Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Drew345]

Last time I worked in Korea I fell into a strange situation where my visa and contract drifted more and more out of sync, requiring me to return from summer vacation earlier and earlier each year. I am about to apply for jobs again in Korea and wonder if there is some way to fix this situation.

In the first year, the contract starts on Sept 1. The school asks me to come a week early so I arrive Aug 25. At that point I hold a one year multiple entry visa valid until Aug 24 the next year.
In the second year, I have to return on Aug 24, even though my contract does not start until Sept 1. I loose a week of vacation. So I renew my visa, get my reentry permit, and find that the reentry permit is only good 360 days, not a year!
In the third year, I have to return on Aug 19, even though my contract does not start until Sept 1.

Has anyone found a way around this situation? Can you get the visa sync-ed up to the contact after you arrive early the first year? Anyway to get a reentry permit good up to the next year contract start date?

Thanks, Drew

[ticktocktocktick]

The first hagwon I worked for (a big chain) used to give 54 week contracts, with the initial two weeks being training. When teachers came to the end of their visa periods, the boss would buy you an air ticket, and take you to immigration to extend your visa period up until the point when the plane ticket expired. He instructed teachers to say they were travelling Korea, or tying up loose ends etc rather than teaching. I suspect immigration were on the scam, but less than concerned. They never declined anyone. This I guess is the only way of doing it.

[Drew345]

Interesting, so I get my first visa started when I enter the country on Aug 25 for example. Then sometime in the year I extend it to Aug 31, the actual end of the contract. That way my visa the next year would be from Sept 1 to Aug 31 (instead of Aug 25 - Aug 24).

Is that right? If you have a visa that is expiring before the end of a contract (because of entering the country a week early), can you extend that visa right up to the contract ending date? Does this require paperwork from the employer or just a logical talk with the immigration officer.

Thanks

[ttompatz]

Just get a short extension so that your end date matches your ARC date.

cost 30k won and a bit of paperwork.

Takes about 15 minutes.

.

[Drew345]

Then the next year's visa would start at the end of the extended first visa. Right? Theoretically?
I know this is a such a fine point, but it means me spending the last week of my vacation in Seoul rather than Thailand for every year after year after year.

[ttompatz]

[Drew345]

That would be ideal, except the contract is never ready until the last possible day to renew. So I can't renew before I go. That was at the last university anyway.
I'll shoot for extending the first visa to the end of contract date; then all following years I can get the visa with exact same dates as contract; then the reentry permit is good for 360 days, so I only have to return 5 days before term starts.