'Ice cream guy,'a Hillsdale alum, will teach in S. Korea
Kat Timpf
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: News
First, he graduated from Hillsdale. Now, he drives an ice cream truck. Next, he will teach English as a Second Language in South Korea.
Jon Frank '08 said he first heard about the teaching opportunity from a recruiter's post on Craigslist. Frank, who has always been interested in Asian cultures, jumped at the chance.
"I sort of thought, 'Oh, hey, this could be cool,' and it went from there," Frank said.
Frank lives in Brighton, Mich., and will move to South Korea near the end of November. The job will last for one year, with the possibility of renewal at the end of that year.
He will probably teach elementary or middle-school students, he said, but his employer has not confirmed any details yet.
Sophomore Maddie Merritt, who described Frank as "the ultimate jack of all trades," said she found out about his decision to go to Korea through Facebook.
"He decided to write a Facebook note to tell everybody," she said. "At first, I didn't think it was that important … and then I clicked on it, and I'm like, 'Jon! Ahhhh!'"
Although the note surprised her, Merritt said his decision to go to Korea did not. She predicted that this will be part of an "interesting line of jobs in his life."
He certainly has a good start. He took a job driving an ice cream truck this summer.
"At the beginning of summer, I was still thinking about what I was going to look to as a career, so I just wanted something to do for the summer," Frank said.
Frank said the ice cream truck gig hasn't been so bad - not even the repetitive music.
"I was basically capable of ignoring the music after about a week which actually got funny because I wouldn't be able to remember if I actually had it on," he said.
He works afternoons and evenings and mostly stays within Livingston County, Mich.
Plus, there is one crucial perk:
"You're the ice cream guy, so everyone likes you," he said.
Despite this advantage, Frank said he is excited for Korea, and has only minor concerns about adjusting to the culture of a new country.
"There are going to be cultural differences from thousands of years of history that is completely different from the Western world, even though [Korea is] still moving into that system of thought," Frank said.
Jon Frank '08 said he first heard about the teaching opportunity from a recruiter's post on Craigslist. Frank, who has always been interested in Asian cultures, jumped at the chance.
"I sort of thought, 'Oh, hey, this could be cool,' and it went from there," Frank said.
Frank lives in Brighton, Mich., and will move to South Korea near the end of November. The job will last for one year, with the possibility of renewal at the end of that year.
He will probably teach elementary or middle-school students, he said, but his employer has not confirmed any details yet.
Sophomore Maddie Merritt, who described Frank as "the ultimate jack of all trades," said she found out about his decision to go to Korea through Facebook.
"He decided to write a Facebook note to tell everybody," she said. "At first, I didn't think it was that important … and then I clicked on it, and I'm like, 'Jon! Ahhhh!'"
Although the note surprised her, Merritt said his decision to go to Korea did not. She predicted that this will be part of an "interesting line of jobs in his life."
He certainly has a good start. He took a job driving an ice cream truck this summer.
"At the beginning of summer, I was still thinking about what I was going to look to as a career, so I just wanted something to do for the summer," Frank said.
Frank said the ice cream truck gig hasn't been so bad - not even the repetitive music.
"I was basically capable of ignoring the music after about a week which actually got funny because I wouldn't be able to remember if I actually had it on," he said.
He works afternoons and evenings and mostly stays within Livingston County, Mich.
Plus, there is one crucial perk:
"You're the ice cream guy, so everyone likes you," he said.
Despite this advantage, Frank said he is excited for Korea, and has only minor concerns about adjusting to the culture of a new country.
"There are going to be cultural differences from thousands of years of history that is completely different from the Western world, even though [Korea is] still moving into that system of thought," Frank said.
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