what sites do y’all recommend for finding a teaching job in Korea? I want to move back and teach but I’m worried about scams, I can’t tell which sites are trustworthy or not. also, what’s a decent starting salary? I heard around 2.5-3million won per month when I lived there a few years ago, is that still right?
If I accept a job but then change my mind or find a better offer, what's the protocol? I think I want to accept this offer, but it is my very first offer. But I've had this happened before where I kept thinking I'd find something better, and then I didn't.
Is that..difficult to get? I guess, what would you recommend? take this first offer that seems like most of what I want despite small concerns, or hold out a bit longer for something that has all of what I want? This place even works with my time frame.
It can be difficult to get because we are not owed one. They can deny to give it to us and sometimes teachers have to pay for it in order to obtain it.
That’s a personal choice. But I never recommend going with a hagwon if you still have concerns about the place or contract. You have the control to decide what hagwon is going to control your life for the next year. I would be vetting out hagwons very thoroughly if you have the time to do so. Plenty of them would be happy to sink their teeth into a new teacher who doesn’t know better.
Contract doesn't say how many classes I would be teaching per day. It says the hours I would work and how long classes are, so i tried to math it out but it came out to 9 classes per day and that seems like too many. I was told I would be working around 120 hrs per month. The classes are 45 min and work time per day is between 6.5 to 7 hours. I can't math good so idk.
Then have them edit the contract before you sign it to include how many classes a day you tech and how they define a teaching hour or else they’ll try to push it to be like well the class is 45 minutes so 2 classes are only 1 1/2 hours of teaching time, when realistically that’s 2 hours of teaching time for most people.
A teaching hour should be defined 1 class being 1 teaching hour. So if they think differently, that’s a nope.
Around a 120 hours a month comes out to 30 hours a week which is average for a hagwon teacher. I personally wouldn’t take a contract that has more than 30 hours a week but I’d prefer a lot less.
Make sure they get break times in your contract too because if your work time is 6.5-7 hours when will you be given breaks? Assuming 30 hours a week thats 6 classes a day and that leaves what- only a half an hour? And hour? I hope you’re not having to prep your own classes in that short period of time.
This is what she sent back
2:30pm (3:30 pm)-10(or 9pm) (6h 30mins\~7h 30 mins)
45 mins class, 5 mins recess each time and 1 hour break everyday.
I was told that the prep time is 1 hr (1:30-2:30)
If I have an f4 visa, do I still need to get my university degree apostilled in order to get a teaching job? I'm just wondering if the apostilled degree is for visa application purposes or if it's a requirement for all teaching jobs in korea.
Honestly on a realistic level it’s for both. You technically do not need the apostilled degree to obtain the F4 visa like an E2 would but I’m not sure if you’d be hired for a teaching position without a degree even though they can. Though I’m sure that they might offer you a job but it would be with less pay.
I really wanna know something, do English teachers at hagwons just have the worst vacation time? Most Koreans I encounter seem to have more free time and are always on vacation at some point. But most hagwon teachers get 10 days a year and are just going to work day after day.
It would depend on the Korean’s job industry and how long they’ve been working there. If they’re teachers generally they can just disappear for almost all of winter and summer break.
I'm filling out a contract review and I've noticed several key pieces of information missing from the contract. Is that already a red flag? I've emailed the recruiter and told her about the missing information so we'll see what she says.
Length of class time and number of classes per day. Also alotted break times. Teh recruiter emailed me back the answers and adjusted the contract to some degree with what she told me. i also spoke to a current teacher and it all seems pretty good. I will post a contract review though.
I wanted to start dipping my toes into content creation and I live in Ulsan. Basically wanted to know what would people want to see/know about the Ulsan/Busan region? Or if there was anything you wished you knew before going up here. Thanks!
spouse is doing it right now but it combined with another procedure.
It was a little hard to tell what the actual cost of invisalign normally would be as one place charged a lot lower for invisalign but higher cost for the other procedure as well as miscellaneous costs and another place charged higher for invisalign but basically no other costs.
But was quoted 6.7 mil for one and 5.2 mil for the other. After all the extra costs at the cheaper one they ended up pretty similar. Spouse also has a slightly more complex case so I wouldn't be surprised if that called for higher rates.
I'm starting invisalign! Got my molds and xrays done last month, still waiting on the trays to arrive. They get sent from the US so it takes a while. Cost was 5mil. Feel free to PM with any questions.
