In many cases, when you are offered a job in Korea, you will be expected to come immediately. Most arrangements are not made months in advance. This means that there’s a strong chance that you’ll find yourself running around like mad, trying to get everything done for your work visa – not to mention preparing yourself to leave your country for a year.
In order to get an E2 Working Visa for teaching English in Korea, you will need either your original college diploma or a copy of your diploma that has been certified by a South Korean Consulate. You will also need an official copy of your college transcript. This is the law. If you are unable or unwilling to provide these documents to provide these documents, you will be unable to work legally in Korea.
If a school needs you NOW, they may ask you to come to Korea on a tourist visa. If you come to Korea on a tourist visa, you MUST make a visa run to Japan before you begin teaching. You cannot legally teach without an E2 visa. This means that you must leave Korea, go to Japan (usually Fukuoka), and apply in person at the South Korean Consulate for your working visa. You will need your diploma and transcript for this. More info on the visa run is available here.
It is illegal to work in South Korea without a work visa. If you get caught working without your visa, this will result in a fine and deportation. Do not agree to work without a visa!
While you’re getting your paperwork taken care of, you should also be packing. Remember, you’re going to be gone for a year. Korea is a modern country, and you can find plenty of the things you’ll need here. However, the most important thing to bring is DEODERANT. You won’t be able to find it here. When it comes to make-up, hair-care, skin-care, and feminine products, there are plenty of these products here. If you absolutely must have a certain brand of such a product, you’ll probably need to bring a year’s supply, but if you’re not too picky, there are plenty of quality Korean products to choose from. (Also, I have incredibly pale skin for a white girl, and yet even I have no trouble finding make-up which matches my skin-tone over here.) I don’t use shaving cream (never found a brand that didn’t make my legs break out), but I’ve heard that shaving cream is something you should pack.
South Korea uses different shaped plugs and 220v electrical current. You should, at the very least, bring plug adapters with you if you’re bringing any electronics. If your country (like the United States) uses 110v electricity, you’ll need a power converter too. Power converters are available over here, and as they’re rather heavy and luggage has weight limits, you might be better off buying one over here if you don’t already have one. But definitely buy yourself plug adapters. You might also need some 3-2 converters, as a lot of electrical things are three-pronged and a lot of the plug adapters only have two-pronged holes.
It’s a good idea to come to Korea with enough cash to support yourself during your first month, as you won’t be paid until a month after your arrival. Some schools will provide you with cash advances if you ask, but not all.
You will be expected to begin working on the day your contract starts. Check your contract so you won’t be surprised! Keep in mind that just because you’re in a foreign country, you will still be expected to behave professionally. Behavior which would get you fired back home (ie, not showing up for work because you’re intoxicated) will get you fired just as fast over here.
When you get to Korea, your employer must arrange for you to get a resident alien card, health insurance and a pension. This might take a few weeks, but all of these things are required by law. As the law stands now, you will get all of your pension contributions, plus the contributions your school makes to your pension fund, refunded to you when you finish your contract and leave the country. Since you get back double what you put in, you’ll make money off of this; don’t let your school cheat you out of it!
Hmmm… this is all I can really think of right now. If you have any questions or suggestions, let me know! In the meantime, here's a relevant discussion over at Dave's Cafe which you might want to check out (hint, hint).
In order to get an E2 Working Visa for teaching English in Korea, you will need either your original college diploma or a copy of your diploma that has been certified by a South Korean Consulate. You will also need an official copy of your college transcript. This is the law. If you are unable or unwilling to provide these documents to provide these documents, you will be unable to work legally in Korea.
If a school needs you NOW, they may ask you to come to Korea on a tourist visa. If you come to Korea on a tourist visa, you MUST make a visa run to Japan before you begin teaching. You cannot legally teach without an E2 visa. This means that you must leave Korea, go to Japan (usually Fukuoka), and apply in person at the South Korean Consulate for your working visa. You will need your diploma and transcript for this. More info on the visa run is available here.
It is illegal to work in South Korea without a work visa. If you get caught working without your visa, this will result in a fine and deportation. Do not agree to work without a visa!
