In order to work as an English teacher in South Korea, you will need the correct working visa. The visa that is required (most often) is an E-2 visa, although one can also teach with an F-5 visa. For more information on the respective visas please refer to my articles on this article directory or alternatively you can browse my blog for further information.

This article will mainly deal with the process of acquiring a working visa for South Korea. The steps that I will describe are the same steps that I followed to get my visa in South Africa in February 2010. I used a private recruiter from South Korea, but I am sure that the process is very similar for any other country.

The first step in getting an E-2 visa is finding a job in South Korea. This can be done through recruiters (mostly found online by browsing ESL job postings on popular ESL websites), or through the Korean government using a program such as EPIK. EPIK assists hundreds of people in finding work in Korea every year.

Once you have been offered a position you should have your contract sent to you. You will need to sign this contract and mail the original document to either the school director or to your recruiter. It is advisable to use a courier service (i.e. DHL) as it is safer, more secure and much faster than the regular postal service.

Once the documents (a signed contract, identification photographs, a police clearance certificate and your original degree) have been received in Korea, the visa process will be started in South Korea. This will be handled by someone in Korea, so you will not have to worry about it.

After several days you should receive a visa number. This visa number is used to complete the visa process in your home country. You will need to go to a local South Korean embassy in your country and submit your passport along with some other documents (please make sure that you phone ahead to make certain that you have all the required documents). You will be required to leave your passport at the embassy for a week or so while they process your visa. You will then be able to collect your South Korean E-2 working visa.

If you would like to know more about the identification cards given to you in South Korea or any other matter related to teaching English in Korea, please feel free to browse my personal blog.

Do you want to learn more about teaching, and living, in Korea?
Simply go to http://www.christopheranderson.information-here.com and read up on what life can be like in Korea. Chris Anderson is currently working in Gyeongju as an ESL teacher.