As I'm coming to an end in my first contract in Korea, I am looking for a new job. Luckily, here, there are tons of jobs... so it's more a matter of sorting through to find a good recruiter and good job! Much different from the states. I started off trying to get into a University, sadly that dream was shot down by strict requirements. However, I know what I want out of my next year in Korea, and know the best way to get it is to go for a higher paying job, even if it requires a bit more work. I did apply for public school, and was accepted to work for them, however their pay scale is a bit lower then private schools. Also with public school you get more vacation time, which is fantastic, however, if you are me and have a bad habit of spending money - specially when you are not occupied with work, having an extra 10 days off a year could amount to an extra $2000-$3000(or more) spent very easily. So I decided private school is the best fit for me. Then it came to finding a good one.... there are horror stories all over about working for private schools, I've even seen them happen to my friends. One friend was sent home after 10 months because her school shut down, her working conditions were terrible.... another simply hated her school so much, worked far too many hours, and the housing was horrid, she still stuck it though till the end of her contract. With that, I started looking at schools - first by pay then by hours. After that, I searched the blacklists and contacted people who worked for these schools. With that I lined up 3 interviews, I've completed 2 of the 3 and have the 3rd tomorrow. At this point I am sure I will go do the interview, although it means another week night trip to Seoul (another $10 spend on bus rides, getting home after 10pm, not getting dinner till really late or eating out...), because I want to be sure I am making the right decision. For many reason I want to live in Seoul, but the job I am leaning towards is in Bundang, I have quite a few friends there - with the same interests as me i.e. run, bike, swim, lift. The school was really great, and the director was very genuine and seemed like she would be a great boss.
If I take the job in Bundang, it comes with one upsetting thing, that I can deal with, I just hope people aren't too upset at home.... my vacation back to the states will be very short or not at all. I know my family and friends care about me and want me to be happy and in a good job... so I know they will understand if I cannot make it home. Details on that after the decision is made.
As for my running and training. I have hit some major lows in my motivation this year. I thought coming into this year that it would be my best year yet, but that turned out to be wrong. The year is not over and I can still get in quite a few miles. I thought that being here, not having much to do but run, I would, well, run non-stop. However, it turns out that my dream of running trails and all over this city were shot down... considering there are no trails here, and the city consists of a 5mile loop. Thus, completing the same run time and time again has failed to keep me interested. Not to mention, I find that I am longing to even see other runners out running. I am the lone runner here, I have tried night running/day running/morning running, the most I have ever seen was 2 runners out on the 5 mile loop. My shoes have not been hung up yet, but with winter coming/here I know the next month is going to be tough. I think I am going to re-join the gym, at least I can use the treadmill.
With my next update I should know when and where I'm moving, and when I'll be able to visit the states!!! :)
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