Korean Job Discussion Forums

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 4:35 am Post subject:

The amusing thing with these debates on crackdowns or sweeps to catch illegal teachers is that they often lack on critical element....

These types of measures do not make headlines, teachers who are caught and deported do not get to tell their story in Korea. Basically, knowing how many people do get busted on tourist visas is difficult but this does not mean its not happening.

I think most long termers can say they know of several people who got deported or busted and fined for various visa issues. Heck I heard of or knew many such people, lots of them were "repeat tourists".

Most of them were Americans due to the shorter tourist visa and the higher number of "visa runs" needed.

Kimmi does get more active on this issue sometimes but they likely catch a few illegal teachers every month or week.

Now you can debate what that can be called all day....so carry on!

luckylady · Joined: 30 Jan 2012 Location: u.s. of occupied territories

I actually knew someone who taught w/o a degree - up until maybe 2005, 06? whenever the changes/crackdown regarding the need for degrees started coming up - she had been in Korea for a number of years, saved up enough that when she returned back to Canada, she planned to buy a home.

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

As far as I recall, you've needed a degree since at least 2001 to teach legally on an E2. It was around 2005 that you needed transcripts and such (someone is welcome to chime in with an accurate date there).

FMPJ · Joined: 03 Jun 2008

He's not a teacher, but a friend of mine did it for 10 years before getting caught 4-5 years ago. He was fined 2 mil and barred from the country for 6 months or so. He came back.

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 5:22 am Post subject:

I got to Korea in 1997 and you needed a degree to get an E2 back then too.

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

I think that 2004 was the first time that I needed transcripts.

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

I've known plenty of people who worked on a tourist visa for years (some still are). From what I'm told, they are almost never asked about it at the airport. At most someone notes that they've been to Korea many time and the "tourist" just gives a simple plausible excuse and they are let in - but even that is rare. I know that I have rarely been asked why I was entering the country.

People teaching on a tourist visa don't get caught at the airport. They get caught red handed at the hogwon. And no, immi doesn't tail you for a few days to see what you're up to. Once you walk through immigration, you're home free. The way they catch you is that someone tips off the Fuzz that there's a foreigner teaching illegally at a specific hogwon. Immi sends in the boys to check it out. If they find you in a hogwon and you're on a tourist visa or even on a proper visa but not authorized to work at THAT hogwon, then they make you pay a fine and boot you out of the country for a certain amount of time (after which you're welcome to return and start the whole thing again). Who would tip off immigration? Why would they do that? Two main people tip them off. Someone you know or met who wants to make problems for you, OR another hogwon owner who wants to make problems for your boss. How do they find out? Usually because you opened your mouth and told someone. It could also be that another hogwon owner simply suspects it, but as long as your boss keeps HIS mouth shut, other people really don't have any way to distinguish someone on a tourist visa and someone on a work visa. I don't know if they're still doing this, but I remember a few years ago there was a reward if you took a photo of someone doing something illegal. I think that mainly it was old people taking photos of car accidents when people didn't call the police, but I seem to recall hearing that you could also get the reward by snapping some shots of a tourist coming and going from a hogwon.

As I understand it, most long term tourist visa teachers ask for payment in cash. If the boss makes a direct deposit into your account, then it can show up later when the police check you out. For the same reason privates also pay in cash (even if you have an E2). I think that I've opened accounts at KEB and KBStar with only a passport.

You don't need an ARC to get a cell phone. Even small cities will have a few places that specialize in secondhand prepaid phones.

If you have money, you can find places to rent. Goshiwons are the easiest. You can also stay at a yokwon/youth hostel in a very small single room. Some yokwons give cheaper rates if you're staying for a month. Plus they usually have free ramien. Very Happy

There are in fact many countries where you can do this as well. Korea isn't the only place with long term "tourists".

GVI · Joined: 15 Mar 2011

A friend of mine from England managed 18 tourist visa stamps over the course of about six years (roughly between '92 and '98.) Taught the whole time - business classes, private lessons, the odd hagwan - and never got caught. He was questioned once at Gimpo on the way out on a visa run to Fukuoka, but claimed simply to be a tourist who loved Korea and couldn't get enough of it. There was some truth to this, as he did really like the country and traveled extensively throughout Korea on the weekends. When the immigration officer quizzed him about this place and that, he passed with flying colours. (To the point where the officer admitted with some shame the he needed to see more of his own country!) He was back from Fukuoka that very evening and teaching somewhere in Mokdong the next morning.

Otus · Joined: 09 Feb 2006

It is difficult to know real numbers with regard to teachers being caught
doing illegal work. One reason being
that if they put any account of it on
here, they used to be flamed and
bashed into kingdom come. What the
motives for doing that were, still defies me. ..