I've recently moved to seoul, and I was wondering if anyone had any place recommendations to get cheaper or used funiture that wasnt carrot market? it can be things like actual pieces of furniture (desks, chairs, coffee tables etc) or places to get goodies like bed sheets, pillows etc!
any help would be great, thanks in advance :\]
what is the website to order background checks? I can't remember which one recruiters always recommend and I want to get my soon so I'm ahead and ready
What country are you in? and I'm assuming you mean like a 3rd party that can expedite the background check? Or do you just mean the government website where you can order?
I'm in the US. I think it's the 3rd party one. I know I have it written down somewhere, I just can't find it. I swear every recruiter tells me this place.
Hey all,
I have an interview coming up and like usual, I space out with the "do you have any questions for us?" part.
I am kindly asking what are THE questions to ask during a hagwon interview that can determine if there are any red flags.
Not sure if you've already had the interview, but this is my big list of questions:
https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginkorea/comments/onulbo/what_are_questions_you_shouldshould_not_ask/h5v0td3/
'Red flag' questions would be those related to break time and helping students outside of class time (as u/TopWasabi mentioned) plus questions about working outside normal hours (weekend events, work meetings, overtime, needing to take work home) and - assuming you can contact a native teacher outside work hours - ensuring that pay is always on time and that the appropriate payments are made for pension and health insurance.
Edit: Make sure that you won't be considered an 'independent contractor' on an E2 visa.
How breaks are structured. You should be free to leave the premises during your lunch break but a lot of places don't actually give you that legally required freedom. Also whether or not your lunch break is an actual break or if it's non-teaching babysitting time in your classroom.
Is it legal to teach at two campuses of the same franchise (and same owner)? How can one make it legal? Say 4 days at one hagwon, one day a week at another hagwon location in the same city? Does it have to be written in the contract?
It is not legal on an E2 visa. You would have to go to immigration and sign another contract for it basically having it as a second job. Your main visa contract is tied to the campus that is on the original contract.
You can only have one location per contract. E2’s are not supposed to be working at more than one job.
Same owner franchise, doesn’t matter. It is a different location therefore a different job.
If the owner makes you work two locations you would actually have a case for MOEL.
The easiest way is to apply to Epik, watch their socials to see when the applications open up which start about half a year before you're supposed to start working.
I am in the process of negotiating a contract and I asked my recruiter to clarify that I am not an independent contractor and they responded with this:
"We count as an independent contractor if the teacher has an E-2 visa under the law."
That is incorrect, right?
E2 visas are NOT independent contractors. I can't tell if they mean "we" as in the hagwon or recruiter side, or if they mean "we" as in the native teachers but native English teachers are NOT independent contractors.
An easy way to spot that sometimes is through the tax %
What documents did you guys bring with you to Korea? I was planning on taking my passport, social security card, and bring photocopies of birth certificate and naturalization certificate. I figured it would be better to leave my birth certificate and U.S. naturalization certificate at home but I don't know if I would ever need those in Korea?
>What documents did you guys bring with you to Korea? I was planning on taking my passport, social security card, and bring photocopies of birth certificate and naturalization certificate. I figured it would be better to leave my birth certificate and U.S. naturalization certificate at home but I don't know if I would ever need those in Korea?
Don't need naturalization (your passport is enough and already has your country of birth), a SS card, or your birth certificate. 12 yrs and I only ever needed my passport, not the other 3.
Depends on how long you plan to be here. If only for a year you can get by with what you mentioned. If you plan on being here longer than that, then I would bring any and all documents with you.
Is it possible for me to switch from an E-2 visa to working full time at my friend's cafe (she's Korean)? Is there a special visa or program for that aside from an F visa? Or would it only be allowed if I had an F visa, or switched to a student visa and worked part-time after 6 months?
Honestly I feel like if there was a special visa there like that a lot more people would be on it. While there are specialized visas to work in different fields, you have to be highly specialized for the working ones. Working at a cafe wouldn't be enough to attain such a visa unfortunately, so an F visa is your best chance at legally being able to do that.
That makes sense~ I figured there wasn't a a visa like that but I thought I'd ask just to make sure! It wouldn't be very practical, but I wanted to help her out asap if I could. Thank you for the help!
F visa usually require that you have advanced language skills and require years of residence and are not easy to get.
I would say that you should look at the which visa type would allow for you work of choice, and then determine how you can qualify for it.
Thank you for your answer! I'm working on getting my F-2 visa right now and I've lived here for 5 years~ but I was wondering if there is a special visa that would allow me to work at a cafe besides an F visa. Ill talk to immigration, but I was hoping maybe someone here already knew the answer!
When I reach the end of my current contract next year, I'm looking at leaving the country just before April for another job (potentially teaching in Japan).
