Staff Spotlight: Jinny You

Every travel memory is special in its own way. Out of all the travels I have done so far, my favorite travel memory has to be my trip to America where I ended up spending the majority of my teenage years.

When I initially hopped on the plane to Memphis, little did I know I would end up spending many years in the States. But thanks to my family members and friends in Mississippi who made my first year in America so amazing and delightful, I decided to keep going back. Without that first incredible year, I wouldn’t be who I am today. :)

Since I started working at Korvia, I have grown significantly as both a recruiter and as an individual. As a recruiter, some of the ways I've grown at Korvia are:

• Gaining a wealth of knowledge about the English education industry in Korea;
• Learning how to become an entrusted adviser who can provide guidance to prospective teachers;
• I've realized that on a daily basis I am both challenged and excited about recruiting because I am able to help people pursue their dreams.

As an individual, Korvia has helped me to develop and figure out who I am. The ways in which I've grown can only be attributed to this company and the people who work here. I have become more sympathetic, caring, and compassionate about others’ well-being, as I feel that they are my responsibility. Within the time I have spent at Korvia, I’ve learned a lot of things that will act as a solid foundation for my future.

Of course it sounds quite typical, but the best is when teachers finally arrive in Korea and tell me they couldn’t have made it this far if it wasn’t for my and Korvia’s help. When I hear that, I forget about all the obstacles and troubles we went through.

Aside from the obvious, I also want to share the funniest thing I heard from a recruit. One of my teachers had a lot of problems in the process due to visa issues. This resulted in him arriving one week later than his original arrival date. Since he had to arrive on his own, he had to figure everything out by himself. After arriving in Korea and going through these issues, one more problem arose...

On a Saturday evening, when I was having dinner with my friends, he sent me an urgent message saying his stove top wouldn’t turn on, and that he couldn’t have dinner! I told him to turn on the gas valve found on the wall, and sent him a picture of what the valve should look like. He said that he had been struggling for hours and hours trying to figure out what the issue was. Low and behold, within a few minutes, I was (according to him) able to “save him from starvation”. He continued to thank me the next day saying he would not be there if it was not for me.

I would feel comfortable going with any program that my recruiter advises for me. I would likely do a lot of research prior to applying to Korvia, but since recruiters at Korvia are in many ways experts on this, I would trust their input. Therefore, I would try my best to let my recruiter get to know me so she/he can guide me in the right direction, whether it is a public sector or private sector.

What makes Korvia unique is that it is not only an office environment, but it is also my home away from home. Everyone is genuinely passionate about what they do, and everyone cares about each other.

Living in a different country can be both exciting and scary at the same time. Every recruiter at Korvia is well aware of that, and we try our hardest to make the transition smooth and enjoyable for incoming teachers.

Passion and Teamwork. There are a lot of other important factors for a company to be successful; however, I find passion and teamwork to be the biggest factors.

If the employees don’t have a passion for what they do, going to work every morning would be a daunting task. However, if employees are passionate about what they do, they will want to go to work and complete their tasks efficiently without someone else forcing them to work. There is a saying that comes to mind, “do what you love and you will never work a day in your life!” Your passion plays such an important role in shaping one’s mindset and is a powerful factor to help you succeed.

The other factor, teamwork, also plays a huge role in being a successful company. Teamwork in the workplace creates synergy, which will lead to better outcomes for everyone. Furthermore, teamwork provides a great learning opportunity, which gives you a chance to grow and improve.

This sort of mindset will allow both yourself and the company achieve more in the long run.