Korean Job Discussion Forums

[earthquakez]

I almost went down the marriage track in Japan but decided to cut the engagement because I would have married for the wrong reasons. Actually in Japan you have far more rights as an unmarried foreigner on their Specialist in Humanities visa because you can hold private jobs while working at a full time job, do editing, do voiceovers etc. You can be a permanent resident without actually getting the visa, more or less, provided you have enough employment income to keep extending your stay.

I think that's a key problem for foreigners who are career English teachers with out of the ordinary cvs/resumes in Korea but with no MA + - we have the options of public school or hagwons, university if we're lucky enough to know somebody or have a connection. That's all. We can't branch out and use our experience in the ways I could elsewhere. That's the E-2 system.

It won't change and I accept that. But I'm moving on because I am wasting my experience and skills in hagwons and despite public school jobs setting the bar higher for teachers, it's essentially a waste there a lot of the time because of the large classes and other problems associated with English learning in Korean schools.

I could never get engaged to a Korean for employment opportunities alone. I would find it hard to deal with the culture so close up and personal and I don't say that with disrespect. If I had married a Korean it would have to be a full on commitment including doing everything (within reason) that the Korean in-laws and family would expect. For me there would be no half measures - you marry in Korea to a Korean and you have to make big adjustments. The onus would be on me as the foreigner to fit in.

[hondaicivic]

[Ekin]

[rooster_2006]

[Ekin]

I'm still young

[rooster_2006]

[MacLean]

The absurd thing is they'll hire a French-Canadian from Quebec to teach English under the assumption that, because they are born in Canada, they have English as their first language. Most people from Quebec have French as their first language. They learn English in ESL classes at school. So yeah, the whole E-2 visa thing, and the classification of who is and who is not a native speaker, can be pretty absurd at times.

You'd think a simple embassy interview would be enough to ascertain whether or not a given individual is competent in the English language.

[Mosley]

I have to give earthquakez, esp. in his first post, A+ for his bang-on observations.

What, Rooster 2006, did you mean by "beaten down" on your way to a convenience store? Not to get into a row about the use of phrasal verbs, but did you mean "beaten up"? Details, please.

[rooster_2006]

[rooster_2006]

[ZIFA]

[Ekin]

I guess I should start looking for other jobs that don't require English teaching.

I got advice from a friend already in Korea who told me it's better if I go to Korea first, and look for a job here. What do you think about that suggestion?

[Zyzyfer]

If you're not teaching you'll need a different visa to work legally, such as an E-7 (professional worker).

If you have the right experience and apply to a company that has a history of obtaining E-7s, then you won't have any problems once you find something and the only hassle will be doing a visa run - I'm not sure if first-time visa holders who get E-7s have to do the consular interview, but my own experiences hint that it's unnecessary.

However, a friend of mine who got into the publishing field several years ago was employed by a few different places which could not obtain an E-7 for him and thus he had to work on an E-2. The E-7 is extremely easy to get if you have the right criteria but it's also very easy to just plain not be able to obtain it, particulary if the company doesn't have a history of getting the visa for employees or if you've never had an E-7 before. My friend said there's a rule that you need several years of relevant experience within Korea under an E-7 to obtain one now. That sounds ridiculous but I do hear rejection stories from time to time and I unfortunately only know one person who has gotten an E-7 recently that maybe doesn't meet this criteria - and his employer gets lots of E-7s.

Knowing that, I wouldn't come all the way out here and stake my future on that. It'd be safer to get a student visa for a year or something and at least waste your cash usefully while making contacts to boot.

[rooster_2006]

[rollo]

Yes! You have been given some good advice. Many people love working and living in Korea. They dont constantly compare it to other places or think they know the answers for Korea and koreans. they take it for what it is a place to work and enjoy. You have been given some options. You should Not fly to Korea without a solid plan and a backup. Strange that such a racist place invites foreigners to work in their country, gives them free places to live pays them fairly well just because they were born in a certain place and speak a certain language. make a plan and Just DO It!!