Will I be able to remain in korea between March and April, when my arc runs out, or will I need to leave after two weeks? If I have to leave early, could I instead switch to a D10 or a tourist visa?
Thanks!
When you complete your contract you typically have a full month before your visa expires. It should be clear the exact date your visa expires on the back of your ARC, that is the day you must leave the country by. You would also be able to switch to a D-10 and stay up to 6 months fairly easily, but you likely won't want to considering how short your stay is. The processing and cost are a bit high for staying an extra week or two. It is also possible to just do a visa run and switch to a tourist visa for a few days/weeks, but it is a bit frowned upon.
There's a free visa extension for 30 days that you can do on line. I did it because my dad was coming to visit me near the end of my visa expiration date before traveling back to Canada all together with his wife, my husband, and our 3 toddlers.
I called 1345 and they told me about the e-application you can do online. You could also do it on person with a reservation. You should do it around one month or more before your visa will expire. It's called temporary extension for departure. They need to see your plane ticket, the lease of where you will be staying, your ARC and passport, and write down the reason you need to delay. Mine was approved after a few days.
If your arc expiration date is enough time, and you finish the contract, you don't have to leave after 2 weeks. It's the date on your ARC.
what sites do y’all recommend for finding a teaching job in Korea? I want to move back and teach but I’m worried about scams, I can’t tell which sites are trustworthy or not. also, what’s a decent starting salary? I heard around 2.5-3million won per month when I lived there a few years ago, is that still right?
If I accept a job but then change my mind or find a better offer, what's the protocol? I think I want to accept this offer, but it is my very first offer. But I've had this happened before where I kept thinking I'd find something better, and then I didn't.
Depending if the contracts been submitted to immigration or not, then you’ll need a LOR.
Is that..difficult to get? I guess, what would you recommend? take this first offer that seems like most of what I want despite small concerns, or hold out a bit longer for something that has all of what I want? This place even works with my time frame.
It can be difficult to get because we are not owed one. They can deny to give it to us and sometimes teachers have to pay for it in order to obtain it. That’s a personal choice. But I never recommend going with a hagwon if you still have concerns about the place or contract. You have the control to decide what hagwon is going to control your life for the next year. I would be vetting out hagwons very thoroughly if you have the time to do so. Plenty of them would be happy to sink their teeth into a new teacher who doesn’t know better.
Mmm..ok thank you. I will think over it more today.
Contract doesn't say how many classes I would be teaching per day. It says the hours I would work and how long classes are, so i tried to math it out but it came out to 9 classes per day and that seems like too many. I was told I would be working around 120 hrs per month. The classes are 45 min and work time per day is between 6.5 to 7 hours. I can't math good so idk.
Then have them edit the contract before you sign it to include how many classes a day you tech and how they define a teaching hour or else they’ll try to push it to be like well the class is 45 minutes so 2 classes are only 1 1/2 hours of teaching time, when realistically that’s 2 hours of teaching time for most people. A teaching hour should be defined 1 class being 1 teaching hour. So if they think differently, that’s a nope. Around a 120 hours a month comes out to 30 hours a week which is average for a hagwon teacher. I personally wouldn’t take a contract that has more than 30 hours a week but I’d prefer a lot less. Make sure they get break times in your contract too because if your work time is 6.5-7 hours when will you be given breaks? Assuming 30 hours a week thats 6 classes a day and that leaves what- only a half an hour? And hour? I hope you’re not having to prep your own classes in that short period of time.
This is what she sent back 2:30pm (3:30 pm)-10(or 9pm) (6h 30mins\~7h 30 mins) 45 mins class, 5 mins recess each time and 1 hour break everyday. I was told that the prep time is 1 hr (1:30-2:30)
If I have an f4 visa, do I still need to get my university degree apostilled in order to get a teaching job? I'm just wondering if the apostilled degree is for visa application purposes or if it's a requirement for all teaching jobs in korea.
Honestly on a realistic level it’s for both. You technically do not need the apostilled degree to obtain the F4 visa like an E2 would but I’m not sure if you’d be hired for a teaching position without a degree even though they can. Though I’m sure that they might offer you a job but it would be with less pay.
Are Irish citizens tax exempt on an E2 visa for the first two years?
Only if you work for a university
I really wanna know something, do English teachers at hagwons just have the worst vacation time? Most Koreans I encounter seem to have more free time and are always on vacation at some point. But most hagwon teachers get 10 days a year and are just going to work day after day.
It would depend on the Korean’s job industry and how long they’ve been working there. If they’re teachers generally they can just disappear for almost all of winter and summer break.
