"Shave" Down Under

About three weeks into teaching this spring term, I got into a real funk. I wasn't happy teaching anymore. The smallest incidents irritated me enough to make me yell at my students and I really hate yelling at them. I loathed going into work. I would go straight to my classroom, thus socializing less. I realized that I was done with this job. I had maximized myself at this company being an instructor, head instructor, and trainer. Now, I was no longer challenged.

At this point, I decided I would not stay at Chungdahm any longer. It really is a cursed job. They pay us way too much for the amount of work I do. I would rather get paid half as much and actually building my communications portfolio. I reminisced to my days interning in communications and I really missed it. I missed working on my own projects and seeing the final project satisfied because it was of my own doing. Plus I was sick of Korea. I will never EVER be sick of the food though. Korea has been a great transitional home for those who want to make money and still travel. With this company I made a lot of money, but rarely traveled. It's also a great place to meet new people since the foreigner community is so tight knit. Now, I'm in a serious relationship and no longer in need to "meet" people. I'm also ready to live in a place where I can understand the community and they can understand me. I want to be able to join a soccer league, run marathons, volunteer, and just be active in my community. Korea and its people have been good to me, but now it's my time to move on personally and professionally.

So I started applying to jobs both in the U.S. and Canada. Dave and I are in a predicament because of our nationalities making it difficult for either of us to work in each other's home countries. Despite this, we applied everywhere. I applied to many PR firms and even with smaller organizations doing communications still. In addition to these North America ventures, I applied to one PR firm in Korea; Burson-Marstellar. It's actually an American firm with a Seoul office. I learned about their office here because I met a girl who was an intern there. I was doing women's aerobics on the river in Nowon and she approached me with such great English. Learning that she had a communications background and was working for one of the largest PR firms in the world, we got closer. Plus it was nice to have a nice Korean friend. Thinking of her, I applied to BM-Korea for fun. In fact, I applied on their website, which is usually a bust since applying through a company's website is like sending your resume into a black hole never knowing where it goes or if anyone ever sees it.

After a month, I heard nothing. Dave and I were anxious. We were so ready to leave with our growing disappointment and stagnation at work and with Korea. Luckily, Dave looked into working in other countries than U.S. and Canada. Since Canada is part of the British Commonwealth, he figured why not look into those states. He found that they all offer working holiday visas to persons 18-30 years of age, which allows a person to enter and exit freely into that country and then work there too! This is a typically a backpacker’s visa allowing those who need more money to work while on extended backpacking trips. Most people take on migrant work like fruit picking or construction. We found out that not all people with this visa do “migrant work”, but can also work in the service industry like bartending and waiting tables, or have an office job; what we want. Hopefully with an office job, it could lead to a permanent sponsored job. With both of us at a disadvantage, working in Australia would keep us both on the same playing field; working towards getting good jobs of our specialty (mine being communications Dave’s being marketing) leading to a permanent resident work visa. We decided that working in Australia would be a great idea. It was a westernized country where the primary spoken language is English. Better yet, it wasn’t either Canada or the U.S. We were ready to leave Korea, but we weren’t ready to go home yet. We are both avid travelers who still desire the challenge of new places.

We searched hard for information on this working holiday visa in Australia. We finally decided that we couldn’t apply ourselves. What sadness it would be if we spent $200 each having our application rejected because we didn’t properly fill out the application or send in the correct documents. We found a reputable visa and job agency called Visa First. It is a UK based company that services visas to the Commonwealth states. We were hooked when we saw their video clip on YouTube with a variety of positive feedback. No other website had such promising services and praise. They even offered Live Chat on their website to answer any questions we had. After a 30 minute Live Chat with them, we signed up. The next day we transferred $440 each to the service and they began the application process. With this payment, Visa First processed our working holiday visa, provided tax numbers, set up our ANZ bank accounts, and got us SIM cards for our phones. Along with these guaranteed items, we had 1 year internet access at their facility and a full support system for finding a job and housing when we arrived. The only thing we had to do was get a chest x-ray to show the Australian government that we weren’t carrying tuberculosis. The very same day we did the very last thing on our Australia working holiday visa checklist, the chest x-ray, I got a very surprising Facebook message.