While you’re getting your paperwork taken care of, you should also be packing. Remember, you’re going to be gone for a year. Korea is a modern country, and you can find plenty of the things you’ll need here. However, the most important thing to bring is DEODERANT. You won’t be able to find it here. When it comes to make-up, hair-care, skin-care, and feminine products, there are plenty of these products here. If you absolutely must have a certain brand of such a product, you’ll probably need to bring a year’s supply, but if you’re not too picky, there are plenty of quality Korean products to choose from. (Also, I have incredibly pale skin for a white girl, and yet even I have no trouble finding make-up which matches my skin-tone over here.) I don’t use shaving cream (never found a brand that didn’t make my legs break out), but I’ve heard that shaving cream is something you should pack.
South Korea uses different shaped plugs and 220v electrical current. You should, at the very least, bring plug adapters with you if you’re bringing any electronics. If your country (like the United States) uses 110v electricity, you’ll need a power converter too. Power converters are available over here, and as they’re rather heavy and luggage has weight limits, you might be better off buying one over here if you don’t already have one. But definitely buy yourself plug adapters. You might also need some 3-2 converters, as a lot of electrical things are three-pronged and a lot of the plug adapters only have two-pronged holes.
It’s a good idea to come to Korea with enough cash to support yourself during your first month, as you won’t be paid until a month after your arrival. Some schools will provide you with cash advances if you ask, but not all.
You will be expected to begin working on the day your contract starts. Check your contract so you won’t be surprised! Keep in mind that just because you’re in a foreign country, you will still be expected to behave professionally. Behavior which would get you fired back home (ie, not showing up for work because you’re intoxicated) will get you fired just as fast over here.
When you get to Korea, your employer must arrange for you to get a resident alien card, health insurance and a pension. This might take a few weeks, but all of these things are required by law. As the law stands now, you will get all of your pension contributions, plus the contributions your school makes to your pension fund, refunded to you when you finish your contract and leave the country. Since you get back double what you put in, you’ll make money off of this; don’t let your school cheat you out of it!
Hmmm… this is all I can really think of right now. If you have any questions or suggestions, let me know! In the meantime, here's a relevant discussion over at Dave's Cafe which you might want to check out (hint, hint).
14 comments:
If one comes over on a tourist visa, one CANNOT legally work until a "visa run" has been made. I don't believe it is correct that there is a 90 day grace period for the visa run. This is especially important for Americans to remember. Unless one applies for an extended tourist visa while still in the US (which is a 90 day visa), Americans receive only a 30 day automatic tourist visa when entering the country. Canadians receive a 6 months automatic tourist visa. To the best of my knowledge, nobody should set foot in a classroom without an E-2.
My advice is to refuse to work even one day without the E-2. Owners have been know to say "Oh, I'll send you next week...... Did I say this week? Oh, I meant 2 weeks from now." for extended periods of time. If immigration happens to do a spot inspection (as they are known to do when it is in the computer that a school is in teacher turnover mode), the illegal teacher would be subject to fines and deportation. The owner, on the other hand, would probably just bride the immigration official to not file charges.
Bottom line: Get your damn E-2 ASAP!!
Thanks Gwen - I changed the info.
Great information. Additionally one should buy electronics back home as it is more expensive here and sometimes of lesser quality--My HP laptop is one year old and there still is nothing quite up to par with it here in S. Korea--esp. its 240 GB hard drive and 17 inch wide-screen.
It is good to bring a laptop with you as numerous companies (MSN/hotmail, Yahoo!, Skype, etc.) allow you to call computer to computer using these services for free and computer to phone for less than 2 cents a minute with Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger, so you won't be out of contact with your friends and family. Windows Live Messenger also allows free video calling which is just great to keep in contact with small ones back home. My students love being able to see and talk to two of my nephews back in the states and I love being able to watch them grow from so far away.
Since I am also need my TV and sprots programming fixes, I bought a Slingbox (slingbox.com) and can watch satellite programming from my brother's house back in the U.S. It costs less about $100 for the classic Slingbox at Amazon.com. All you need is high speed internet connections on both ends. It is better if you have a dedicated receiver or dvr as the slingbox controls whatever it is watching. I really, really love my brother and owe him big time.
You may also want to bring wool socks and long johns if you don't naturally take to cold weather. And, even if you need supplies from back home, the mail (post) service is quite good and reasonable. I've received medicines, clothing, toothpaste, and other odds and ends without any problems--just make sure you put the items in ziploc bags in case of spillage.
