Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sandcmoeller925]

I am so confused...should I get an E-2 or F-4 visa? I understand the basic differences but I'm receiving conflicting advice. Is it possible for me to get an E-2 visa while in the US (sponsored by the school I am hired by) and then apply for an F-4 visa once in Korea? If I choose to get an F-4 visa - will it be more difficult to acquire a teaching position? How will the job application process differ for someone with an F-4 visa? On a completely different topic - would it be safe to say I have a dual citizenship since I was born in Korea? Or did I give up my Korean citizenship when I became a US citizen? Please advice - thank you!

[PRagic]

Uh, you're asking us about YOUR citizenship? LOL.

You need to contact your local Korean consulate, and perhaps even consult mommy and daddy about your situation.

In a nutshell, just get the F4 if you can.

[PGF]

Do you have a Korean passport and a US passport? I think your passport is going to determine your initial allowed stay in Korea. 30 days or forever.

How long did you live in Korea? Can you speak Korean?

I don't know what advantages you will have by having a F4 visa here.....but, since you were born here, you might have to have an F4. Are you going to public school?

[sandcmoeller925]

[sandcmoeller925]

[DallasTexas]

There is a group, actually a non-government organization or NGO, designed especially to help adoptees come to Korea, work through the visa process, find jobs, find relatives, etc.


Check this link, the resources, expertise, and comraderie are wonderful
http://www.goal.or.kr/eng/

AND....they even have a villa near the Blue House where you can stay with other adoptees for a few bucks a day.
http://www.koroot.org/eng/guesthouse/eng_introduction_list.asp

DaeHwa Winger (from Sweden, I think, runs the place and is a wonderful guy)

Best Wishes

[PGF]

[OneWayTraffic]

[victorology]

Are you a male or female?

I have a friend who was adopted by an American family and he has dual citizenship. If you have the same and you are male, you might want to drop your Korean citizenship and just get the F-4 visa. That way, you won't have to serve military duty.

In regards to your original question, between an E-2 and an F-4, the F-4 is without a doubt better. Also, there are a lot of talk about how gyopo's have a difficult time finding teaching jobs in Korea but from personal experience and those around me, this hasn't been the case.

[agoodmouse]

Sandcmoeller925, I advise you get your F1 visa before you come to Korea. As you are an adopted Korean child you qualify for this visa, according to this link here. Look at the footnotes at the bottom of that page. I'd say, go to your nearest Korean consulate and get your F visa before you come to Korea. You need to gather your original documents, such as birth certificate, adoption papers, passport, etc. Simply go to the consulate, tell them your story, and show them what original documents you've got; try to bring anything you think is important. They'll tell you what you didn't bring (guarantee: you'll make many trips back to your filing cabinets) and what you need to do.

Depending on what original documents you've got, as I think you probably don't have much regarding your biological parents, you'll fall into the F1 visa category.

Vis a vis employment and the myriad of visas out there, you'll be golden once you get your F visa. You don't want to get an E-2 visa and come to Korea and be under the thumb of a bad employer who can fire you and therefore make you have to leave the country or scramble for a new job so you can stay within borders. Public schools and hagwons hire Koreans, half-Koreans, etc. Notably, public schools in Korea -- through GEPIK, SMOE, EPIK -- do hire people of full and half-Korean heritage. Hagwons might be more picky, though. I know plenty of Korean public school teachers working as native speakers. Many are from Canada, the U.S, Australia, and New Zealand.

By the way, the reason why some people are sarcastic to you on this thread (and might be in real life in Korea) is because F visas have an overwhelming set of benefits attached to them compared to work- and other visas. It's telling, especially on this message forum, that work visa questions are fielded and helpfully answered without barbs about one's heritage or nationality; but a single F visa question by a person causes snarky assumptions to be made by some about the person inquiring. Keep your head up, and don't worry -- such people wouldn't have been friendly to you anyway.

Get your F visa before you come here. Don't come to Korea on an E-2 (no matter what your recruiter says) and then try to get your F visa here. You might forget documents or a paperwork process that requires you to physically be at the embassy, records department in your county, etc.

[PGF]

[sandcmoeller925]

[sandcmoeller925]

Agoodmouse - thank you so much for your advice! I know the F1 visa is for those who are visiting family...I actually don't have any contact with my family. I've started the search process and hope to reconnect with them when I am there. Is the F1 visa better than the F4? I am definitely going to try to acquire a F4 or F1 visa instead of the E2. It sounds like a no-brainer!

Thanks for the words of encouragement - are you also an F1 or F4 holder?

[sandcmoeller925]

[quote="victorology"]Are you a male or female?

I have a friend who was adopted by an American family and he has dual citizenship. If you have the same and you are male, you might want to drop your Korean citizenship and just get the F-4 visa. That way, you won't have to serve military duty.

quote]
Victorology - I don't have to worry about serving military duty b/c I am female. However, it's good info to have just in case my biological brother (we were adopted together) ever decided to head over to Korea as well. Do all Korea-born adoptees have dual citizenship automatically? I guess this is something I'll find out when I go to the consulate.

[PGF]

[quote="sandcmoeller925"]