Korean Job Discussion Forums

tanklor1 · Joined: 13 Jun 2006

A friend of mine is on a six month contract and he was woundering if it would be possible to end his contract at six months and still keep his E2 visa? Any legal loopholes around this one?

tanklor1 · Joined: 13 Jun 2006

bump. Anyone have an answer?

jadarite · Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 4:47 am Post subject:

I find it hard to believe the E2 visa is 1 year with a contract that says 6 months. So, double check that please.

tanklor1 · Joined: 13 Jun 2006

kprrok · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Location: KC

The VISA itself DOES NOT matter. It's the ARC card that matters. Your friend is only allowed to work at the location registered with immigration, which is tied to the ARC. If your friend gets a new job, he will have to go to immi and get the location added to his ARC. This would prove difficult as the 2nd job cannot have more hours than the main job.

tanklor1 · Joined: 13 Jun 2006

kprrok · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Location: KC

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

last goodbye · Joined: 13 Aug 2006

I have changed schools 3 times on the same visa. You just need a letter of release as far as I know. Thats how I got to stay on the same ARC/Visa. They will just change the school on the back of the card.

Also, make sure you get the letter as soon as you leave the job. I waited 3 weeks and immigration was about to make me leave, asking what I was doing here for 3 weeks.

jadarite · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:43 am Post subject:

Get the letter before you go to immigration. They only need 2 weeks, so there is no need to rush the LOR until you get the other stuff straightened out like CRC and medical check.

last goodbye · Joined: 13 Aug 2006

OK.. I got mine 3 weeks after the job was over. That was the problem- staying here for 3 "workless" weeks. So you are saying get it as close to the end of my time at that job as possible? So what you mean "they only need 2 weeks"? I will give 30 days tomorrow- may be able to get out sooner, depends- if I get the LOR and pay, I will leave ASAP, as I won't need to get another visa. I can just change employers on my ARC. (I think I have one lined up to start in a month).

jadarite · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:06 am Post subject:

The problem lies in your working dates. There has to be a continuous break from one contract period to the next, WITHOUT ANY GAPS. For example, if you want to work at a new school on Nov 1, you need something in the LOR which says you are released on October 31. Even though Nov 1 is a Saturday, I still think it needs to start immediately. I am guessing this is because when you actually work at the new school, it is between you and the school.

The weekend could be looked at as an orientation period. I did something similar in Japan. I arrived Thursday night, went to the city office on Friday to apply for my equivalent to an ARC card, and then met with other new teachers that weekend. Monday was an orientation, and then there were 3 days of training. So, I actually didn't start till Friday the next week.

If you get a LOR, you also start the clock on how much time you have. If you get a LOR later, then you have more time to find another school and get all the paperwork necessary. It took me 1.5 months to find the school I am at now, so I couldn't just get it in sequential fashion. I had to layer things to make it legal and work.

To help validate my case, my current school required me to sign the contract again with corrected dates. There was only a difference of 2 days between the two contracts, but I still had to go in and sign every page again, dating each one also with a new signing date.