an actual uni job ad appears!

Finally, a new university-level EFL want ad is out! See it here.

Native English-Speaking Non-Tenured Professors Needed at Cheongju University, Cheongju, Korea

The pay looks to be... decent. It's about a 50% downgrade from what I'd been getting over the past few years, but beggars can't be choosers.

The main problems, from what I can see, come down to the required documents. I have to dredge up employment certifications from my previous university jobs, which I don't think I have anymore since my previous uni jobs date back to 2014-2015 (Dongguk University), 2013-2014 (Daegu Catholic University), and 2005-2008 (Sookmyung Women's University). So that's one hurdle. It's too bad they won't accept documentation from my most recent job.

Other document problems: I need to get two letters of recommendation. While I know my most recent boss will be happy to write me one, I'm not quite sure where to get my second letter from. There are some former colleagues that I can try, so maybe I'll hit those people up by email this weekend. I'm also going to have to obtain apostilled copies of my degrees (B.A., M.A., and PhD.), sealed transcripts with grades, an apostilled National Criminal Background Check from my native country, and a recent health report. The criminal background check is something I'm going to need to request, and that's going to take weeks. In fact, it might take so long that I'll surely miss the May 12 due date for initial documents submission. Crap.

The whole apostille thing became a requirement after my time. I didn't need any apostilled documents for Sookmyung, DCU, or Dongguk, but from what I've seen over the past few years, apostilling is required everywhere now. So that's going to take time, but it's not a thing I need to worry about right now because, according to the job ad, apostilled documents aren't required until you've reached the second part of the hiring process.

Up to now, I've taken for granted that some university will end up hiring me, but as I've thought the matter through, I've become less confident about that. I'll be 57 come this August 31, and if the university is truly asking for a recent health report, they're going to see that I'm in precarious shape at best, i.e., there'll be even less motivation to hire me.

But nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say. So it looks as though I've got my work cut out for me this weekend. I guess the nice thing about apostilling my documents is that I can do it once, then it's done, and any other universities requesting apostilled documents can get them instantly.

Oh, yes: Cheongju University is also requesting a "demo lesson" to be conducted in person in June, assuming I make it that far in the hiring process. Guess I'll have to work on that as well. Pray for me. I'm suddenly facing a lot of paperwork.

ADDENDUM: The more I think about it, the more I think it'll be impossible to apply for this particular uni job, but the job ad gives me an idea of what I need to do to apply for future positions as they open up. It's now May, so there ought to be plenty of jobs on offer.

UPDATE: I've sent Cheongju University an email asking whether I can just give them what documents I already have ready if they're willing to wait for things like my criminal background check. I doubt I'll get an answer before Monday (if I get an answer at all). Better to ask now, though.