Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kiddirts]

I came back to Korea 2 months ago and wanted to seek out an E-2 visa with minimal hours to work per month so that I could pursue other lucrative jobs, such as early morning business positions. I was told to go to this man named Shin in Bangi at Michigan Campus and I could work for him 12 hours a week at 2 other schools he runs. In return for this favor, I agreed to pay for all costs associated with obtaining the E-2. I came to him January 5th and handed him my papers. He said to set two weekdays aside for him. He said he would find work for me immediately and I would begin working even before the E-2 came through (I know it's illegal, but I'm short on money and have bills to pay and I'm in debt).
I called him at least 4 times a week to ask when work would start and he kept pushing the issue aside. He said everything would be done before February when I had to fly out. The expenses I agreed to pay for on January 5th were:

Airticket 320,000
filing for visa 22,000
Osaka transportation 60,000
Visa at Osaka 80,000
Photo 5,000
Revenue Stamp 20,000

Totalling 407,000 won

At the end of January, I had to fly out in 5 days, and said I needed the papers to go to Osaka...he said, he hadn't even been to immigration yet!!!
That I needed to go and extend my visa.

Visa extension 30,000
Total 437,000

I purchase the plane ticket for the 23rd of February and call him 5 times a week for the first 2 weeks to get the ball moving. After 2 weeks he still hadn't moved his ass over to immigration and said that he would go on Monday the 16th. I said I will meet you and go with you as I couldn't trust this man anymore. So 41 days later, I go with him to make sure it is getting done. I pay the visa filing costs with him and I wait until Saturday when he said the papers would be ready (I was due to fly out on Monday) He said they weren't ready yet...I now had to change the tickets...He called the airline ticket company, spoke to them in Korean, and told me that they said that it would only be 50,000 won to change them and I must come there before 9am on Monday. He expected me to pay the 50,000 and I argued for over an hour with him and was ready to sign a letter of release when he gave in and gave me the 50,000, although he said it wasn't his fault, that it's immigration's fault (that he waited 41 days to walk down there for the first time??). Anyway, I show up at 8:30 am and they are closed. The lady says that she never told him to come at 9:00 that AND she never told him it would be 50,000. It costs me 120,000 this morning to change my tickets AND I can't come back on the same day...I now have to stay overnight in a hotel.

Change of plane tickets: 120,000 (-50,000 he paid me) 70,000
Cheap hotel in Osaka: 50,000 (I hope)
Having to cancel 2 days of part-time work: 300,000
Total costs: 557,000

All of January I was pretty much sitting on my ass with minimal work. Besides, over the last 2 months I was pretty much paralized without my transcripts and diploma as I couldn't work with many other options that were opened to me such as a publishing company that wanted to PAY FOR another type of working visa and a public school that would have paid for everything and had me work only 15 hours a week.

Here's another thing...I fly out this Thursday and come back on Friday. The immigration papers may not even be ready by then.

Before anyone says, that's what you deserve, I realize that working without an e-2 is illegal, I put in 9 months of serving a hagwon for the minimum and met too many people out and about who freelance and have figured out the secret to making Korea worthwhile (I hate this society...take this man for example). I'm just asking for help on what I should do considering my options. If I ever signed a full-time I'd just as soon go back to the US. I found it nearly impossible for me to get a multiple tourist entry visa once having a cancelled E-2 slapped on my passport.

I feel this man is a complete slimeball and I have bigtime regrets about ever getting involved with him...in fact I was warned many times before meeting him. Ironically there was even a recent thing on English Spectrum about him. I know it was a lot, thanks for taking the time to read what I wrote. If you were in my position, what would you do?

[tsgarp]

Most people woldn't be trying to get over on the system like you in the first place. Play with mud, get dirtied up.
As for what you can do, try to get a legal job, failing that, go back home and see if Safeway is hiring.

[Alex Buffa]

hahahahaha

the man needed money and had bills to pay. So that was his justification for working illegally. In the end, he's burned, lost a nice sum of money and is somewhat screwed because he can't get his illegal postion...I'm crying with laughter already. He wasn't screwed, he screwed himself. His greed made him come here, his stupidity made him pay all the bills on his own to work illegally and his naivity saw him trust someone he didn't know with so much at stake while at the same time getting bad vibes from lack of action.

