Recruiter Blog

What’s it like to spend the holidays overseas?

December 22nd, 2009 Rebecca McNeil Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment »



It’s not easy. Not only are you away from family, you might have to work on some days of the year that you’ve become accustomed to having off! Doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? Here at the Aclipse office, we’ve been through it too. I celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas, so I was already used to not having all of my holidays off but I wasn’t used to being away from family. However, I was very lucky because my parents came to visit me. We spent a week together in China, during Christmas and New Years. While I was jealous when they got to go sightseeing, while I was stuck working, it was still a blessing to have them there. I had the chance to show them my apartment, my favorite restaurants, my new friends and more. My mom, being an English teacher herself, got to meet some of my third grade students. They drew her pictures, with Christmas trees on them, and asked her repeatedly if she lived in a flat and if she liked beef curry (thanks to the British English books they were studying). My parents stayed at the Double Tree Suites and for some reason they decided to decorate the hotel like Venice-Venice at Christmas time (or whatever they thought that might look like?). Chinese Venice at Christmas time involved stripped shirts and tight black pants for the men with Santa hats and white Christmas trees with colorful decorations. In the hotel, we were in some sort of old world Chinese little Italy and outside it was more like Orlando, with palm trees, Christmas lights and Christmas music playing from stereos that had been positions up in the palm trees, which was nice except the only thing they played was Beach Boys Christmas music. A Shenzhen Christmas was quite different than any I had experienced growing up in New England! For New Years, we took the hour-long train ride over to Hong Kong. Although Hong Kong is a much more westernized area of China, it was interesting to see that in Hong Kong New Years Eve is all about shopping (this may have something to due with the fact that the Chinese New Year is celebrated there in February). The shops are open very late and have incredible sales on New Years Eve. We were lucky enough to have a hotel room with a view of Hong Kong Island. We were staying in the tsim sha tsui area on the Kowloon side. The sparkling buildings across the way, with Victoria Harbor before them, were spectacular. But I couldn't stop looking at the hordes of shoppers right outside our hotel! At midnight a rather large crowd had gathered outside and police blocked off the streets. I was expecting something big to happen when the clock struck twelve, like the ball that drops in Time Square. But at midnight they all just shuffled off! It was a bit of a let down. I heard things were much more lively in the westernized bar area called Lan Kwai Fong, on the Hong Kong Island side, where my friends couldn’t even move it was so crowded. There, in a more traditional celebration, everyone kissed and cheered at midnight. But I didn’t mind being on the quiet side because that was my only opportunity to see how New Years is really celebrated there by people who aren't ex-pats and I wouldn't trade that for anything.



My colleague Colleen Hartley, who taught English in South Korea for two years, has fond memories of her Christmas and New Years experiences overseas. She told me that in Korea everyone changes their age on New Years Eve. So if you’re born in 1982, 100 days later you turn 1 and then on the following New Year, December 31, you turn 2. If you’re born in November, you turn 1 on the New Year that follows. Children get money from relatives. It’s the nation’s birthday! But they also celebrate Chinese New Year in February. For ex-pats, Christmas and New Years in South Korea is a time for nostalgia and homesickness, so it really brings people together. Most public schools and some private schools have Christmas day off but they’re all back to school the next day. Unlike China, you can usually find someone with an oven in Korea, so you’ll have a holiday dinner party even if it’s not exactly on Christmas due to your work schedule. Larger cities, with “foreign bars” have New Years celebrations. Daejeon is a popular area for foreigners to celebrate. Colleen described her Christmas experience in Korea. “In Daejeon, it was cool to see all the festive lights that are up all winter, not just for Christmas and New Years and they were everywhere. We also went to Everland, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everland, where you can celebrate a western style Christmas there, with Santa statues. I had an oven, so we had a Christmas Eve party; I made a roast chicken and it was a traditional pot luck. It was like an open house, people came and went. Christmas day I hung out with my close friends at another house with an oven. I did invite one of my Korean friends to celebrate with us. He was very quiet but he said it was really cool that people could hang out and talk all night. He brought tortilla chips!”



My colleague Misty Crooks shared her holiday experiences in Japan with me. “In Japan, it’s similar to China, where they don’t really celebrate Christmas but they do a lot of the commercial stuff. For example, they do what they call “Illumination.” Illumination is when different cities put up beautiful Christmas lights. There’s Christmas music everywhere and plenty of Santas. The year I was there for Christmas, it feel on a Saturday and I had to work with students asking me, “I bet you don’t want to be working today.” No kidding! It was my first year teaching abroad. That was hard. But you gather together with people. My friend and his Japanese wife made us an English Christmas dinner. This was before Skype, so I was able to call my parents from their place and say Merry Christmas. We also did a roast chicken because you can’t really get ham or turkey. Friends of ours from Iran had a restaurant that they kept open, and we had some late night Middle Eastern food, which was strange but nice. New Years was a lot better because it’s more of a Japanese thing. We went to a bar. It wasn’t a foreigner bar, but they had the Times Square celebration on TV…although it was in a different time zone! Well, they must have had a tape of it from a different year! It was still fun and made me feel less homesick. The best part of the holidays in Japan was getting up at 4am to drive to Mt. Miyogi to see the first sunrise on New Years Day. That’s a very Japanese thing to do. There’s an important Shinto shrine on top of the mountain. There were many people there with huge cameras waiting to get a shot of the first sunrise. Then we went to pray at the shrine and got omikuji, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omikuji, which are fortunes you can get from the shrine-a very popular thing to do on New Years Day. Mine said, you will be successful in your life but after lots of hard work! Not too surprising. We left around 8 or 9am and went to McDonalds; they were already serving hamburgers and we had those for breakfast. New Years Day there’s also a huge marathon. But I was wiped out! So I went home and went to bed. All in all, it was a great New Years!”



