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Lucas
Joined: 11 Sep 2012
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 Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:58 pm Post subject: To those EPIK teachers leaving in Feb |
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I thought I'd give so some of my amazing wisdom that might save you some hassle down the line..... 
1. Paying final bills - You or you should ask co-teacher/K friend to call the gas board/elec board and tell them the final day you will be leaving the apt - ask them to come the day before and give you a final reading and to give you the bill there and then on the spot.
They CAN write them - then go to the bank, pay the bills and give the receipts to your finance lady at school - this will speed up your contract comp bonus - OR your school is super disorganized and will just give you it anyway (even if you haven't paid your final bills)...
2. Ask for a written reference BEFORE you leave the country! - this might not be important immediately when you get home but it can sometimes be a pain to get one once you leave the country - Co-teacher moves on/ 'too busy' writes you a shitty one (always harder for them to do that 'in country' and then look you in the face after they've done it) - loads of people here say ' you write it and have them sign it. I�d say that's a bad idea for many reasons......So why not ask them to write it in Korean, you can get it translated and notarized for 70-80 bucks and it all looks legit and nice! Also tell the specifically what you wanted included in the ref. and ask the principal to stamp it�.
3. Get a Korean police background check - Cheap and they'll print one out for you as you wait - WHY? You never know, you might decide to do teaching/something else where you must prove your clean criminal history throughout your life......Real pain to do that once you leave Korea� - take alien card with you to do this�.
4. Sort out your pension stuff before you leave.....
5. Leave your school in good terms (if you can!)
6. Take original/photocopies of all of your pay slips back with you � you might need them in the future! |
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Axiom
Joined: 18 Jan 2008
Location: Brisbane, Australia
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| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:42 am Post subject: Re: To those EPIK teachers leaving in Feb |
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| Lucas wrote: |
2. Ask for a written reference BEFORE you leave the country! - this might not be important immediately when you get home but it can sometimes be a pain to get one once you leave the country - Co-teacher moves on/ 'too busy' writes you a shitty one (always harder for them to do that 'in country' and then look you in the face after they've done it) - loads of people here say ' you write it and have them sign it. I�d say that's a bad idea for many reasons......So why not ask them to write it in Korean, you can get it translated and notarized for 70-80 bucks and it all looks legit and nice! Also tell the specifically what you wanted included in the ref. and ask the principal to stamp it�.
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Further to this, if there is even the slightest chance that sometime in the future you may want to apply for a position at a Korean uni, then also get a 경력증명서 (Certificate of Career).
It may save you a great deal of time. |
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silkhighway
Joined: 24 Oct 2010
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 6:25 am Post subject: |
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| All of this is great advice, some of which I wish I had taken. A big rule of thumb, it's a thousand times harder to get anything done once you are gone. |
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Lucas
Joined: 11 Sep 2012
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| Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 3:56 am Post subject: |
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BUMP
One more time for those of you just getting back from your hols....... |
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Quack Addict
Joined: 31 Mar 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 2:43 am Post subject: |
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| loads of people here say ' you write it and have them sign it. I�d say that's a bad idea for many reasons......So why not ask them to write it in Korean, you can get it translated and notarized for 70-80 bucks and it all looks legit and nice! Also tell the specifically what you wanted included in the ref. and ask the principal to stamp it�. |
You want me to pay $80 for a reference letter? Ba ha ha ha hah a! |
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silkhighway
Joined: 24 Oct 2010
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 6:29 am Post subject: |
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| Quack Addict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| loads of people here say ' you write it and have them sign it. I�d say that's a bad idea for many reasons......So why not ask them to write it in Korean, you can get it translated and notarized for 70-80 bucks and it all looks legit and nice! Also tell the specifically what you wanted included in the ref. and ask the principal to stamp it�. |
You want me to pay $80 for a reference letter? Ba ha ha ha hah a! |
I don't think it's a bad idea if you did a good job and trust your co-op teacher will write a decent LOR, especially if don't have work lined up when you're returning home, or you're going into a career where you'll want to keep a running portfolio. The thing is..NOBODY is going to call Korea to get a reference. Plus it doesn't take long before teachers change schools, phone numbers change, etc., and everyone forgets that you were even there. The experience becomes a bit of a black hole, and this could be a way to bridge that.
Or you could just be wasting $80, it's the risk you take. |
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kinship
Joined: 24 Jan 2013
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| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Paying final bills - You or you should ask co-teacher/K friend to call the gas board/elec board and tell them the final day you will be leaving the apt - ask them to come the day before and give you a final reading and to give you the bill there and then on the spot. |
To add to this, clean your apartments thoroughly. I do not know how many horror stories I have heard about where previous westerners left their places in a filthy, disgusting mess. |
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Lucas
Joined: 11 Sep 2012
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| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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| You want me to pay $80 for a reference letter? Ba ha ha ha hah a! |
You'd be surprised how unique most people's writing styles are.
If you want to write a cover letter and then have one or more of your ref's sound almost the same - fine. But that send red flags to more alert bosses.
You; 'well my co teacher wasn't confident in writing English, so I wrote it and they signed it'
Boss: Ok I�ll trust that you wrote an honest and balanced ref about yourself!  |
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silkhighway
Joined: 24 Oct 2010
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Lucas wrote: |
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| You want me to pay $80 for a reference letter? Ba ha ha ha hah a! |
You'd be surprised how unique most people's writing styles are.
If you want to write a cover letter and then have one or more of your ref's sound almost the same - fine. But that send red flags to more alert bosses.
You; 'well my co teacher wasn't confident in writing English, so I wrote it and they signed it'
Boss: Ok I�ll trust that you wrote an honest and balanced ref about yourself! |
I think it's an individual situation if it is worth it or not. One good thing about "I write it and you sign it" is that you will write with a Western-style tone. A reference letter should be honest but not necessarily balanced. It's an endorsement of your character, not a performance review. I'd be afraid that a letter written in Korean might come off in a different tone than what a Western manager would expect. |
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