E2 Denied: Korea's Universities, Government Not On Par

It's a tough lesson to learn, but if you're going to teach in Korea, read the fine print. Korea's E2 visa regulations have been transient as of late, but one stipulation that has not changed is the fact you must have a degree from an accredited university from Canada, America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa. A British student studying at the Hangkuk University of Foreign Studies, a prestiguous University in Seoul, recently discovered this hard truth when he applied for an E2 teaching visa just ahead of finishing his English Education degree. Mark Thomas, the British student, recevied the news he had been denied an E2 visa just after Christmas 2007 by the Seoul Immigration Bureau. The Bureau cited that because Thomas had not graduated from a University in a native-English speaking country, he did not meet the requirements of the E2 visa.

For further details go to the blogs that first reported this incident:
1. http://www.rjkoehler.com/2008/01/22/how-fucked-up-is-koreas-english-teaching-racket/
2. http://eflgeek.com/index.php/eflgeek/comments/english-education-major-denied-visa/

This incident speaks volumes to the dicord between official goverment departments. Korea remains a country where there is an obvious lack of commitment on the part of the government to the quality of its public education system, if a Korean univeristy will train a foreign teacher and then refuse to hire them as one. Although Thomas was eventually denied an E2 visa by the Seoul Immigration Bureau, the Seoul Board of Education had given him a green light on receiving a visa prior to the Bureau's decision. The Board of Education should have been aware of the law before misleading Thomas. Nevertheless, it is still the responsibility of the student or teacher to be aware of all laws before embarking on such an undertaking.

By Spencer McCall