Please follow these instructions to get your teaching visa for South Korea. This information is for teachers going to private language schools only.
If you haven’t applied for a job in Korea yet, please fill out the two-minute online job application on our website. We will introduce you to our vetted schools that match your job-seeking criteria. Our partner schools are all over Korea ranging from major chains to minor chains to independent schools. All our schools follow Korean labor laws and honor their contracts. The directors, vice directors, and academic coordinators are lovely to work with. We will work with you side-by-side during the whole process, from the job search, placement, arrival in Korea, and beyond. This saves you time and money, not having to sort everything out independently.
STEP 1 – Document Collection, Notarization, and Apostille Authentication.
You must begin organizing the following documents before you get a job offer:
A) University Degree (notarized and authenticated with Apostille (DIRCO Apostille ONLY- the High Court apostille is not accepted). Note: Korean immigration usually won’t accept original degrees: only photocopies notarized with an Apostille.) Immigration will not return any documents.
· must be a Bachelor’s degree (at minimum) in any discipline
· must be from an accredited university
· to get a notarized copy with Apostille: * Make a photocopy. * Have the copy notarized by a notary public or the commissioner of oath. * Send or take the notarized copy to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in South Africa
· *or use an apostille service like https://apostil.co.za/
B) Police Clearance Certificate-authenticated with Apostille (DIRCO Apostille ONLY- the High Court apostille is not accepted)
· Your record check cannot be more than six months from the issuance date when you apply for your teaching visa.
· Fee: R59.00 (either a South African check, banker’s draft, or money order made payable to the South African Police Service is acceptable)
· Download the form here.
· Ensure you request a sex-offender registry check (some police departments do not specify that a sex-offender check is done – do your best to have this indicated on the report)
· If they ask, tell them it is for TEIK Recruiting and provide our address (see the bottom of our homepage)
· The website indicates that issuing a certificate could take up to 6 weeks.
· Have the results sent to you.
· This report must be notarized by a local notary public or lawyer.
· Once notarized, send it to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in South Africa for an Apostille Certification/Authentication. Apostille is a French word for authentication or legalization. According to the “Hague Treaty” of 1961, this is the agreed-upon method to ensure the international validity of public documents.
· Do not send it to the Korean Consulate/Embassy. Send only to the Department of International Relations for the Apostille Authentication.
· Find your Apostille office contact info.
· Mail In: if you mail in your application, include a return envelope with postage and your address and indicate that the document is bound for South Korea.
· Note: if you are abroad please contact the nearest South African Embassy or Consulate
· You will receive an Apostille certificate that accompanies your record check.
C) Health Statement
· · This is a simple questionnaire form from the Korean government on which you answer the questions. Once you arrive in Korea, a full blood test and physical exam will be administered.
· The test will include testing for narcotics, TB, HIV, and other infectious diseases.
· The government suggests that they are not testing for THC or marijuana (but they do), so please note that smoking marijuana in Korea or having THC in your blood is a criminal offense and is NOT handled lightly. Even if Marijuana is legal in your state or country, it is illegal to have it in your system, so do not smoke it for at least 5-6 weeks before taking the drug test, which happens in the first 1-2 weeks after arrival.
· DO NOT BRING ANY DRUGS TO KOREA OR USE ANY THERE.
· If you do not pass the health exam in Korea you will likely have your visa revoked and will not have a job or health insurance.
D) Passport Photocopy
· It is a photocopy of the information page of your passport and signature page.
· Make sure you have at least six months on your passport before it expires.
· Make sure there is at least one empty page in your passport
E) Resume
· Print a copy of your resume.
F) Signed Copy of the School Contract
· The contract will be provided to you by e-mail once you agree to it and the school accepts you as their teacher.
G) Four Passport-Sized Photos
· These are standard passport photos – the same that you would need for a new passport.
· The photos must not be older than six months.
Move on to Step 2 once you have been offered and have accepted a teaching contract in Korea.
STEP 2 – Send your Documents to Korea
Required Documents:
1. copy of original degree with Apostille
2. notarized criminal record check with Apostille
3. health check statement
4. photocopy of your passport (information page and signature page)
5. copy of your resume (signed)
6. a signed copy of the contract
7. four passport-sized photos (one is glued to the visa application)
Please send your documents by FedEx, DHL, UPS, or South African Post Office Registered Mail.
Once you’ve sent your documents, please retain a copy of your invoice with the tracking number of your package and the address you sent it to, and please send us a copy of the tracking number and the website that will allow us to track the documents.
It is IMPORTANT to get the tracking number and send it to us to track. Once your documents are in Korea, your school will apply online or take the documents to the Ministry of Justice and Immigration in Korea to get you a Visa Issuance Number (VIN), which takes 5-10 working days. The immigration office will issue a Confirmation of Visa Issuance Number (VIN), also referred to as the Visa Reservation Number or Visa Confirmation Number.
The school will forward this number (by e-mail) to you (or us). You will need this code to put on your teaching visa application for the Korean consulate.
STEP 3 – Mail or Bring your Visa Paperwork to the Korean Consulate
Once you have your VIN, send or take your application and application documents to the Korean Consulate or Embassy nearest to you.
E2 Teaching Visa Application Form – here are some fields on the application form that you might have questions about:
· Classification: OR – ordinary (unless you are a diplomat!)
· Occupation: English Teacher
· Purpose of Entry: To teach English (work)
· Potential Length of Stay: 1 year (an E2 visa is for 13 months, so you can arrive before your contract start date for training and stay a bit after to travel, etc.)
· Address in Korea: same address to which you sent all your documentation
· Who Will Pay For The Expenses For Your Stay? (Employer)
· Guarantor or Reference in Korea: The Directors’ name in the VIN confirmation
Take the Visa Application form and the required documents to the Korean Consulate with jurisdiction for your state or area.
· Passport: Make sure you have your passport ready, that there is six months validity left on it, and that there is at least one empty page. Make sure it’s signed, too.
· Photo: You must send a passport picture with your application.
· Confirmation of Visa Issuance Number: fill in the reservation number at the top of the application form.
· Transcripts: Send one set of sealed transcripts to the consulate (not a stated requirement, but better safe than sorry)
· Consul’s Checklist: A simple two-page document required by the consulate (if required).
· Fee: The cost will be: R900 (Check this fee here) * This must be cash or a money order. * You are generally given a multi-entry visa immediately upon application (typically without having to ask for it). Make sure of this – if you don’t have this multi-entry capability, your visa will expire if you leave Korea to visit Japan, Thailand, or elsewhere for vacation.
The actual visa issuance takes three working days. They might request an interview in person with the Consul General if they need additional documents and proof. Your visa will be processed after that.
Always call your consulate to ensure you are familiar with their procedures.
Once you have received your passport back with your E-2 visa, you are all set to begin your journey to Korea! Your Placement Coordinator should have been working with you to arrange your flight and arrival instructions. Please download the KakaoTalk application onto your phone, so we can make a 3-ways chat with you and your director or VD for travel updates.
Here is the Korean Consulate in South Africa and its jurisdictions:
Korean Consulate in Pretoria – responsible for all of South Africa. Address: Greenpark Estates Building No.3,27. George Storrar Drive Groenkloof, Pretoria, 0181, South Africa Phone: (27-12)460-2508