Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Juregen]

read between the lines.

[theevilgenius]

I don't know, when I first got here there was a Russian working part time at my hagwon, He was also a student here so probably wasn't working legitimitely but could still get work.

[AsiaESLbound]

OP. I totally believe you that you sound American and would be good for the job in Korea. I was in Budapest 3 months ago and was amazed by how the young people are so American like no where else. I might have met you in a new Taco place in Budapest and felt for a moment I was home after being away for a very long time. The talking and food quality was as American as it gets. Of course you are perfectly capable of teaching English, but immigrations scope of who is qualified is a narrow one. You need a passport from one of the 7 allowed countries to get in legally with a 1 year E-2 visa. I'm impressed by how well Hungarian kids learned to speak American so fluently. How did you pull this off? So many others around the world have been trying for years despite having all the same TV and stuff as you have, but are so very far from achieving it anything close to your fluency.

[Sjudit84]

northway: THen you are smelling yourself...

Lazio: K�szi! Megn�zem!

Zyzyfer: THank you!!!

Modernist: Exactly what you are saying....these are the reasons I don't wanna jump into a marriage. We have discussed it for a long time, I have met his family, I have been to Korea (I don't speak anything beyong basic expressions)...I just don't feel comfortable about marrying right now, especially being financially unstable.

E-7 visa? Hmmm I have not looked into that yet...but I have never seen jobs that said E-7 visa is OK, this is why I am worried. THe other thing are the PHD tuition fees, they are damn high...

I have wanted to go to Korea before I have even met him...And I know if he came to Europe, he would have a reeeeeally hard time finding a job. And to be honest, apart form my own country and Korea (and Turkey and maybe Austria, Germany), I cannot imagine living anywhere else...I can speak German, wouldn't be a problem for me to get a job, but how could he get a job if he only speaks Korean and English and he isn't the most qualified person in the world.

I def. have to look into the E-7 visa and try to find some ways...Thank you for your detailed comment!

[Sjudit84]

AsiaESLbound: Wow, you were here??? How did you like BUdapest?
Well, I donno about others, I have learnt all I know from TV, might be a very globalised way of learning but who cares. Oh and me and my bro always used English instead of Hungarian so our parents couldn't understand us LOL

[Zyzyfer]

E-7 jobs don't advertise that they're E-7 specifically. It's basically a "professional worker" visa not specifically intended for English but gets applied to a lot of editing and some office jobs.

It's not an easy visa to get! The company applying for it should have some clout or a history of applying for them, in my experience. Otherwise it can backfire through no fault of the employee's.

I would say, if you're intent on coming out here and not giving something good up back home, start off by saving up and taking a language program (or even Korean language degree track or something?) at one of the big universities, like Yonsei or Sogang. Try to get in some circles and keep your ears open for leads. When you hear about office job openings, try to apply. You may come across something where knowing Hungarian or German plays massively in your favor.

A friend of mine works at a place where they hired some Bulgarian woman as a secondary editor, so it's possible...but, like Modernist, I don't think you would find it very easy to make this jump. You'd have to accept the possibility that it could take 2-3 years of patience to land a solid job.

[ttompatz]

OP:

Can you (legally) teach English in Korea = NO, full stop.

- to be an English teacher you are required to be from one of:
US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Aus, NZ or S.Africa,
- to hold a degree from one of those same 7 countries,
- to have a clean criminal background check,
- to pass the mandatory medical exam.

Visa to teach a foreign language = E2.

Visa to teach as a visiting professor = E1.
Do you have a related masters or Ph.D; you can teach subject matter.

E7 is for a qualified professional.
-Typically you need a related masters and 2 to 5 years of related experience in the field of endeavor you wish to engage in.
-Your employer has to apply to immigration to use a foreigner to fill the position and will typically need to prove that they cannot find a Korean who can do the job.

Bottom line = pick another profession (other than EFL) or pick another country.

.

[Murakano]

I don`t know if you have any experience teaching but Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (maybe others too) teach Hungarian to Korean students as one of their Bachelor degree courses. I have a Korean friend studying there and their professor(s) are Hungarian....so that may be a possibility to look into especially if you have an MA.

Other than, your only other option is to come on a student visa for at least 6 months. Korean immigration allow you teach privates on this visa (bizarrely enough) with permission from the Uni. Several hagwons also hire students on student visas (I know not natives have been hired). I occasionally see job ads for Hungarian/Russian/other eastern european languages but these are part time or temporary..

Or marriage......