What is the process for getting a job over there?

A WEBSITE FOR ESL TEACHERS:

This should be generally true for most jobs in Korea.

It usually starts with combing the Korean Job Board on Dave's ESL Cafe or similar websites. Most of the ads are posted by placement agencies like EPIK, SeoulESL Recruiting Inc., Canadian Connection, WorknPlay Consulting, and J.J. RECRUITMENT.

You'll send your resume and other information to the placement agency. This is where you will normal state preferences on public vs. hogwan, location and teaching level. If you're a viable candidate then the placement agency will probably grant you a phone interview.

Eventually the agency will make you an offer for a particular school or school district. If you verbally accept, then there is more paperwork. Here's a list of what I remember sending:

- A medical check-up form signed by a doctor
- my original diplomas for both undergraduate and graduate school
- sealed transcripts from both schools
- a job application for the school district in Korea
- several matching passport-size photos
- letters of reference
- a photopy of my TEFL certificate
- a state-wide criminal background check with an Apostille stamp

The agency decides sends some of it to Korea and some of it is just kept for reference. Then there is some lag time until you receive a contract from the school district with your name and a start date. In my case this took over three weeks.

When the contract comes, you need to sign it. Actually, I learned that you need to sign every page not just the signature page. That cost me a 5-day delay and another $33 to FedEx. Then another round of documents goes to Korea. Someone on the Korean side, either the placement agency or the school district goes to Korean immigration and gets a visa number with your name on it. This can be emailed to you.

Once you have your visa number, you can apply for a 1-year teaching work visa (an E2 visa) with your 'local' Korean consulate. In my case I was living in Nashville at the time so I used the consulate in Atlanta, GA. As of last year the consulates where reqiring that you appear in person for a visa interview. The interview was done with a group (6 of us in total) and the questions weren't very difficult.

Once the consulate is satified, they send back your passport with your visa stapled inside. At this point, the placement agency will work with you on booking a flight.

Here's an important note, from the day I verbally accepted my job to the day I arrived in Korea it took three months. Some of this could have been done a little bit faster, but I would expect no less than two months. So, if you are working and plan to quit your job, my advice is to wait until the consulate returns your visa. I had already left my job so I had to live off of savings for three months.