Interview #4: 예인프렌즈클럽 Yein Friends Club

July 1, 2015
My recruiter Scott from Ez English asked me to call him on Skype. Turns out that I failed [Interview #2] surprise surprise. Scott told me that there were officially no more jobs for me in GEPIK and asked if I would be willing to open the search up to hagwons. Hagwons were my last resort. I was hoping and praying that [Interview #3] with GOE went well enough that I wouldn’t have to work at a hagwon. Fearing the worst, I told Scott that I would look at hagwons. “Great,” he said. “I’ll have an interview ready for you in 5 minutes.”

What. Just. Happened?

I thought it would take a few days before I would have another interview. Certainly, it would have been enough time to hear back from GOE. But, no.

Just before my interview with Yein Friends Club, Scott called me to give me some last minute advice.

Scott: Are you learning Korean?
Me: Yes. I have language meetings for 3 hours almost everyday.
Scott: (skeptically) Really?
Me: …
Scott: Okay. Say this 하루에 3시간씩 한국어 공부하고있어요.
Me: 하루에 3시간씩 한국어 공부하고있어요. (I study Korean for 3 hours everyday.)
Scott: (while eating something crunchy) Okay. The president will call. She is very old and does not understand English very well. Talk slow. Address her as 회장님 (hoi-jang-nim = president).

The Interview – If you can call it that
Me: 여보세요?
Girl: 여보세요? 잘 들어세요?
Me: 네.
Girl: 한국어로 말해도 돼요?
Me: English would be better, please.
Girl: Oh, okay. I am calling for my mum’s school. You will be living very close to the school. The city is very nice. There is another English teacher. He is from Ireland. My mum’s school is small and we have two schools. The Irish teacher is at the other school. Do you have any questions?
Me: (um…) My Korean skills aren’t very good. Do you have expectations for me to speak Korean?
Girl: Oh yes! There are many places where you can learn Korean. Actually, my English needs help so we can help each other. Maybe we can go out and talk together.
Me: Yeah… that sounds good. I don’t get to practice a lot in Ohio.
Girl: Actually, I’ve been to Ohio. My uncle lives in Dayton and my friend goes to Ohio State University. I have been to Cedar Point. I like it a lot there.
Me: That’s great. … Do you have any questions for me?
Girl: No. Not really.
Me: …
Girl: I can’t wait to meet you! Thank you. (click)

—-

Strangest interview ever. The girl couldn’t have been older than college-age, and she seemed more like she wanted to become BFFs rather than looking for hire a teacher for her “mum’s school.” After the interview, I called Scott to debrief.

Me: She didn’t ask me a single question.
Scott: It’s okay. (still eating something crunchy) I just got a call from the president. Congratulations. You got the job. Do you accept?
Me: … … … I’d like to see the contract first.
Scott: (heavy sigh) I think I can find one for you. (Sends a [Shady Employment Contract] via Skype)
Me: (reading the contract) Is this the actual contract?
Scott: Yes. The date is old. Just change the date.
Me: Is it okay if I have a few days to think about it? I would like my attorney to look over the contract.
Scott: (with a judging tone) You have an attorney?
Me: … Yes.
Scott: You’re a little young, don’t you think?
Me: … ?
Scott: You know in Korea our culture is different than America. In America, everyone wants to sue. I just helped a girl who was a doctor in America and she wanted to quit because she was worried about getting sued every day. Now she is teaching in Korea and is very happy. America just wants to sue.
Me (what I wished I said): Look. This contract is shady. It looks like someone sat down one day and decided to make a contract. It does not look legally binding at all. The reason I want my attorney to look at it is to protect myself and to make sure I understand what I’m getting myself in to. It’s not about sueing.
Me (what I actually said): I understand. I hope I didn’t offend you, but I need some time to think it over.
Scott: (heavy sigh) Well how much time do you need?
Me: Maybe until Monday.
Scott: That long?
Me: … Yes.
Scott: Okay. Call me Monday morning.

—-

Something you should know about me: I don’t like to abuse ellipses, however there is absolutely no better way to show you how perplexed I was. Everything about this situation screamed shady. I felt like I was being pushed into a situation that I wasn’t comfortable with. I should have been excited to get a job, but I felt uneasy. I hated the thought of telling everyone that I got a job with that feeling.

I decided to contact Roy and asked him to contact me if he heard anything about [Interview #3] with GOE. Thankfully, he got back to me quickly and I was able to decline the job offer from Scott. (But not without EZ English already starting my hiring process. So pushy.)

Here’s the kicker. After I emailed Scott to tell him I already accepted another position, here is the email he sent back:

can i still try gepik or no need help any more?

Wait wait wait. You told me that there was absolutely no chance for GEPIK. It’s here where any remaining trust with Ez English completely dissolved.