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bbud656
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
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 Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 4:05 pm Post subject: Coming early to settle in? |
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| What is the best way to come a week or so early before starting your job. Basically, I want to settle in, do a little bit of traveling, update my wardrobe so I don't have to bring too many clothes with me (Korean sizes are perfect for me), and visit some friends around the country. Assuming I can get my school to book my flight a week early, is there any special things I should do for my visa? I am American, so I don't think I need a tourist visa. |
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Skipperoo
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm curious about this too, are schools generally amenable to you booking your flights so as to arrive a fortnight or so early to settle in? I'd hate to arrive on a sunday evening and then have my first day of work start monday morning. |
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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Skipperoo wrote: |
| I'm curious about this too, are schools generally amenable to you booking your flights so as to arrive a fortnight or so early to settle in? I'd hate to arrive on a sunday evening and then have my first day of work start monday morning. |
Everyone hates it, but 99% of the time you have no more than a weekend at best to settle in, because they typically don't get your visa sorted out until the last second. If you can somehow get the school or recruiter to sort it out early than more power to you.
As for coming in early on a tourist visa, well yes, this is an option and is how I did it the second time around. But this is not an option for first timers-they insist you get your first visa from your home country. |
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magnolialove
Joined: 21 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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It's unlikely to happen probably because of the visa issues, as mentioned above. And they will change it last minute on you, too. My husband and I were supposed to arrive the day before he was supposed to start work, and we booked our flights accordingly per what they told us (PS positions), and then 2 days before we were set to leave, our recruiter comes back and says "Oh you need to arrive 4 days later actually." Of course we couldn't change our plane tickets last minute like that without paying a fortune, and the education office wouldn't work with us so we were stuck footing the bill for hotels (hotels that they chose and insisted we stay in because it was "too difficult" otherwise) for those days. Still cheaper than changing the tickets, but also still BS if you ask me.
Adding insult to injury, the rep from the education office "forgot" to pick us up from our hotel. Great first impression, guys.
If you do arrive early, be prepared to pay for your own accommodations. Maybe some hagwons are a little better about this, but our POE put a sour taste in our mouths that lingers. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 7:33 pm Post subject: Re: Coming early to settle in? |
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| bbud656 wrote: |
| What is the best way to come a week or so early before starting your job. Basically, I want to settle in, do a little bit of traveling, update my wardrobe so I don't have to bring too many clothes with me (Korean sizes are perfect for me), and visit some friends around the country. Assuming I can get my school to book my flight a week early, is there any special things I should do for my visa? I am American, so I don't think I need a tourist visa. |
There are a few issues.
If you have an E2 in your passport it WILL be activated when you arrive in Korea - meaning you will need to get an extension toward the end of your contract - some extra paperwork, a trip to the local immigration office, some inconvenience and a small fee.
You are probably replacing a teacher who is leaving so there probably WON'T be any place for you to live (until the other teacher vacates the apartment). Twice I have had this happen (where the new teacher replacing me had to wait (at their expense) till I vacated the apartment) so "settling in" may not really happen.
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bbud656
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:41 pm Post subject: |
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| I expect to pay for all my hotels and things. I probably wouldn't even get to the city I am working in til a day before. Assuming I can get the visa sorted out. I wonder how much it costs to get an extension? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:46 pm Post subject: |
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| bbud656 wrote: |
| I expect to pay for all my hotels and things. I probably wouldn't even get to the city I am working in til a day before. Assuming I can get the visa sorted out. I wonder how much it costs to get an extension? |
30k won + the time to go to immigration + the paperwork.
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Skipperoo
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 12:59 am Post subject: |
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| Would it not be possible to apply for a tourist Visa for the time running up until the E-2 kicks in? I've no problem with paying my own accomodation etc. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:20 am Post subject: |
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| Skipperoo wrote: |
| Would it not be possible to apply for a tourist Visa for the time running up until the E-2 kicks in? I've no problem with paying my own accomodation etc. |
No.
If you have the E2 in your passport it will be activated when you enter Korea.
You cannot have 2 valid visas in your passport at the same time.
You cannot enter on a visa waiver stamp if you have a visa.
you have 2 choices:
1) come when scheduled
2) come early and get the extension in your last month so you can complete your contract.
pick one.
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Skippy
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 2:10 am Post subject: |
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For your schools sake please do come early as you can save them a couple million won!.
I can see the conversation now!
Sorry bbud! you only worked 51 weeks sorry you are 1 week short. Since you did not work the full time we do not owe you the severence and the return plane ticket either! But thanks for the time! Bye Bye.
Thanks SeoulMate for spotting my mistake! 52 not 54!
Last edited by Skippy on Tue Jul 13, 2010 3:49 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Skipperoo
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 3:34 am Post subject: |
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| Skippy wrote: |
For your schools sake please do come early as you can save them a couple million won!.
I can see the conversation now!
Sorry bbud! you only worked 53 weeks sorry you are 1 week short. Since you did not work the full time we do not owe you the severence and the return plane ticket either! But thanks for the time! Bye Bye. |
Heh, very good point. |
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SeoulNate
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Hyehwa
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| Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 3:38 am Post subject: |
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| Skippy wrote: |
For your schools sake please do come early as you can save them a couple million won!.
I can see the conversation now!
Sorry bbud! you only worked 53 weeks sorry you are 1 week short. Since you did not work the full time we do not owe you the severence and the return plane ticket either! But thanks for the time! Bye Bye. |
since when are there 54 weeks in a year? |
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bbud656
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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| That is unfortunate. I have a Pretty well connected Korean lawyer, so I am gonna see what he says about getting an extension if I leave early. |
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