Job Discussion Forums

iam007 · Joined: 31 Jul 2003 Posts: 21

I know some countries require a Bachelors degree in order to get a work visa, such as Japan and Korea. I have a friend who would like to work in either, but only has a TESOL cert, no degree, and 1 1/2 years teaching experience. He has also already used up his 1 year WHV for Japan, and I�ve also heard you need a degree to teach English in Korea even if you�re on a WHV.

Is it possible to get a work visa for Japan with a 6 month diploma in TESOL?

Is it possible to teach English in Korea on a WHV with a diploma in TESOL?

Are there any other options for these countries?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

With the background that you have described, there are only a few options. I'll lay them out, even though they are not very likely.

spouse visa -- Get married to a Japanese.
dependent visa -- Get married to a fellow foreigner who has a job in Japan.
student visa -- Enroll in a Japanese school.
cultural visa -- Study under a craftsman (ikebana, martial arts, pottery, etc.).

Only the spouse visa permits full-time work.

I'd say your chances of getting work are nil.

memorabilis · Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Posts: 54 Location: Seoul, South Korea

It is absolutely impossible to get work teaching ESL in Korea without a degree. The gov't has begun a new system where degrees have to be notarized and submitted with sealed transcripts to the Korean Embassy to get a work visa. This was because of all the illegal teachers in Korea that had fake degrees. Why not try Indonesia, Thailand, or Vietnam?

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

I concur with that last post. Maybe you should tell your friend to go to a place that makes it easier to obtain a work visa. Indonesia is one such country; the restrictions are that your passport must be from one of a handful of "native English speaking" countries, and that you must be at least 25 years old.