Korean Job Discussion Forums

kimjoohui · Joined: 08 Jan 2009

Just want to know, has anyone ever left a public school job early and successfully gotten another public school job? If so, how'd you do it?

DosEquisXX · Joined: 04 Nov 2009

I guess, sort of. But you'd have a long period of unemployment (probably as long as the time left on your contract).

If you leave early, your work visa is canceled, you lose your residence and you must leave the country.

You can only get a new work visa at your home country.

sheba · Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: Here there and everywhere!

For PS jobs, you can only get a visa in your home country? No visa runs?

DosEquisXX · Joined: 04 Nov 2009

tired of LA · Joined: 06 Nov 2006 Location: Seoul

Unless things have changed recently, you are only required to obtain your first visa in your home country because of the interview requirement. Although there are exceptions to this rule. After your first visa, as long as you have completed 9 months, you are not required to get you visa from your home country anymore.

sheba · Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: Here there and everywhere!

lifeinkorea · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China

WOW Talk about misinformation.

outkast_3000 · Joined: 20 Nov 2009

Short answer: yes. I changed PS schools my first year...but it can be tricky.

It is case dependent I think - technically you are allowed, but you have to jump through a ton of hoops to make it work.

All you really need to do to make it work is get a letter of release from your current employer. If you have a job lined up already, you will need to get 2 documents from the new school - a letter with the registration number of the school and one other that I cannot remember the name of. You will also need to bring a copy of your NEW contract to the immigration office. Basically once you have these documents, you just need to file for a simple Visa Transfer, and the form is available at the immigration office. So...as far as the technicality of it, it is a fairly simple process...

But the reality is different...good luck getting your letter of release. That is all I have to say. If you can offer your principal a valid reason for leaving his or her school, and you have not burned any bridges and he or she likes you, you might be able to get it. I was far away in Jeollabuk-do in my first year, and after 6 months I started the TESOL program at Hanyang, which is in Seoul, and that I would need to change to a school closer to Seoul. I told the principal I had to leave for education purposes, and he reluctantly allowed it - it did not hurt that we were on good terms.

The reason why it is hard to secure the letter of release is because it puts your principal in a dicey situation - he or she will need to find a replacement immediately. Try to give them some time if you can - but it could be difficult. The other way is to just quit and leave the country and come back again - I have no experience with this, so I will not speak on it.

Good luck to you.

sheba · Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: Here there and everywhere!

outkast_3000 · Joined: 20 Nov 2009

You would only do a "visa run" if your current contract was ending - it's not. Your visa is still valid, it's good for the year - all you want to do is change the sponsor of your visa (who would be your employer). As I mentioned earlier, this will involve getting a letter of release from your current employer (it's essentially a letter of permission allowing you to leave them, and move to another school/hagwon). You can do all of this from the comfort of Korea - you don't need to go anywhere except your nearest immigration office.

You need to tell your current employer you want out (as kindly as possible) and request a letter of release - be prepared with a phoney but strong excuse for wanting to "quit" that doesn't make your current employer lose face. If your current employer doesn't give you the letter of release and refuses, then you're in a tough spot where a visa run might be necessary. But why take that tough route right now when you might still be able to get a letter of release?

You should be focused on 2 things right now: getting a letter of release & searching hard on the job boards for new positions.

EDIT: I feel I need to qualify some of my remarks. All I've written only applies in a public school to public school transfer. As I've learned on another thread today, you can't do a PS to Hagwon transfer, or Hagwon to Hagwon transfer. In those instances, you'd need to do an actual visa run. I won't say too much more about it, as I can't confirm that information to be accurate, but it's something to look into. You can transfer between public schools easily if you've obtained the necessary documents.

kimjoohui · Joined: 08 Jan 2009

outkast_3000 · Joined: 20 Nov 2009

I just told them the truth actually. I was teaching really far south in Jeollabuk-do, but then I enrolled in a TESOL class at Hanyang University, which is in Seoul and told them I had to move closer to Seoul. I told them I really wanted to further my education in EFL Pedagogy to become a better teacher, blah blah blah, and everyone was fine with it. I mean, employers have to be aware that circumstances change and things happen - it just depends on what the reasoning is behind all of it. I think if you've got a valid reason for wanting to transfer - a reason that doesn't make your employer lose face - you'll probably get the letter of release. But...maybe I just got lucky. Who knows.