Why teach in Korea?
1. Good salary
2. Free accommodation
3. Medical insurance (50%)
4. Free roundtrip airfare
5. Paid holidays
6. Opportunity to travel in Asia
7. Bonus of one month salary upon completion of one year contract
8. Make new friends and have an unforgettable lifetime experience
I want to teach in Korea. What documents do I need to send?
-> When first applying you should send an email with a short introduction or cover letter. Include information such as: when you want to come to Korea, where you intend to live, what ages you want to teach, what your salary expectations are, and anything else pertinent. Also send your resume and a presentable photo which will enable us to put you on our database. You may also send copies of your transcripts or degree if you want, but these do not technically need to be received until we have confirmed you a position.
Why should I send you my picture?
-> It’s perfectly within the law in Korea to require an applicant to send their picture, and this happens with Koreans as well.
Doesn’t that mean that I can be discriminated against?
-> Possibly, though not likely. Most employers care about the teacher’s accent more than anything else. We are the ones that make a recommendation to the employer when we have found a suitable teacher, and in most cases they will go along with our recommendation.
I have Teaching experience and a Masters degree in English. Will I be offered a higher salary?
-> In some cases, you can make more money, though this is not always the case.
Do I need to send my original degree to Korea?
-> No, You can take your degree in person to a Korean consulate, or embassy if there is one near you. They can notarize photocopies of the degree for you, but there is a small fee for doing this, and they must see the original degree. However, if there isn’t a consulate near you, you still will have to mail your original degree to the nearest one. They need to see your original degree to verify that it is indeed valid.
What is diploma confirmation?
-> Diploma Confirmation is necessary to prove that you have in fact earned a 4 year degree. The Korean consulate has set down a government policy which states that all English teachers entering Korea must have a 4 year college degree. The Korean consulate requires this step to insure that they must see your original diploma at some point before a visa can be awarded. Recently the Korean consulates have been seeing many manufactured diplomas submitted by applicants who do not have 4 year degree. The Korea consulate has implemented a new regulation that no longer allows submission of photocopied diplomas. Unless notarized by a Korean Consulate or Embassy.
What if I have lost my original diploma or had it permanently framed on the wall and it is too large to mail?
-> Most consulates will also accept an official notarized letter from your alma mater, stating that you have graduated. This can be used in place of your original diploma, you should contact the Korean consulate which handles your jurisdiction to confirm they will accept this or they can give you alternate ideas. The main point being that they just need to confirm that you have in fact from a 4 year college.
How long will it take before I am hired?
-> In most cases an applicant can be hired within 1 month from receipt of application.
You say a school wants me to come ASAP. What about my visa?
-> When a school needs a teacher right away they are flown over and begin teaching right away. At the same time the documents are sent to immigration upon arrival. It’s possible to teach while waiting for a visa to be processed as long as the application has already been submitted. Once the visa is ready you will be sent to Osaka, Japan, for a one-day visa run. For more information on a Japan Visa run please email us at info@parkenglish.com
