Hello to everyone. I have been living in Seoul for 17 months now. My wife is a US contractor working at Yongsan. As such, I have and A3 visa and SOFA Status. I recently stumbled onto this forum, and I have gotten a lot out of reading the past posts and using the search function.

In March I will have officially completed a BS in accounting, so I am now starting a job search here in Seoul. Since this is Seoul, one of the options I am exploring is teaching English. In my discussions with others, some have suggested that teaching private lessons is the most lucrative way to do this. Is this OK to do for a SOFA Status individual? I do not want to run afoul of any Korean Immigration laws.

Also, I have noticed that the job descriptions at Hagwons, Schools, or Universities have certain visa requirements. If I were to work for one of these places, would I need to do any additional paperwork with Korean immigration?

in case of Hagwon, the Education Ministry of Korea will strengthen to management for native speaker English teachers.
because The Hagwon is employ illegal for native speaker English teachers.

Thanks for the reply. I am aware of some of the problems that pop up with the Hogwans employing native speakers illegally. This is why am being careful to make sure that I do not inadvertently break any laws, and therefore endanger my status here. Some people have said "if you have an A3 visa, you can teach wherever you like, and no one will bother you." That does not seem to be correct from the little bit of research I have done.

Just my personal opinion, but teaching English, privately, to people while under SOFA status is as illegal as...jaywalking. It's highly unlikely someone will take the effort to report you to the authorities and the authorities probably won't think it's worth the time and effort either.

However, a Hakwon employing a person under SOFA is as illegal as an alien working in the US without a Greencard. You'd need to change your Visa to work there legally (I wouldn't recommended it, though). With bad luck, there could be some problems.

But the first time you get unlucky, you (or your sponsor, actually) will probably just get off with a small warning. There are so many other serious illegal stuff going on (i.e. Blackmarketing) for the authorities to worry about.

Anyway, I'm sure you can teach privately without problems. It still goes on now, openly. People escort kids at the gates, take them home, teach a couple hours, and the kids hand the teacher a white envelope full of cash.

As An English Teacher Here With An E-2 Visa, I Would Say, Don't Jeopardize Your Wife's Position And Your Privileges, By Doing Anything That May Be Considered Illegal.

You Don't Want To Teach At A Hagwon, No Matter What.. Private Classes Are Much Better And Your Education Is Usually Not An Issue. You Can Schedule Your Own Time And Work As Much Or As Little As You Want.

My Suggestion Would Be To Visit The Nearest Immigration Office And Find Out What Your Visa Will Legally Allow You To Do. You Don't Have To Tell Them What Your Plans Are, Just Ask For The Law.. If You Have A Korean Friend Who Speaks English, Have Them Go With You, Just In Case There Is A Language Problem...

__________________
DAN BURESS

I am certainly trying to stay within the bounds of the law. I am going to ask more questions about this with immigration, and i will report here. There is a lot of inaccurate information out there, and from what I have seen from asking around, there are a lot of people breaking the law without even knowing it. I have gotten many different answers to the same question that i have asked here. I have ascertained that teaching privates is absolutely illegal for someone in my position, (as well as many other forigners) so I will stay away from that route, despite its potential for serious $$$.

I know that there is a lot that can be done to fly under the radar, but I do not want to take that chance. I want to stay strictly within the letter of the law. My wife has a great position where she is now and makes more than twice as much as our combined incomes when we lived in the States. Even though it is rare to get caught. all it takes is one nosy person to get someone in trouble. Getting fined, blacklisted, and/or deported would be absolutely disastrous for us at this juncture.

I will be doing more research into this, as I would like to know the "real" answer. I will likely aggressively pursue on-post positions, as there are legal pitfalls for me.

Most schools will sponsor you for your E2 Visa which is your teaching visa. I know that there is a way to amend your sofa visa in order to teach here. A good resource to check out would be www.efl-law.com. Most likely the route you will take is find out what the exact process is for amending your sofa visa so that you can work once you find that process you will need to get your dipmoma and originals of your transcripts in a sealed envelope. These will then be submitted to immigration once that is finished you will then be issued a visa letter which you will then have to take to Japan in order to have your E2 visa issued. Do not let the school tell you you have to pay for this trip, ALL schools pay for the visa run and keep in mind getting your E2 Visa now takes two days not one.

Sean

Just my two cents worth

Step 1: Do as I did. Call the Yongsan legal office. You are authorized free legal advice. Use that privilege. They told me all I needed to know when I asked a similar question a few months ago. You can freely ask and get good information from a knowledgable source. You are wise to not jeapordize your position. The Embassy also will explain your rights. Keep an eye out for Embassy jobs. You have priority as a spouse on some jobs!
Asking a forum can be like asking directions in Korea. Every man on the street has an answer.

"Asking a forum can be like asking directions in Korea. Every man on the street has an answer."
AMEN TO THAT BROTHER!!!!

__________________
DAN BURESS