Korean Job Discussion Forums

[plato's republic]

Hi all,
I was just informed today by my recruiter that I was unable to be issued a visa because the school that I was supposed to work for had engaged in some illegal activities in the past, such as private teaching or teachers working without a visa or something to that effect. This now throws me into a difficult situation. Everything seemed to be going good. The recruiter said that since a recent TV program about illegal teachers and forged degrees the korean government is making a big crackdown on schools.....!
Back to square one I guess...

[Paji eh Wong]

[JacktheCat]

Immigration and the Ministries of Labour and Education are totally different animals.

And rarely do they cooperate.

Sounds like typical recruiter BS.

[casey's moon]

[plato's republic]

casey's moon,

i'm not really sure what he meant, the email was not very clear. something about either the school hired teachers to teach illegally without proper visas or that some teachers at the school were teaching private lessons perhaps in their free time or on premises which is illegal. that's the gist of the message. i'm not sure if it's BS or the truth. the recruiter "seemed" like a real nice guy and had been very helpful and in contact with me almost everyday by phone or email. he even offered to find me another job, but the thing that annoys me is that i had already sent him my original degree. he has said he will return it to me.
i even got an email from a former teacher who said the school was good, so i thought things were going ok.
now i'm thinking of just coming to korea on my own and looking for a job when there. is that wise? has anyone done this? what's the procedure?

[buymybook]

Of course he sounds like a nice guy, if he is really nice he will e-mail you the contract. You can post part/all of it on this web site and ask about any section(s) you are unsure of. Suggest to the Recruiter you would like this/that changed on the contract. Get your visa in the country you live in and have them sign the contract(including red stamp) and send it to you. If you can't get the visa in your own country(too far) have them mention in your contract you will begin working after you get your E-2 visa and the employer pays for all expenses roundtrip airfare/bus/train/lunch/possibly overnight stay. Or, tell the recruiter you will not work illegally.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Dear mr. plato,

Most consider it a good idea to come to Korea and then find the job.

Get your transcripts and diploma certified and buy your ticket. Get some money together. I would think a minimum of $2000 US would do it. (Others may say more, or less.)

Come in on a tourist visa and hole up in a goshiwon or yagwon. Goshiwons are cheaper.

Hit the PC bangs (W1,000 an hour) to read the want ads.

Begin making applications and phone calls. The advantage of being in country is that you can visit the places that offer interviews and you can see the place, meet other teachers, see the apartment...and get a better feel for the job on offer. The size of your bank account will play a big role in how picky you can be.

Compare several hakwons before you agree to sign on.

After you accept a job you will be sent on a visa run, probably to Osaka.

FYI: Goshiwons are a kind of 'study motel'. Students live in tiny, and I mean tiny, rooms while they study for various exams. Tiny means something like 4' x 10' rooms. Hardly more than a bed and desk. I don't remember the going rate for a month. Others have more recent experience.

If you eat a lot of ramyon you could probably get by on W20,000 a day: food, subway/buses, PC bang, phone calls. (I'm assuming you would want one real meal a day.) Alcohol at the mom and pop stores is about 1/3 the cost. Spring is coming: sit outside and drink.

Something else: after you send in an application, be prepared for no response. It is uncommon to receive fast responses. It seems everything is done at the last minute.

[plato's republic]

Ya-Ta Boy,

thanks for the info.
just a query...if i have my original degree and transcript do i still need to get it certified/notarised? is this absolutely necessary? how do i go about getting it certified/notarised?
i'm british so i'm not sure if british universities give out sealed transcripts etc..plus i graduated over three years ago now.

is it possible to stay in a goshiwon/yogwan for up to a month or more? is this the best/cheapest way to do it?

thanks.

[Cohiba]

[casey's moon]

[Derrek]

Thou shalt not becometh nitpickyth about anotherth grammarith...

[plato's republic]

Cohiba,

sorry for the slip! here's the correct version:Everything seemed to be going well. Is that good enough for you?

Casey's Moon,

My ex-recruiter is based in Seoul I believe. He seemed really nice and apologised more than once for this little mishap, so I'd like to believe that he was telling me the truth. But like I said before, I've a sneaking suspicion that the school director didn't want to pay for my flight ticket in advance(which I insisted on) so the recruiter was forced to make an excuse about immigration in order to annul my contract and save face.
My degree should arrive early next week.
I'll PM you some questions about Seoul in the near future. Thanks.

[Sleepy in Seoul]

A good thing to do is to get notarised copies of your degree and keep your original degree in your home country. Travel with your copies - it doesn't matter if they get a bit banged up. I'm on my second contract here (not that long in-country) and I have never had anyone ask about my original degree. Notarised copies have always been enough. I had about five copies done originally, and brought the same number of transcripts as well. Just in case.

[mithridates]

If you want a goshiwon ask me and I'll find you one in five minutes. I'll even send you a map to the place to show the taxi driver when you go. Most are about 300 ~ 400000 a month, depending on where you want to live for the month.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Mr. p,

Mith took care of the goshiwon cost information. Most charge by the month, but I've heard some charge by the week.

Yes, it is absolutely necessary to have notarized copies of your diploma and transcripts. Schools will ask you to send them the notarized copies and will not return them. It's good to have several on hand.

In the US we take them to places called Notary Publics. In Korea they go to lawyers. I don't know who does it in Britain. Ask your mom.