Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wolverine]

Hello everybody, I was hoping to get some information and advice from some of you. I'm in the GEPIK program and my contract expires in a few months. I have a good relationship with my school and could stay put for another year if needed but I'm interested in changing schools to a different location. What would be the best way? I heard rumors that if I wanted to change schools in GEPIK I might have to go thru a recruiter but thru a recruiter I would probably have to resubmit all my paperwork and I would like to avoid that if possible. Would the GEPIK office handle/make arrangments for this? What do you think I should do?

[farrepatt]

My wife changed schools with GEPIK last year. It was not the easy process I had hoped for.

Since my wife didn't have the best relationship with her GEPIK school I asked mine for help. I had hoped they'd be able to make the process easier (and I had told them I couldn't resign with them if my wife didn't get another job - so they did have motivation). Instead they gave me a list of recruiters that GEPIK used and recommend I email/call some.

So we did that and after a few weeks one of the recruiters had a couple of schools available, but nothing within about a 40-60 minute bus ride of our apartment, so we didn't take them. Which I think upset the recruiter because they stopped sending us schools after that.

We then called GEPIK directly (Dain Bae) and she told my wife that GEPIK was full and there were no schools left. We freaked a little because we were now running short on time. I mentioned to one of my other co-teachers (who I had assumed knew about my dilemma from other teachers) and he was surprised. The next day a school about 20 minutes away called my wife for an interview. My wife went in and was hired on the spot. It turns out my co-worker called a few schools that he knew didn't have teachers and gave them my wife's info.

My wife's new school wasn't too interested in renewing her visa and so she had to go back to the US to get another one (which we didn't argue because she wanted the free trip back anyways). Though it did make the visa process a lot longer than it should have been.

It wasn't the best experience. I hope you have more luck.

[tob55]

It is a matter of doing your own homework. To start with, someone telling you all the positions in GEPIK being filled would be a stretch in the best of scenarios. I find that some of the folks who are supposed to be in the know speak just to hear their self. I have been in the same school for the last 4 1/2 years and annually I am made aware of school positions in virtually every direction from my location. I have even made introductions for prospective teachers applying to some of the schools. I am not a recruiter, and I do the footwork to help out when I can.

Too bad the OPs situation didn't work out, but there are jobs open even as we speak. Do your homework and ask questions. You will get better and faster information than relying on the line of command.

[Burndog]

Just to be clear here, your VISA is with your current employer...which is the school. If you change schools...you change employers...therefore your E-2 gets cancelled, and you have to go home and get your docs together and re-apply.

Unfortunately under the current E-2 guidelines there's no easy way around this. There's no VISA run to Japan or renewal or what have you...even if you're at a GEPIK school...work through the whole contract...and then change schools...you still have to re-apply for an E-2.
The only time this doesn't apply is if you see out the year and renew withthe same school (employer).

I really wish that the Government would consider a more sane and sensible way of operating the working visa's here...it's just ridiculous the hoops that you have to jump through...repeatedly!

So...in short...there's no simple way to get what you want.

[Gemfinder]

I saw one website stating that GEPIK has 1000 teachers right now and wants to double that by next year. At the last workshop, I heard GEPIK already had plenty of people and now want to retain quality teachers; yet they opened the doors to people with two years of college. (Not saying they'd be crap teachers, but that would widen the applicant pool significantly if they are indeed getting another 1000 people.) Recruiters are still advertising jobs for every area of the province. Even my area has schools that are expanding but have no native English teacher yet and this is not a rural area.

There's constant churning in the workforce from people leaving and schools starting the program for the first time; there would always be something, it's a matter of finding what meets your critieria.

[Rory_Calhoun27]

GEPIK is pretty disorganized, even for a Korean institute. I get assaulted by my crummy coteacher, she breaks my glasses, and they think it's enough to make TWO phonecalls about the incident, then call it a day.... but oh, it's SOOO damning to get phone calls, that's enough of our authority-flexing...

I called them a few months late to see about finding a new school to sign with, now knowing what questions to ask (like is the new co-teacher a personality disorder... ), but the GEPIK coordinator decided to try and blame me for the problems, and not offer to help me find a school, other than telling me to do a "good job" with my new coteacher and MAYBE they can help me.

So I just said, screw it, found a better-paying job in another part of the country through a recruiter and said F---- this. If Seoul is equivalent to New York, I assume the GEPIK area is equal to the New Jersey 'burbs, and we all know what problems are in those meadowlands.

[fromtheuk]

Respectfully, you're wrong. You can transfer to another GEPIK school with a letter of release before the current visa expires, that's what I did. An extension of my visa for another year with a new school.

[Julius]

[Burndog]

[fromtheuk]

I finished my contract and started the new job literally the next day. I transferred visa with a LOR.

If you end a contract and there's a gap between the old and new job I'm not totally sure about that. I think you have to get a new visa in that situation and all of the documents from scratch.

I'm no expert but I now know about how to transfer to a new school before a current visa expires.

[afsjesse]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have to go home if you completed your first year here already. You could easily do a visa run to Japan, which DOES still exist becuase the interview with the consulate is only for your 1st visa. Assuming you finished your year and didn't cause trouble with immigration, you should be able to go to Japan with all of your new documents and get a visa.

[TheUrbanMyth]