Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Otherside]

OP, The problem is, you are transferring your visa.

Gepik is supposed to pay for your ticket so you return to your home country.
With a visa transfer, it's pretty obvious you aren't returning to your home country (heck they need to sign off on the transfer!), and just as they don't pay for airfare for teacher's already in country, they won't pay for airfare for teachers who aren't leaving the country.

[sallymonster]

Actually, the contract doesn't mention anything about not paying airfare when transferring to a non-GEPIK school. It just says that in order to get the flight, I must leave Korea and return to my home country within 10 days of contract's end, which is what I will be doing.

The contract does mention something about not getting the "home leave" benefit when transferring to another GEPIK school. But my new job is a hagwon, not GEPIK. I'm not looking to get paid for the two weeks between contracts, I just want one-way airfare to the US.

[TravelinSig]

I'm sorry I was under the impression you already bought a round trip ticket. You are most certainly owed the flight home. If you have all your documents in hand and ready to be submitted to the Korean Consulate in the States you certainly have enough time to get the new visa. It only takes 3-4 business days to process. Talk to Ivy, I think she can help you out. If I can find her contact info somewhere I'll forward it to you.

[sallymonster]

Doesn't getting a new visa involve my new employer applying for a visa number, which itself takes 1-2 weeks and can only be done once my current visa is finished (or canceled)? Then I'd have to get an appointment at the Korean Consulate in Seattle, and it can take 3-4 days just to get an appointment there, and after I go there it would take 24-48 hours to get the visa. Considering I only have 2 weeks between contracts, that's cutting it awfully close.

[jrwhite82]

I'd imagine if you are transferring your visa they might be off the hook for your airfare. Because it shows you are not leaving the country really. Kind of a grey area there...

If your visa is canceled, and you get a new one with a new school. You will need to be in your home country to get the passport restamped with the new visa.

However, you should not need to do an interview, because you've already had and completed a year on an E2.

[West Coast Tatterdemalion]

okay, I rescind my earlier remark. Visa transfer is a whole new ball game. How the heck can you transfer a visa from one school to another while completing a contract? I thought that you could only do a visa transfer if you were quitting your school, got fired or your school folded. I wasn't aware you could finish a contract at a school and transfer that visa to another school without doing the nasty papework all over again. I could definitely see a loophole there for your school if that is the case. They could drum something up like, "you are doing a visa transfer and so aren't technically finishing a contract(even though you in fact are)" or maybe they'll give you the visa transfer a day before your contract expires and say that you didn't finish. They've got a lot of ways to screw with you on this one.

[cyui]

You're going home for just 2 weeks? That doesn't really sound worth it.

I don't think they can process the visa before you exit out, either ( doesn't make sense),as the 2 weeks is the GEPIK vacation time, right?

I hate to say this: It would have probably just been easier to renew.

[Netz]

[CentralCali]

OP: Can you post exactly what your GEPIK contract states regarding transportation to your home country? It seems to me that your school may be misunderstanding the contract; i.e., thinking that a clause that applies only if you renew with GEPIK actually applies in your situation.

[sallymonster]

[Stan Rogers]

[PastorYoon]

Also, I'm pretty sure (correct me if I'm wrong) that you can't start at a new school 2 weeks after you finish a contract with a previous school. In order to transfer your visa, the date on the new contract must be exactly one day after the first contract expires. Otherwise, you can't renew or transfer. I went through this stuff myself. You could work it out w/ the new school to start 2 weeks later, but on paper - it must be the next day.

[CentralCali]

[allovertheplace]

This sounds like way too much trouble for whats its worth. You are not transferring your visa bur rather receiving a new visa. It takes longer than 2 weeks to get a new visa, thus the new place cant get it all done in time.

2 years ago this would be no problem as they could fly you out and send you to japan. Not sure if that is still an option but as a 2nd year I dont think you have to go to the korean embassy at home. But I am not sure.

Oh, the good ole days when I got a job in 4 days and was sent to Japan : )

But just ask the new school to postpone until the paperwork gets done and tell the old jobs you arent returning to korea. Your first and only mistake was telling your current school you will be returning to korea NOT with them. Its crap but its life. Good luck though, Im sure you'll be grand.

[sallymonster]

Well, I e-mailed my GEPIK coordinator and she says my school must pay my one-way airfare to the US whether I'm coming back to Korea or not. I just have to leave Korea within 10 days of contract's end, which I was planning to do anyway. She also mentioned that the school can reimburse 1/2 of a round-trip ticket, which is fine with me.

Now that my airfare rights have been confirmed, I just need to demand return airfare from my school. My school won't be happy, of course. I'm not looking forward to this conversation. My school has already lost face over the fact that I'm leaving them for another school (although I tried to let them save face by telling them that I was leaving because I wanted to live closer to Seoul). Now they're going to lose face again because they might have to deal with GEPIK. Only 2 more months to go. . .