When you’re away from home it can be difficult. For most of us, however, the opportunity to spend one or two Christmases, Hanukkahs or New Years overseas provides a unique experience. When you go abroad to teach English, unfortunately you may work on these holidays because that is part of the bargain, living in a different place that doesn't do things the way you might expect as a westerner. But being a foreigner in such a circumstance brings you closer to other ex-pats and makes you appreciate your home country. I think there is always a way to experience something from home to make it easier for you. And perhaps the best part of it is having the privilege to observe how a holiday so traditional in your own culture is celebrated, or not celebrated, in a foreign country where it might be new for them. Maybe I'll have to get a white christmas tree and break out the beach boys Christmas album this year.


We hope you enjoyed reading about our experiences overseas for the holidays. This holiday season, be well and be merry!

Former EFL Teacher in Korea Answers your Questions!

December 3rd, 2009 Rebecca McNeil Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment »


What is it about Korea that makes it an incredibly fun, unqiue, and sometimes difficult place to live? I sat down with former EFL teacher Colleen Hartley (now an overseas recruiter with Aclipse) who taught in South Korea for 2 years. In our interview, she answers some common questions and fills us in on what makes living in Korea as an ex-pat an interesting and amazing experience!

How difficult is it to set up a bank account in Korea as a foreigner? Well, the first thing you need to know is that the school will help you set it up, so don't stress over it. You can create a remittance account that connects to your bank account here in the US. All you need is your account number and your international routing number, which you can obtain from your bank here (it's different than the routing number on your checks). There are some minor fees involved but it’s really simple to do a quick banking transfer in-person or you can even do it online. And your ATM will work over there; most major banks will accept your ATM card, such as Bank of America, but of course there are fees. By the second week you’re there, you’ll have a bank account. Bring 200-400 dollars in won (or you can exchange it there). To bring won with you, make sure you order it from the bank 2-3 weeks before your departure date. You can also exchange USD for Won at any major airport. I recommend taking out one lump sum and putting it into your newly created Korean bank account and then you’ll be able to stop taking money out and just pay a one time fee-the ATM transaction fee and exchange rate fee. That will get you going in Korea and pretty soon you'll be getting paid by your school and they should be able to deposit that directly into your Korean bank account.

What about setting up a phone in Korea? Korean phone service companies can be very skeptical about setting up a plan for foreigners. You’ll probably have trouble finding a Korean friend to co-sign on an account. So here's what I think is the best and easiest way to go about it. Buy a used or new phone and get a pay as you go phone, which means you can add minutes as you use them. That can get to be expensive but texting is a much cheaper option. Usually, you'll text your friends in Korea more than you call them anyway and you can use Skype to talk to your friends and family back home. Otherwise, the KEB, Korean Exchange Bank, has an international phone plan for foreigners. You can call home at a much cheaper rate without phone cards. If you go to www.KEB.co.kr/English you might find out more information about bank accounts in Korea, as well as international phone plans.

What was the hardest thing to get use to when you lived in Korea? The whole "older people get the most respect" rule in Korean society. It took me a little while to realize it’s never personal and has nothing to do with being a foreigner. An older woman shoved me off a bus one day. The older people in Korea demand and deserve respect. But I guess they don’t just demand it; they can get physical!

Were you really assaulted by an elderly woman? No, I wasn't hurt or anything. These instances are all very minor. It's just that initiallly, the social order was kind of hard to learn. Once you learn it you’re fine with it. An older person could yell at you, kind of shove you out of line or whatever and you just need to get used to it. At the same time, since the older people get to sit down before anyone else-they hold your bags for you on the subway, which is really sweet!

What did you love the most about living overseas? Every day is an adventure. All of the little things you do every day are exciting. You want to spend time in the grocery store just to see how it’s different. Using your broken Korean to get something done and then feeling so proud of yourself.

What was something about living overseas you thought would be a challenge but turned out to be easy? Making friends-you may think it’s difficult to meet people there, but it’s really not. The minute you see another foreigner you already know you have 2 things in common with them: you speak English and live in Korea. There's tons of resources on Facebook and a lot of foreign clubs you can get involved with. Your Korean colleagues will take it upon themselves to introduce you to other foreigners. You can take yoga, dance, martial arts...Korean language classes. It’s really easy to get involved!

