Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mclaughlin-stonham]

The Korean E2 Visa Application Helpdesk Centre for UK & Irish Applicants

A Facebook group that gives all the information needed to apply for the E2 Visa.

www.facebook.com

search under groups or follow this link

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8579631831

[syi012]

[jadarite]

I have had a lot of good experiences talking to recruiters (maybe I just got lucky), so I am curious what the advantages are of getting an E2 visa in a different way (besides saving a little cash).

With all the new rules, wouldn't it be easier and more convenient to work with a recruiter, or are there crucial things people can get by obtaining an E2 visa that recruiters may hide or not address?

[mclaughlin-stonham]

No, the recruiters wouldnt hide anything. That would just hinder the application process. Their job is to make sure you get to Korea with minimal hassle in order to gain their commission. With the current situation it makes perfect sense to get a recruiter to do a lot of the legwork as long as the recruiter is aware that embassies around the world have different visa procedure policies. I would make sure the recruiter knows exactly what the embassy policy is for the country you are applying from before having any dealings with them.

I'm very curious to know what you paid the recruiter for. Did they cover expenses for the..
a) Foreign office?
b) Criminal checks?
c) Visa fee at the embassy?
d) Solicitor's charge for stamping criminal checks?

or simply just provide the information you needed?

[jadarite]

I came to Korea in October, so I didn't have to deal with a lot of the issues people are facing now. My biggest thing was another school in Suwon wanted me ASAP in September, and the recruiter stopped all communication with me after they made flight arrangements.

I got an email that weekend from the travel agency asking for a credit card number to pay for the airfare. So, I had to cancel. That was the only bad experience, and I don't consider it that bad because it gave me a chance to look around more for this school I am at.

I am quite happy at this school, they paid for everything. I am just way out in the country, and I would like to live closer to Seoul.

What I was hoping to do was to find another teacher for this school, then find another school closer to Seoul. I understand I have to leave the country to get the new E2 visa (unless it can be transferred?), so either I could go back to America or I would like to head over to Japan. I lived there for 4 years, and I may have a place to stay (with the old school I taught at).

If possible, I could wait it out there until the visa is processed and re-enter on the new E2 visa from Japan. I think that would be cheaper for everyone.

Looking at my situation, I don't really want to guess my way through this maze. I have yet to find out if things are going to get nasty if I push leaving the school. I have only mentioned it once to the school director, and he suggested I leave as soon as possible. Other than that, there have been no other comments.

[mclaughlin-stonham]

I'm afraid to say that if you wished to quit your position now and choose another school, you couldnt have chosen a worse time to do it! The new E2 regulations have been force since January this year for new applicants and come into force for renewals on March 15th. It is still unclear as to whether teachers can renew their visas in Japan or not after this date. I am still waiting for confirmation from the UK embassy in Seoul to clarify this.
Your only choice would be to quit (if your director is happy to release you), return to the USA and start all over again but with the new requirements. It may pay to stay put and survive the year considering you came through on the old visa process.

[Ut videam]

jadarite, you'll find your biggest problem is that you have not been here for ten months. If you had, you would have been able to change your workplace with a letter of release from your current employer (and a new job to transfer into, of course!) But without ten months in the job, the only transfers Immi is allowing are from hagwons to public schools.

Also, if this is your first E-2 visa, you'll buy yourself a load of trouble if you leave early. According to the new regulations, only those who have previously worked in Korea on an E-2 are eligible to obtain a visa in a third country (e.g., Japan). This means having worked for at least a year on a prior E-2; in other words, having successfully completed at least one full contract and visa term. If this is your first time in Korea, leaving before the end of this E-2 will mean you have to interview for any new visa back in the US.

Your options seem to play out like this:

• Find a public school job. This is the only way you'll be able to transfer the visa before 10 months.
• Wait 'til you have 10 months in, then transfer to a new job.
• Stick it out 'til the end of this contract, at which point you'll be eligible to transfer/extend your visa (if you find a job that starts immediately after the current one finishes) or get a new E-2 without an interview in Japan or another third country.

In any of these cases, you'll need a background check and health check after March 15th. In addition, you'll need a letter of release from your current employer for any transfer.

You say you're "quite happy" at your current school. Is getting closer to Seoul really worth all the hassle you're bound to encounter if you try to change jobs now?