Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sheril]

no they did not ask me anything about school ( it was at the point when i was visiting to give them my VISA number from Korea). I was told that I had to prove that I have been living in Canada for 10 years by showing them my landed immigration paper) Once I sent them the paper my interview was scheduled and I was not asked anything related to my courty of origin again. That was exactly a year ago

[blonde researcher]

EPIK and public school applications that move towards you getting a Notice of apointment (NOA) instead of the visa number do require that you declare schooling past grade 7 in a school of the qualifying country. This is definitely a requirement for EPIK and schooling must be proved if there is any doubt with the place of birth showing as outside of Canada on a passport.

However -If you are going to a hagwon or any other job where you get a visa number issued in immigration there is no such schooling requirement and you are fully qualified to get the E2 visa.

For you both -you are 100% fine if you accept a hagwon job -a little bit of an unknown in the public school government contracts although I have heard of some people getting into jobs when a provincial office of education is hiring, rather than the main EPIK intake

[BigJ]

Thank You!

That was the clarification I needed because I had a friend who had to meet those requirements and I suspected that it was because she was applying to a public school position (EPIK in her case). As we are both looking for hagwon positions I assume everything will proceed smoothly. I should have mentioned the position (specifically hagwon) at the start, but it was good to get the full range of answers so that we could be prepared for any eventuality.

[ttompatz]

[Hello]

[tokkibunni8]

Funny you asked that^^^ last year one of my friend was finishing up her contract and was asked by her school to interview and help find a replacement. she had quite a few applicants, one was chinese american (born in China) and one was Korean American (born in the states) among others. Both were newly grads, neither more qualified than the other but the Chinese American got the job because as my friend said, "even though she was born and raised in the states, my coteacher just saw her as Korean."

[BigJ]

Hate to revive this thread again but I posted it long before I started the job search. Now with prospective employment in Korea right around the corner I thought I would gauge more opinions on this subject.

My pressing concern now is the consulate interview in Toronto. Anyone been in a similar situation where their native requirements do not strictly conform to attending school from grade 7 on in one of the 7 countries (10 years total) listed in the epik application as well as on a number of other websites, get denied an E2 Visa at this stage in the process? How recently?

I have heard a number of comments so far from different people, just wondering what my significant other has to prepare for in the event she is asked about it in the interview. One person has answered by pointing out that proof of ten years residence here is sufficient and the grade 7 requirement can be ignored. Yet I think back to ttompatz statement that we meet immigration's requirements, but whether we meet the Toronto consulate's approval is still unclear. We have landed immigrant papers and citizenship records in tow just in case we are asked. And lastly, to clarify we are looking for a job with a Hagwon. We have already interviewed with many schools and recruiters who are quite happy to have us working for/with them, the same can not always be said from our perspective. I probably worry too much.

Thank you again for your time.

[/quote]

[brucefox]

If you apply through By-The-Book EPIK or GEPIK recruiters, then you are out of luck. But even EPIK and GEPIK hire pretty much anyone who apply through lazy recruiters.
The grade 7 thing isn't strictly enforced if you have a passable North Western accent.
I brought my Jr high and Hgh school diplomas along with my B.A dip. because I was told I needed them but they never once asked me for any of that stuff other than my B.A. (NOT EVEN MY TEFL CERTI!)
Once you get hired and start working, they are even less likely to ask you for these things.
Just get a good recruiter to get into EPIK or GEPIK. Try your best to get in via city halls. They ask the least questions.

After witnessing first hand some of the very real atrocities my buddies at Hogwons are going through... I simply MUST recommend that you go with a public school gig, meaning SMOE, EPIK or GEPIK.

It's totally legal for some previliged visas to bypass grade 7 requirements but if you get a paperwork that requires you to print you answer w/ regards to this question, then simply say: Yee This is a totally non-committal response they will not be able to decipher in a negative way. You aren't lying on it either.

I really think your friend won't have any problem getting a job here really.

[BigJ]

Just thought I would update this thread for the interest of applicants in a similar position.

We went to the consulate in Toronto yesterday and my girlfriend was asked about her education background and she was told that she needed to prove education in one of the seven(?) English-speaking countries from grade seven onwards. Well the guy who was processing our visas was in fact an intern so we corrected him:

A) We were applying for a Hagwon and those requirements only really apply to public school positions. B) The school was well aware of the fact that she was born outside of Canada and only came at the end of high school, and they were more than happy to offer her a position. C) Immigration was also well aware of this fact and was more than willing to issue her a Visa confirmation number. D) We also pointed out the fact that she has been in Canada for about twelve years now and works as a manager in retail and customer service.

We were asked to sit down while he helped some other people and waited to speak with the consular. After about 20 minutes of anxious anticipation we were called back up to the window. The consular told the intern that it was fine and to proceed. He did ask a second time about whether immigration approved, the school approved and that she had been here for 10+ years. I think he was just double checking the information that he passed on to the consular but those were clearly the important points and you should state that clearly to the person processing your visa application if they ask questions about your education. Thanks to the information and advice posted in this thread we were confident and well-informed about her qualifications.

I was really surprised and nervous when she was asked about her education, but just stay calm and make your point clearly. I suspect that even for a public school position you could make a convincing argument, and I believe that those requirements are really just meant to deter people (there are probably some out there) they feel may not be qualified for teaching ESL.

I do have a question though, that relates to the final outcome of our E2 visas. Since we sorted all of this out yesterday and received some verbal confirmation that the consular approved, what are the chances that our visas might not be approved? They recently removed the necessity for an in-person interview at the consulate, which we aren't worried about anyways because we would have no problems there. What we are concerned about is suddenly being told again that her qualifications are an issue despite sorting it out yesterday. I think the root of our confusion and concern in this whole visa process is that we don't really understand the consulate's function in this matter, and also the role of Korean immigration and the significance of the visa issuance number. From the discussions on this forum and the replies to my original message I have ascertained that immigration are the "people who matter." Can anyone weigh in a little more on the process that remains before our passports are released with the E2 Visas inside?