The entire process of finding a job teaching in Korea can be a little bit overwhelming, especially if it is your first time teaching overseas. We at Travel and Teach completely understand this as we were once in the same position as you. We therefore take the necessary time to explain each step of the process to you, so that there is no guessing involved.
To give you a summary of how things work, we have outlined the steps from start to finish. Don’t worry if things sound complicated - we are here to help!

STEPS OF THE VISA PROCESS

STEP 1
Once you have submitted all of your necessary information to us (application form, resume and photo), we will review it and get back to you to request an interview. Upon your acceptance with us after the interview, we will start moving forward with your file.
**If you are applying to teach English abroad more than 3 months in advance, we will request a consultation so that you are fully informed on what you need to prepare.

STEP 2
Be sure to have all of your documents at your disposal, which includes: a valid, up to date passport (at least 6 months validity on it), a hardcopy of your original university degree, 2 sets of officially processed transcripts (sealed, signed and dated) and 4 passport photos (color and date stamped, sized 3.5 x 4.5 cm). You will also need to obtain a criminal check as well as the fill out the self health check form. For specific instructions, please go to the Documents Needed To Teach English in Korea section..
*If you are from Canada and want to teach abroad, you will need to have your criminal check notarised and then brought to the Korean consulate closest to you to have it checked and approved before sending your documents to Korea.
*If you are from The U.S. and want to teach abroad, you will need to have your criminal check approved by the Apostille office closest to you. For a list of these offices, please go to our Teacher Resource Section under Apostille Offices.
Please be sure to call the Apostille office to find out what type of criminal check they will approve, as this sometimes varies by state.

STEP 3
We will start formally presenting your profile that we create to our schools in Korea that match the criteria on the application you submitted to us, in addition to any details we discussed over the phone and via email.

STEP 4
Once a school indicates an interest in your profile, we will present you with a thorough job description.

STEP 5
If you are interested in the teaching position that we offer you, we will contact your chosen school to arrange an interview.

STEP 6
If the interview is a success, the school will send us a contract for you to review.
*Please be advised the majority of Korean ESL teaching contracts are generic in nature. We will provide proper explanations of things you may not be familiar with.
Upon accepting the position, you will then send your documents (1 copy of your sealed transcripts, university degree, 2 passport photos, a hard copy of your resume, a photocopy of your valid passport, the signed contract, the self health check form as well as the criminal check) to the school in Korea. They will then take your documents to the immigration office to start the first part of the visa process.

STEP 7
Once the processing is completed in Korea (1-2 weeks), they will send us your ‘visa issuance number’ which we will send to you.

STEP 8
You will then bring this issuance number to the closest Korean consulate to you, along with your passport, the other set of your sealed transcripts, 1 official passport photo and the visa application form to the consulate. If the consulate is not within your proximity, you will need to mail it with a prepaid return envelope enclosed.
The consulate will charge you a processing fee for this service. This fee will vary depending on what country you reside. At this point, an interview with the consul will be arranged.
The consulates will hold your passport for up to 10 business days. We advise contacting the appropriate consulate before visiting or mailing anything to them to confirm their address and visa procedures and requirements.
For numbers and addresses, please visit our list of Korean consulates.

STEP 9
Once your visa is completed, we will start making arrangements for your plane ticket.
When you arrive in Korea, we will have all of the arrangements made in order to get you from the airport to your apartment.
*It takes on average 4-6 weeks for the process to teach in Korea to be completed (from the time when you have all of your documents prepared). The length of time will vary based on the time of year, and when you are able to book an interview with the consulate. This process may seem a little bit confusing, but we will guide you through it and answer any questions that you have along the way

STEP 10
Within 3 months after arriving in Korea, you will need to visit a hospital or a local doctor to undergo a health screening. They will be checking for HIV, other contagious diseases, as well as the presence of any hard illegal drugs. If you test positive for any of these, it could result in you losing your job as well as in your visa being revoked.