What was the biggest challenge for you? Being a vegetarian in Korea was not always easy. It’s not impossible. You really need to learn which meals are actually vegetarian and learn how to say you want something "WITHOUT" because saying you’re a vegetarian is a foreign concept there. My co-workers showed me how to order bi bim bap with no meat and it’s delicious! The most important thing to keep in mind is it’s difficult but not impossible. Also, Korean dishes are often one meat dish surrounded by smaller side dishes that are typically vegetarian friendly and really tasty-these dishes are called "panchan". If you’re not a really strict vegetarian, the spicy pickled cabbage dish, called kimchi is a great option (they use fish sauce but no meat). And you can often find a Buddist restaurtant in your city, which would be a great vegetarian option.

What's something you'd recommend to foreignors in Korea? Buying English books is really easy if you know the right places to shop. There’s a famous store in Seoul called What the Book? And if you don’t live in Seoul, you can order it online from them (shipping from Seoul to another city in Korea is a lot cheaper than ordering off Amazon, for example). http://www.whatthebook.com/ This is the cheapest way to order books in Korea. It also gets delivered right to your house! I think they have the largest collection of used English-language books in the country.

What's something funny and unique about Korea? Because of the way Hangul (the Korean alphabet/language) works, a lot of words will end in vowels. For example, when an English word’s translated it maintains those vowels because when it’s written in Korean it has to end in a vowel even though the English word doesn’t translate that way. For example, your students might ask you, “Have you had lunchee?” And if you say yes, they might say “Nice-uh.” Or if you ask a student what size they thought you were, they might say, “Largee.” Getting the kids to stop doing it all together and start using correct “Englishee” all the time is hard (especially when it actually sounds really cute and you secretly want them to keep doing it)!

Thanks to Colleen for taking the time to sit down with us and share all this great information! If you have any questions about living in Korea, please feel free to comment at http://www.rebeccawithaclipse.blogspot.com/ and I will get back to you ASAP!

Watch Colleen's video where she shares more about her experiences teaching in South Korea. Just click on the link below and then click on the top of the right sidebar (where it says South Korea Video)!

Korea Video

What’s so great about teaching overseas?

November 18th, 2009 Rebecca McNeil Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment »


We are so inspired by the submissions we've received for the Aclipse Overseas Blog Contest! Please keep them coming.

In appreciation, we decided to collaborate and come up with our top 5 reasons we loved living overseas.

1. The People I met & the Friends I made 
Nicole Ostrowski, Nagoya, Japan 2 years
Aclipse Recruiter, San Francisco
What did I like best about my experience living and teaching English in Japan? Well, first, I'll admit, I do love reminiscing about my two years living abroad in Japan. Though I enjoyed so many aspects of my time overseas, probably what I enjoyed most, would have to be all the people I had met. The Japanese were so warm, and took me in and I learned so many cultural delights about the country and the people first hand. Nine years later, I have had numerous Japanese friends come visit me in the States, and I have returned to Japan several times as well. Additionally, I met so many foreigners living in Asia, and I feel very lucky that I have developed so many lasting relationships with friends from all over the world: London, Sydney, Toronto, Chicago, Boston, and many other places. It’s true, that whether you’re going abroad for one year or several years, an overseas work experience leaves an indelible impression that will always stay with you.

2. My Students
Misty Crooks, Takasaki 2.5 years, Kyoto, Japan 1.5 years
Aclipse Recruiter, Boston
My favorite thing about teaching overseas was the excitement of the students. I was finishing up a year at an elementary school in Japan. On my last day, the students had written these little notes about my class. The funny thing was, the notes were for the students to keep, but they wanted me to autograph them. The teacher announced that the students could come up to the front of the class to have me autograph the notes. Suddenly there was a mad rush of small people, and I was engulfed in a sea of faces and pieces of paper. I was signing notes and saying parting words to the children when one boy roughly pulled the arm of his shirt up and asked me to sign his arm. Then they were all doing it, and I was writing slogans and drawing pictures of hearts and dogs and cats on small arms. For once in my life, I, Misty Crooks, was a rock star.

3. Language Lessons
Sean Daley, Chiang Mia, Thailand 4 years
Aclipse Recruiter & Campus Outreach Director, Boston
It was a huge rush for me to live overseas and learn another language. Since I had never spoken a second language successfully before, I was thrilled to find out that once I was surrounded by it every day, I was able to pick it up quite fast and even had a real knack for the pronunciation. It was always fun to spark up a conversation on buses, in stores or restaurants with someone who really did not expect me to be able to speak their language-especially if they had just been talking about me to their friend! I had a lot of funny moments that way.

4. Traveling
Colleen Hartley, Yongin City, South Korea 2 years
Aclipse Recruiter, Boston
My favorite part of living abroad was the sense of discovery. I love traveling to new places and finding out what is special about a new country. While living in Korea, I came across so many beautiful things. I visited so many different places from green tea fields to Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, an oil lamp museum and the DMZ, from the big city of Seoul to WeolChul Mountain in Jeollanam Province. There are so many places to see and definitely not enough time to see them! You can find out a lot by asking co-workers and aquaintances you've met while traveling. I would definitely recommend picking up a travel book and seeing how many wonderful adventures you can go on while you live abroad!

