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Gringo17
Joined: 13 Jun 2011
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 Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 7:51 pm Post subject: Late start |
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| Hello everyone, I've been checking out the site the last few days and I've been incredibly impressed with this forum. A lot of people are helped very quickly and I was hoping that someone could help me out as well. I was only recently told of the opportunity to teach in Korea, and I was immediately interested and I want to start as soon as August if I can find a position. Is this realistic? I'm concerned about the background check (another thread says it takes about 7 weeks). I don't want to waste any time that could cost me an opportunity to have the experience many of you have already completed. Any and all advice would be appreciated on what I should get done ASAP. Thanks in advance |
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yellowdove
Joined: 19 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 1:35 am Post subject: |
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If you're serious, get your background check sorted NOW. That way, if a recruiter asks you about it, you can say you've already started the process. Make sure you have 2-3 sealed transcripts from your university. Be prepared to get an apostile on your degree. Make sure all your paperwork is sorted out, or can be easily sorted if you have to act fast.
As long as you have that, many recruiters and schools look for people last minute. People drop out of positions, and then the schools have to look for people who can fill in ASAP. Look at all the job postings on Dave's. There's bound to be a recruiter who will suit you.
When you do contact recruiters, make sure that they have your best interest in mind. Some will just try to stick you with a job anywhere, regardless of how good the school is, just so they can get paid. Ask to see pictures of the school AND your apartment. Ask to speak to current teachers there, and get their email address so they can write to you in private (many schools will hover over their teachers as they talk to you on the phone, so there's pressure to say good things about the school). |
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marsavalanche
Joined: 27 Aug 2010
Location: where pretty lies perish
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 2:02 am Post subject: Re: Late start |
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| Gringo17 wrote: |
| Hello everyone, I've been checking out the site the last few days and I've been incredibly impressed with this forum. A lot of people are helped very quickly and I was hoping that someone could help me out as well. I was only recently told of the opportunity to teach in Korea, and I was immediately interested and I want to start as soon as August if I can find a position. Is this realistic? I'm concerned about the background check (another thread says it takes about 7 weeks). I don't want to waste any time that could cost me an opportunity to have the experience many of you have already completed. Any and all advice would be appreciated on what I should get done ASAP. Thanks in advance |
LOL.
Are you in a hurry? I'm not sure why, but it sounds like you are. Why would not having a job by that time "cost you an opportunity"? There are TONS of jobs in Korea dude.
My advice: Get the CBC + apostille NOW, and take your time and find a GOOD job instead of trying to make your faux-deadline. Trust me, it will pay dividends as most people will agree with the notion that happiness in Korea is directly correlated to whether one has a good job. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 2:21 am Post subject: Re: Late start |
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| Gringo17 wrote: |
| I don't want to waste any time that could cost me an opportunity to have the experience many of you have already completed. Any and all advice would be appreciated on what I should get done ASAP. Thanks in advance |
LOL....
30,000 E2s were issued last year.
More than 1/2 will go home or to other countries at the end of their contracts.
There are 40,000 jobs to be filled.
You do the math.
As long as you have:
i) a clean CBC with apostille affixed
ii) a copy of your degree with an apostille affixed
iii) a passport
iv) a pulse
the difficulty in finding a job in Korea is about the same as stepping off a curb.
Get your documents in order (they ARE a requirement to obtain a work visa) and then start applying for jobs.
There is NO RUSH and don't let any recruiter tell you that there is (or you will be buying a pig in a poke).
Take your time, do it right and have a good year or 5 in Korea.
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Gringo17
Joined: 13 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:23 am Post subject: |
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| Hey thanks for the advice, the only reason I'm it sounds like I'm in a hurry is because I am under the impression that a lot of school positions begin in the July August months, but maybe this isn't the case? I'm planning on getting fingerprinted today and send off the rest of the documents to get my background check ASAP. Is it possible to get a position without a visa at first and then get the E2 while you are over there? |
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litebear
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Holland
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:56 am Post subject: |
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| Gringo17 wrote: |
| Hey thanks for the advice, the only reason I'm it sounds like I'm in a hurry is because I am under the impression that a lot of school positions begin in the July August months, but maybe this isn't the case? I'm planning on getting fingerprinted today and send off the rest of the documents to get my background check ASAP. Is it possible to get a position without a visa at first and then get the E2 while you are over there? |
No. Absolutely not.
