Korean Job Discussion Forums

[corroonb]

A school where I've been offered a job wants me to come and teach a month before I can get the E-2. The director says that immigration won't mind because we are waiting for my degree. I'm very wary and suspicious about this and I think it might be a set-up because the school would essentially be able to control me, threaten me with deportation etc. I'm thinking about rejecting the offer. Does anyone have any experience of this sort of thing or any advice?

[ttompatz]

[corroonb]

Thanks for the reply. I know its a bad situation to be in and I'm going to reject the offer. Should I go to work in such a school legally if they agree to wait another month or have they shown themselves to be unsuitable? I'm thinking I should just break off contact.

[Panic]

When schools are desparate you'll hear all sorts of lies. My advice is to think twice about working for a 'super disorganised' and/or desparate school.

[Please note that Korean schools are generally disorganised by western standards so expect to be *beeped* around a little but certainly don't tolerate a lot if you have yet to enter the country]

Panic

[lastat06513]

It shouldn't take a month to get all the formalities processed through immigrations- 2 weeks tops, unless the bureaucracy now is so involved that it indeed does take a month to process, which would definitely suck.....

I wouldn't see any reason for you to teach for a whole month with a tourist visa, 1 to 2 weeks is enough time for them to get everything through immigrations, which is the amount of time I taught before I went on my visa run.

I think they want to have a probationary period to see how you react to your new environment before spending the money to get your visa confirmation number. And unless this probationary period is stated in your contract- then yeah, don't take it....

[corroonb]

I won't get my degree until November 9th and they want me to come and start teaching at the start of October. I'm not doing it but does this mean they are a bad school or just desperate?

[lastat06513]

But since you're talking about this in early September does raise some flags for us because most of us got our visa confirmation forms or numbers in 2 weeks for our E2s.

Again, I think they want to see how you pan out before going through the formalities of getting you your visa.
And again, if it ain't in your contract- don't do it!

[ttompatz]

[mindmetoo]

Yeah I agree with the other two posters, that a school that can't get its ducks in the row ahead of time to get the work visa, does not inspire confidence. Many times these things do work out, but if you were looking for a safer bet, I'd give them a wide berth.

[white tiger]

it's been my experience at both hogwans; a huge delay before i was actually 'legally working'. but it always worked out.
i wonder if it's because they want to test u a little; make sure you're not a freak? cuz if u are, then it's easy for them to sack you.
it seems they have no concept of what it's like to be coming from another country, and a completely different culture. it is SHOCK for sure, but not in the jolt of electricity sense.
and perhaps your school hasnt had many foreigners? they may not be efficient at all the paperwork yet. my first school took 3 months to send me on a visa run. but they were incredibly reliable (other than that), and they had a tonne of history with foreign teachers, so who really knows.
yes, there are shady hogwans, so be careful, but if the deal is what u really want, i would take the leap.

[corroonb]

Thanks for all the responses, as always this board has proved very helpful. I think that a month is far too long to teach illegally without getting caught, even a few weeks is probably too long. I shall wait for something more promising.