There are 26,700 EFL teachers in Korea at this time (May 2008). It appears to us that every week about 20- 45 teachers have serious contractual disputes with their employer, whilst another 50 - 70 have minor problems related to contractual issues.

Rule 1. Before you sign your contract, make sure you understand it clearly.
Rule 2. Lawyers in Korea are on the whole far too expensive for teachers to turn to.
Rule 3. Have enough reserve cash to survive for a few weeks if things go wrong; (about U.S. $1000.00)
Rule 4. Act decisively and early if you think something is wrong. Don't wait to see it go wrong - by then you options for remedies have diminished.

Advice #1. Before signing your contract, receive advice from those who have lived in Korea or those Recruiters we recommend.

Advice #2. Read the Frequent & Deceptive Practices of 'school owners' page before you come. Being aware is being prepared!

Advice # 3. Don't list your name on Recruiters Jobs pages.

Education Institutions in Korea:
There are both government education institutions and private: According to some statistics, private schools make up 40% of secondary schools, 96% of junior colleges, and 77% of universities. Up until now, private schools in Korea have not been granted autonomy in the right to select students and the right to decide tuition levels because of the emphasis on the public nature of education. The State has exercised control over these matters. It is noteworthy that 98% of private middle and high schools depend on tuition and federal subsidies to meet expenses, and money from the school foundations covers only 6% of total college or university expenditure.

If you are working in this industry, the main Laws that will govern you are (a) the Korean Labor Law (b) The Immigration & Control Act (c) The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (d) Taxation Act (e) National Pension Act

A. General:

Most teachers who come to Korea have an exciting sojourn. To the contrary, a few teachers from foreign countries seem to encounter various problems whilst in Korea.

There are numerous educational areas within which you can be employed in Korea. These range from the government sponsored program EPIK (mentioned elsewhere herein,) Universities, (government or private,) private schools (hagwons,) and even large corporations have in-house English instructors. Choosing a reputable Employer is the most important task you face. You must do your 'homework' before accepting a contract. Do not blindly race in to the first contract you are offered, for you will find there are choices awaiting those who are qualified/experienced. (You will find most contracts offer approximately 1.8 million to 2.2 million Korean Won, although examples as low as 1.4 million Won and as high as 2.9 million Won have recently appeared, but are affected by hours worked.)

The following makes an assumption, namely that of the 30 or so visas available, you have or are getting an E2 visa. (e.g. if you are married with a Korean wife, have an F2 visa, some laws/regulations are different for you here, [working, changing jobs, visa renewals].

Coming to Korea.

Getting an E-2 teaching visa
Once you have agreed to a contract to teach English in South Korea, the next step is getting your visa. This visa is called an E-2 visa, (some people qualify for E1, E7 or the F2 Family visa.) These are valid for one year or more depending on the type. A single entry visa does not allow you to leave and return to Korea on the same visa. Thus if you are planning on traveling internationally during your sojourn in Korea be sure you get a multiple entry E-2 visa. After arrival in Korea, your school owner Must/Should/Will take you to the local immigration office to apply for an Alien Registration Card- which is essentially an ID card during your stay in Korea. Always ask for a multiple entry visa when applying for the Alien Registration Card.

Documents needed to process your E-2 visa:
Original university degree. Copies are no longer accepted. Important Note- A simple photocopy of your degree will not be accepted by Korean Immigration authorities, nor will copies notarized by a notary public or a lawyer. You must have your original degree readily available. A letter from your university stating that you have graduated will not suffice. You will need to return to the Korean embassy or consulate later to get your visa stamped in your passport. New laws dictate police background checks. Read this PDF file

Entering Korea on a tourist visa
Sometimes schools ask teachers to come to Korea on a tourist visa, prior to having an E-2 teaching visa. (Warning- this is where 90% of the problems originate, so be very careful if you are in this category.) In this case, schools will ask teachers to either send their documents and have the teacher come to Korea prior to obtaining a Visa Confirmation Letter, or the school will ask the teacher to hand carry the documents necessary to process their E-2 visa with them to Korea. In this case you will be asked to come to Korea initially on a tourist visa.

If you are entering Korea on a tourist visa, you must have a round trip ticket. You will not be allowed to board the plane to Korea, or enter the country, if you do not have a round trip ticket.

There is no paperwork necessary to obtain a tourist visa. As long as you have a valid passport with at least 6 months before expiration date, and a round trip ticket, you will be given a single entry 3 or 6 month tourist visa once you enter Korea.

Once you have entered Korea on a tourist visa, the school will process your paperwork to get you an E-2 teaching visa as soon as possible. Once Korean immigration has issued the school your visa confirmation letter, the school will pay for a round trip ticket for you to Fukuoka, Japan (http://www.city.fukuoka.jp/index-e.html), or occasionally Osaka, Japan,
http://www.city.osaka.jp/english - the cities closest to Korea with Korean consulates.

You must go to Japan or another country with a Korean embassy or consulate in order to change your visa status from tourist to teacher- Korean immigration law does not allow this change in status to occur within Korea. Normally you will only need to spend 24 - 48 hours in Japan. Your first day in Fukuoka, you will need to drop off your passport and visa confirmation letter at the Korean consulate, fill out a form and pay a fee, just as you would when applying for an E-2 Visa in the United States or Canada. The next day you will need to return to the consulate in order to pick up your visa with your E-2 visa stamped in it, and then you are ready to return to Korea as a legal English teacher, though there are still further steps to undertake in Korea. (see also Visa Run {a comprehensive description of doing the Japan visa Run})

Important Note- Change your Korean Won into Yen in Korea before you leave for Japan- you will/may not be able to exchange Won for Yen in the airport in Fukuoka. See Visa Run

The Korean Consulate General in Fukuoka city is located at 1-1-3 Jigyohama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810, on Yokatopia-dori Avenue about 500 meters south of the Fukuoka Dome. The telephone number is 092-771-0461; the fax is 092-771-0464. Fukuoka1-1-3 Chuo-Ku Fukuokas Jigyohama
Post code 810-0065
email : fukuoka@mofat.go.kr
Office Hours : 9:00-12:00 1: 30-17:00 (Monday to Friday) No Saturdays.
Time difference with Korea : 0- Fukuoka is in the same time zone as Korea.

To get there from the airport take the subway to the brown vase stop- Tojin Machi (9th stop from the airport). It's right after Ohori Koen ( a park ). From Tojin Machi, take the first exit (1) it says Korean Consulate on it. Walk towards the traffic light after walking straight out of the exit. Turn right and go straight for about 10 minutes. You'll have to cross over to the other side of the street. The consulate has a Korean style roof and a Korean Flag. The consulate is close to the Fukuoka Dome. (Some teachers go without the Blue form - so must return to Korea to obtain it) Don't go without it!

To process your visa you will need to bring your passport, the Visa Confirmation Letter from your school and one passport sized photo.

Visas For Dependents
If you are accompanied by a spouse who will not be teaching English, or by your children, they will need to get an F-3 visa in order to accompany you to Korea. When you apply for your E-2 visa, you can apply for your spouse or child's F-3 visa at the same time. You will need to provide the Korean embassy or consulate with your dependent's passport and official documentation certifying your relationship, such as a Birth Certificate or Marriage Certificate.

For a complete list of list of visas to enter Korea,see the Korean Ministry of Justice