5. Cultural Differences
Zach Lahey, Hyderabad, India 6 months
Aclispe Recruiter, Boston
Beyond the fact that I was learning and growing on an everyday basis, my favorite part about living abroad was the cultural, social and even environmental differences that I encountered on a daily basis. During the first few months of living in India, the foremost hurdle was handling how I always stood out no matter where I went or who I was with at the time. Sure, it didn’t assist my cause that at 6’5” I towered over everyone and had a massive mop of hair. But I quickly learned to embrace the situation and came to love strangers’ uncontrollable interest in my presence. As a result, I learned significantly more about India and its people by introducing myself and extending myself to all those whom I encountered. With such confidence and faith in my ability to handle varying situations, I was able to transition effortlessly from location to location, always reminding myself to learn something new every where I went. Living abroad strengthened my outgoing nature and led me to trust myself all the much more.

ACLIPSE BLOG CONTEST
Join us! List the top 5 reasons living overseas is cool/interesting/curious/entertaining on your Aclipse Ning profile Blog or list the top 5 things you hope to learn/discover from living abroad and you could win the New Ultra Video Flip or a Starbucks Giftcard just for participating. E-mail your Aclipse Recruiter after you've posted your Blog Contest Entry or give us a shoutout on Facebook, along with the Link if you post it on your own non-Ning blog. Deadline's December 4th.

Log on to your Ning Account or Create your Ning profile today & start blogging for the contest!

It's that simple! Good luck. :)


Video Introductions-Wave of the Future for CDL Applicants

November 10th, 2009 Rebecca McNeil Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment »


Undoubtedly, technology has increased the number of native English speakers going overseas dramatically! Now we can stay connected to our families and friends through Skype, e-mail, webcams and IM. It's so easy and it allows us to feel safer and more comfortable when moving to Asia. On the flip side, technology is also allowing our perspective employers to learn more about us, given that they cannot actually meet us before we start working for them. As such, that's why our parent company, Chung Dahm Learning, has introduced the Video Introduction as part of the hiring process. It may seem complicated, but it's actually quite simple. The idea behind the concept is to create a 60 to 90 second video uploaded directly to YouTube that introduces the CDL Branch and Campus School Directors to you!

Things they are evaluating:
  1. Professional appearance
  2. Clarity of voice and articulation
  3. Reasons stated as to why you are going to be a great English teacher
  4. Learning more about you as a person (i.e. interests & hobbies)
This is the only way for your future employer to "meet" you. So be smiley, energetic and enthusiastic. As long as you've got that, you're golden!

Criteria for the Video:
  1. State your full name and what you prefer to be called
  2. Wear what you would wear to a professional job interview
  3. Provide some details on what you do in your free time & your interests
  4. Insight into any teaching experience or working with kids
  5. Why you think you'd be a valuable teacher
  6. What excites you about working for CDL/living in Korea
How to do it:
  1. Create a YouTube account, if you haven't already
  2. Click the "upload" button on the top right corner of your home page
  3. You may choose to upload a file already on your computer, directly upload your video to YouTube using a Webcam (we've found the direct upload to YouTube on Webcam to be more reliable for this) or upload a video from Mobile
  4. Make sure your video is public (not private) and then send the link to your intro directly to your Recruiter who will let you know once you can take it down!
You may be wondering, if I've passed the Aclipse evaluation and it seems like I'm already on my way to a job offer with CDL, what's the point? Well, this handy little video allows the placement team in corporate CDL headquarters in Korea to "sell" you to CDL Branches & Campuses throughout the country, which means you should get your contract faster (i.e. for your original start month). So make them want to hire you! Remember this video makes you more than just a piece of paper and a picture.

We've received loads of wonderful videos thus far. At the bottom of this blog entry is a great example you should review before making your video. If you have any questions on making your video, please make sure to ask your Recruiter!

Thanks everyone!

Example Video

Peace of Mind while you’re Abroad!

November 9th, 2009 Rebecca McNeil Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment »



You should have fun while you’re teaching abroad! But it’s also just as important to be safe. Health insurance is not one of the most exciting or fun things to blog about. However, when thinking about my scariest moment abroad, I automatically think about when I was living in Hong Kong with no health insurance. Realizing I was quite sick, I was so hesitant to go to the hospital knowing I’d have to pay for the visit entirely out of pocket. Thus, I went to cheaper hospitals and it took over a month for me to be diagnosed with mono. I wasted hundreds of dollars in the process, about a thousand dollars all together in hospital fees and various medications that were not necessary. Now, this wasn’t anything too serious and luckily I didn’t end up with thousands and thousands of dollars in medical bills before I returned to the US. However, if something more serious occured this easily could have been the case. From this experience, I cannot stress this importance of international health insurance enough.

Many schools in Korea will pay 50% of the National Health Insurance Plan, which means you’ll be paying about $32 to $45 a month for adequate coverage. However, if you’re responsible for insuring yourself, which is literally the responsible thing to do, you’ll be paying about $64 to $75 dollars per month, depending on which city you live in, and that doesn’t include your co-payments. That equals about $780 to $960 a year. With the national health insurance plan, you can go to Korean hospitals but the international hospitals, with English-speaking doctors, may not accept the national plan. Aclipse realized there had to be a better way to protect our teachers. So we’ve partnered with a top international insurance agency to offer 100% coverage for a responsible price-one that can be paid quarterly or annually to help you attain the insurance you need during your year overseas, which adds up to a cost of only $884 a year. It’s important to have access to English-speaking international hospitals all over the world, as you travel and explore new places. This plan offers that and more. 24/7 support, emergency coverage and portable coverage if you move are just some of the many benefits.

