Korean Job Discussion Forums

[nguyendtu02]

Do you guys know any reputable organizations which offer U.S. citizens scholarships to study in Korea? I am also very much considering in teaching ESL in Korea. any reputable organizations that i can apply to?

[Carla]

Ya, lol, I saw you were responding to some pretty dead posts, trying to get to 25? Ya, we've all been there.

I know that do have some scholarships, but I don't know any of the details. Sorry about that.

Also, if you want to teach in Korea, be prepared for a lot of crap and a long wait. While it's not impossible, Asian-Americans who aren't Korean aren't very high on the list for jobs. That being said, it's not impossible and if you keep at it, you'll find a job. But you can't do both at the same time.

It's either a student visa or a working visa. If you get a working visa, you can study in your spare time (no scholarship and no university classes, no time) but if you get a student visa, no working allowed.

There's a few larger recruiting agencies, but there are no guarantees. Even if it's the best recruiter in the world, the school might still suck. I'll PM if you want more details. You can't message yet, but I think you can reply if someone hits you up first.

[coralreefer_1]

There is a NIIED program (National Institute for International Economic Development) which is run by some branch of the Korean government.

I tried applying to this program, which will pay full tuition/insurance/airfare, and give a monthly stipend of 900,000 - 1,000,000 Korean won to the recipients.

The program is designed to foster international exchange and global understanding( in Humanities fields) However, as I was told when I sent an email inquiring about the program to the Korean consulate in America, that in the case of the US, only applicants of "Korean decent" can be considered for the program.

It seemed strange to me that of all the countries participating in the program, the most ethnically diverse country of them all would have a policy to only recruit people of Korean decent to participate in a program which has the mission statement to foster international communication and understanding with Koreans.

However, if you have some Korean decent,(only in the case of the US) I believe this NIIED scholarship is the best one out there.

http://seekscholarship.com/sch/category/korea/

Here is a link to a few scholarship options. From my own experience it is somewhat difficult to get a scholarship like this being from the US. Many government and private organization scholarships are for particular fields, or for students from particular blocks of countries (Asian countries for example)

Most universities will offer you at least some form of scholarship (typically 50% of tuition or better) If you don't find what you like in the list on the link or through other google searches, try checking out the website of a school you are interested in studying at to see what scholarships they may offer.(nearly all offer 50% to foreign students) Also keep in mind that is it not completely unheard of for a school to not grant you a "formal" scholarship but rather just give you a "special" one because they desire to have an American at their university. Having some contact with an administration officer and letting them know your interest in attending and getting as scholarship may go a long way to getting you something that is not "officially" on their web page or in their brochures.

If you have a student visa (D-2) you are legally allowed to work 20 hours per week, and I actually just confirmed this week with a trip to the immigration office that despite what I have always thought, you can LEGALLY teach English on a D-2 visa providing you keep it under 20 hours a week. No background check, no drug tests, no document screening..just fill in the form from immigration, get a note from your professor with permission, and pay 30,000 won. A hagwon may require those things from you, but it is not necessary to do that when you already have a D-2 visa, but just applying for permission to work.

Good Luck!

[Carla]

[coralreefer_1]

I cant give information about that specific case, but my guess is that while it is legal to work, they MUST notify the immigration office with either an initial application, or an amended one (if you already obtained permission before),, showing where, what times, business registration number of the employer..etc.

I assume that either they did not make an initial application to begin with, or that they had permission to work at such and such place, but did not notify immigration about that specific camp. That was the case of a good number of students that got busted here in Daegu at the English Village.

[Carla]

[Carla]

[coralreefer_1]

Actually i have been here almost 5 years, but I had always heard that you needed to have either an E-2 of F something to legally teach English. I specifically remember reading a few years ago that it was legal for students to work, but that language education was excluded from the kind of work they could do.(at that time)


It was not something that I looked into regularly as I always considered it off-limits unless I wanted to change to E-2 . Not only are there less hurdles to jump through, but my visa (D-2) is not determined by the employer, but rather by my university(so long as I pay my tuition)..meaning any if some hagwon owner tried to pull some crap, it is quite easy to walk away without worrying about losing apartment/visa status...etc.

I did not ask the man about private lessons, as I have no interest it in. He did say that I could do ANY kind of work, but for some reason said working at a kindergarten was off limits..though not sure why.

edit - If you work place or hours or employer change, you do not have to "re-apply" but rather just amend your information with immigration so they know exactly where you are working and at what times. Once you have already been approved, it is just a matter of changing time and locations if your employment situation changes.

[nguyendtu02]

Carla,
How did you mean by "lots of crap and a long wait?" The Asian thing is interesting ; sounds like discrimination to me yeah?
I have less than 1 n half year of studying in Social Science with Community Change emphasis. i'm also thinking of getting a TESOL certificate too. any suggestions
I can't reply to you. LOL i'm trying to get to that 25

Thanks for all the info guys.

[Carla]

[nguyendtu02]

Hey Carla,
Nope, I'm still studying for my BA. I've figure the whole teaching abroad is a pretty big thing so I want to do lots of researches and weigh my options as well as ask for advices and suggestion way AHEAD of time.
Are you working for the Korean school board or something? Have you taguht abroad?

[Carla]

[Bryan]

[coralreefer_1]