Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ryzn]

How do I do this right?

After scouring the boards for weeks, and going with my gut, I think that going to Korea first, and then searching for a job there, sounds like the best way to get a good contract with a public school (which is what I want) in a convienent city.

Qualifications:
B.A. in Speech Communication
2 years substitute teaching in California public schools (sub credential)
5 years exp. as Instructional aid in Calif. public schools
I'm a 25 year old male Californian

My main questions:

1)What month should I fly over to Korea and begin looking?
2)Where do I go to look? The public schools themselves?
3)Should I prepare my documents any differently?
4)Do I need to get a roundtrip ticket? If so, what do you put as the return date? Most airlines I've checked out online don't let me set the date as far back as I want it.

I've searched the F.A.Q. and other boards for this info but no one seems to go into detail. I really APPRECIATE any help! I'm coming to Korea and want to do it right at the start. First time posting.

Thanks!

Ryan

[ella]

Can't answer all of your questions, but I also came over without a job. My first bit of advice would be to make sure you have enough money to live on for as long as it takes to get the job you want. It took me months (the wait was worth it). I came on a one-way ticket from LAX and had no problems.

[pest2]

[silvertoes]

I did this.

The first time I worked in Korea, I had a job in Cheongju that sucked. There were some good things about the school, but the owner/director was a slave-driving skinflint who was convinced she was generous and easy-going. Worst of all was not being being told about 'summer' and 'winter' school until a month after arrival - we basically had to work 12 hour days 10-11 weeks a year for very little extra pay. She claimed that fell under the 'may occasionally be asked to perform extra tasks' clause of our 'contract'.

Anyway, I came back after a 3 month break, got myself a 'love motel' room with a net-connected computer, looked up some jobs online, arranged an interview with a likely-looking place, checked it out for myself, had the job within 4 days of arriving, started work 10 days later and, 18 months later, I'm still in that job and still happy.

I had no trouble getting into Korea on a one-way ticket as a 'tourist', but did have to convince the airline staff at my departure point (in my case, Hong Kong), to let me on the plane with one. It may be safer and less stressful to buy an onward ticket (say, to Japan or China) for which you can get a refund once you've settled things in Korea.

It did help A LOT that I'd lived in Korea before. After travelling around a fair bit during my first stint, I'd identified places I'd like to live and so know exactly where to head. I also knew what my deal-breakers would be with potential workplaces. I'm not sure I would have had the confidence to do it that way had I not been here before.

Of course, as you're flying in on your own dime, it's unlikely that you can get your new workplace to cover the cost of the inbound airfare, as they would if they'd recruited you from overseas. Also note that doing it this way risks having to work while on a tourist visa until a work visa trip (the cost of which should definitely be covered by your new employer) can be arranged. Depending on level of paperwork/efficiency of new boss/efficiency of local immigration office, this can take some time. I was fortunate in finding a workplace which funded a visa run to Japan with very little delay.

All of this applies to finding teaching work in a hagwon. I don't think there's any really good or bad time of year to do that. Universities are more likely to hire from within the country but, if you're not already working here, it might cost you a fortune to sit and wait here for something to come up Uni-work wise. You pretty much need a masters of some sort, vaguely relevant to English, to get a uni gig. (If you have a doctorate, forget about it: even with strong personal connections within a Uni you'd be considered too 'over-qualified' even to get an interview). As for public schools, I don't know.

All approaches to job hunting have pros and cons but for me, I'm glad I did it this way, saw things with my own eyes, did my own negotiating, and got a 'feel' for my new workplace, before taking the job. A year of your life is a precious amount of time, and its worth taking as much control as you can over what your experience of that year might be.
However, as I said, being here before - and having travelled a lot before - made it less stressful that it might have been. I'm also fortunate to be blessed with very strong instincts about which paths to take.

Hope this helps.

[ella]

[Ryzn]

How do I extend the visa another 60 days once I'm there?

Thanks for the input everyone

[ella]

You go to your nearest immigration office, fill in a form, and pay the fee (30,000, I think, cash). Then you give them the receipt showing you've paid and your passport. Have a seat while they process everything and return your passport to you with a new visa. I did all this in the immigration office in Insadong (Seoul). It was fast and easy. No lines, no one asked me any questions or even blinked an eye, it seemed pretty routine. Whenever dealing with the government I always advise wearing your best business clothes (suit, etc.).