Another sign its the end of the world as we know it:  a Korean-American stereotype bashing reality TV show in "please pick up this pilot" stage.  You think you get a bad rap teaching English as a foreigner in Korea?  Wait til you get a load of this. 

Heaven forbid you should have a medical emergency or accident while in Korea.  If the only thing you have handy for help is some old Incheon airport guidebook on hospitals, you could be in trouble.  Don't rely on online lists with antiquidated contact information when you need medical help, either. 
Do you know who to call when you need help...QUICK?

A while back, I posted up a blog on Volunteering in Korea to make my foreign brothers and sisters aware of opportunities to get a rewarding change of scenery beyond the usual Saturday afternoon pitching darts and some decent resume experience.     

No, I'm not going to now show you pictures of starving kids and flash a +1.888 number across your screen.  And no, I'm not Mr. Wonderful (but I am Mr. Fantastic) telling you what you should be doing with your time.  I'm just doing as my good friend Ron Burgundy once said:


"I'm gonna just throw this out there; if you like it, take it, if you don't, send it right back"



Photo:  Ron Burgundy contemplates joining a volunteer org in Korea...among other things



Global Village Volunteers

If you are looking for quick and easy volunteer groups with a history of getting foreigners involved in the local community, one of the best resources you'll find is the Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Volunteers.     Join the group online to participate in various activities through the Center and learn about other volunteer activities in Seoul.       Here's a few samples of the Global Village Volunteer community activities to get  you started:

Summer is here and it can only mean one thing:  Expat Club recruitment season!  Like Rush Week for a college Greek System,  the various Expat Groups and Clubs that dominate Korea's social scene will be in full recruitment mode to replace departing members. 

You always hear about them in a whisper on the street or a murmur in the teachers' lounge:  mystical, elusive teaching jobs in Korea with half a year of paid vacation, enthusiastic and mature students, a salary so high you could retire after a couple of years and, most importantly, a name card with the title "Professor" emblazoned across the face.  So what's not to like about teaching English at a university or college in Korea?  Plenty.

KOTESOL is holding the first annual Busan KOTESOL Summer Conference on June 26th at Pusan University of Foreign Studies.  This event is open to all educators, both Korean and expatriate, and aims to develop and enhance networks among professionals in the Busan area.


Photo:  Provided by KOTESOL.


The conference also offers teachers an opportunity to develop their professional skills and understanding of how technology can be used in the classroom. The conference is aimed at both public and private sector educators.

In Korea, the combination of low tax rates, paid-for housing and cheap food is often a boon for English Teachers and can swell a bank account to post-bar mitzvah sizes. 

But did you know that by putting your money into the Korean bank account set up by your school or employer, you are actually losing money?    The same goes for remitting your cash back home, where most likely it'll sit into a risky bank account with an interest rate of practically ziltch, zip, zero, nada, upsoyo, etc.   The good news is, you can actually turn your stagnant paycheck into a profit-making vehicle by investing in the Korean stock market!

You've seen it yourself--Mario Kart drivers using the cross-walk at a red-light for U-turns; Chinese-delivery food motor bikes drag racing the Pizza guy scooters on sidewalks past startled pedestrians; and of course the haphazard bus/shuttle or two, weaving in and out of traffic as they seek to beat their own course records.  Think you're ready to play the big boy's automotive game in Seoul, Korea?  To go and buy a scooter, car or big rig semi out of the automotive section of our Classifieds?

You've been searching for a new teaching job in Korea for weeks and you've finally got the dream gig in front of you.   You grin smugly to yourself, pleased because its a dream deal--2.8 million won a month, a well-referenced hagwon (private language institute or academy) located by Hongdae station, 21 days vacation a year, and a place to live.   You've even gotten advice on teaching from a foreign teacher currently working at this particular school in Korea.  

Ok, we all know that getting a hair cut at the mercy of a new set of hands often plays like a Romantic Comedy (think Pretty Woman) that morphs into an Adventure Flick (Romancing the Stone, Part I) and often ends up looking like Nightmare on Elm Street (green and red stripes, horrible burns/highlights, and chop chop chop from Freddie himself).