When the swine flu hit Asia, I’m sure many insurers noticed the calls to their company hotlines increased. Expatriates all over Asia had questions and wanted reassurance, and of course some really needed answers to critical medical issues that were happening at that moment. The 24/7 help line that Interglobal Insurance can offer is something that will greatly increase you’re safety and well-being when you’re abroad. It’s not enough to have a policy in place that’s there for you during certain hours of the day, you need a policy backed by a global insurer with support services available 24 hours a day-and let’s face it, we don’t only fall ill between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday. Add a time difference of 12 to 13 hours to that and it gets even more difficult to reach your insurer. That’s why the help line that Interglobal offers is so important.

Even if you’re school does offer coverage, you may wants to consider adding Interglobal’s plan to that. Regardless, some kind of health insurance coverage while you’re overseas is a MUST, take if from me!

Find out More:

For a table of benefits of the International Schools Gold Plan:

http://www.interglobal.com/aclipse/ISP_Gold_TOB_Aclipse.pdf

For a quote and to purchase online:

http://www.interglobalpmi.com/aclipse

For customer service & support, e-mail:

aclipse@interglobal.com.jp

Culinary Adventures in China

August 13th, 2009 AclipseAdmin Posted in Food | Leave a comment »

By Rebecca McNeil

When I was teaching English and living in China, one Sunday morning I woke up with a craving for eggs and bacon. I decided to splurge on a western brunch at an American style cafe in my neighborhood. Sometimes living abroad, there is nothing more comforting than eating what mom would make. But I quickly realized, although the eggs were delicious, they weren’t quite as satisfying as I’d imagined.

I remember Frank Sinatra was playing in the background, but I could barely hear him as people outside chattered loudly in a language that was (and still is) indiscernible to my years. Some call Cantonese the “bird language” because it’s like singing. Every other word ends with “la.” My ears were acutely attuned to the buzzing harmony of the incomprehensible words floating back and forth and my eyes kept wandering, as I looked out the large glass windows that wrapped around the cafe. In nearby Chinese eateries, the sidewalks were chock full of people sitting on tiny plastic stools, eating and gathering the aroma and taste of fried foods and steaming hot noodles. These smells and tastes stick to clothes like perfume and linger in the mouth for hours.

There were seemingly innumerable characters around me, on signs that I couldn’t read. I couldn’t read much on the faces of those next to me either. They all seemed to hold a similar look of dazed contentment. Perhaps, I thought, there is nothing more fulfilling then a bowl of simple, inexpensive food.

Suddenly, my plate of eggs, bacon and toast seemed delicately and absurdly presented on white porcelain. My fork seemed awkward and heavy. My coffee cup seemed too fragile. I realized, I preferred the light movements that only a pair of chopsticks can make. I preferred sweet milk tea served in a thick plastic mug. I was officially “in love” with Chinese cuisine.

Rather than be alone at that moment, I would have liked to be with a loud family or a rowdy group of friends, spinning multiple dishes around the table on a lovely round disc-a lazy Susan that graces the table of most traditional Chinese restaurants. When one dish becomes “boring,” there’s always more to try. Spin, taste, share, spin, taste, share-that’s the fluid movement of the Chinese dining experience. In the west we hoard our individual plates, as though they are pocessions. But good food is a delight meant to be shared in China!

I missed the burning sensation of “la jiao” or hot red chili peppers, from the Sichuan restaurants, that leave your mouth numb but your stomach satisfied. Even in the most humble restaurants, you never have to ask for extra spices or sauces because the food is always spicy or flavorful enough when it’s served to you. It’s perfectly acceptable to holler good naturedly at the waitress to bring more food, spit out the bones and drink your soup, slurping your noodles with wild abandon. Your server never asks how everything is, and there’s seldom a complaint. Everything is made just how it should be-traditionally and with great care.

I suspect there’s rarely a culinary school graduate operating these tiny neighborhood joints. For these “dives,” instead of proper training, the Chinese cooking methods are passed down from generation to generation, almost like an inheritance or a gene. The cooks I met in China grew up eating the same simple dishes that they now prepare for their customers every day.

For most urban Chinese, eating out is a weekly ritual and not intensely dissimilar from eating at home; it’s casual, comfortable, communal and simplistic. To dine out is not an escape from your apartment. Rather, it’s an inviting hour or two, eating in an area similar to your own kitchen. With an oven-like interior, in most cozy Chinese eateries, the dining space is not much bigger than a city apartment’s kitchen. Eating out, night after night, in the same cheap neighborhood places is a ritualistic, collective activity and a simple pleasure.

In Southern China, I found that the most basic treats are the most inspiring. Restuarant workers stand, armed with metal tongs, watching over the plastic cases filled with dim sum, a series of tiny (but hearty) culinary treats prepared in small wooden baskets. Cha shao bao, sweet barbeque pork surrounded by a fluffy white bun, is less than two or three Chinese dollars for a small bag and is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In China, with the exception of fancy dishes like Peking duck, there are no labels that dictate what acceptable breakfast, lunch or dinner fare is. Everything is open for interpretation. You can have noodles for breakfast, a whole fish (including head) loaded with garlic and hot peppers for lunch and a basic soup with chicken feet for dinner. Speaking of chicken feet, I detest the rubbery skin and the sickening crunch of bird talons in my mouth but I like the idea that nothing is off limits. In the Canton region, it’s said that everything is edible. I’ve tried donkey, pigeon and snake (I won’t be repeating those meals but it was fun to try)! Cantonese food has been labeled the most popular cuisine in all of China, which means the Chinese may be the most adventerous eaters in the world!