Additionally, here's a good visa run how-to from Lao Ocean Girl with pictures, maps, and good information. http://lao-ocean.com/2007/02/15/how-to-do-a-visa-run-to-japan-fukuoka/
I may be using this information myself in a couple of months.
It's hard to prepare for every contingency, but look around the net a lot, ask questions, and come with an open and adventurous attitude. Be prepared to have some great, nerve racking, scary, and unforgettable times no matter where you decide to teach, and you will definitely feel very, very alive.
John's definitely right about computers and other tech gadgets. People back home tend to think "electronics are cheap in Asia" - well, that might be true elsewhere in Asia, but not in Korea. Bring your technology with you, people! :-)
I still think electronics are pretty cheap here. I couldn't've gotten such a good handphone so inexpensively in the States. And I'll be buying a digital SLR soon, which will be cheaper than back home.
The big problem with buying things like computers here is finding the programs in English, especially if you want a legal copy.
My advice is to get as much of your stuff (personal, financial, moving, breaking up, selling cars, whatever) sorted out as possible BEFORE EVEN APPLYING FOR ANY JOBS. It's wicked easy to get a job here and they want you four days ago, so try to do as much of that stuff as possible before you even get a job.
One game that I suggest bringing is a picture version of Bingo. The younger kids can play it day, after day, after day. The word version is okay for older/advanced students, but the picture version is a must have.
I'd like to clear up a small misconception, if I may. Deodorant is not that hard to find. Sure, you won't find an aisle full of different brands like you would at, say Target, or Walgreen's (or Boots, Wal-Mart, etc.) but you will find a few choices. I buy Rexena (made by Unilever/Korea) at a little discount store, and I've also seen it at Watson's in Myeong-dong. And Nivea products are everywhere, including deodorant. Same with shaving cream--Nivea, Gillette, Schick--easy to find. I did buy a computer here, and just recently replaced the Korean version of Windows with English (thanks to Solutions in Itaewon.) Some electronics are cheaper--some not so much. And remember--if you're bringing other electronics from the U.S., don't forget to buy a transformer, so you don't blow up your hair dryer, electric shaver, etc. Thanks for reading. Good luck!
Thomas
http://rakness.blogspot.com
Well, here where I live (on the outskirts of Daegu), the only deodorant I've seen available is the aerosol kind (both Nivea and Rexona) - which really does not work for me.
Also, during the period when my computer wasn't working, I priced laptops here, and they were definitely more expensive than back home.
I suspect that for those people in Seoul - with close proximity to Itaewon - finding such things is easier... but not everyone ends up there.
Jane - know of any current openings in your area of the country for an ESL teacher? I have a 56 year old lady leaving Iraq after three years that wants to continue the abroad thing by teaching in South Korea. I couldn't find your email address, thus the comment.
Hi you crazy jane!
Hey look, I gotta question about Pension Plan For US Citizens..and since you are a Georgia girl then you can help me, may be.
Look, my director that I'm working with to get a placement at a university in Korea said that US citizens are no longer eligible to recieve a pension repayment! He also said that the "severence pay" is to make up for that....from my understanding that's bs.
Can that actually be true?
And, isn't the university required by law to pay 50% into the pension fund and i pay 50%?
Thanks Jane!!!! I look forward to hearing your response!
As of this point in time, US Citizens are still eligible to receive pension repayment. Also, all employers are required by law to pay into the pension plan. Of course, MANY employers here simply do not do this. (I know several people who work for such employers.)
Thanks. Hmm, I wonder why he thinks what he thinks.
Hey my friend and I are going to be in Daegu teaching at Kyungbuk University of Foreign Studies around the 15th of July, funny right?
Do you think that the director just doesn't really know and is just saying that? I mean, really, what's the deal? You would think that the university would pay into the pension program and despite what the director says I would still be eligible for a pension rebate.
Hmmm.
Confused.
Anyway, have a great day and thanks!
It seems now you are given a certificate of some sort, which you give back at the end of your contract. This allows for the repayment of the pension money you pay in.
From what I gather, you have to take the certificate and your plane ticket (as proof that you're leaving the country) to the pension office for repayment. I'll b sure to fill everyone in on the details when I go in a couple of months!
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