Korean Job Discussion Forums

[scottydoesntknow]

Hey to all,
Well, I've decided to come on over to Korea to try my hand at this EFL thing! As the topic title shows I want to come over and have a look before I buy.

Here is the rundown on me: 25 y/o American male with an International Affairs BA and no teaching experience. After some pondering I've settled on Seoul as it offers big city nightlife unlike the majority of Korean cities. I have got 5,452.17 US (exact huh?) to my name so begging for WON on a street corner is unlikely.

This is where you come in ladies and gents. I've a few questions on what I need to do before I depart for the E-2 Visa process. This is my what I believe I need but am sure something is missing.

* I believe I must obtain a criminal background check, apostilled, yes?
* Sealed official university transcripts, correct?
* My university diploma

As far as landing a job:

* I will need to go on visa run, correct?
*How likely am I to receive flight reimbursement?
* Will I have trouble finding a job between the months of June-August?

Lastly, I would like to fly in a month or more before I start working to take some Korean language classes so maybe I will be able to do more then just point for a year (I know unlikely!). It's not a lot of study time but it's a start.

* Any suggestions on schools or Universities in the Seoul area to study Korean?

I have heard good things about Yonsei University Korean Language Institute. They have a 10 wk course beginning April 1 and the tuition isn't bad (1,501,000 KRW) for 200 hrs of instruction. However, living in a campus dorm costs almost as much as tuition. I believe staying in a Hasook-jib is another option. Please let me know about any language courses you've taken in the Seoul area.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and appreciate any and all responses.

[Rory_Calhoun27]

given you'll also need an interview at a stateside consulate BEFORE a visa will be issued, I'd look a bit more into actually finding a position before packing the bags.

[sharkey]

I'd never come here before I successfully completed the bureaucratic
nightmare that is Korea. My 2 cents.

[ChilgokBlackHole]

The new rules mean that finding a job on spec here is no longer a reasonable option. The interview is the deal breaker.

[Murakano]

[themagicbean]

For your first E-2 visa you HAVE TO do the interview in your HOME country. You cannot just do a visa run. So unless you want to make an extra flight across the ocean you should just dig for jobs at home.

Be very careful which job you take, get reverse references. Names (chain hagwons) mean nothing. If you work with a recruiter do your due dilligence on them.

If you are disciplined you don't need Yonsei (or any other paid) course to start you off. There are a ton of good books, and tons of Koreans that will line up to do language exchanges with you. Also most cities have free courses for foreigners at libraries or community centers (although there's no guarantee it'd be level-appropriate).

[T-J]

The home country "rule" for the consulate interview is a gray area.

[broken76]

It actually isn't really a gray area for first time teachers who have never held an E2 Visa before. Immigration and consulates are pretty strict on this rule and even though there may have been cases where they let people slide I wouldn't bet any money on it. If you're a US citizen though you can go to Guam to get your Visa as it is US territory and has a Korean consulate. It's more expensive than Japan but cheaper than going back home. They usually process things overnight as well.

Somethings to keep in mind though. The vast majority of schools will either reimburse you for the incoming ticket or pay for the Visa run to Guam. Chances are they will not pay for both so you'll need to foot the bill for a flight. When coming into the country on a tourist Visa you'll also need an outbound ticket. Immigration will not let you in on a one way flight. You can purchase a refundable ticket for the outbound but there is a chance that you'll be charged a fee which again you'll be responsible for.
While you're in Korea you'll also need to pay for your own housing until you start a job, most jobs that you interview for won't start right away so you may eat the cost of housing as well.

Overall seeing a school for yourself is helpful but you're looking at paying quite a bit of money to do so and in reality really don't get a guarantee on anything in terms of getting the "perfect" job.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[scottydoesntknow]

Thanks for all the replies. I wasn't aware about the consulate interview. The majority of responses are telling me I cannot show up without job in hand and I cringe at the idea of flying back to the US after already flying over.

This is all kind of a curve ball to the plan I had in my head. Not really sure where to go from here. I guess I should be asking for a good recruiter then?

[Michelle]

[Troglodyte]

[Troglodyte]

And definitely get a phone interview with the current foreign teacher/teachers.

What? They have no current foreign teachers? Get the email address of the previous ones. Oh? They never had foreign teachers, but they've been in business for 5 years? B.S.!!! They had a foreign teacher that they aren't on good terms with. Red flag. Proceed with caution.

[Wishmaster]

Ah, the good old days. When you could just buy a ticket to Korea, make a stopover in Hawaii on the way and all that was needed was your original diploma and university transcripts. Those were the days! Such memories. But now it is many times harder with all the bureaucratic crap you have to deal with. You definitely do NOT want to come over here now without having a visa. Yeah, the consulate interview..they seem pretty strict on that. Even though I've worked in Korea for a long time, I still wouldn't come over these days without having everything complete. God knows what they will require in the future! Okay, well, you've got over $5,000...that is good and you should be able to hold out until you find a job and get your visa. Make sure and get the school to pay for your air ticket. Don't give into the reimbursing thing that they've got going(unless it is a public school and even then I'd tell them that I haven't got the money to fly over myself). Get the school to pay for that plane ticket. I can't tell you how much it would suck if you flew over here on your own dime, found out that you had to have a consulate interview back home and then had to fly out again on your own dime. That would be maximum suckage. Yeah, the good old days, it was a decent investment. Today, no, too risky and would eat into your money big time. Just stay someplace for a month, get the documents, find a job and you'll be in Korea sooner than you know. It took me a shade over 3 weeks from the point that I accepted a job until I flew to Korea. You've got over $5,000...I think you could stay someplace and give yourself time to get everything taken care of.

[MarionG]

Regardless of the interview in your home country, in order to get an E-2 visa, you have to have a visa sponsor. That sponsor is the school you'll be working for. No job lined up? No visa...