Korean Job Discussion Forums

[davetw]

I'm trying to come to Korea from Taiwan. I know about the new Xenophobic anti-foreign teacher laws requiring backgeround checks, interviews and every possible administrative hurtle. I've read a lot of the posts in here regarding this beat-to-death subject and I know these threads are getting old but my question regards how can prospective foreign teachers come to Korea from a 3rd country? Must I go back to the USA (home country) and start from scratch? How long is my working visa good for? Then each year (or whenever it expires) must I return to the USA and do it all again to renew? The new tough laws were made on the assumption that all teachers coming to Korea, are coming for the first time, from their home countries. I haven't read any posts (though I admit not having read them ALL) regarding 3rd country foreign teachers. Can we obtain these required checks and interviews in our existing country of residence, where some of us have resided and worked for years? The tough new laws (sanctions) seem to have been made in haste and not covering every situation. If, in fact, ALL foreign teachers must go back to the home country and start from scratch and then keep doing it to renew each time, then Korea will witness a mass exodus of Korean teachers to Taiwan, where the pay is near-equal and the entry and residence laws very easy and where you can teach private lessons without fear. I'm in Taiwan and want to come to Korea, but I haven't been able to get hard information on the new laws as they apply to 3rd country prospective teachers. If anyone out there has a government website or some other good source of factual knowledge of what it takes to get to Korea from a 3rd country, I'll be very grateful. I know this subject has been beat to death, but not the 3rd country issue.

[TexasPete]

[gangpae]

Just curious, how are these new regulations (Criminal Background Check, Medical, and Interview) for people who will be working with children xenophobic. Contrast that with current U.S. visa regulations for Koreans requiring an interview at the American Embassy in Seoul.
Please help me to understand.

[demaratus]

[Netz]

[gangpae]

My understanding, from the public school threads on this board, is that Koreans who want to teach in public schools have to do a medical, drug test, and CBC. I might be wrong, but I think they might be more stringent than what we are being asked to do. Background checks and drug testing for Korean employees at private institutes; not an outrageous idea but probably a waste of money. I just don't see a big drug culture in Korea, so testing thousands of people just to find out that 0.01% of drug users seems like a waste of time. For that matter I don't see a big drug culture among the foreigners teaching English in Korea, so I'm guessing it's more of message for would-be teachers - If you do drugs don't come to Korea.

Any Korean who wants to travel to the U.S. must have an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul as part of the visa process. It matters not if they live in Pusan, Mokpo or Jeju. Time consuming and a big waste of time, and remember these are mostly tourists, students, or relatives of people in America.

[PGF]

[demaratus]

[denverdeath]

[cruisemonkey]

To answer the OP's question -

If you have not had a teaching visa in the past, you must return to your home country to apply.

If you have had a visa, you may apply from an embassy/consulate in a '3rd' country.