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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Ekin
Joined: 21 Feb 2011
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 Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 9:40 am Post subject: |
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Thank you guys for all your input. I really appreciate it. I will have to come up with some kind of backup plan.
Thank you! |
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siwawalter
Joined: 16 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 12:32 am Post subject: Re: Impossible to get an E2 Visa, should I give up? |
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You shouldn't give up.
| Ekin wrote: |
Hello everyone 
I came back from Korea a month ago, I fell in love with the country and its people. After thinking a lot, I decided I want to live and work in Korea so I started looking for jobs. I asked many friends about job opportunities and they said teaching English is a really good option. Since I have about 4 years of teaching experience I decided to give it a go....unfortunately.... I am not eligible for an E2 visa because I hold a passport from another country.
I am pretty sure the authorities don't care that I've been to an American school (in a foreign country) all my life and that I speak English when I'm home. They might also not care that I will have a bachelors degree in 2 months(again, american university, but this time in Boston), all because I do not hold an american/canadian/etc passport.
Is this it? Do I give up? I'm almost certain that the answer is a yes. I am just looking for suggestions since I want to live in Korea.
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rooster_2006
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:08 am Post subject: Re: Impossible to get an E2 Visa, should I give up? |
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| siwawalter wrote: |
You shouldn't give up.
| Ekin wrote: |
Hello everyone
I came back from Korea a month ago, I fell in love with the country and its people. After thinking a lot, I decided I want to live and work in Korea so I started looking for jobs. I asked many friends about job opportunities and they said teaching English is a really good option. Since I have about 4 years of teaching experience I decided to give it a go....unfortunately.... I am not eligible for an E2 visa because I hold a passport from another country.
I am pretty sure the authorities don't care that I've been to an American school (in a foreign country) all my life and that I speak English when I'm home. They might also not care that I will have a bachelors degree in 2 months(again, american university, but this time in Boston), all because I do not hold an american/canadian/etc passport.
Is this it? Do I give up? I'm almost certain that the answer is a yes. I am just looking for suggestions since I want to live in Korea.
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He shouldn't give up, but he also shouldn't run into a burning building and try to put out the blaze with a Dixie cup full of water.
He CAN work in Korea. In fact, lots of people will want to hire him to teach English, but he'll have to figure out a solution to get a visa to stay there, first. Not an easy thing to do.
If he didn't have a girlfriend, I'd say "get a D-4 or D-2 and then get an S-3 work permit once you have been there six months."
However, if he did that, he'd have to burn the candle at both ends (class in the mornings, work in the evenings) and probably spend ~60 hours per week either studying or working, living like a monk, and with a wafer-thin profit margin.
Why go through all that? His girlfriend is why he loves Korea in the first place and they've been dating for three years. He could turn himself into a lean, mean, F-2-equipped English-teaching machine pretty much overnight just by holding a wedding and filing a few papers, things that he's probably going to end up doing anyway.
And here's another elephant in the room -- OP, you graduated from a US university, right? So presumably, you've lived in the US for at least four years -- how hard would it be to get a US passport? I don't know how US immigration works, admittedly, but come on, a guy like you with native-like English skills and a US college degree and years spent on US soil ought to be able to reach US citizenship relatively quickly... I *know* that Peru and the US allow dual citizenship, because I knew a guy who held passports for both countries.
So if the OP were from China or Thailand, I'd say "get on a D-2 or D-4." However, it seems like there are two possible shortcuts that he can take that'll make this SO much easier. |
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minos
Joined: 01 Dec 2010
Location: kOREA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:45 am Post subject: |
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It's possible to work for SMOE if you spent enough time in American schools.
Public schools are more flexible in regards to the law(hence them hiring non-degree holders as well)
I know a Korean citizen who snuck into SMOE this way...his english wasn't even that good! |
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Ekin
Joined: 21 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 11:15 am Post subject: |
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@rooster_2006
US citinzenship is a very long process. At least 1 year, and that is if the process is fast. |
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rooster_2006
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:55 pm Post subject: |
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| minos wrote: |
It's possible to work for SMOE if you spent enough time in American schools.
Public schools are more flexible in regards to the law(hence them hiring non-degree holders as well)
I know a Korean citizen who snuck into SMOE this way...his english wasn't even that good! |
Yeah, key point there -- KOREAN citizen.
Not a Peruvian citizen. |
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rooster_2006
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Ekin wrote: |
@rooster_2006
US citinzenship is a very long process. At least 1 year, and that is if the process is fast. |
Ekin, I don't understand you. You say that you love Korea and that you want to live and work there, yet when given two easy options to live and work there, you aren't willing to take either one. Just how much do you really want to work there? A year is practically nothing when it comes to time investments for a new career. Heck, it'll probably take me three or four years of hard work before I'm able to retrain as an IT specialist.
If I were you, I'd stick it out for one more year in the US and just get that second passport.
Not only will having a US passport make it easier to work in Korea, but it will also be extremely handy in various situations throughout your entire life, even if you never teach English in Korea. You don't even have to throw away your Pervuian passport. You can be a dual citizen.
Besides, you can spend that year preparing for the move. Here are some important things that you can do during that year so it won't be a wasted year:
1. Learn Korean! Several US colleges and adult education programs offer it.
2. Get more certifications or training to make the job hunt easier. For example, go for a decent, on-site, 120-hour TEFL certificate or other qualification.
3. Save some money so you won't have to worry financially when you arrive.
It sounds to me like you have two great options in front of you:
1. Spend a year getting US citizenship, then go.
OR
2. Marry your girlfriend, fill out an application form or two, and then get an F-2.
Either of these options will make it a breeze for you to find work in Korea. Any other option besides these will be extremely difficult and an uphill battle.
So really, just how much are you willing to sacrifice to work in Korea? |
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Ekin
Joined: 21 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 9:33 am Post subject: |
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@rooster_2006:
Oh! In a year everything will have a happy ending of course.
I don't know if I specified this, (probably I didn't) but I am talking about the short run. I want to be in Korea by July. Sorry if I got misunderstood. |
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