Before people ask, no. There is no news from Korea. Though according to Footprints 'no news is good news'.
Well, this is what they say. The documents I sent off have been checked initially, then sent off to EPIK who apparantly go through them with a fine-toothed comb.
THEN they get taken to the educational board of the province that you're likely to be in.
EPIK has recently been in the Korean Herald as they are experiencing massive shortages of positions...odds feel slightly stacked against me.
In the mean time, I have made some early resolutions.
Resolutions:
Keep myself in check with my happiness. By being depressive and melancholic, I become even less fun to be around than usual. This is normally caused by the fact that I have no focus, if you consider this time last year that I was doing my work and aiming for a degree, the focus has shifted ever so slightly now in the direction of boredom. I intend to combat this by being as proactive as possible, without burning myself out.
Become an accomplished photographer. Having splased out on a top-end digital camera, I should learn to get the very best out of it.
Become athletic again, regain my competetive edge. I've spent the last four years being a workaday runner, rugby player and martial-artist. This is mainly because I dont have a focus, I am never going to play for England, never going to the Olympics and its about time I learned that these details are not important. What is really crucial is to be the best that I can be, whatever that is and at whatever level.
Stop looking for it: fairly self-explanatory. I want love, like anyone else. I just think I've had a tendency to dive in with people who werent right for me, or situations that werent good for me.
I have a strong sense of self, an ability to communicate with people and I love socialising. Why make it anymore complicated than that?
Accept that my life is great. Its a travesty to do anything else.
Saturday 26 December 2009
Wednesday 9 December 2009
Vlogging
If you so wish, you can visit my Vlog on Youtube.com. The address is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X23aqjaqZNw
More to follow, when I actually have some information worth relaying!
The Koreans have been taking their time about everyone's placement. So still waiting...
X
More to follow, when I actually have some information worth relaying!
The Koreans have been taking their time about everyone's placement. So still waiting...
X
Monday 23 November 2009
Jumping through hoops
Well well well,
Welcome all to my new blog!
I'm Joe Riley, a recent graduate from the University of Chester and I have just sent off my essential documentation to Daegu, South Korea.
I am hoping to become an English Language teacher with EPIK (english program in korea, mnenomic, not misspelt) and I await my fate with crossed everything. So far I have had to wake up at 5.30am for a phone interview that never happened, wake up at 5.30am AGAIN the next night for a phone call that went straight to voicemail while I rang the office in Korea (guiltily thinking of my parent's bill) and explained I would need a call back. It was now 6.30, I was due in work at 7. The interview was a success, now all that loomed was for me to gather my documents.
The pedestrian phrase 'gather' doesnt quite give the blood-boiling process its due; to accept you, EPIK need a photocopied, notarised, and apostilled copy of your degree, a CRB check (notarised and apostilled). This is on top of University sealed transcripts and original reference letters from two people who can safely say, that you are not a total paedo.
The 'apostille' is the trickiest to handle; without it, your documents are worthless. It is a stamp and a slip of paper from H.M Commonwealth office to say that these documents are real and that they are suitable for the obtaining of visa's and work-contracts.
Guess where the nearest (and only) Foreign Office is? London? Nope.
Milton Keynes. One of the grimmest and least accessible places in the country. I took a day trip to the office that had a grand total of 3 open office hours, I arrived with my trusty copies in hand and the orderly said:
"I cant stamp that, its only a copy."
I stood for a moment with an expression of a man who has not only opened up the door to find Piers Morgan stood there, but also wearing assless-chaps and a large oompah hat. I had the copies of the documents notarised by a solicitor, as per quota, so what was wrong?
" You can have the degree-copy stamped" said the orderly, with the hint of a shit-eating smile forming at her cheeks "but I'm afraid CRB checks are done with purely the original document."
I explained, in a voice not unlike Minnie Mouse's that I had been on a train since 8am to get to the one place in the UK that could stamp my documents and they were telling me that the copy I had was unsuitable. Would I have to go back home and get it notarised again and endure another trawl through Wembley Central and Leighton Buzzard?