Look man, relax. There will be good jobs available throughout the year. Just work on getting your docs together. After that start hitting up recruiters with a resume and professional photo letting them know you have all your docs ready and are ready to leave ASAP. Choose a position that suits you and off you go! |
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Speedling
Joined: 08 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:06 am Post subject: |
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| litebear wrote: |
| Gringo17 wrote: |
| Hey thanks for the advice, the only reason I'm it sounds like I'm in a hurry is because I am under the impression that a lot of school positions begin in the July August months, but maybe this isn't the case? I'm planning on getting fingerprinted today and send off the rest of the documents to get my background check ASAP. Is it possible to get a position without a visa at first and then get the E2 while you are over there? |
No. Absolutely not.
Look man, relax. There will be good jobs available throughout the year. Just work on getting your docs together. After that start hitting up recruiters with a resume and professional photo letting them know you have all your docs ready and are ready to leave ASAP. Choose a position that suits you and off you go! |
Hate to disagree but,
Several employers asked me if I would be willing to come on a tourist visa, start work, then when my visa was processed, switch to a E-2 by going to Japan for a Visa run.
Of course, that meant, I would be working illegally. It also meant those employers were willing to bend the rules (break the law) to suit their needs.
So I think its something that could be arranged. But I would strongly advise against it. Teaching illegally means there is no re-course if your employer stiffs you on pay, or otherwise try to screw you over. Plus, you'd be breaking the law yourself, something that could be used against you, even down the road.
Get started now! I am Canadian, I started getting my documents together in the middle of May, and am rushing through the visa process right now, my employer/recruiter are still optimistic that I'll be in country by June 25'th.
Anythings possible!
Good luck! |
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Gringo17
Joined: 13 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:25 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks a lot for the info. Believe me, I'm trying to be chill, but I'm pretty excited about the prospect of teaching in Korea as early as August (when my current job ends). I'm currently in the US and from what I've read, it takes about 7 weeks to get the background check, are there any other documents that can take awhile? Thanks for everyone's patience. |
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Xylox
Joined: 09 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:31 am Post subject: |
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| Gringo17 wrote: |
| Thanks a lot for the info. Believe me, I'm trying to be chill, but I'm pretty excited about the prospect of teaching in Korea as early as August (when my current job ends). I'm currently in the US and from what I've read, it takes about 7 weeks to get the background check, are there any other documents that can take awhile? Thanks for everyone's patience. |
I kind of skimmed, so forgive me if I missed it, but from what country are you coming from?
American background checks seem to take a very long time, personally mine took about 30 minutes (Canadian, used local police). Check your nearest Korean embassy and see what they require for the E2, get it done asap. Generally, the longer you spend looking for a job the better chance you have of getting a "good" one. You can find a job in like 2 days, but it might be junk. |
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litebear
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Holland
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 11:06 am Post subject: |
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| Speedling wrote: |
| litebear wrote: |
| Gringo17 wrote: |
| Hey thanks for the advice, the only reason I'm it sounds like I'm in a hurry is because I am under the impression that a lot of school positions begin in the July August months, but maybe this isn't the case? I'm planning on getting fingerprinted today and send off the rest of the documents to get my background check ASAP. Is it possible to get a position without a visa at first and then get the E2 while you are over there? |
No. Absolutely not.
Look man, relax. There will be good jobs available throughout the year. Just work on getting your docs together. After that start hitting up recruiters with a resume and professional photo letting them know you have all your docs ready and are ready to leave ASAP. Choose a position that suits you and off you go! |
Hate to disagree but,
Several employers asked me if I would be willing to come on a tourist visa, start work, then when my visa was processed, switch to a E-2 by going to Japan for a Visa run.
Of course, that meant, I would be working illegally. It also meant those employers were willing to bend the rules (break the law) to suit their needs.
So I think its something that could be arranged. But I would strongly advise against it. Teaching illegally means there is no re-course if your employer stiffs you on pay, or otherwise try to screw you over. Plus, you'd be breaking the law yourself, something that could be used against you, even down the road.
Get started now! I am Canadian, I started getting my documents together in the middle of May, and am rushing through the visa process right now, my employer/recruiter are still optimistic that I'll be in country by June 25'th.
Anythings possible!
