Not so Huzzah...But there is huzzah potential...

So, I thought it best to inform all of you at once since I'm sure most of you have seen my status message on Facebook.

My company is letting me go. I apparently make more than all my co-workers (which I found out is quite a pathetic salary. Seriously, I would never knowingly accept what they get paid) and my company can no longer afford to pay me that salary. My manager presented two options to me last night over dinner: 1- switch to a part-time status and accept a pay cut that would reduce my monthly salary by half, or 2- move to another company.

My manager recommended that I move to another company and had already started passing my resume around to help me. I think he could see that my CEO was still trying vainly to keep me around so that he could keep his status of having a “foreigner” at the office. My CEO’s reasoning for keeping me around had nothing to do with my welfare and everything to do with what he wanted. My manager could see this, and thought it would be best for me to move to a different company that would provide more opportunity for me and take better care of me as an employee rather than staying here and being labeled as the “English teacher” or being forced to go along on meetings so my boss could show off his “foreign worker”.

So, I’m currently looking for a new position. My manager is contacting his friends who have high-level positions at other companies and Mr. Han (the guy who got my job here) is contacting his friends at some major hotels in Seoul. I’m planning on sending my resume and a cover letter to the other hotels. And if none of that works out, I’ll go back to teaching English. I know Berlitz would take me back in a heartbeat if there are openings.

I’m trying to remain positive. My company has said that I could stay until I find a new job, so I won’t have to worry about no income until the time comes to get my new visa. (I’ll have to take off up to a month while it processes, and then I’ll have to wait another month until my first pay day.) I’m taking this as an opportunity since things haven’t been so great at my company and I have been wanting to leave. My parting words to my CEO will be to not try to hire another foreigner for awhile because his company is not ready to handle one. And he needs to do some serious research in what hiring a foreigner entails. (i.e. providing housing, higher salary, all medical benefits, a little extra understanding, etc.)

Though part of me wants to be really childish and throw a huge fit my last day here and tell them exactly what I think about them…but I guess that wouldn’t be a good idea…

Instead, I’ve decided to take out my anger by leaving at 6 p.m. everyday instead of being guilted into staying later. I feel that is much more productive…especially now since I no longer care what my co-workers say or think about me. They won’t be my co-workers for much longer… ^_^