Korean Job Discussion Forums

[deanjcrawford]

Hi all,


I wasn't sure which thread to post this on as it relates directly to both!

I will shortly be returning to Korea for a third stint with my girlfriend, but her sister also wants to join us as living and working in Asia is something she has always dreamed of. She has a 3 year old daughter (I am guessing she will be 4 by the time she would leave) but i was just wondering if there was anyone else out there that has been in a similar situation.

I never really thought of it before, but i thought it would be quite convenient as i presumed that her daughter could attend the same school if she worked at a hagwon or kindergarten. Plus for the school to have a foreign kid, plus for the parent.

Do you have to get a visa for the child? Is this a hard thing to do?

Is there much for a kid to do in Korea?

It's weird, but all the years i have spent in Korea, i have never once thought about any of these questions.

I am not a lazy git, and obviously i will help my "sister-in-law" research into this, but ideally i wanted to hear stories/get advice from real people that might have had the same experience.

Thanks for looking!

[kaosjin]

PM sent

[Lolimahro]

I don't know about being a single mom, but as a parent I can answer a couple of questions.

First of all, she would be getting the F3 visa for her child. The child will probably come to Korea on a C3 visa and then switch it to an F3 visa after she gets her ARC. It takes a bit of time - about a month, I believe - so she will want to make sure that her child has some kind of health insurance coverage or a bit of money saved up before her trip in case her child gets sick before getting the F3 visa (C3 is not covered under national health insurance in Korea, but F3 is).

I don't know if she could take her kid to the hagwon, but there are a number of public daycare and kindergarten systems in Korea - or at least in Seoul - that are quite a bit cheaper than childcare in the United States. I send my own son to a public daycare and the rates start at 383,000 won per month for infants (the rate is lower as the child gets older). You can find some information about childcare on this website: http://children.seoul.go.kr/

If she is really seriously thinking about coming, she should check out the Expat Parents Forum (http://expatparents.50.forumer.com/) I believe there are a couple of single moms on that forum, but there is a lot of information about childcare and parenting in Korea regardless.

Hope that helps!