Korean Job Discussion Forums

[GottaBeKD]

I'll be in Incheon in 6 weeks with my korean fiancee. Got my return ticket, a place to live. I don't want to visit parks and beeches, temples and museums. I want the experience, the Korean lifestyle. Especially since I have intermediate-high Korean language skill.

I'm going to look for a job 10 days after I arrive, maybe March 15th. I'll be on a tourist visa because I don't have a degree. My fiancee will help me find a good hagwon or maybe some private tutoring. I wonder though, how difficult will it be? I'll be in incheon, I don't need a super-hot job, I have a place to stay and my return ticket, and even some side-income from a website I run. But I want to work, and make a bit more money, and practice some more teaching (I do private ESL tutoring here in Canada).

Is it easy, or difficult to find a job at a hagwon without a degree (or work visa)? I am not picky at all, I don't *need* the money, I want the experience (I'm not retired, and dont want to live like I am).

[rasta man]

If you are the person who posted on KoreanESL and the other board about coming over with their fiancee with only 1 year left before graduating, again I say DON'T COME GET YOUR DEGREE FIRST!!!! YOU ARE TOO CLOSE NOT TO FINISH!!!!!! The risks of teaching on a tourist visa are simply too great. If you get caught you WILL be deported, not allowed to come back into Korea for several years and forced to pay a huge fine, married/engaged to a Korean or not. A degree gets you a legitiminate visa with protections that being "illegal" doesn't. Just read the horror stories about illegal workers both in the English teaching field and other areas. Also immigration is getting tough on illegal teachers if you read the local fish wraps

If your fiancee can not wait a year to get married(less if you take summer school classes, load up on courses or do independent study) then you really need to take a long hard look at your relationship. A stable mature relationship will endure a year wait (man I'm sounding like Dr. Phil or Oprah, please shoot me! )

This advice coming from somebody who has been in Korea since 96 and has been married for nearly 10 years (10 years in July)

[kimcheeking]

Rastaman is right. WAIT

[GottaBeKD]

No no. It's not about coming or not. I'm definately coming, I'm only curious if I'll have work to do when I'm there. It's not even about waiting to get married, I'm just wondering about whether there will be work to do. I might get bored as a tourist for 6 months, and it might get expensive.

I'm going to be there soon, it's not about waiting. It's just about whether there will be work to keep me busy and to keep my balance from getting too close to zero.

[kimcheeking]

You can not work legally. If you get caught you will get any combination of the following

deported
fined
restricted from re-entering Korea for 1+ years[/list][/list]

[rasta man]

kimcheeking:
He isn't going to listen to us, no matter how much we tell him the realities of being illegal here. He'll have to learn on his own.

People who read these boards and still don't do their homework or follow advice of us oldtimers and complain when what we tell them happens get no sympathy from me.

I do give captian obvious free reign if he does come back here and complain if he gets caught/ripped off.

[matko]

People can complain about korea all they want (and believe me, I do). Having said that, people who break the law, deserve what they get. This goes for the crooked hagwon owners as well as foreigners working without the proper visa. I guess as long as the original poster knows what he is getting into, then he has no right to complain if he gets caught. Maybe he won't. Anyway, the chances of him finding decent work are slim, because anybody who hires a teacher illegally can't be on the up and up anyway.

[william beckerson]

Of course, getting a fake degree in Thailand is easy. At least it seems to be considering how many 20 year old "4 year BA" owning coworkers I've had.

Immigration doesnt really have the time or money to hunt you down. But if they do catch you, you're screwed. Unless you're good at breaking the law on a regular basis, I wouldnt reccomend it.

[GottaBeKD]

Thanks, I appreciate the constructive responses, whether for or against working. That is all I am left to decide now, to work or not. I am not going to korea to work, I am going there for other reasons, and so the question on coming or not has already been answered. I am only trying to prepare and educate myself on the realities of finding work while I am there (to meet my fiancee's family, something I have waited long enough for already).

[weatherman]

You can find work, but it will be for less pay and the owner might just rip you off without even paying you a cent. Sounds like your life style experiences here might be costly too. And as everybody else has said, in making your bed, you have to be able to deal with the consequences.

[Crazy Oz]

Take a look at what other work may be available in Korea. Some forms of employment require other than an E2 Visa, even when engaged in English "instruction". If your Korean is of a high level then the chances are that something will come along to keep the red out of the bank book.
As for, "not wanting to be bored", maybe some volunteer work through charity/church/disability services etc could keep you active (and may provide contacts for legitimate work).
Best to stay away from the illegal work scene though, too many pitfalls, and if you get caught, a whole mess of trouble. Congratulations on making the decision to come to Korea, it is indeed a fascinating place - a combination of "feudal and fastfoodle"- enjoy!

[OiGirl]