Sunday, November 4, 2012

Decisions R Us

Welp, it is that time of year again.  Only this time the decision is not so much should I stay or should I go, but if I do go, where do I go?  I'm not going to lie and say it depends on who wins on Tuesday, it really doesn't.  Neither Obama or Romney will be able to save California's fiscal sh$storm.  I left with an 8 billion dollar budget shortfall, and after four years of cutting costs, and raising taxes, California finds itself at a 16 billion dollar budget shortfall.  America's own personal Greece.  The more I look at it the more it looks like California is completely out of the question.  That doesn't necessarily mean that I won't try, but honestly I'm not holding my breath, not one bit.

I, unfortunately, am left with several questions that I have no answers for right now.  First, if I come home what are my chances of finding a job outright, or will I have to go through a year of schooling for my Teacher's Credential before finding a job?  If I budget right and end up in the right place I can survive one year without work.  It will be close and a lot will depend on where I end up living and how much that rent situation will cost me.  Right now I'd say that my chances of finding a job through an alternative credentialing situation are about 50%.  That is probably an over-estimation but I have to hope that my chances are that high.  I don't really care where I end up in the US but reciprocity on a teacher's credential for me is an absolute must.  No matter where I get my credential I would like to return to San Diego and work there.  I love the city, I love the place and it is home for me.  I am realistic enough to understand that this might take several years.  In fact it might not even happen, but I cannot bring myself to think that right off the back.  I am a dedicated teacher and I love to do it.  I just need the right breaks.

The second question is a far easier one to answer.  If I do not find a job or a program that is suitable for me what are my options?  The first option is to try and find a job as a substitute teacher and to try again next year.  This honestly is not much of an option for me.  This is not a lateral move, nor is it a step forward.  For me it is a step backward.  If I obtain my credential and than have to find work as a sub so be it.  However, at this point just working as a sub is a bad idea.  If i do not find work I will more than likely head abroad again to teach.

With that decision more or less made the next question is am I qualified enough to find the types of jobs that I want abroad, or do I need more training?  That answer is simple, I need more training, but acquiring that training is difficult and expensive in the United States.  A CELTA (one of the best credentials you can acquire for ESL) is a month long intensive training course.  In developed countries this costs between 4,000 - 6,000 dollars.  If I take the course in Thailand or Vietnam it costs  1,600 dollars. It is the same training and the same diploma, just a ton cheaper.  The time requirement is the next issue.  I will have the time and the money when I leave Korea to make this happen.  However, this throws a wrench in my plans to travel as it will take a month and I probably need to find my way back the states by mid-April to have any chance of getting into an alternative credentialing program.  Moreover, most those programs will require and in person interview and it's hard to do that when you don't live in the country.  I need to look at the dates and times for these things and ensure that it fits with my time-schedule.  If it doesn't than I am more or less screwed and  going to spend more time abroad.

Finally, the hardest question is, what exactly do I want?  I love Korea.  I love the place and I love what it gives me.  If I stay another year I can easily have 30,000-40,000$ dollars saved up.  Korea is an awesome place to bank money and to travel from.  My job at my school is an excellent job, and my school respects the hell out of me.  My principal asked me this week (four months before I will actually leave if I do) if I was going to stay another year.  This is the first time that he broached the subject to me personally and that it was broached this early is somewhat important.  He would like me to stay, so will several of my co-workers.  However, as much as I love it here, I think another year is probably a bad idea at this point. 

Why, you may ask?  My future is extremely uncertain right now.  However, this uncertainty is not something to be afraid of.  It is something to step into boldly and to see what develops.  I know I have a fall back in teaching abroad.  I know that I can make money doing it and with a bit more training I will be able to go anywhere in the world to purvey my wares.  It allows me to keep traveling and to keep exploring the world.  However, where I stand right now, it is a fallback.  I could making teaching abroad a career if the right option was given to me.  If I could work at an international school teaching history for a long time. I have the attitude required to teach abroad and I do love it. If I could teach history I might just never come back. Not that my parents want to hear that, but I'm not going to lie either. I could do it. So the question of to stay or to go seems to be more or less answered. More than likely I need to go and face down this uncertainty before it becomes too hard to do so. Now that I've said that though, where do we go from here? The first step is always the hardest but it always has to be taken. If you never start you never go anywhere and life becomes dull and rusted. I am determined not to let this happen to my life. This is my life and I don't get another shot at it. There are no redos or restarts. There is only today and the future. I guess I need to get going, otherwise I might change my mind for the 10 billionth time. Stay tuned, maybe you'll know before I do.

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