Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Thepingpongclub]

I apologize in advance if this topic has been covered in some form. The boards are pretty daunting and I haven't been able to find much so far, so here goes..

I am currently teaching in Spain and will finish in Summer, travel around India for a few months, then hope to start in Korea around December. With the new rules in place I assume i will have to make a trip back to the states first. When should I actually start these preparations and how long does the whole process take? (Interviews, visas, paperwork, medical checks, finding decent work from outside the country) Should I begin looking a couple months before, or can i just fly back to the states the month of and have something arranged within a couple weeks (I would like to spend as little time in the US as necessary!) In other words, I'm looking for a roundabout timeframe. From beginning the work search to getting my actual flight out to Korea how many days, weeks, or months do I need? In Spain in took 2 days. I'm hoping it wouldn't be much longer in Korea, though I'm expecting the contrary:/

Also, assume that I mean the length of time finding work at a decent school. Not the first recruiter ad that pops up!
Thanks!

[cruisemonkey]

There are just too many unknown variables to give an answer. Not the least of which are: how long it takes you to find a job you are willing to accept, and how much you can do toward assembling the required documents in advance from outside the U.S.

Then, there are the unknown Korean factors: the speed of your recruiter, the speed with which the employer submits an application for visa issuance, the speed of the particular embassy/consulate to which you apply for your visa.

A good 'rule of thumb' is about two months from when you find a job... maybe more, maybe less; nobody can say for sure. All they can do is offer anecdotal evidence on how long it took in their particular case.

[Thepingpongclub]

Thanks, that's actually about the roundabout answer I was looking for. Don't need anything too specific. It sounds like I could get most of that stuff done while traveling. So maybe I would need one month at most back in the States of actual document obtaining? I am hoping for much less! Does anybody know exactly how far in advance I would need to set up this embassy interview? Do I just run down there the day after I talk to the school, or is it some long bureaucratic process in its own? (Appointment necessary?)