Thursday, May 09, 2013

Bank of Korea: back on the list?

After having rejected me before, it turns out, according to my buddy Tom, that Bank of Korea may be willing to interview after all, now that they know I'm in Korea. Christ, that's frustrating. I told Tom I was keeping my options open, and that I'd be willing to sit and interview with BOK if it called me, but I have half a mind to tell those number-crunching chumps to shove calculators up their asses. Their lame reason for not interviewing me back in March: I wasn't in Korea at the time. Ever heard of Skype, you morons? Last I'd heard from Tom, BOK had hired someone else. Then Tom called tonight to say that "that [hiring] had been delayed," whatever that means. Effectively, it means that BOK hasn't filled the position that they'd spurned me for. And which genius's fault is that?

In the meantime, the list of places I'm applying (or semi-applying) to is:

1. Seoul National University, English instructor (no news)

2. Seoul National University, editor/proofer/researcher (fell through: app deadline March 3)

3. Chonnam National University, English instructor (interviewed; positive vibe)

4. Hanyang University, English instructor (no news)

5. Hansung University, English instructor (no news)

6. HUFS in Yongin, English professor (no news)

7. Catholic University of Daegu, English instructor (no news)

8. Daegu University, English instructor (no news)

9. Bank of Korea, proofer/editor (rejected; no news on possible reversal)

10. Daegu Haany University (thanks to commenter Scott for the lead; application process has barely begun, but an interview might happen next week)

I decided not to go for Soongsil University: the paperwork they require, and the hoops I'd have to jump through before even applying, constitutes too much red tape, and I'm all red-taped out right now. Soongsil asks its applicants to write first to request an application form (that piece of shit I talked about earlier), thereby adding an unnecessary step—and potential delay—to the process. Just doesn't seem worth it. They also ask for your Christian bona fides (some sort of declaration of faith), and you have to fill out a "personnel questionnaire"—another superfluous form. Too much bullshit for my bullshit-tolerance level.

So for the moment, I'm sticking with the above list of options (minus the second SNU position, of course). I've done a lot of paperwork this month, and as I privately told Dr. Hodges, it's very likely that I won't know anything about employment, one way or another, until after I leave Korea. My nightmare scenario, right now, is that I get immediately accepted by Bank of Korea, but find myself still waiting to hear from HUFS, and BOK, meanwhile, urgently needs my reply before HUFS can send me its reply. If I say "yes" to BOK, I lose my chance at HUFS; if I wait too long for HUFS, I lose BOK and won't be guaranteed a job with HUFS, anyway. That's my nightmare: l'embarras du choix.


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