlock the doors on my way out).

Also, I had to figure out what in the hell a money order was, and how to pay it to my local jail. 'Cause that's definitely something I thought I was gonna do in life.

But, I got my fingerprints. And shortly after I returned home, I sent in my EPIK application and Greenheart emailed me step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a federal background check--including sample application pages and discounted prices.

So, the moral of the story ends up being 3 things: 1) don't go to jail. It's hella scary (more intellectual observations to come). 2) If you're applying through a recruiter, wait until you've sent in your application to get the background check. Chances are, your recruiter won't send you to the wolves and will actually give you a (very helpful) guide on getting fingerprinted. And 3) if you're in the State College, PA area, you will have to go to the Bellefonte jail to get printed. Why a town with a mammoth university doesn't have proper fingerprinting locations is beyond me, but there it is.

Again, this is only the beginning of the paperwork to come. So expect more hair to be torn out of my head.

Why Korea? An EPIK Introduction

Hello all--or, should I say--annyeonghaseyo!

I really have to work on my Korean.

As a perpetual blog-starter, I thought I would add to my expanding list and create a blog devoted to my most recent obsession: teaching in South Korea!

I know. I didn't see that one coming either.

To start, I thought I would just introduce myself to those of you who found this blog via a frantic "teaching abroad" Google search (I commend you for making that search--I found a lot of fabulous bloggers and YouTubers that way).

If you already know me, feel free to skip this part. Or read it and be astounded at how amazing I am (kidding).

As you've probably already gathered, my name is Kira. As a soon-to-be-college-graduate, I've spent a majority of my time scrambling to find a career path that I'm passionate about, that I'm qualified for, and that doesn't force me to live on easy mac for the rest of my life. As an English major, this search has proven to be harder than one may think. Or just as hard as you may think, if you're not a naive idealist and chose an engineering degree. Yes, congratulations on winning at life. No, I'm not bitter.

I tried to defy my tendency to follow my English-professor-parents' footsteps, and as such, every time I mentioned my major and someone asked if I wanted to be a teacher, my reaction was something akin to this:

No, I just wanted to sit in my "brooding cave" and write existentialist thoughts. As it turns out, brooding caves cost money, too.

Flash forward three years and I'm applying for EPIK, or the English Program in Korea.

Since that decision, I've gotten a lot of whys?

Well, dear reader, like a majority of us can relate to, I kind of happened upon it. Working as a tutor at the Penn State undergraduate writing center, I met a lot of ESL students and teachers alike. A visiting professor recommended that we look into teaching overseas. Not long after, a co-worker arrived from a year in Korea and gave glowing reviews of his time abroad. My peers kept telling me I seemed like "that person" who would teach overseas. I didn't hate the idea.

Add in countless hours of binge watching EatyourKimchi videos official research and long bouts of "do I, do I not"s, and my decision was set. I was applying to work as English teacher in South Korea.

You can see my specific reasons for choosing Korea and EPIK here. Basically, it boils down to money, travel, experience, and food (like that's ever not considered).

For those of you who are also considering a teaching job in Korea, here are my favorite resources that I used to gain insight on teaching for EPIK and Korean culture--these are all YouTube channels, as that's where I got a majority of my information, but I did scope out various blog posts cuz I'm old school:

1) ChoNunMigookSaram, AKA Megan Bowen. Megan came to Korea as an EPIK teacher, and stayed to pursue business. Her level of fluency in Korean is astounding, as is her ability to pull off a wig (I may or may not have shelled out $100 on wigs to look like her).

2) The Gift of Gab Gabby was actually the first person to refer me to the EPIK program. I don't know how she doesn't have thousands more views, as she's informative, interesting, introspective, and other I-adjectives.

3) Simon and Martina Otherwise known as "EatYourKimchi," Simon and Martina are probably the most widely recognized/viewed k-vloggers. I quickly became obsessed with their videos. They're funny, smart, and have the cutest dog on the face of the planet. Unfortunately, they just moved to Japan, which really bummed me out, since I was ready to fangirl so hard in their presence.

4) Hallyu Back While Richard and Steph mostly do k-drama/k-pop reviews, they also make their fair share of videos on Korean culture. Sadly, they have moved back to the states after seven years in Korea. WHY DOES EVERYONE I WANT TO MEET KEEP LEAVING???

Of course I read up a lot more on life in Korea, but these were the most entertaining resources I found.

So, while I'm still early on in the application process and I have no guarantee of getting a job in Korea (there's been tale of recent budget cuts in the Korean government), I thought I would document my experience applying for, and hopefully, living in South Korea while it's still fresh in my mind. It's just the beginning and I've already been through countless tears, squeals of joy, and pro/con lists.

But, hopefully, it will be one of the most rewarding journeys I've been on. And if not, failure is its own form of rewarding journey. Hence, the K-Odyssey.

So, grab a bowl of kimchi, turn on some Big Bang, and come on this EPIK journey with me.