Tefl in South Korea

Hiya guys just trying to find out some info for a friend of mine.

He is planning to fly over to Korea and hunt for a job once there. I understand that as an Irish citizen you don't actually need a visa and that you can enter the country for 90 days. She has told me that once he finds a job she will go over to Japan to sort out the visa. My question is as an Irish citizen can you freely travel from Korea to Japan and back again. Would you need a separate visa to travel into Japan?

Thank you for any help.

You don't need a special visa to travel to Japan to do what your friend is intending.

Make sure your friend brings all her documents with her that she needs for the working visa to save hassle once she gets there.

Seeking more information

What documents should a person make sure to pack in their suitcase in order to job hunt and complete a visa run. Would be a disaster if you arrived over there and found out you were missing something.

Thanks once again. When I was looking into applying from Ireland I was told by a recruiter that I would need to post over two sealed copies of my college transcripts. These are the main things I was wondering about, would a person have to bring these?

More questions

Best way to get Korean Won once on the ground? Bring Euros and exchange in the airport/bank? or use use ATM machine to take cash out?

The commission on taking money out was €2 when I checked my accounts from December. I'm with AIB. Certain ATM's had limits on the amount you could take out at once. Join a bank there and change Euro's with them. You can usually negotiate a good rate if you are with the bank.

JJayoo wrote: »

I need to find the correct address to get documents Apostilled in Dublin. I know it has already been posted in this thread but after 5 mins of searching I have given up the address or a link to the website would be great. I'm pretty sure it's just off St Stephen's Green.

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/our-services/authenticating-documents/

click on how to apply

EDIT: I found this by typing Department of Foreign Affairs Apostille into google. You couldn't find it!!??? :-P

brianw1 wrote: »

Apologies if this question was already asked, I can't seem to find the answer in this thread. If I were to gather the necessary documents and apply to a recruiter, when would the job start? I'm about to come out of college with a 4 year degree in May, and I don't want to sit at home for 3 months if the job doesn't start until August Advice? Thanks

If you had the required documents then the job would start at the start date of the job you applied for same as any other job.

Once you accept the job offered, the documents are sent off and the visa is given to you etc.

EPIK and the like have certain intake periods like the start of the school year but there are always hagwon jobs and public school jobs that a teacher might have left early etc. that go year round. Its as simple as checking the ads of the job you applied to or the recruiter offered you. Why not gather the documents now and apply for a job in May / June etc.

AutumnLady wrote: »

Hi all,

For the E2 visa, is it still a case of getting a police cert from your local Garda station?

According to this link sent to me by a recruiter http://eslstarter.com/how-to-get-a-criminal-record-check.php#ireland it says you have to apply centrally?

Any ideas?

Thanks

That link the recruiter gave you goes to a uk site not the guards. NEVER take everything the recruiters tell you as fact as they can often be wrong or less clued in than you are, going on old or false info etc. Always triple check everything.

A quick google gives you this which appears to say your local superintendent:

http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=2742&Lang=1

I don't see why it would have changed to apply centrally? Their website doesn't say so. Ring your local superintendent station to get a confirmation.

also its free I'm sure...but that recruiter site says they charge money so I reckon they are using the wrong info or a different cert than the one you actually need?

google is your friend:
http://www.goeastrecruiting.com/criminal-background-checks/36-ireland-criminal-background-check

I live in South Korea,
The voltage is 220. But they use a 2-pin socket here. So you would need to get a travel adaptor on ebay or amazon or locally, if they are cheaper.
I brought my phone to south korea but it wasn't unlocked so it was useless. If you bring your phone make sure it is unlocked first so you can then change it to prepaid or contract.

thanks guys

brianw1 wrote: »

Anybody know how much it costs to apostille both a police cert and a degree with the DFA? I've been trying to get through to their phones the last few days, with no luck.

I think it was €20 for each item stamped. That may have gone up slightly in the last couple of years.

brianw1 wrote: »

Thanks, I found on their site that it costs €40 to apostille a documenet, so €80 overall. It just seemed a lot higher from some of the posts I've seen here. If only they would answer their goddamn phone!!

100% increase in costs? Ink must have gotten very expensive in the last few years.

RingTheAlarm! wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm considering moving to Korea in a few months (I can start in August) but I have to be back home for a week in April/May and have no choice in the matter. I contacted EPIK who basically told me not to even bother applying. Does anyone have any advice for me please? I know the holidays are different in Korea to Ireland but I don't want to have to wait an extra 8/9 months

RingTheAlarm!

Some one had a similar question a few pages back.

You could apply for private jobs and hope that they give you the time off. I really doubt it though.

RingTheAlarm! wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm considering moving to Korea in a few months (I can start in August) but I have to be back home for a week in April/May and have no choice in the matter. I contacted EPIK who basically told me not to even bother applying. Does anyone have any advice for me please? I know the holidays are different in Korea to Ireland but I don't want to have to wait an extra 8/9 months

RingTheAlarm!

Just go for a private job, as said above. Let them know that you'll need a week off in April / May but you are willing to pay the fare yourself. I did it easily enough when I first went to Korea. That was 7 years ago though and they didn't have such a big pick of teachers back then.

You could just get a job and then once you are there for 3-4 months, and have built a relationship with your boss, you can just mention that you have a wedding, or whatever, that you have to go home for. Again, let them know you'll pay for it yourself and be really appreciative of their help with allowing you to do this. Tell them you love the job etc etc, just butter them up.

