It’s kind of hard working with recruiters that are just out to make money off of you. They can be rude, demanding, and selfish. Dan actually had the nerve to make me feel as though it was my fault ECC fired me because I wasn’t upfront with TeachESL (the agency Dan works for) about my flaws. Shame on me for not showcasing them I suppose. If ECC doesn’t want a teacher that TeachESL recruited for them, that makes TeachESL look bad, which in turn leaves them quite angry with the person/teacher they recruited in the first place. If that isn’t bad enough, as soon as this school in Oido hired me, Scott immediately cancelled any other interviews I had. I suppose he wanted to seal the deal to make his cash, whether that left me with options or not. Personally, I would have rather interviewed with other schools, but whatever. I’m not as angry as I once was about this whole situation, just disappointed. If I ever had respect for ECC or Mr. and Mrs. You, I sure don’t anymore. Part of me doesn’t want to take any sort of legal action against ECC, but if I don’t, its as if I’m claiming that what ECC has done is acceptable, and its not. I just want to lay this issue to rest, and take a job that I don’t really want, but I feel as though that would be giving up, which is something I don’t do.
I received an email from this guy named John, who apparently is another recruiter from Seoul. He says that he has a school that is interested in me. However the deadline for me getting my documentation in to this school in Oido is tomorrow. Once I give them my aposilled diploma, immigration doesn’t give it back (hence me having to get a new one in the first place). My aposilled diploma and transcripts arrived at YooMi’s on Saturday. She brought them to church on Sunday, but I wasn’t there, so she left them in the dining room. I went to church during a break today at school, but it was locked. I’m hoping that I can get them soon. I emailed Dan earlier today to see what he thought I should do, but he hasn’t emailed me back yet. Not to mention, there are many questions that Jane has failed to answer via email as well. I don’t understand all of my recruiters’ inability to check their email when even I have time to.
Last week I pushed Jane to ask the school to put an anti-discriminatory clause in the contract. She was extremely hesitant and took much persuading. She felt as though if the school asked why I wanted this in the contract, she would have to explain to them why ECC fired me. I tried to explain to her that, if asked, she could just simply reply that all Americans have such things in their contracts (Well, actually since it’s the law, we don’t have to, but Koreans don’t understand that). Everything is literally getting lost in translation with these people. I don’t understand why I even have to go through a middle man. I don’t even know the number of the school or the name of someone to talk to that speaks English. Otherwise, I would call them myself. Living in Korea has really taught me to stand up for myself, what I deserve, and what I know is right. And to do so all on my own, with no one else to help me, scary as it is, is completely new for me.
Jane sent me a generic GEPIK contract, which means it didn’t have the monthly salary in it, as a government school job is on a pay scale, based on experience, degrees, and certifications. Obviously I’m at the bottom of that totem poll, so I’ll be making a little less than I am now, which is a lot less than I made in the states, but that’s ok. It’s all about the experience anyway. I told Jane that I wouldn’t sign the contract until she sent it in Word Document form so that I could type in my pay. Well, this also turned out to be a convenient way for me to slip an anti-discriminatory clause into article 17 as well. Since the contract clearly states that the English translation of all articles is primarily for convenience, I also had one of my Korean partner teachers translate the same thing into Korean. I then signed the contract and faxed it to Jane. When I asked if she would get the school to fax back a signed copy, she once again freaked out at such a supposedly dumb question. I gave up on that one.
After much persistence and aggravation on my part, Jane, against what seemed like every bone in her body, asked the school to revise the contract. Not only that, she actually have the down right nerve to once again jeopardize my time in Korea by offering the school in Oido the personal information as to why ECC no longer wanted me as a teacher. I seriously could have choked her, or at least smacked her a good one, for being so stupid. It’s not as if they would understand; they’re Korean. For whatever reason, the school had no problem with my differences. When I read that via email, I seriously thought I had died and gone to Heaven. I don’t understand what happened. Its as if one day I’m crying because everyone is so demanding of me, harsh with me, and unsupportive of my cause, and the next day I’m crying because something so unimaginably wonderful happened.
Oh, and yeah; all this is happening while I’m spending all day long in Kindy and Elementary classes. How emotionally and physically exhausting.
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