Good luck! |
Look mate, no offence but your not even in Korea yet. Hardly in a position to start giving advice about the availability of E2 Visas for people already in Korea on a tourist visa.
The OPs question was whether or not he could get a visa in Korea after he arrived. The answer is no. You cannot get your visa issued in Korea, you must be in a different country. Also, if it's your first E2 visa you need to get in your home country (there have been some very rare exceptions to this, but they are in the minority). |
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bbud656
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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| the semester starts last week of august/first of September. Best time to find a job, especially at a public school. |
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Speedling
Joined: 08 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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| litebear wrote: |
| Speedling wrote: |
| litebear wrote: |
| Gringo17 wrote: |
| Hey thanks for the advice, the only reason I'm it sounds like I'm in a hurry is because I am under the impression that a lot of school positions begin in the July August months, but maybe this isn't the case? I'm planning on getting fingerprinted today and send off the rest of the documents to get my background check ASAP. Is it possible to get a position without a visa at first and then get the E2 while you are over there? |
No. Absolutely not.
Look man, relax. There will be good jobs available throughout the year. Just work on getting your docs together. After that start hitting up recruiters with a resume and professional photo letting them know you have all your docs ready and are ready to leave ASAP. Choose a position that suits you and off you go! |
Hate to disagree but,
Several employers asked me if I would be willing to come on a tourist visa, start work, then when my visa was processed, switch to a E-2 by going to Japan for a Visa run.
Of course, that meant, I would be working illegally. It also meant those employers were willing to bend the rules (break the law) to suit their needs.
So I think its something that could be arranged. But I would strongly advise against it. Teaching illegally means there is no re-course if your employer stiffs you on pay, or otherwise try to screw you over. Plus, you'd be breaking the law yourself, something that could be used against you, even down the road.
Get started now! I am Canadian, I started getting my documents together in the middle of May, and am rushing through the visa process right now, my employer/recruiter are still optimistic that I'll be in country by June 25'th.
Anythings possible!
Good luck! |
Look mate, no offence but your not even in Korea yet. Hardly in a position to start giving advice about the availability of E2 Visas for people already in Korea on a tourist visa.
The OPs question was whether or not he could get a visa in Korea after he arrived. The answer is no. You cannot get your visa issued in Korea, you must be in a different country. Also, if it's your first E2 visa you need to get in your home country (there have been some very rare exceptions to this, but they are in the minority). |
Thats OK, no offense taken!
I was really responding to the bolded question in the quote.
"Is it possible to get a position without a visa at first and then get the E2 while you are over there?"
to which you responded "No, absolutely not."
I'm not trying to pretend to be an expert! But I was offered the opportunity to do EXACTLY what he was asking about by 2 different hagwons. So I know its possible for Canadians at least!
The only advice I gave was not to do it for a few reasons that I think made sense. I was passing along the same advice given to me! Its illegal, if something go's wrong there's very little recourse, and breaking the law could be used against you. Also I advised him to start gathering his documents right away. Is that not good advice?
Your right though, I'm not in Korea yet! Just thought my own personal experience in job shopping, and, the offers/requests that were made to me might be helpful or relevant!
Cheers! |
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litebear
Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Holland
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Speedling wrote: |
| litebear wrote: |
| Speedling wrote: |
| litebear wrote: |
| Gringo17 wrote: |
| Hey thanks for the advice, the only reason I'm it sounds like I'm in a hurry is because I am under the impression that a lot of school positions begin in the July August months, but maybe this isn't the case? I'm planning on getting fingerprinted today and send off the rest of the documents to get my background check ASAP. Is it possible to get a position without a visa at first and then get the E2 while you are over there? |
No. Absolutely not.
Look man, relax. There will be good jobs available throughout the year. Just work on getting your docs together. After that start hitting up recruiters with a resume and professional photo letting them know you have all your docs ready and are ready to leave ASAP. Choose a position that suits you and off you go! |
Hate to disagree but,
Several employers asked me if I would be willing to come on a tourist visa, start work, then when my visa was processed, switch to a E-2 by going to Japan for a Visa run.
Of course, that meant, I would be working illegally. It also meant those employers were willing to bend the rules (break the law) to suit their needs.
So I think its something that could be arranged. But I would strongly advise against it. Teaching illegally means there is no re-course if your employer stiffs you on pay, or otherwise try to screw you over. Plus, you'd be breaking the law yourself, something that could be used against you, even down the road.
