Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bellum99]

The definition of kindergarten is not very clear. Technically you couldn't open a school that said kindergarten. But you can teach kindergarten age. The law is very clear only about the sign. We also have the law in Korean and it isn't exactly clear about age levels, only the definitions used to describe them.

[darkpoet]

Thanks for backing me up bellum.

Cheonmunka, do you have an F-2 or did you? Superhero?

[darkpoet]

[Cheonmunka]

Actually I've been biting my tongue whenever I want to write a post with you in mind. But I've never written about your situation. The last post was about a study room.

But here's a response about your situation.
I've been writing letters to departments, in Korea, for the past five years. I've been married seven.
After one of my letters, (two weeks after) men were given the F2 visa for the first time. Perhaps just a coincidence. Perhaps as part of my lobbying.
I write letters myself in Korean. That skill is a definate plus in getting things you want.

From what I understand you have been married one year? After two years of marriage I never expected to be given rights of citizenship as you are expecting now. I had to wait and punch things out and I knew it then. Heck, I still have to fight for kids' education subsidies, rights to credit... all things that are as equally important as rights of self-employment.

Now I have two children. One is going to elementary soon. I managed to get the permission you are seeking (yes) given to me on the basis that I have large responsibilities and commitments in Korea. It's an individual thing by the way, they really are partial. I didn't say so before, not wanting to burst your excitement about getting a private tutors licence.

Now, what's all this in the math. I already looked at a location not quite in Seoul, a little 15 pyong ground floor office with a side bathroom. This is a study room, not an apartment. My research was with 3 students. They are lined up and ready but I'm not satisfied with the study room potential, not yet. Their parents would part with a fee commensurate with a hakwon. Not much more than that. While hakwon classes are 80 minutes 40/40 Korean T and native T, my class would be 55 minutes. That's less time, right? So parents don't want to pay too much, in my neighborhood, especially. It would have to be about 5 classes a day with five or six students in each class to come close to the 55 students expressed as a potential. I know about the 9 children limit. I don't know about kindergarten ages attending the study room, but we certainly cannot operate as a morning school for infants.

My villa here is 42 pyong. I paid 80 million chonsei for it. I don't live in a hakwon provided place, and never have. My first place after marriage was small and life there was not so comfortable. But, it was my start. So now you read yourself what you wrote and tell me if this is not a rude thing to say to someone, "..Either you don't have an F-2 or your wife is sick of living in the hogwan-provided apartment and hasn't told you yet."
Good grief. My head got dizzy reading that.

Anyway, I didn't come to Korea to be rich. I am happy doing what I do which is part for myself and part for a school. That's okay. I've known my employer five years and I'm happy with the work load. Though, not the best income for a family of four...

I hope you get what you want, but, like others before you have had to, you should put in a few more years and keep punching. Good luck.

........................................

[bellum99]

Sorry, I posted a rude comment here before I read the whole thread. You guys are thinking way too small. I wasn't going to explain the money to you but now I will.

Look, there are laws that must be followed and then there are laws that can be bent a little with little or no problems. This is being done by 3 people that I know of so far in Bundang.

1: Have a big enough apartment.
2: Get your wife to get the permission.
3: Keep your job but try to get one with kindergarten and low hours.
4: Only take groups of 4 students and do a great job. (You have a set rate for the hour and it doesn't matter if a kid is missing or sick) Trust me the mothers run around looking for kids to make her part of the cost smaller.
5: If you are too busy then quit the job and do only this. Trust me, you will be too busy and the people I know doing this are making 10 million after 3 months.

I am not wrong about this. But I have a real school and it cost me too much to start it, so I am trying to sell it.


*****They need a warrant to search a house, so keep the door locked and if a man comes to door, let the wife go into the room for a few minutes. It is so easy. I want it to be legal but if it isn't legal , then so what.

[Cheonmunka]

Letter wasn't to you but to Darkpoet as you found out.
(ù ���� �ôµ�, ����, �Ⱑ ������, ��¥...)

I am special to write Korean. I studied since 94. I think I'm special. Don't you? Not may people bother but it shows commitment.

I think because you are in Bundang that is a definate advantage for income. I live and breathe in Pucheon. Many parents around here scrape a 2 million max salary earning. It's hard for them to part with more than 100-120 K month.

I agree with you about the mothers looking for other students. That's seen in action.
I wish I had the potentials you are talking about. 10 million to me would be a huge amount, an undreamed of amount. But, I'm too Earthy.

But, saying that, maybe a little jealously, maybe a little guardedly, I wish that people, I don't know who, would not take in 300-400K month for a student. I feel angry that people can fly in from somewhere rake in a lot of money and perhaps fly away, laughing, without pause.

You are in a position of a philanthropist. You feel you should help others because you have made it. As for me, I am small fry competing in a pond. I've gotta help myself first. Regardless, I did consider Darkpoet's situation but realise that it will be an uphill battle. To get that permission means may have to put in the time at least to the stage when you can apply for F5. ... A few years ain't much.