So on that Sunday, as I sat in my leather chair, with my typical western brunch, coffee and English language magazine, I realized there was nothing I would miss more about China than Chinese food. I was right. It’s an amazing cultural experience. But it’s also simply put “hen hao chi” (very good food)!

 


Not Home for the Holidays: Surviving Overseas

December 15th, 2008 AclipseAdmin Posted in Culture--Japan | Leave a comment »

A Christmas Cake, Popular in JapanBy Dan Jacobson

It’s that time.  I remember my first year in Japan learning what Christmas meant there.  In Japan Christmas is more of a romantic holiday.  Couples are meant to spend time together.  KFC (yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken) is popular – so popular you have to order in advance and then wait in lines one would expect to see at Disney to pick up your food.  Christmas lights and decorations are very popular.  Gift giving is becoming more popular.  Christmas cake and delivery pizza is also huge.  It’s just enough to make you miss Christmas at home.

The more celebrated holiday is New Year.  New Year is something to experience, and it’s one of several things that you can only appreciate by living there.  On a normal Tokyo day there are millions and millions of people out working, eating, and shopping.  For the first three days of the year all this stops so completely that I could easily imagine what the post-apocalypse would feel like.  It’s a ghost town.  Everything closes.  Absolutely everything.  Things that you thought couldn’t close, close.  ATM’s close.  Grocery stores close.  I know people who had to borrow money because they didn’t realize the impossible nature of getting anything done during the New Year holiday.  In more recent years, some stores and banks are changing this trend, but the transformation is still startling.  It’s meant to be three or four days at home, relaxing with friends and family.

It’s hard to be away from family at this time, but there are things to do and experience.   One Christmas I went out with friends to karaoke to sing Christmas songs.  We started about 3:00 o’clock and the day was sunny, bright, and cold.  We came out and it was dark and snowing.  There were two to three inches of snow on the ground, so of course there was a giant snowball fight.  It was an amazing amount of fun.  I would get strange and wonderful gifts from students.  One student gave me stamps so I could send Christmas cards.  Pens and towels were popular gifts, or fruit.  We went to Ginza one year – a restaurant was having a turkey dinner, buffet style.  I went to a church service one year with my friend Gail in Shinagawa.  I was able to find elements of what I loved about Christmas: spending time with friends, gifts, food, and lights. 

I grew to love the New Year holiday almost as much as Christmas.  I lived next to Soujiji in Tsurumi, one of the larger temples in Japan.  New Year holiday my wife and I would watch special New Year’s TV shows then go out to the temple around midnight.  There was almost a festival atmosphere at the temple.  There were all my favorite festival foods.  Potatoes and butter.  Corn on the cob.  Grilled chicken on skewers.  We stood in line to say a quiet prayer and threw some change in the donation box (someone told me to wear a hood as it gets crowded and people try to throw money from a distance – he did it one year and collected 300 yen meant for the temple).  The next two days we spent eating, drinking and sleeping.  It’s a time a relaxation you rarely get to see in Japan.  My mother-in-law always made it a point to cook something amazing – crab legs one year that were so good I almost cried.  My grandmother-in-law made mame mochi, mochi with beans in it that I came to crave and can eat an embarrassing amount of.  If you live in the Chicago area, the Japanese grocery (Mitsuwa) in Arlington Heights makes mochi around New Year’s.  My father-in-law always gave me a bottle of sake, which I always insisted he help me drink.  One year, feeling especially lazy, my wife and I slept on the sofa in the living room where we woke up late, ate snacks, and watched the ekiden.  The ekiden is a relay marathon run by university students that goes from Hakone to Tokyo.

I did miss my family and the more traditional elements of the American holiday season and there really is no substitute.  I have that back now, and find myself thinking back to Japan around this time and missing it. 

For those overseas – enjoy this holiday season, because of the differences or in spite of them.  

Happy Holidays!


How to Get an Offer to Teach Overseas

November 25th, 2008 AclipseAdmin Posted in Common Questions | 3 Comments »

taken by Moise Dentby Dan Jacobson

Not many people realized what’s involved when they apply to teach overseas.  Things are done in stages, there is a bit more work to do (you are going thousands of miles away for a year or more) than applying for your average 9 to 5 office job.  Here’s what’s involved and how you can be better prepared than others…

First is the initial application.  You’ve thought about it – you’ve wanted to do something different for awhile.  You have a degree, you’ve had most (if not all) of your education in English and you’ve talked it over with family and friends.  You apply through Aclipse.net.  How to do it better:

With any resume, you want to customize it to the job.  So highlight your experience teaching, training, tutoring or coaching.  Studied abroad?  Put it on there.  Customer service experience is a plus, especially if the company is famous for it.  English or Education major?  Go to a great school?  Put it in there!  Volunteer work is another thing I look for, add bonus points if it’s with children.  Don’t have any of this?  I didn’t when I applied so I wrote a cover letter that allowed a bit more of my personality through.  I wrote about the company and I think that and my enthusiasm trumped my lack of experience.  So many times I’ve interviewed someone who had some great experience with kids or teaching and it’s not on their resume.

