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Darkeru
Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Location: England
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 Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:33 am Post subject: Flight/Visa question |
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I'm hoping to be accepted for SMOE, so this question is regarding that situation. I'm also from the U.K. if it matters.
How early can someone enter the country without a problem, on a normal visa that someone would get for working for SMOE for a year?
It seems like at the moment at least, airfares can vary quite a bit even within a few days, though I don't know if it'll be the same when I've finally got the contract and visa. It also might be good to arrive early to avoid any problems from flight delays or jetlag.
Are there any other tips for getting a plane ticket from the U.K. to South Korea? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:35 am Post subject: |
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Do NOT get (pay for) your ticket until you have your letter of appointment and visa IN YOUR PASSPORT.
There are countless posts each year in the form of, "HELP - My visa is delayed and my flight is tomorrow, WHAT CAN I DO???"
And the usual answer is, "You are screwed and will eat the extra costs associated with trying to change your flight arrangements!"
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Darkeru
Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Location: England
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| Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:43 am Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
| Do NOT get (pay for) your ticket until you have your letter of appointment and visa IN YOUR PASSPORT. |
Yeah, I'll be waiting until I've the visa in hand to book it  . I just mean that's the situation now (that the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th all have quite different costs), but I don't know if it'll be the same when I have the visa and book it (i.e. much closer to the date with an unknown amount of time left). |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Darkeru wrote: |
| ttompatz wrote: |
| Do NOT get (pay for) your ticket until you have your letter of appointment and visa IN YOUR PASSPORT. |
Yeah, I'll be waiting until I've the visa in hand to book it . I just mean that's the situation now (that the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th all have quite different costs), but I don't know if it'll be the same when I have the visa and book it (i.e. much closer to the date with an unknown amount of time left). |
And as a side note, to answer your original question, you can enter the country as soon as you have your visa without any problem on entry BUT:
a) your one year period of sojourn begins on your date of entry so if you come a bit early you will need to face the necessity of getting an extension near the end of your 1st year so your sojourn matches your contract. There is some paperwork and a 30k won fee involved in this.
b) your housing and other arrangements with SMOE don't begin until orientation so if you come in early you will be faced with the costs of your own accommodation, etc until you actually head for the orientation. This CAN sometimes be more expensive than the additional costs associated with the changing airfare rates and does come out of YOUR pocket.
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toniyellow
Joined: 30 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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I flew into Seoul three days earlier than orientation, because it was cheaper, and I wanted to be a tourist and see a tiny bit of the country before going off to orientation and then straight into teaching.
There were many people at orientation who had been told by recruiters they HAD to arrive on the day orientation started, some turning up well after midnight after a long flight.
I think its a smart choice to come a couple of days early. I know I will have to extend my visa at the end, but I wanted to do that anyway to stay for a specific festival a week after I finish teaching.
From Australia, it was way cheaper to buy a budget flight to Tokyo, then a different airline to Korea. I spent 5 days in Tokyo because of this too. I've heard from the UK you can do the same with Dubai, but I'm not sure.
If you're paying to fly halfway across the world, and you're at a point where you're changing jobs so you don't have to rely on requesting vacation time from an employer, it can make good sense to milk all the possible travel opportunities out of it. |
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GoldenPennies
Joined: 11 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:46 am Post subject: |
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| just do a visa run to japan |
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debb199
Joined: 15 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 1:13 am Post subject: |
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[quote="ttompatz"][quote="Darkeru"]
| ttompatz wrote: |
And as a side note, to answer your original question, you can enter the country as soon as you have your visa without any problem on entry BUT:
a) your one year period of sojourn begins on your date of entry so if you come a bit early you will need to face the necessity of getting an extension near the end of your 1st year so your sojourn matches your contract. There is some paperwork and a 30k won fee involved in this.
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Just to point out that if you're from the UK, the visa extension is free of charge (at least it was in March of this year). |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:23 am Post subject: |
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[quote="debb199"][quote="ttompatz"]
| Darkeru wrote: |
| ttompatz wrote: |
And as a side note, to answer your original question, you can enter the country as soon as you have your visa without any problem on entry BUT:
a) your one year period of sojourn begins on your date of entry so if you come a bit early you will need to face the necessity of getting an extension near the end of your 1st year so your sojourn matches your contract. There is some paperwork and a 30k won fee involved in this.
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Just to point out that if you're from the UK, the visa extension is free of charge (at least it was in March of this year). |
that depends on the kind of visa extension.
Extension for tourism purposes and a duration of 30 days or less = free.
Extension of sojourn for working =30k won.
Brits get their re-entry permits for free too but they must apply when they get their ARC or at the airport each time they fly.
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Darkeru
Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Location: England
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| Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the information. I might come a little early if it's cheaper and accommodation isn't too expensive - assuming the visa comes early enough. I might get a chance to play tourist too, if I'm not sleeping the whole time. Out of curiosity, how long can someone get an extension for? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Darkeru wrote: |
| Thanks for the information. I might come a little early if it's cheaper and accommodation isn't too expensive - assuming the visa comes early enough. I might get a chance to play tourist too, if I'm not sleeping the whole time. Out of curiosity, how long can someone get an extension for? |
Work extensions can be up to 1 year at a time as long as you are under contract and have a sponsor.
Extending an E2 for tourism cam be for up to 30 days beyond your allowed sojourn.
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