Actually, one chap at the Ed office suggested exactly what you say, that is, just start privates in your home, illegally.

If it's a money bringer, I bet many will try it.

[bellum99]

I am waiting to hear how someone started teaching in their school provided housing and was caught.




Please remember that what I said is up to you. I am not telling you to do it...in fact I am saying it is illegal unless you have permission, which is what we are trying to make possible.


***Note about the F5 visa. I applied for it about two weeks ago. They will begin issuing them this month. I should be one of the first if all goes well....and it should.

[darkpoet]

Cheonmunka: you have been in Korea 10+ years and have not yet applied for the F-5? You should! I assumed as much actually, that you were F-5... or were a total noob. I was wrong...

Evidently you have some experience with things like this but I think perhaps you are confusing the private tutor's certificate with a study room certificate... according to the MOE, these are 2 very different things. The study room is much like a small hogwan, while a private tutor is restricted to less students.

Our situations seem different... and I think you confuse my intentions. I don't want to be rich. I just want to "stick it to the 'nims" and cut out the middlemen. I am a better teacher in small groups and 1:1 with adults... and I am tired of knowing that my class size is worth $100 to the hogwan and I get only a small cut. My hard work goes to pay for the wongjongnim, the secretaries, the landlord, etc... although someday I am interested in starting a real study room or hogwan, for now I want to just have some privates on the side. And I'm not gonna split the country in a few years... I have 70 year-old parents-in-law who are 20 years older than my own parents and I'm not even likely to leave Busan anytime soon.

As for the math, hmmm. You are looking at hogwan-style 80 or 120 minutes per week. My idea (and was according to my mom-in-law's research) that 5 hrs per week is the neighborhood standard... our going rate actually works out quite the same (17,500/hr) but I want to keep my class size waaay down... it's quite possible in my own apartment house, provided I keep the numbers restricted. As I said, this is a supplemental income for now...

[darkpoet]

Cheonmunka: Just to keep my intention from getting misconstrued, sorry if I seemed offensive. I don't wish to make any enemies, only allies. If you really have fought the man before, thank you. Things for us foreign residents of Korea could be worse... I'm sure you and your wife endured much worse treatment 10 years ago than I am now. And it must be really tough sometimes to have mixed kids in the public education system. But my expectations, I think are not too high... so I will keep plugging at it.

[boyardee]

Hi, I've been following this thread with interest and just wanted to see what's happening. Any word? Just keeping the thread alive.

bRd

[bellum99]

I am still waiting to hear from the immigration people....no news.

[Cheonmunka]

Sometimes I wish it would go away, it's a bit embarrasing having private discussions on the public web.

Anyway, you know also what these chaps at Ed said to me was, "just do it," (study room or home school I can't remember which) and the "only problem will be if any near-by hakwons complain. "

So, there's your ticket right there, Darkpoet.
It matches with what Bellum has said to you.

I understand your need. Really I do. I craved and craved F2 like a madman.
Now, the madness has been replaced by some kind of lethargy.
I don't carry around their ID cards, and don't give a rat's arse about applying for anymore of their visas (but I will).
But, hey, what's next, an F8 printed on my head to show I give a shi it and can do a good imitation of �� ����? What do I get in return with another visa but just an inch closer to being regarded by only those who look at my visa realising I'm a little different than a backpacker?
It's still the same cream soup and the same suspicion fals on us.

I'm a little pissed today because my employer put one of those front up to immigration to confirm degree things on my desk. Man, that's for anyone who needs an E2. I want to say to my boss, "Hey, F&% off already wank."

Those things piss me off. I only have a few months to go with that job.
Who knows after that. Maybe I'll move to Bundang and earn 10 million a month!

[bellum99]

I know what you mean...we try so hard to fit in here and really we never can. We try to learn Korean, and customs, and swallow the self-serving lies they tell each other. I just want to be left alone by the Koreans in general. I like them but sometimes when they talk to me about the pure blood, evils of mixed races and how fantastic their culture is....I want to vomit.
I have bent over backwards to try and belong here in this country, but it only takes one idiotic comment to remind me of my place (entertainment). I mean, why do they have to make it so difficult to make a life here....it is already hard and then they make it even harder. We have welcomed them into our countries (millions of them) but they won't allow even a few thousand of us into theirs (to be equal).

[Cheonmunka]

I have heard that one about pure blood. But, when I show my photos on my mobile of my gorgious kids I feel I am sticking it right back.
My kids are adorable. My son got 2nd place out of 5000 kids in a cute kid competition. People said he would have got first but, you know, it wouldn't do to give first prize to a part-foreigner. But, that's hearsay. How can we know what the judges think. And, people were just being nice by saying so, without realising that whatever people do say to me is measured and weighed on my discrimination meter.

But yeah, I've heard that blood thing before. But, taking away my meter it could be more innocent and the constant reference to blood is more general in that the public seem to have a reverence for types, O or B and what have you. So that reverence may come into play especially with foreigners who may well have type Z for all they know.

Gee, my bull is flowing this morning. GTG to work, cheers mate.

[itaewonguy]