You’ve been contacted to interview with Aclipse!  Call to book your interview.  How to do it better:

The number one mistake here is to treat a phone interview more casually than a face to face interview.  Treat all interviews with equal care and you won’t have problems.  For a phone interview, be someplace quiet, have a great cell connection or give us a landline number if possible.  We usually send some position information, review it before the interview so you can be well informed.  If it’s not a perfect match let us know and we can talk about positions that better match what you are looking for. 

You’ve made it through the Aclipse screening and can submit an application to a program!  How to do it better:

Timing is so important here.  There is always a deadline to submit by and the initial application shouldn’t take too long.  Try to submit it as soon as possible, things might get delayed overseas.  Positions can fill quickly.  A fast return on your application here is so important.  You can prepare some documents early to make this even easier.  Copy and scan your passport photo page (a lot of employers ask for that) so it’s ready to send.  Employers in Asia might ask for a photo since they don’t have the benefit of a face to face interview.  Have a picture that best represents you – professional yet friendly.  I’ve seen a lot of strange submissions for this:  people in bars drinking beer, group photos and photos that were a little too…revealing.  You might want to make a few changes again and make an objective specific to the program you are applying for.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help here.  All Aclipse recruiters have international experience and can make a few simple suggestions that will make your resume stand out and increase your chances of getting an offer.  We’ll work with you

You got an offer!  It’s time to collect visa documents.  How to do it better:

Have some official transcripts (at least 2, 3 if you’re Canadian) ready to go.  Background checks vary greatly from country to country, so check the instructions we’ll send you.  If you want to teach in Korea, look into how to get an apostille from the Secretary of State’s office.  Look into where the closest consulate for your host country is, you’ll need to visit or at least mail things there.

You got your visa, bought your ticket and you’re ready to go!  Remember to drop us a line and let us know how you are settling in. 

With some simple preparation you can make the process a lot easier on yourself and really increase your chances of getting an offer.  Two weeks into your new adventure and you’ll forget all the work you put into getting there. 


Learn More Than You Teach: My Japan Experience

November 11th, 2008 AclipseAdmin Posted in Culture--Japan | Leave a comment »

I think Michael took this picture.by Misty Crooks

To explain what I learned teaching overseas, I always tell two experiences.  When I arrived at Narita Airport, just outside of Tokyo, I hadn’t slept for about 25 hours.  It’s a loooooong flight.  I was disoriented and jet lagged and so exhausted I wasn’t even nervous.  The person from my school who met me at the airport gave me a bus ticket and told me to find the bus stop.  There I was, alone at the airport.  I tried to ask a woman at a help desk, but I had almost no Japanese, and she had almost no English.  I ventured outside to try and find the bus stop.  I found something I thought was it, but I was so tired I didn’t really care. I never knew you could be that exhausted.  An old man shuffled up and kind of stared at me.  A bus pulled up and the driver got off.  The old man gently tugged my ticket out of my hand and started talking to the bus driver.  Again, I was too tired to protest or be alarmed.  The man turned back to me, handed me back the ticket, made the okay sign with his thumb and finger, and said, “Okay”.

That’s how I started in Japan.  But it wasn’t just the unexpected kindnesses I encountered so many times that makes that time special.  Japan strengthened me.  It forced me to do things I wasn’t sure I could do.  It made me stronger, more confident, more at ease with myself.

Every little thing was work.  Before I went to buy a tv, I sat down and looked up words in my dictionary, wrote down phrases I might need, practiced them, tried to commit them to memory.  It was an all day affair.  When the store called me a few days later to schedule a delivery time, I successfully arranged it.  I was so excited.  The first time I ordered pizza over the phone, I was so proud.  One day, after I had been there a while, I did my monthly trip to the post office to wire money back to the US.  My number was called, and I went up to the counter and explained what I needed in Japanese.  The woman was surprised and we did the whole process in Japanese.  She understood me and I understood her.  She kept watching me with an impressed smile on her face.

My students taught me more than I taught them.  At least, they taught me more important things.  I discovered that people who look so ordinary have done and seen amazing things.  I met so many interesting worlds in all those students.  A 50 year old housewife went hiking with wine and chocolate every weekend.  A genteel mother of two young children opened up to me about her fiercely held political views.  An arrogant surgeon almost broke down when telling about a patient he lost.  A guy who seemed standoffish turned out to have intense chronic back pain from a car accident.  The 12 year old who always looked miserable lit up when talking about swimming and his dream of being a coach.  I learned that everyone is worth getting to know.

