Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Cheonmunka]

We (wife and I) have called our local Ed Dept and accordingly it seems still not possible for a foreigner to get approval from Ed Dept. to open a study room regardless of F2 and new laws and other compelling reasons to want to open one.

To open a study room is not the same as getting a tutor's registration where one can work in home or outside so-called privately. We can get one of these, register and pay tax.

The thing is some members on this board have said that they have opened a study room in their own name.
I wanted to ask this in a new thread so to attract attention, to check whether this was correct, and to garner more information.

I mentioned what I had read here about some foreign people receiving permission and opening a study room whence my local Ed Dept asked us which locality the Ed Dept was where that registration was given, in their words, in order that they can check with that authority about how they managed to make that occur. Perhaps they are not sure what their juristiction covers. Maybe they are merely curious. Really our branch is a small one and they mightn't know well.

If anyone has opened a study room in their own name, and can share information, please let me have a hint about the authority through which this permission was given. Our Ed Dept can call that one and maybe there will be a magic path. It may help a great deal in my quest and would be a very great favor. I am sure no names need be used during this fact finding and all discretion will be used.

Please let me know here or
Please feel free to email me personally (William - well I have to at least give my name) on

[email protected]

[joe_doufu]

Isn't an F-2 a marriage visa? Isn't there a Korean spouse somewhere in the arrangement? Is it illegal for the Korean wife to open a study room in her name? What's the hangup?

[Cheonmunka]

My wife can get permission, sure, she's a citizen, but a study room is a sole owner/sole operator business. If other hakwons in the area don't like the foreigner working there, thinking that they are being -vely affected, they can cause (minor to major) problems.

I have only need to find answer of this one question of someone ( a foreigner ) who has opened a study room in their own name to let me know privately something about the district in which he or she was issued registration or about any forms detail, or any other relevant and pertinent detail of their registration. Given like hints so non-commital!

Secretly I think some people (3 foreign bros actually) have been talking a bit of bull about getting registration for their own small study room business.
I would love to be proved wrong.

�׷��� ���� ���� ���ּ���.

[casey's moon]

Hmmm.... was wondering the same thing, and glad you posted about this here. Sorry I don't have any info to add, but I want to ask you about tutor's registration. You're saying F-2 holders can get that -- do you know how?

[Cheonmunka]

My wife contacted the Ed Dept in our local area about that. They were not quite up to speed about the immi changes but said it was okay for me to get teacher's reg. through them.

The registration is called ���ΰ��ܱ�����.
Check the MOE website for phone numbers.

[casey's moon]

[skindleshanks]

I think the terms are a matter of Korean semantics. There's not much difference between teaching privately in your own home and having a "study room." A private teacher can have up to 9 students at one time. Study rooms usually are franchises teaching a set curriculum. Another difference is (I think) how you advertise. Aggressive advertising might annoy the hagwons. My experience is that word of mouth works, and other formal advertising doesn't. My former employer told me it would take a year to build up my student base, and he was right.

As a private teacher, you register as a business in your own name with the tax office.

Get the license, and make sure it is posted on your wall in the room you teach in. They do come around to check that once a year or so.

Sounds like your Ed. office has it right, but I think your wife should look up the exact definitions of "private lessons," "study rooms," etc. There are several classifications with specific rules, ranging on up to the "hagwon." Some of the differences are quite subtle.

[rok_the-boat]

I too am curious about the realm of the possible with my F2-1 visa. If I could open a small study room I'd be very tempted indeed - but only if absolutely, clearly legal as other local Hagwons would jump on you if not.

There is also one category of school, small in size (16 pyeong or so), but only Koreans can teach there - they cannot legally hire foreigners. I wonder, just how foreign is a resident? If a foreigner could own / run one of these s/he could hire a couple of good English speaking Koreans to help teach. Of course, the main advantage as a foreigner would be in being able to judge the right people for the job - like those who can actually speak.

The day may be coming where foreigners can take a bigger role: If they don't give us positions of responsibility we will just create them by ourselves once opportunity knocks. In Japan, it is far easier, so I hear.

[casey's moon]

any new info on this topic?

BUMP

[sadsac]

I would like tp know what you define as a study room. We have Korean friends who own and operate a number of study rooms and they are exclusively used by students for study. There is no teaching involved on their part. The students sign in and out, are monitored through CCTV and are billed according to useage. Having a home schooling business is different again. In that instance you are permitted to have a maximum of 40 enrolled students, with no greater than 9 being on premise at any given time. Just curious.

[casey's moon]

[darkpoet]

Long time since I posted... I came back to do research on this exact topic... I guess I'll past back here when I find more...

[darkpoet]

Okay got the wife on the phone for the last few hours researching this. (Menawhile I was reading that other thread on F-2 visa stuff - http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=44637 - which was a diluted read but a big help.) Since the "study room" will be mostly my business, she enquired to Immigration and the Ministry of Education about putting everything in my name.

Education: "Ummmm, not sure if a foreigner can do that... we'll get back to you on that."

Immigration: "Of course Education doesn't know. Why would they know? Of course he can. He'll have to meet the usual requirements though."

So I got the ���ΰ������� �Ű��� form and called Education back: "Well if Immigration said that okay. We just need diploma, forms, picture ID, the usual stuff. And to verify the size of your apartment. Oh, you live in Hanshin? I know that one, maybe you don't need anyone to drop by then. After you submit the forms, you'll get your response 3 days later." Somewhere also got mentioned that a maximum class-size is 9 students (I'm actually planning on a maximum 4-5 - I can't manage large classes, I know this from experience).

Also gave a quick call to the Tax Office in my local Gu office. They said: "You have to inform us when you start your business and file taxes every January based on your income."

So we'll submit all this stuff today or tomorrow and I'll post my results by the end of the week.

[bellum99]

Great Work! It is nice to see someone get a response.

[kimchikowboy]

Yaaaay Darkpoet!!!
What's the deal with apartment size?

Please, please, please keep us posted.