Visas in Korea

[Niko]

English Teachers - Visa Rules for Korea

Are you aware of the visa rules when teaching in Korea? Have you just been offered a teaching job and need to arrive within the week?

English Teachers are often asked to arrive in Korea asap and then do a visa run to Japan. Arriving to Korea on a tourist visa is fine, as long as you don't engage in work related activities prior to receiving your E2 work visa.

Your school will apply to immigration, who will then issue you a "Letter of Visa Issuance". This letter then needs to be presented to an embassy outside of Korea where you will then receive your E2 work visa.

As there are dishonest schools, there are also dishonest teachers.

Schools

Some schools do delay sending their teachers on a visa run. Be careful not to work until you get your visa stamped into your passport. Working without a valid visa in Korea can lead to deportment, heavy fines and being banned from ever working in Korea. Make sure you understand the risks if placed into such a situation.

Teachers

There are instances where English teachers arrive on a tourist visa, have their airfare paid by the school, take a look around and then disappear leaving the school out of pocket. Teachers are free to do as they wish prior to finalisation of their visa sponsorship. Furthermore, some of these teachers then find a teaching job with another school, receiving a refund on the initial airfare.