Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Noirmorte]

Hello all,

I have been crawling through these wonderful boards in search of bits and pieces to put together and decide if taking the plunge to teach in Korea is right for me. Let me explain my background and then if you do not mind I have a few questions.
I spent 12 years in IT in the US before having a life changing illness (see cancer). That re-evaluation of my life led me to a teaching degree. I am currently 38 years old and a freshly minted teacher. My wife and I have been talking recently about the possibility of divorce. We are best friends but not so much a "couple". All my life for one reason or another I have been pinned down to the US. I now find myself in a position that the idea of teaching overseas is more then fleeting dream. Sorry if I have lost some of you in the humdrums of my life! But this leads me to some questions.

1. If I decide to do this, should I wait until the divorce (provided there is a divorce, we may work things out) goes through or is applying and going while separated a feasible option?

2. I look forward to experiencing a new culture and wish to learn the Korean language. Will I be able to find people to give lessons or language clubs?

3. I also look forward to visiting surrounding countries (China, Japan, Thailand etc). How easy is it to travel around to those places? Am I able to do these things on long weekends that I may have? Are there travel clubs so one does not have to go solo to see the sights?

4. I keep seeing a reference for "a visa run to Osaka". Not to sound uninformed but what is a visa run? I have put together that it has to do with a visa renewal but beyond that I am not sure.

I thank you all for your great information and for taking the time to read through this! <--gratuitous emoticon

Will

[CBP]

Hello Will,

Welcome to the boards. I'm a newbie, too, but here's my ten cents:

Earlier this year I ended my relationship with someone I was going to marry. For years I've wanted to live abroad, but various things/responsibilities/excuses held me back. After a cancer scare following the end of my relationship, and with my 36th birthday just around the corner (September), I decided to make this dream happen.

My decision involved months of idle thoughts, a fair dose of fear and what-if's, armchair travel, posing various scenarios to friends, and then finally one whopper of a question: Why wait any longer?

I've never been married, but these are my thoughts on the matter: If you and your wife are good friends, there aren't any children involved, your finances can be easily sorted out (pending a divorce), you've got a phone and a computer, and you're ready for a new adventure, then jump in and start learning what you need to know to find a good job in Korea.

About a visa run, I believe this is for people who arrive in Korea on a tourist visa and don't yet have work. Once they find work, they are then required to exit the country while their visa is being processed. People usually go to Japan for this. But most people find work in Korea prior to their arrival. For example, I was offered a teaching position at a nice school and am currently in the States waiting for my work visa. My employer applied for my visa on my behalf in Korea. Once it's approved, he'll email me a pin number. I'm then to take that pin number, along with my passport and some other things, to the nearest consulate, where they'll finalize my visa and stamp my passport.

About learning Korean, buy a copy of Lonely Planet's phrasebook. It's very helpful and will give you a good start. The nice thing about Korean is that it's fairly easy to learn. According to my phrasebook 99% of Korea's population is literate, and this is largely because of the simplicity of the language. There's a good textbook you can bring with you, which would be especially helpful should you elect to work in a small town and there aren't any classes.

I wish you luck and hope you decide to teach in Korea. There's a lot to learn about this process, but you're making a good start.

Cheers!

[hubba bubba]

[polonius]

Sorry to hear about the divorce.

To answer your questions.

1. Really doesnt matter when, but if you are in the position of any of my friends, run Forest, run. Get as far away as possible. If she needs you to sign papers, she can send them to you. Don't change anymore of your plans to suit her.

2. It's very easy. There are many free classes around town, plus you can get yourself into a language exchange. You teach them English, they teach you Korean. (this is unlike teaching a private lesson which is illegal for the most part, it is more of a cultural exchange)

3. My wife and I have visited Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Japan all on 3 or 4 day weekends. It really does depend on your school, if they give vacation day nestled up to the Korean holidays. This upcoming year, many of the national holidays fall on Tues, Wed, or Thurs. So ask your employer their policy on vacation. You can google search Korean holidays, and see when they fall.

4. A visa run is when an employer hires a teacher either a) from Korea and needs to send them to Japan to get a working visa, but more often then not b) the employer needs to scramble because of poor planning, and therefore needs to get a teacher flown to Korea from overseas a.s.a.p. and then will send them to Japan. Note that teaching in Korea is ILLEGAL without a visa. Just tell any employer that wants you to come for a couple weeks and then send you to Japan to stuff it. It's deportation for you if you are caught, and a fine for them. So don't do it.

Good luck, and I hope your cancer is in remission, or beaten.

[cbclark4]

I'd take the plunge if I were you.

If your marriage survives it will be stronger.

You will gain a great new experience.

cbc

[CBP]

(Ton nom de plume est "Noir Morte?" Triste! Pourquoi?)

[alffy]

OP, dude, I could have written that post! My time was in the military, though, and after my cancer I went back to finish my BS and then grad school. At 37, with my second divorce pending and grad school funding running out, I felt like you- take the leap, and off to Korea to teach english (always enjoyed the teaching as the best part of grad school).

Decided to take an extra year, though, and make sure this is really what I want- didn't want to just be running away from the troubles.

My advice- take some time to think it through. First of all, divorces never go smoothly (done a couple, and even the easy one was difficult to work out the details). Not to mention the mandatory court appearance(s), depending on the state of course (divorced in two states, and almost a third- all required court appearances).

Also, if teaching English in Korea (or anywhere else for that matter) is REALLY what you want to do, you can always do it next year. If it is just a means of escapism, you'll be looking at a long, difficult year.

I'm now four months past my divorce and into another job with about nine months left on my lease in my single flat, and I can't wait to start looking for a job on these boards in about six or seven months (maybe less if I save enough dosh to break the lease).

Dude, take the extra time. Korea ain't going anywhere soon.

[kermo]

[poet13]

You can get divorced over here. My ex-wife served me sep papers while i was on one TDY here, and the divorce papers on another TDY.

[Pa Jan Jo A Hamnida]

My only advice is to not to expect to be treated as you currently used to. Appearance comes first. Everything else is secondary.