When I was finally leaving Japan, I went to the airport by myself.  I wanted to be alone with Japan.  That’s the only way I know how to describe it.  I got a van service to the airport.  I was the first one in and the driver was an English student.  We chatted a bit.  His English really wasn’t very good, and I was a bit too emotional to feel like talking, but I kept up what conversation I could.  One more English lesson, I figured.  Other people got in and it got pretty crowded.  We stopped at a rest area on the way to the airport to stretch our legs.  This was also where we were supposed to pay the driver.  I went up to him with my yen in hand, and he acted very odd and positioned himself so the other passengers couldn’t see.  He then said, “You no pay.  Because you are teacher, and people like you help me.  So ride is free.  No pay.  You teacher.”  Yep, one more lesson, but not about English.


Jobs Can Be More Than Work: Peace Corps and Aclipse

November 7th, 2008 AclipseAdmin Posted in Job Search | Leave a comment »

by Michael Gargano

taken by Michale GarganoIn a recent www.experience.com survey, a whopping 85 percent of Gen Y indicated they were interested in relocating inside the country (USA), and 70 percent even said they’d consider moving abroad if presented with the right opportunity.

Seventy percent would consider moving abroad!

I found that right opportunity just over 12 years ago when I accepted a teaching position in Japan.  I won’t bore you with all the details and the “great things I did” living in Tokyo, you can read about that in another blog or two found here on this very website.  But, I would like to share my thoughts, and hopefully some of yours with your kind responses, on the value of living overseas and being a foreigner.

I miss being a foreigner.

Huh?

Yeah, I said it and I admit it.  I miss learning something new everyday.  I am on automatic pilot here in Chicago.  Everything is in English.  The announcements on the trains and buses are all in English.  I miss that feeling of “Hey, I’m not in Kansas anymore.”  I miss realizing that I’ve seen the same kanji (Chinese characters) for years and now I realize what it means through its use in an ad on the train.  Sure, I still study Japanese but it’s just not the same – one hour every Tuesday night in a coffee shop vs. 24/7 and living in Tokyo.

Then there are the career opportunities that open up once you are teaching overseas.  I never saw myself as a teacher.  Never in a million years did I think I had the patience.  I taught for close to 7 years and loved it!

On May 12, 2003 I found out that I passed the in-house interview for a recruiting position overseas and on June 30 I left Japan and moved to Chicago.  Wow, after countless Sayonara parties I found myself living in Chicago and working with one other colleague – the same gent who interviewed me in Boston back in 1996.  I left Tokyo and working with dozens of other co-workers who were always ready, willing and able to go out at the drop of a hat after work and found myself in a city I knew very little about and working with one other person.  But Hey, I’m a recruiter now.  This is a new side of the company and I’m ready for it!

Where did I ever summon such confidence? Hmmm…

Five and half years later, I find myself settled in Chicago (300 miles from where I grew up – which is nice).  As a teacher I was rewarded daily with compliments and happy faces from students.  “Wow,” I’d say to myself.  “I really feel like I’m making a difference in this world.”  As a recruiter, I still say that.  But instead of happy students I have the opportunity to assist others, like me back in ‘96, in teaching overseas.  I know I don’t have all the answers, but I know that sometimes you may just want to talk to a “real” person as opposed to pressing buttons for 5 minutes with these damn automated voice messages or whatever you call them. You know what I mean.

All this leads me to the job fair I attended on October 9 in Washington, D.C.  Sure, I’ve attended dozens and dozens of fairs over the past 5+ years as a recruiter, but this particular fair was at Peace Corps headquarters and all the participants were returnees, if you will, from a 2-year stint in the Peace Corps.

I was like a kid in a candy store.

Sure, other fairs I attended were great.  I’ve recruited some great people from fairs from Minnesota to Texas, Ohio to Iowa, and they all found themselves in Asia.  But this being my first Peace Corps job fair – I must say it was a very nice feeling knowing that every person I spoke to had a degree (a minimum Bachelor’s degree is required to obtain a work visa for most jobs overseas teaching English) and had spent at least 2 years overseas.

Time flew by at the fair and before I knew it was time to pack up.  It certainly did not feel like work.  These candidates spent years in Fiji, Guatemala, Columbia, Russia – you name the place and they were there.  Most of them stayed the 2 years and never even came home to visit at all!  There was little or no running water in some cases, and no other English speakers in the town/village in most cases.

“Wow,” I thought to myself.  “If these people can spend two years in the Peace Corps, they can do anything!”

I was very surprised to hear from several candidates that now that they were back in corporate America, they were asked, “Why would you want to put your life on hold for two years?”

This had never entered my mind.

Let’s see…is it the new language that I can speak?

No.

Is it the fact that I have returned after two years a much better person?

No.

Is it the confidence I have that I thought I already had?

No.

Is it the bullet on my resume that shows I am adaptable, resourceful and willing to commit to something for 2 years?

No.

It must be the international experience, right?

It’s all of those things wrapped up in one!

There are only positive things that can come out of living overseas for a long period of time.  If I put my life on hold for 7 years, then I’d be looking for a job myself right now.  Yet, I am doing something very different than I was when I worked in Japan from 1996 – 2003.

I am still learning something new everyday and on October 9, 2008, I learned that those candidates I met at the Peace Corps job fair in D.C. are dedicated, hard-working, committed, adaptable, resourceful and all-out great people – just like all the other wonderful teachers now in China, Japan and South Korea that Aclipse has sent overseas.

So there you have it.

Put your life on hold?

To me, putting your life on hold is when nothing gets done.  You know what I mean.

Peace out.