I agree with the previous poster, best to stay home and find a job there. If you have "bills" to pay, you don't have to find a way to scam easy money in Korea to pay them. In the end, you got burned, and I find that somewhat satisfying.

Enjoy your flight home.

=P

[kiwiboy_nz_99]

People are so lazy!

You want big money? Through doing privates?

Work a FULL TIME job AND do a lot of privates. That's how you make money. That way you don't have to worry about your visa ...

[just because]

Kiddirts, if my mind recalls me you have trouble before this time. You must have expected no sympathy from this forum and while I feel bad for you you do reap what you sow man.

[Kiddirts]

Being from America it's not worth doing the 3 month thing and I don't have the luxury of running out every 6 months like everyone else. If I did, then I'd just have a mult. entry tourist visa and I'd have collected enough work to where I'd punch out 5.0 minimum a month like many people I've met, it's no secret. Why work full time for 15-20,000 won an hour when ESL minimum wage is 30,000? The legal/illegal bit is to protect the Korean Hagwon owners...do I care about them? Kids are still getting educated and I'm taking a share of what the friendly, honest hagwon owners would be taking out of my pocket instead.

[Juggertha]

well, this is a sympathetic lot eh?

Ah i'm guessing your American and thus having to get somethign longer than a one month visa?

as it stands seems you've been shafted. might want to see if a school will sponsor you for part time work or maybe get a corperation back home to write you a letter of sponsorship (3 months).

either way, i agree. seems you've gotten yourself into it. need to get yourself out.

[Butterfly]

Well some people have come down a bit hard on you here, but I think you've got a little spunk laddie, to try to sort that deal out for yourself, and don't be disheartened that it hasn't worked out or by the scornful remarks here (have some adopted that so called Korean characteristic of hammering down the nail that sticks out?). I think you need to build a stronger and more trusting relationship with your sponsor before you rely on him; and you don't know this guy, there is always going to be something dodgy about a guy willing to sponsor a complete stranger.

If you're in trouble now, I'd take a full time position, and keep the same idea and goal in mind. Build relationships with people, and find your sponsor. Keep trying and good luck.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[TheUrbanMyth]

[kangnamdragon]

Why trust a man who is setting up illegal work for you? Do you trust your drug dealer?

[rapier]

Sympathy and bad luck there kiddirts: you tried anyway. In my experience, I have this advice:
*don't expect anything from a korean you don't know well.
*Don't take them at their word, they tell you what you want to hear, just to keep their own options open.
*Planning to make a quick buck here, by untertaking more than one job and for less than a year is notoriously tricky.
* it takes a long time to get the best out of this country- employers have to know and trust you over time before they'll work with you in any beneficial way..
* you put all your eggs in one basket, and all depended on this one man. Unwise!! Didn't you have a plan B?.. I'm sure if you'd spread your net wider, you'd have found a multitude of offers to fit your situation- but it takes persistence rather than going with the first thing that comes along.
*Ultimately you left yourself too short of time and money. I've done the same as well on occasion. Which is why I've learned to allow for the worst over here- cover all bases!
*Good luck- just get over it and start again from scratch.

[OiGirl]

[osangrl]

Who told you to go to Shin????


He is the man i first came on this board crying about. He is a lying psycho! Last august all 5 of his foreign staff quit at once. All of us. And he just let us walk out cause we had so much dirt on him. He pawns you out, charges u for everything, makes you travel around seoul for a measly 30 thousand. I had an E-2 with him. He hit teachers, spit on one, sexually harrassed the girls on almost a daily bases, trying to kiss us, hug us or touch our boobs. He's an alcoholic, one time he was drunk, and went to a male teachers apartment and asked to see his *beep*. He never pays on time, lies , makes excuses for everything.

Poor guy, should have done more research, because any forum you go to to ask about him, you will here the same kind of stuff. The guy owed me over 4 million, never paid up, but i was too scared of him to go after it.

pm me if you want any other info.

[Derrek]

Dude, your situation sucks. It's worse than mine was last year, I'd say, and I even got busted by immigrations.

So what is your current visa status? Still a tourist? Until when? Is the E-2 still in-process (I'm assuming so).

If I were you, I would cancel this current E-2 and wash your hands of this man. Then get a real job. I don't say that in a mean way. I am agreeing with Kiwi-boy to the max here. You need to get the stable E-2 job with the good hours. If you want to do the illegal stuff from there -- well, that's your choice. The only ones to stop you will be immigrations if you are busted.