Over the years, there has been a number of things that have held me back from teaching in Korea. As a fresh grad, I was ready, willing and stoked about going.
I married young and was married at that time. Things weren't going that well with the relationship. At that time, I thought that it's better to stay in town and I'd decline the offer. Don't get me wrong, I still had support from my spouse at the time, but hesitant support. I was soo scared of the unknown. Scared of what I'd lose, not thinking of what I could gain. I had not travelled on my own at that time and could only think of the bad things...fear of the "what ifs". I wasn't raised with the most optimistic parents and my Dad was very parinoid. Unfortunately, I take after my Dad in that respect.
The next time I had the urge to teach overseas, I applied to Nova in Japan. I was super hyped and well on my way with my Visa process. I even went to school with one of the head teachers there and wouldn't be alone. I was heavily involved with another guy at the time, who was also very supportive. My excuse this time was that I didn't have the funds required, as they wanted the teacher to have $1500 in pocket before going. My guy said he would lend me the money too. Again, when it was time to make final arrangements, I declined, even after sending over my contract to Japan with my diploma. The problem again was that I was "IN LOVE" , worrying about the future and the possible collapse of my so "in love" relationship, unsure of what the other side of the work would hold AGAIN. In retrospect, I really can't believe that I didn't go to that one.
My lasted round of "wanting to go and teach" started last year. I wanted to do something with myself that would make a difference to others. I love children and wanted to work with them. Again, I ran into recruiters with contracts that were extremely unclear. I would ask the recruiter to clarify a point, and then I never receive a reply. I must have given the impression that I was " a troublemaker" to them, where in reality, I just wanted clarification. The next recruiters, 2 of them, lost interest in me when they found out that I had kids. My last attempt was just last month, but then life got in the way when one of my parents almost died of a GI emergency. Strangely, after that event, I found out that the school was on a few blacklists. Is it just a coincidence that such an emergency occurred at just the exact time that I was going to mail out my Visa documents? Uncanny, isn't it.
In regards to my a life threatening illness, what if I had to fly back for a funeral? I have read some horror stories in blogs from teachers about schools not allowing the teacher to leave the school to attend their own parent's funeral! How crueul is that! How could they continue to teach at the school without that major blow affecting their performance and attitude toward the management?
So, in summary, the main reasons that haven't been able to get to Korea to teach is because of a) being "IN LOVE"...guys, that seems to be my, and a lot of other girls' "raison d'etre" b) fear of the unknown c)having kids and being a burden to potential employers d)wanting to know full information regarding the contract with the school, which seems to be impossible for the recruiters to get answers for...plus, I am sure they have many, many other potential teachers who will sign the contract without question(so why spend extra time with my file) and lastely d)life' unpredictable circumstances that can happen to anyone at anytime.
