A woman who applied on Craigslist for a teaching position in South Korea was rejected through an email that stated her “Irish alcoholism nature” was the reason they would not consider her. Katie Mulrennan, from the Republic of Ireland, wasn’t sure if the email was even real at first, however it was soon confirmed and the 26 year old was shocked. Ms Mulrennan said that when she usually applies for positions, those who aren’t interested either don’t respond, or state they prefer someone from North America due to the accent. 
“But this reply was a first. When I got the email, it was so abrupt and short. I actually laughed when I read it initially,” she stated. “But then I wanted to write back an angry response.”
The English teacher had responded to a Craigslist ad in September, and had told the potential agency that she had been teaching English over three years, in Oxford, Abu Dhabi and as well as South Korea.
“In the end I took a deep breath and sent back a reply, that was a little bit sarcastic as I couldn’t believe the email I had received. But I haven’t heard anything back since.”
Ms Mulrennan also reported the ad and agency to Craigslist, however wasn’t sure who the recruiter was as their details were not listed on the advertisement.
“It was disappointing because these employers did not even get to see me,” she said. “They never spoke to me and didn’t get a chance to hear what I sounded like. I was annoyed about it. But I can also see it was a little bit hilarious as well. A friend saw it and encouraged me to post it online as it might go viral. I thought: ‘Really? It’s just another silly thing poking fun at Irish people’. But then I put it online and people started getting in touch.
She has since found a new teaching position.