The message was from the Director of Finance and Human Resources at Burson Marstellar- Korea. She asked if I was still interested in a career at BM-Korea despite it being a month after I sent my resume into the abyss of applying via company website. I replied immediately although Australia and my relationship with Dave weighed heavily in the back of my mind. I was afraid of losing the money we spent on the working holiday visa. Even more unbearable was jeopardizing mine and Dave’s well-being if I ended up getting a job in Korea. We knew we weren’t leaving each other and if we did try the long-distance relationship thing, it would be too hard to bear. This job was for an editor position at BM-Korea, part of one of the biggest PR firms in the world! It is the exact job I want to be doing. Plus, it could lead to more international experience or my ticket back to the States. Dave reassured me that whatever happened, he would stick by my side in Korea even if he had to teach again. I got a reply back to come in for a writing test.

Nervous about this writing test, I contacted my friend who had interned at this very same company. She reassured me that everyone is very friendly and that I would enjoy working there. She also gave me a rundown of the company’s profile. Feeling more confident, I prepared a folder of my resume, cover letter, and writing samples from university and the World Knowledge Form where I created press releases. When I arrived at the BM-Korea office, I was greeted by the very same woman who sent me the Facebook message. I was seated at a laptop with very detailed instructions. I had exactly 95 minutes to create four documents. Thank goodness they were all press releases! They asked me to create a press release about a fake company, new product, speech, and an already existing product. Although this test was tough being a timed test, it was pretty exciting too making my adrenaline flow as the time ticked. I got to use my imagination to create pieces that were interesting and promoted these things. I could add fake people with their fake quotes to enhance the story. It was like fiction non-fiction writing.

Leaving the writing test, I felt confident. I did however tell myself that even if I did terrible, it was a fun experience. I got an interview. Korea is really hardcore when it comes to hiring. A company will make someone go through a rigorous writing test, then if they pass, get an interview with HR and the department head, and if they pass, get a second interview, and if they pass, well, they get the job pending references. At my first interview I met with the woman who had initially messaged me and the person who I’d be taking over. They explained a lot about the company and what the editor does. I would be doing 60% editing and 40% client services directly working with companies like LG helping enhance their communications initiatives. With my usual charm (hehe!) I tried to win them over with my charisma and positive attitude. I explained how much I learned from my previous internships and current teaching job and the importance of teamwork. They asked me tough questions like what field do I want to work in and why. They asked me what I think my weaknesses are. They even asked me if a product I was representing killed people, what would I do about it. They even told me I got one of the writing test questions wrong. I interpreted a product name as a company name and even made-up a CEO with a fake quote. Eesh! I left the interview feeling very unconfident. Walking towards the elevator, the CEO greeted me. “Oh, you’re Shadiyah!” So overwhelmed by the interrogation, I smiled and apologized for making a mistake on the writing test. He said, “Oh, that’s ok. I enjoyed reading it.” Whew!

I left the office ready to go to Australia. Nevertheless, I sent them my references and more writing samples trying to act cool and professional. In the end, I got an email saying I didn’t get the job. It was kind of a relief. I didn’t want to stay in Korea any longer, and after what seemed like being shot by a firing squad at the interview, I was so ready to move on. They told me that they were really impressed by my writing test and that I was one of the strongest applicants being in the top 3 after the writing test despite my goof. Then, after the first interview, I was second for the job. To ease my sadness, I was glad to hear that I was competing against candidates with 5 years journalism experience and the other with 3 years consulting experience both from the States.

Despite losing out on this fantastic communications opportunity, Dave and I got our working holiday visas good for a year. We are leaving June 15th for Sydney. This is a huge leap of faith professionally and personally, but I’m ready to take it. I’m glad I’m not doing it alone and that I have a good support system with me and at home. Here comes “Shave Down Under”! (Pun Intended)

* "Shave" is a nickname our co-workers made for us. It is a combination of Shadiyah + Dave much like "Brangelina".