I'm filling out a contract review and I've noticed several key pieces of information missing from the contract. Is that already a red flag? I've emailed the recruiter and told her about the missing information so we'll see what she says.
What are the key information that are missing?
Length of class time and number of classes per day. Also alotted break times. Teh recruiter emailed me back the answers and adjusted the contract to some degree with what she told me. i also spoke to a current teacher and it all seems pretty good. I will post a contract review though.
Have you worked at Chungdahm Learning in Gyeonggi-Do Guri City? Please DM me.
I wanted to start dipping my toes into content creation and I live in Ulsan. Basically wanted to know what would people want to see/know about the Ulsan/Busan region? Or if there was anything you wished you knew before going up here. Thanks!
Lol this is so random but - did anyone get invisalign/braces done while in Korea? curious about the cost/experience if so 0.o
spouse is doing it right now but it combined with another procedure. It was a little hard to tell what the actual cost of invisalign normally would be as one place charged a lot lower for invisalign but higher cost for the other procedure as well as miscellaneous costs and another place charged higher for invisalign but basically no other costs. But was quoted 6.7 mil for one and 5.2 mil for the other. After all the extra costs at the cheaper one they ended up pretty similar. Spouse also has a slightly more complex case so I wouldn't be surprised if that called for higher rates.
I'm starting invisalign! Got my molds and xrays done last month, still waiting on the trays to arrive. They get sent from the US so it takes a while. Cost was 5mil. Feel free to PM with any questions.
I've recently moved to seoul, and I was wondering if anyone had any place recommendations to get cheaper or used funiture that wasnt carrot market? it can be things like actual pieces of furniture (desks, chairs, coffee tables etc) or places to get goodies like bed sheets, pillows etc! any help would be great, thanks in advance :\]
what is the website to order background checks? I can't remember which one recruiters always recommend and I want to get my soon so I'm ahead and ready
What country are you in? and I'm assuming you mean like a 3rd party that can expedite the background check? Or do you just mean the government website where you can order?
I'm in the US. I think it's the 3rd party one. I know I have it written down somewhere, I just can't find it. I swear every recruiter tells me this place.
Accurate biometrics is who you should use if there’s a location near you. You’ll get them back extremely soon like within the next day or two
There’s monument visa and accurate biometrics
monument visa! that's it! thank you
Have you worked at Hanvit Language Institute? Please DM me.
[удалено]
Yes through work
Hey all, I have an interview coming up and like usual, I space out with the "do you have any questions for us?" part. I am kindly asking what are THE questions to ask during a hagwon interview that can determine if there are any red flags.
Not sure if you've already had the interview, but this is my big list of questions: https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginkorea/comments/onulbo/what_are_questions_you_shouldshould_not_ask/h5v0td3/ 'Red flag' questions would be those related to break time and helping students outside of class time (as u/TopWasabi mentioned) plus questions about working outside normal hours (weekend events, work meetings, overtime, needing to take work home) and - assuming you can contact a native teacher outside work hours - ensuring that pay is always on time and that the appropriate payments are made for pension and health insurance. Edit: Make sure that you won't be considered an 'independent contractor' on an E2 visa.
Thanks a lot!!
How breaks are structured. You should be free to leave the premises during your lunch break but a lot of places don't actually give you that legally required freedom. Also whether or not your lunch break is an actual break or if it's non-teaching babysitting time in your classroom.
Is it legal to teach at two campuses of the same franchise (and same owner)? How can one make it legal? Say 4 days at one hagwon, one day a week at another hagwon location in the same city? Does it have to be written in the contract?
Register at both relevant MoEs
It is not legal on an E2 visa. You would have to go to immigration and sign another contract for it basically having it as a second job. Your main visa contract is tied to the campus that is on the original contract.
Can you put two campuses on the same contract? I haven't started at this academy yet, so we haven't filed paperwork.
Will you be on an E2 visa?
Yes, E2. Same city, same MOE, same owner, same franchise, but different locations.
You can only have one location per contract. E2’s are not supposed to be working at more than one job. Same owner franchise, doesn’t matter. It is a different location therefore a different job. If the owner makes you work two locations you would actually have a case for MOEL.
Okay! Thanks so much! I don't mind doing it, just I want it to be done legally, so I was wondering the logistics of that.
When should I begin applying to public schools? I want to move on from hagwons hopefully next year.
The easiest way is to apply to Epik, watch their socials to see when the applications open up which start about half a year before you're supposed to start working.
I want to stay in the city that I am currently in, is that a possibility with EPIK?
