Interview

Yesterday we received our Korean language CD-ROM. We've been learning to count in Korean: il, yi, sam, sa, o...

My interview with the recruiting agency went very well yesterday. I received a phone call at the exact time I was told, and the interview took about 45 minutes. At the end, I was told that I have been officially accepted to the program. This morning I received an email from the guy who will be my direct contact with prospective schools.

So far I've been impressed with this recruiter. As I see it, they've scored two points so far: 1. They sent me an email the week of my graduation, asking me to call them because my desired departure date was approaching. When I called, I was able to speak with a real person who scheduled a phone interview for me. 2. I was called at the precise time I was told, on the date specified, and the person who interviewed me was extremely personable and even answered some questions for me at the end.

The next step is to see if they present me with positions that meet my specifications (which are really just private housing and working in Busan). Most of the negative things I've read about recruiters on "Dave's ESL Cafe" seem to revolve around candidates being offered positions outside their specifications and/or being presented with bad contracts. During my interview yesterday I specifically asked if my two criteria were "reasonable", and I was told that they are.

I have one concern that has nothing to do with the recruiter, however. As of December 15th, the Korean government is requiring E2 visa applicants to conduct an in-person interview at a Korean consulate before being approved. Apparently this step was added after a pedophile turned up at a South Korean English school. A criminal background check is also now required, though that should be easy to obtain. But the nearest Korean consulate to Denver is located in San Fransisco. I guess I'll be taking a trip to California before we leave...