Korean Job Discussion Forums

[HamuHamu]

This is a situation that I have never heard of before, so I am wondering if anyone knows anything.

I recently accepted a job with a Korean kindergarten, to be the one and only English language teacher. It's NOT a language academy, but a Korean Yoo-Ji-won.

I have signed my contract, given all of my documents, and I know the manager has taken them to immigration, because after she went, she contacted me and told me that they requested transcripts, which I then gave to her, and we are waiting for my visa to be processed. I am to start May 15th, which is coming soon.

I emailled the one recruiter that I was working with to find a job (and didn't take anything he offered me) and told him thanks anyway, I have found something, nice working with you, etc etc.

He wrote back and told me that I will have to work illegally for them becuase Korean kindergartens are NOT ALLOWED to sponsor E-2 visas - he says that only Language Academies/Insitutes are allowed to sponsor foreigners for visas.

I'm a little antsy -- he could be saying this to me because he is angry I didn't take one of his jobs, but I am worried anyway. Like I said, the new manager has been to immigration and as far as I know we are waiting for the blue paper. Is there a chance my new manager is not telling me something....or what?

Does anyone know anything about this? I am finishing my current job on Monday, and then going on vacation until my blue paper comes in....I don't want to end up totally screwed and have to start a new job hunt...

Can a Korean language kindergarten sponsor a foreigner to be the English teacher at the school, or not?

[sadsac]

My wife worked at a Korean kindergarten last year and they now have a Kiwi working there. Never any problems with the visas. It sounds like sour grapes on the recruiters part.

[crazykiwi]

nah, ive heard that kindys cant sponser you. something to do with not being allowed to register as an english language school. anyway, i know this only cause i asked my old kindy last year to sponser me this year and let me work at various kindys on that visa. that wasnt the problem mind you, it was definatly the visa thing.

[inkoreaforgood]

The guy's spewing crap out of his arse at you.

Sore losers.

[Gord]

Most kindergartens will not qualify for visa sponsoring. Generally, when a kindergarten wants to do it they basically lie to Immigration and say they are a focusing on English and require a foreign teacher.

The recruiter is correct in that general Korean kindergartens are not allowed to sponsor E-2 visas. Most of the time when a kindergarten owner applies to hire a native speaker, they get turned down as they failed to realize that they couldn't sponsor a visa. Sometimes the same kindergarten owner will return and claimed to have transformed it into a place that focuses on early childhood English and thus requires a native speaker, which is then pretty much rubber-stamped without anyone going to to check to see if it's true.

[Kimchieluver]

As long as you get the E2 visa and your ARC you will be just fine.

[plattwaz]

[margaret]

My other job in Korea was at 2 branches of a kindergarten run by the same person. She told me the same thing, basically--that a kindergarten couldn't sponsor a foreign teacher. She had to jump through some extra hoops and form a foreign language institute that covered both branches and thus was able to sponor my E-2.
Margaret

[kangnamdragon]