EPIK doesn't work like that. You have to do a full year's contract to get all the entitlements. you cannot do six months, simple as...If you missed the boat then apply in a few months time. I'm actually quite surprised that it is over so soon.
Keep an eye out for public jobs though. They don't always fill the places for public schools and I often see them advertised on daves esl cafe in early August to September. You can still get public jobs without going through EPIK.

Cornelius the 3rd wrote: »

Thanks for the reply xinchao,

So if a contract is for less than a year/part-time or casual, then it usually will not include benefits. Is that correct?

If so, and I'm planning on going over around Feb '15 until end of school term, would I be better off going over myself (no recruitment agency, pay for my flights, accom etc) and just knocking door to door for a job?

.. and is it likely I could bargain a higher salary this way?

Thanks,
Matt.

Do you have a particular reason for wanting to go to Korea? If you only want to go for a short time then you can earn good money elsewhere without the visa hassle that Korea brings.

The norm in Korea is to do a one year contract. People do go over and earn their money for a few months and then do a runner. I personally don't recommend it because it is a lot of hassle.

If you have a lot of restrictions you could consider China or Vietnam. Both can pay good wages. It would seem like a lot of effort to fly over their yourself and look for jobs for such a short time.

Exactly as the other posters said, there are other websites like eslemployment.com and also waygook.org.
Vietnam is ok money but private schools tend to fluctutae their hours. No perks as such you'll be lucky to get a good one with perks, such as free flights and accommodation. When I worked in Vietnam I didn't get holidays and if i was sick i didn't get paid. My hours were seasonal so some months were slack. I got paid an hourly rate. not sure if the same conditions exist in China but i'd say they wouldn't be too dissimilar.
China is a very viable option. But to get the good jobs you really need to be in China. Take nothing less than 13,000 or 14,000 per month.
Otherwise you won't live and save too well.
Korea is top dollar to do this, you get as standard flights and accommodation included. You'll be starting at around 1.9 - 2.1million won per month. That's the going rate at the moment.
Hagwons are ok to work but you'll be working evenings and maybe split shifts. Same for vietnam and China you'll more than likely be working weeknds too, maybe not all weekends but definitely a Saturday.
These things need to be taken into consideration.
What i would do is think very carefully about what i want to do.
What kind of life do i want there? Do i want to save money or just go out and travel a lot?
The answers to these questions will help you make a decision pretty easily.
Again just do your research.
Personally, I have worked in Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea; i had a ball in the latter two and saved zero money.
South Korea I have saved quite a bit to come home with.
You could also try Indonesia? Might be a bit of a road less travelled and more culturally exciting than Korea to be fair. but that's only my opinion.
But the best course of action is to do your research..It often takes a month or two to scope out a country through the websites. If you find a school make sure to find out about it on davesesl cafe or waygook.org to see if they are blacklisted....
Best of luck

Cornelius the 3rd wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies, theyre very helpful.

There's nothing in particular about south korea, I think I'd enjoy almost any of the available countries. As Im only looking to do this short-term (2 years max) I was looking for somewhere I would enjoy, earn good money and learn a language that would be beneficial for me. Everyplace has at least one con, for me, in terms of the three listed, but Korea and the Middle East look like the best places in terms of income. However while I would like to visit the Middle East, I think I'm too liberal to live there (and the coronvirus hasn't made it any more appealing).

Ive heard a lot of horror stories about the Hagwons and from what I can gather they're a complete gamble. Although that would be one advantage of being over there job seeking door to door; you could see if they actually have a door.. and/or a building and real people.

I think this is my final question: If I got a 1 year contract at a public school with a February/March start, how would that work in terms of summer holidays? I mean would I get paid for the 6 weeks holidays in July or whatever their summer break is?

You won't get six weeks off work in the summer, if that's what you're thinking. You will most likely have to work summer camps, or sit at your desk, in your school, on your own, just counting down the hours until you can go home.

You will get 2 weeks off in summer and 2 weeks I winter, I would imagine.

Yeah, definitely do your research......there are dud set-ups out there, for sure!

I did two yearlong contracts at hagwons. On both occasions I was hired from Ireland and had two positive experiences, hence why I encourage people to at least consider hagwons as an alternative to public schools. I was always paid on time, had no hassle getting my severance, had great accommodation and was treated really well. I wouldn't rule out a hagwon though for not paying airfare upfront (though that is definitely preferable). Neither of mine paid upfront, but I was reimbursed within days of arriving (I made sure to clarify that with my employers and checked with the current teacher that there was no messing in this regard).

The main disadvantage for me was the lack of holidays. The job can be exhausting, so come holiday time, I was fit to crawl into my bed for the whole duration. Come the end of the year, I was floored! But then again, I'm old :-) I can understand why holidays could be a dealbreaker for someone with regard to hagwons.

Another disadvantage for people can be having to work evening hours. Note, that isn't necessarily the case. For both my contracts, I worked 9.30-6.00 as I opted for the kindergarten/elementary route. I enjoy that age, but it's not for everyone.

The advantages for me were:

-Small classes: anything between 4-12 students.
-Autonomy as a teacher: I personally enjoy not having a co-teacher. I could run my classes however I liked provided I covered the material and the kids and parents were happy.
-Other Western co-workers.
-Motivated students.
-Teaching students on a daily basis, so you really get to know them and see them improve.

Anyway, good luck with your decision-making!