Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jakob]

Hi,

Inspired by a similar question "Can native (Koreans) tutor legally?" I would like to ask : "Can non-native English speakers tutor legally in Korea?".

Being married to a Korean, I am here under a F-6 visa and was under the impression that basically I can take any job I can find.

I considered teaching English and science (got a Ph.D. in physics), however all schools/hagwons have turned me down. Now, I'm not a native English speaker and most places only want to hire native English speakers. That's basically fair enough, bit annoying for me, but I can accept that they have preferences.

However, some places reply that basically they would like to hire me, but that they are "not allowed" to hire non-native English speakers for teaching English by regulations of the Education Board of Korea.

Is this true, that even in principle I'm not allowed to teach English or are they just BS'ing me, trying to avoid saying "we don't *WANT* to hire you"?

Am I legally allowed to work as an English teacher in Korea (if I can find someone who are willing to hire me) under a F-6 visa, even though I was not born and raised in an English speaking country?

Thanks,

[Lazio]

You can take any job that you are qualified for. There are a very few exceptions what you can’t do on an F-6 visa but the point is you need to be qualified. It has nothing to do with Immigration.
It’s true that most places won’t hire you to teach English. Most likely you won’t be able to get a full-time contract. However you can pick up part-time gigs where they care much less.

But with a PhD why don’t you teach at a university? You should network in university circles; your fellow citizens and other nationalities teaching here in Korea either physics or any other discipline and these connections can help you to score a decent position.

[Mountain Mama]

Legally? Not sure. I've occasionally met Philippinas married to Koreans who worked part time at hagwons teaching English. I've also met quite a lot of Koreans teaching at hagwons who had no qualification other than having lived abroad. I think there's a good chance that these employers you've been talking to are just BSing you to save face. The next time that one tells you this story, tell him that you recently asked a friend who's a lawyer and he said that it's totally legal. Act like you're all happy that the problem's been resolved. See what the bossman says.

[jakob]