Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bowwowwow]

Hi all, I've been slowly going through the Korea posts on this site for a couple of weeks now and have few questions but first I'd better fill you in on my situation: I'm a 31 year old Australian guy and I've been teaching English in Japan now for over 7 years, 5 years in an Eikaiwa and 2 in a junior high school. About a year ago I went to a club over here (Japan) and met a Korean girl. Wait a sec, not just a girl but a total babe, a hottie, a smokin' hot mamacita! I think you get the picture So we end up dating and everything is great. Then last October she went back to Korea for a month but due to some problems over there she ended up not being able to come back to Japan and is now working and living with her family. I went over there twice this year to meet her and we both had a really great time so I'm thinking about moving to Korea sometime soon to work or study and pick up some of the language...now to my questions!

If I decide to become a student in Korea, what are my options? Do universities have English language courses in Pusan? (that's where I'll be going) What do you think of studying Korean full-time? Can I work part-time as I study?

If I decide to work I'll look for a job once I arrive so I need somewhere to stay while I job search, what are my options other than a hotel? I heard home-stay can be a nightmare...

I'll be going to Pusan, what area of Pusan do you recommend to live in? I don't want to be isolated from the foreign community.

Do I need a two-way ticket to enter Korea? If so, what kind of ticket do you advise I buy?

Thanks to anyone who can answer any or all of my questions!

[komtengi]

if you give me her number I'll convince her to move back to Japan. Dont worry Im fat and ugly, so Im not trying to steal her from you, and I speak fluent Korean... so I can even convince her family for you

[Hater Depot]

Every major university offers Korean courses for foreigners. I think the standard deal is $5,000/semester for 5 hours of class instruction per day. It's possible to also work full-time at a hagwon after class (class hours are usually 8am -- 1pm). But that wouldn't leave a lot of time to be with your girl.

I too have heard nightmares about homestay. If you have a job your employer will provide your housing. A buddy of mine right now is a full-time student and a full-time worker. Not an easy thing to be doing.

[bowwowwow]

Thanks for the info, I've been checking out a few university home pages.

[plato's republic]

Do you really wanna leave Japan for this chick? You've been there for 7 years, right? What if it all goes pear-shaped? It's a big risk to take. Think about it. How long have you known each other? Is she really serious about you?

[nrvs]

You've been separated for 11 months ("since last October") and you've only visited her in Korea twice? Why can't she go back to Japan, even as a tourist? Has she made any effort to return? Do you have substantial savings to live off of as a student? Do you have an contingency plan to return to Japan and find work quickly if things don't work out?

I need more details, but right now it sounds like a bad idea to me.

[bowwowwow]

[bowwowwow]

[BigBlackEquus]

Korea is very strict about who can teach English. I heard that doing it as a student is possible, but not easy to make legal. And only for a few hours a week.

Korea actually has immigration cops running around to bust people for teaching English illegally, and sometimes the locals rat on people.

Your best bet might be to try to land a part-time afternoon gig at an elementary or middle school through www.worknplay.co.kr or www.englishspectrum.com . Just be sure to avoid the recruiters who illegally set up a bank account in your name and try to control it, avoiding taxes. They get busted a lot lately. Then take morning courses in Korean language at someplace like Seoul National University. You can get an E-2 through the afternoon job, and make about 1.5 for working 3 to 4 hours per day, even though it's considered part time. Try to find one of these jobs near the University where you study. Your housing near the school will probably be around 450,000 to 500,000 a month, as a guess. While paying for the school and the apartment, you won't save anything, but you'll be better off than just going to school and trying to work illegally and not making much.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

You can't work at all on a student visa here for the first 6 months, just study. After that you can work up to 20 hours per week.

[Son Deureo!]

There are 2 different kinds of student visa, one for university degree programs and one for language programs. If you study in a university degree program you can teach up to 20 hours a week after you've been on your student visa for 6 months. A language program visa will never qualify you to work.

What you need to do if you want to work legally in Korea while you study Korean is find a part time job that will sponsor you for a visa while you take classes.

[peony]

isnt it also possible to work full-time and take classes part-time somewhere?

[Moldy Rutabaga]

Sounds romantic to me. It's not a life sentence.. if things don't go well, the same airplane that takes you into Korea can take you out. But I don't understand why you insist on being a student in Korea. If you have extended teaching experience in Japan, why not simply look for teaching work in Busan --which is what Dave's site is for? There is always the possibility of having a job with a lighter schedule which would give you time for language lessons.

The trendy part of Busan is Haeundae-- nice beaches, international (*coff*--well, international for Busan) restaurants. It's more competitive but someone who wants to teach kiddies has a large advantage. Nampo-Dong isn't bad either. Yeong-do and Dadapo can be a little isolated.

Ken:>