Korean Job Discussion Forums

Wishmaster · Joined: 06 Feb 2003

Yes, I'm still pretty shocked. My school is closing up shop soon...just found out yesterday. It is sickening because my school and the situation were quite good. No complaints. But it appears that I have to move on. I would like to hear from people who have had this kind of thing happen to them. What about visa status? How long did it take to find your next position? Any pertinent information would be appreciated. Thanks a lot.

Hank Scorpio · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

Wow, it really is happening left, right and centre now. I was probably in the first wave when my first school closed almost a year ago...
Visa status wasn't an issue for me at the time, i only had 2 months left on my E2, and took a holiday in Thailand for 4 months anyway...
make sure your next job is at a financially sound establishment.

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

A friend's school closed a few months ago. They said they would not report it to immigration for like another month or something.

Just letting you know you may not have a free ride until your contract is finished.

prairieboy · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Location: The batcave.

As Hank stated above, if you're in Seoul or near Seoul, you should be able to find a job relatively quickly. I started looking for a job back in August, several months before my contract finished and I had several job offers (including some contracts sent out to me) for a starting day in November. I still am getting responses from recruiters that had contacted me back in August.

Post your resume on Dave's and you'll get responses from many recruiters and some schools. If you are in Seoul or near, then take a walk around and visit various hagwons you may see (be sure to have your resume and copies of your degree with you so you can produce them if they ask you).

About your visa, get to Immigration and inform them of what's happening. They may extend your visa for you or you could go to Incheon airport and they may issue you a tourist visa. I'm not sure about this though so you should get in touch with immigration and ask this question to them.

Cheers

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

I hear a lot of hawgwons are going bust lately. Typical Korean style is to OVER populate a market. IF there are a 100 hawgwons in an area, where are all those hawgwons getting kids? Eventually 90 of them will go bust.

Working for well know chains is a good way to ensure you keep your job...as a Pagoda or ELS/ECC has the bucks to drive the small guys out of the areas they are moving into.

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

school is dead well then so is your visa..

for me, 2 weeks to get a new job

you get 14 days after your boss tells immigration that your employment has ceased.. ask him to hold off for a while. after that time if you havent found a job, you must leave and come back on a tourist visa.
you must leave the country to get a tourist visa. (99.999% sure on this)

if you can contact schools directly (avoid those useless recruiters) things will happen much faster for you.

oh yea, don't forget to get your termination letter.. otherwise, you can not get another job until your current contract expires.. (not 100% sure about this when a school closes but it can't hurt)

good luck

kinda silly when you think about it.. boss tells immigration that you have finished, you have 14 days and all but then when you try to get another job you must show immigration a letter saying that you have finished your other contract.. too many sojus me thinks