"If you go downstairs" she muttered confidentially "theres an EXCELLENT solicitors, they'll do it for a fiver if you still have the original document."
I could have shagged her, but the bullet-proof perspex and her own natural hideousness did their work and two minutes later I was back,with an impressive apostille attached to the pair of said documents, my wallet screamed as I extracted yet more funds and poured them into what was becoming a never ending pot of 'Korean Ideas'.
What was left was to send them to the Footprints office in Daegu, along with an extensive application form and other documentation to say that I had no stake in the "Free Glitter" campaign. I did this today, on a blustery, shitty November Monday. The man from FedEx arrived on my lunchbreak, though he looked like a man who had not seen soap in a few weeks I could have shagged him too, my documents are on their way. Now all that remains is to see if theres any issues with them (like my CRB running out 3 weeks before we are due to leave, hopefully that can be amended later, AFTER I have been accepted.)
But, this is the first big step. All the talk is over, the doing has begun...stay tuned!
Welcome all to my new blog!
I'm Joe Riley, a recent graduate from the University of Chester and I have just sent off my essential documentation to Daegu, South Korea.
I am hoping to become an English Language teacher with EPIK (english program in korea, mnenomic, not misspelt) and I await my fate with crossed everything. So far I have had to wake up at 5.30am for a phone interview that never happened, wake up at 5.30am AGAIN the next night for a phone call that went straight to voicemail while I rang the office in Korea (guiltily thinking of my parent's bill) and explained I would need a call back. It was now 6.30, I was due in work at 7. The interview was a success, now all that loomed was for me to gather my documents.
The pedestrian phrase 'gather' doesnt quite give the blood-boiling process its due; to accept you, EPIK need a photocopied, notarised, and apostilled copy of your degree, a CRB check (notarised and apostilled). This is on top of University sealed transcripts and original reference letters from two people who can safely say, that you are not a total paedo.
The 'apostille' is the trickiest to handle; without it, your documents are worthless. It is a stamp and a slip of paper from H.M Commonwealth office to say that these documents are real and that they are suitable for the obtaining of visa's and work-contracts.
Guess where the nearest (and only) Foreign Office is? London? Nope.
Milton Keynes. One of the grimmest and least accessible places in the country. I took a day trip to the office that had a grand total of 3 open office hours, I arrived with my trusty copies in hand and the orderly said:
"I cant stamp that, its only a copy."
I stood for a moment with an expression of a man who has not only opened up the door to find Piers Morgan stood there, but also wearing assless-chaps and a large oompah hat. I had the copies of the documents notarised by a solicitor, as per quota, so what was wrong?
" You can have the degree-copy stamped" said the orderly, with the hint of a shit-eating smile forming at her cheeks "but I'm afraid CRB checks are done with purely the original document."
I explained, in a voice not unlike Minnie Mouse's that I had been on a train since 8am to get to the one place in the UK that could stamp my documents and they were telling me that the copy I had was unsuitable. Would I have to go back home and get it notarised again and endure another trawl through Wembley Central and Leighton Buzzard?
"If you go downstairs" she muttered confidentially "theres an EXCELLENT solicitors, they'll do it for a fiver if you still have the original document."
I could have shagged her, but the bullet-proof perspex and her own natural hideousness did their work and two minutes later I was back,with an impressive apostille attached to the pair of said documents, my wallet screamed as I extracted yet more funds and poured them into what was becoming a never ending pot of 'Korean Ideas'.
What was left was to send them to the Footprints office in Daegu, along with an extensive application form and other documentation to say that I had no stake in the "Free Glitter" campaign. I did this today, on a blustery, shitty November Monday. The man from FedEx arrived on my lunchbreak, though he looked like a man who had not seen soap in a few weeks I could have shagged him too, my documents are on their way. Now all that remains is to see if theres any issues with them (like my CRB running out 3 weeks before we are due to leave, hopefully that can be amended later, AFTER I have been accepted.)
But, this is the first big step. All the talk is over, the doing has begun...stay tuned!
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