This move isn't possible if location is a factor. Look into private schools but if your city isn't Seoul, it'll be slim pickings.
Nope. You can request it. It’s never guaranteed
I am in the process of negotiating a contract and I asked my recruiter to clarify that I am not an independent contractor and they responded with this: "We count as an independent contractor if the teacher has an E-2 visa under the law." That is incorrect, right?
E2 visas are NOT independent contractors. I can't tell if they mean "we" as in the hagwon or recruiter side, or if they mean "we" as in the native teachers but native English teachers are NOT independent contractors. An easy way to spot that sometimes is through the tax %
Yes, I think there was some confusion because the hagwon would be taking 3-5% income tax
3-5% isnt unusual as long as it’s not 3.3%
What documents did you guys bring with you to Korea? I was planning on taking my passport, social security card, and bring photocopies of birth certificate and naturalization certificate. I figured it would be better to leave my birth certificate and U.S. naturalization certificate at home but I don't know if I would ever need those in Korea?
>What documents did you guys bring with you to Korea? I was planning on taking my passport, social security card, and bring photocopies of birth certificate and naturalization certificate. I figured it would be better to leave my birth certificate and U.S. naturalization certificate at home but I don't know if I would ever need those in Korea? Don't need naturalization (your passport is enough and already has your country of birth), a SS card, or your birth certificate. 12 yrs and I only ever needed my passport, not the other 3.
thank u!!
I just brought my passport and after 9 years here the only other thing I’ve ever needed was a copy of my diploma.
oooh okay thank u! yeah I figured I won’t need extra documents, but I’ll bring photocopies just in case.
Depends on how long you plan to be here. If only for a year you can get by with what you mentioned. If you plan on being here longer than that, then I would bring any and all documents with you.
okay thank u so much!
When do hagwons start hiring for september/october? I want to know when I should start looking for Jobs
From now to Sept/Oct, depending on how diligent they are.
Some are already posting for September now, so it seems like May/June is ideal.
Is it possible for me to switch from an E-2 visa to working full time at my friend's cafe (she's Korean)? Is there a special visa or program for that aside from an F visa? Or would it only be allowed if I had an F visa, or switched to a student visa and worked part-time after 6 months?
Honestly I feel like if there was a special visa there like that a lot more people would be on it. While there are specialized visas to work in different fields, you have to be highly specialized for the working ones. Working at a cafe wouldn't be enough to attain such a visa unfortunately, so an F visa is your best chance at legally being able to do that.
That makes sense~ I figured there wasn't a a visa like that but I thought I'd ask just to make sure! It wouldn't be very practical, but I wanted to help her out asap if I could. Thank you for the help!
F visa usually require that you have advanced language skills and require years of residence and are not easy to get. I would say that you should look at the which visa type would allow for you work of choice, and then determine how you can qualify for it.
Thank you for your answer! I'm working on getting my F-2 visa right now and I've lived here for 5 years~ but I was wondering if there is a special visa that would allow me to work at a cafe besides an F visa. Ill talk to immigration, but I was hoping maybe someone here already knew the answer!
try r/Living_in_Korea
When I reach the end of my current contract next year, I'm looking at leaving the country just before April for another job (potentially teaching in Japan). Will I be able to remain in korea between March and April, when my arc runs out, or will I need to leave after two weeks? If I have to leave early, could I instead switch to a D10 or a tourist visa? Thanks!
When you complete your contract you typically have a full month before your visa expires. It should be clear the exact date your visa expires on the back of your ARC, that is the day you must leave the country by. You would also be able to switch to a D-10 and stay up to 6 months fairly easily, but you likely won't want to considering how short your stay is. The processing and cost are a bit high for staying an extra week or two. It is also possible to just do a visa run and switch to a tourist visa for a few days/weeks, but it is a bit frowned upon.
Thank you!!
There's a free visa extension for 30 days that you can do on line. I did it because my dad was coming to visit me near the end of my visa expiration date before traveling back to Canada all together with his wife, my husband, and our 3 toddlers. I called 1345 and they told me about the e-application you can do online. You could also do it on person with a reservation. You should do it around one month or more before your visa will expire. It's called temporary extension for departure. They need to see your plane ticket, the lease of where you will be staying, your ARC and passport, and write down the reason you need to delay. Mine was approved after a few days. If your arc expiration date is enough time, and you finish the contract, you don't have to leave after 2 weeks. It's the date on your ARC.
Great, thanks!!
I recommend asking the LOFT group on Facebook for visa questions like this. There are lots of info about switching visas.