Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cmr]

I'm curious. Which visa does one usually (not talking about the F series) need/get for work at a Korean university? E1 only, E2 as well, C4?

I understand that some (many, most?) universities are hagwonized up to a certain point, so does that make any difference in the visa requirements to work there?

Also, are there any differences depending on which language one would teach?

[kiwiana]

There are three tiers of university jobs in South Korea (to my understanding):

1. Uni-hagwon teacher: Working for a hagwon affiliated under a university, e.g. non-credit conversation classes, (always E2).

2. University non-major subject teacher: Working for the university teaching credit courses not part of a particular major, e.g. compulsory freshman English class to Engineering major students, (E2, however I'm interested to hear if anyone in this category got on an E1).

3. University major subject teacher: Working for the university teaching credit courses as part of a particular major, e.g. Communicative English to English lit. majors / intro to accounting to business majors, (E1).

If a lecturer at a university was teaching French then he or she would be part of the 3rd group as listed above.

[cmr]

So, there is a difference between English and other languages?

I guy I know told me he lost a chance to teach French at a university because he didn't have his Master's and that was the new requirement to teach at university.

[Ut videam]

A French speaker could presumably obtain an E-2 visa to teach French if he or she holds a passport from a French-speaking country and graduated from a university in such a country with at least a 3 or 4 year bachelor's degree. No master's required for a E-2. But if he or she doesn't meet both of the above requirements, an E-2 would not be issued. The person would have to apply for an E-1, which has different requirements (possibly including a master's).

In addition, even if the person is eligible for an E-2, the university's requirements may exceed the visa requirements. In other words, even if Immi doesn't require a master's, the university may.

[cmr]

According to that guy, the university would have liked to hire him; especially, since they had no one else in line for the job, but he was told about not being able to get the visa because he didn't have a master's... so I guess it's as you said and might have been because he needed an E1 visa. Otherwise, he's French from France and graduated in France... couldn't make him more French than that!

[Ut videam]

Strange. Maybe only speakers of certain languages are eligible for E-2s. Besides English, I'm pretty sure Chinese and Japanese can get one.

Can anyone shed more light on this?