Korean Job Discussion Forums

theprick · Joined: 05 May 2009

i have been working at this hagwon for like 8 months now without a degree, i thought i was allowed to work here without one because i have a f4 visa but i recently found out ive been working illegally

hmm is this common? do a lot of foreign teachers teach in korea without a degree or am i like one in a million that's been able to find a job without a degree?

Ruraljuror · Joined: 08 Dec 2007

crossmr · Joined: 22 Nov 2008 Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

On an F4 you can work like a Korean. You're not restricted by immigration, however Koreans need a teaching certificate from MoE to teach legally. Would a degree change much of what you do at the hagwon..prolly not..

ahram04 · Joined: 07 Apr 2009

wow....how did you get a job and where at? i'm very interested cuz i wanna do the samething and i'm eligible for an f4 visa too. and i heard some people do it too, you just gotta find a hawgon that doesn't really care about a degree. please let me know!

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

Well, you can either knock out a degree like the rest of the people out there trying to be or become a teacher, or you can doom yourself to hakwon hell for the rest of your career.

You won't have a leg to stand on in your employee-employer relationship, ever, and you'll be less and less attractive to potential employers the longer you sham your way through the hakwon system without a degree.

The hard fact of the matter is that this culture puts a lot of emphasis on the level of one's education. If you've found a hakwon boss who will hire you even though you don't have a degree, odds are he's not the most scrupulous s.o.b. to begin with.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

Not to mention that the boss can fire you at the 11th month thus saving last month's salary, severance, and airfare and there is nothing you could do about it as you would be working illegally.

polonius · Joined: 05 Jun 2004

Koreans only need to have completed a certain amount of years in a University to be able to legally teach in a hagwon and be recognized by the MOE. I think it is 2 years, but I could be wrong. I have a friend who has 3 semesters left to complete his Bachelor's and has been working legally at a hagwon for a year.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Location: Middle Land

Kurtz · Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Location: ples bilong me

Yes, indeed, do we have an informer? recent join date...

The Koreans are usually easy to spot, they tend to use the word "actually" to begin every sentence.

Actually, I might be a Korean too.

crossmr · Joined: 22 Nov 2008 Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

ahram04 · Joined: 07 Apr 2009

haha i'm not a cop or anything like that. just here looking for some information. OP, did you go through a recruiter? and what's MOE?? i still have about 1. 5 years of school left and i really don't wanna wait that long. so if anyone can help, that would be great.

blackjack · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Location: anyang

T-dot · Joined: 16 May 2004 Location: bundang

F4 allows you to work as a teaching ast. or a janitor or a secretary. in a hagwon. As a teacher, Im pretty sure you'd be technically illegal because your boss cannot register you at the local Ministry of Education without a diploma.

theprick · Joined: 05 May 2009

i like milfs

broken76 · Joined: 27 Jan 2008

Immigration won't care what work you do but you will not be able to legally teach since you can't be registered by the Ministry of Education.
Heck you can go be a doctor and immigration won't care but I'm sure some other government agency will.