Get started now! I am Canadian, I started getting my documents together in the middle of May, and am rushing through the visa process right now, my employer/recruiter are still optimistic that I'll be in country by June 25'th.
Anythings possible!
Good luck! |
Look mate, no offence but your not even in Korea yet. Hardly in a position to start giving advice about the availability of E2 Visas for people already in Korea on a tourist visa.
The OPs question was whether or not he could get a visa in Korea after he arrived. The answer is no. You cannot get your visa issued in Korea, you must be in a different country. Also, if it's your first E2 visa you need to get in your home country (there have been some very rare exceptions to this, but they are in the minority). |
Thats OK, no offense taken!
I was really responding to the bolded question in the quote.
"Is it possible to get a position without a visa at first and then get the E2 while you are over there?"
to which you responded "No, absolutely not."
I'm not trying to pretend to be an expert! But I was offered the opportunity to do EXACTLY what he was asking about by 2 different hagwons. So I know its possible for Canadians at least!
The only advice I gave was not to do it for a few reasons that I think made sense. I was passing along the same advice given to me! Its illegal, if something go's wrong there's very little recourse, and breaking the law could be used against you. Also I advised him to start gathering his documents right away. Is that not good advice?
Your right though, I'm not in Korea yet! Just thought my own personal experience in job shopping, and, the offers/requests that were made to me might be helpful or relevant!
Cheers! |
Mate, I was also replying to the same bolded question. The hagwons were lying to you. You cannot get an E2 visa when you are in Korea, you must have the visa before you enter Korea, that's how it works. It's possible to do a Visa run to another Asian country but that's neither what he asked/practically impossible for a first timer. |
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SeoulNate
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Hyehwa
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Speedling wrote: |
| litebear wrote: |
| Gringo17 wrote: |
| Hey thanks for the advice, the only reason I'm it sounds like I'm in a hurry is because I am under the impression that a lot of school positions begin in the July August months, but maybe this isn't the case? I'm planning on getting fingerprinted today and send off the rest of the documents to get my background check ASAP. Is it possible to get a position without a visa at first and then get the E2 while you are over there? |
No. Absolutely not.
Look man, relax. There will be good jobs available throughout the year. Just work on getting your docs together. After that start hitting up recruiters with a resume and professional photo letting them know you have all your docs ready and are ready to leave ASAP. Choose a position that suits you and off you go! |
Hate to disagree but,
Several employers asked me if I would be willing to come on a tourist visa, start work, then when my visa was processed, switch to a E-2 by going to Japan for a Visa run.
Of course, that meant, I would be working illegally. It also meant those employers were willing to bend the rules (break the law) to suit their needs.
So I think its something that could be arranged. But I would strongly advise against it. Teaching illegally means there is no re-course if your employer stiffs you on pay, or otherwise try to screw you over. Plus, you'd be breaking the law yourself, something that could be used against you, even down the road.
Get started now! I am Canadian, I started getting my documents together in the middle of May, and am rushing through the visa process right now, my employer/recruiter are still optimistic that I'll be in country by June 25'th.
Anythings possible!
Good luck! |
Bad information.
If you have never obtained an E-2 visa before, you will be forced to return home to your own country to have an interview at the consulate in almost every case. Sure, it is possible to return to your home country, but you can't do it over a weekend because the offices are not open (not to mention the time lost in transit) and you would probably be paying out of your own pocket for a 1200$ round trip ticket. |
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Modernist
Joined: 23 Mar 2011
Location: The 90s
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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Just wait until you finish your first week teaching, and then let's hear about the 'experience' you have now not 'missed.'
I will tell you that the big hold-up is the simple matter of the CBC with apostille. It took me about 10 weeks to get mine, and then another 2 1/2 weeks for the returned apostille from the State Department. And I did everything right by the book. There's not much of anything you can do to speed that up.
Which for you is a good thing, since it means you can do what all the nice people here are strongly advising, chill out and look carefully for the right position, not the fastest position. It is almost always the case that rushing to get something now now now will lead to 12 months of a miserable grind, if not MUCH worse.
Figure out what age you are most comfortable with, what kind of place you want to live, whether you want higher-paying hagwons or lower-stress publics, and start sifting through the choices.
There is NO hurry. |
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