Under the table. Shhh.
Looks like I have 3 new private students that I will be tutoring on Fridays from now on. Carey and I went over to the contact's art hogwon. From there, we met with the mother and 3 children to set terms and for me to get acquainted with the children (and them vice versa). I didn't remember their names, but here is what I recall about each child.
The oldest girl, age 10, was shy, but could sort of read so I am optimistic. Her 9 year old sister was also shy, but I am told she is a naughty girl when here parents aren't around. She was nothing compared to her 5 year old brother though. This boy was non-stop energy, running around the room, practicing Tae Kwon Do (basically, kicking every in sight) and being destructive, like any normal 5 year old. He would giggle when ever I would speak English,and was very cute, but seems like a handful. Thank goodness I don't have to actually teach him, only let him listen in on our conversations and try to get him more comfortable speaking English whenever possible.
The privates here are all done hush style, like the title suggests, under the table, they aren't reported as revenue by the teacher, so the government discourages them, but at the same time, basically doesn't go after them either. Basically, the lost revenue is looked at as a necessary evil compared to the English taught, as far as I understand the situation.
It should be an interesting for me, because I will get to set the agenda, and be able to test them and watch their progress. I'm also told that word of mouth spreads very fast, and if I want to continue getting more classes, as long as I have a good reputation it should be easy if I want to continue down that path. Something else came up today that might change my opinion about supplemental income while I am here in Korea though.
On the taxi ride over, Carey asked why I didn't go into radio as a career. I hadn't been thinking about it for a while, but it was one of my more desired possible career paths as I was an radio DJ in college. Award winning radio DJ no less! I was going to apply at my favorite local radio station , WOXY 97x after I graduated ( featured in Rainman, for you obscure movie trivia buffs..."Bang! The future of Rock and Roll!"), but I couldn't get up the courage to send in a submission tape of my stuff because another DJ I knew didn't have an easy time getting a full time position there . She told me that there is an English newspaper called the Herald published containing news about Korea that has a classified section that might have job listings looking for foreigners in a field like radio.
I will be looking into that possibility, because even if they don't pay well, I would love to get back on air again. Even if my voice has started to sound like my throat was scoured with a toilet brush due to all of Korea's pollution, I'm sure a foreigner with radio experience is rare enough to help me get a part time job, I hope. The plan would be to get a small show maybe a few times a week after classes, where in a perfect world I could put on the music I like, but I have the feeling it would be more like Top 40 crap. I don't care, as long as I got to pollute the airwaves and get DJ Torgo back behind the microphone for the first time since college.
On a less related note, Marc started reading my site, from page one ( he only has 4 months of posts to read throught now!) and said it was interesting to get my opinion about things that have happened. I don't think I have written anything slanderous about my coworkers, but it sort of puts me on edge to have criticism so close. Also, it reminds me of how different the two of us are in a way.
Marc has crusaded for the English teachers to get privacy in this school. He doesn't want to be bothered by interrogations when he goes out to dinner or to go see a movie and happens to run into a teacher downstairs. He says "I'm going out" and slowly the staff is slowly learning to accept it.
I, on the other hand am not bothered (much) by them asking about me, and hell, I put my life out on display for reading material on this site. When I don't have a good time doing something, or if I have something on my mind, anyone with a browser could find out about it if they wanted. My privacy comes after I shut down my brain and veg out in my room. I used to live on business premises growing up as a kid, and I think it has affected my view of privacy greatly. I am used to my private business being discussed in the work place, even if I don't like it.
So far, Marc, like everyone else that has read this site has been very supportive, and it makes my life and my writing so much easier to do having that support. A big thank you from me to you.