NOTE: THE EXIT ALLOWANCE, VACATION, AND RENEWAL INFO RELATES TO EPIK ONLY.ARC
To avoid waiting in line at the immigration office (출입국관리사무소), you can schedule an appointment online at
www.immigration.go.kr | English | On-Line Service | Reservation
Required Documents
- Your passport
- 2 colour passport photos (3cm x 4cm)
- Proof of Employment (provided by your school)
- The POE Business Registration Number (provided by your school)
- The application form
- Bring 10,000 KRW (
cash only).
How long it takes for your ARC to arrive varies from city/province, and can take up to a month.
All visas are
multiple-entry by default now; thus, there is no need to pay extra.
I lost by ARC. What do I do?Go to the Immigration Office with your passport, 10,000원, 1 passport-sized photo, an application form (same as the original registration application, which you can pick up once you get there), and a report form (this is also found at the IO and is basically a statement telling when and how you lost your ARC). You will need an additional 4,000원 for shipping, as they will mail the new card in 2 weeks.
I read in older posts that you had to file a report with the police to bring to the IO, but this is no longer necessary.
Extending VisaYou can apply for a visa extension within the
last 60 days before your current visa expires.
If you're not renewing and wish to stay in the country after your contract expires, you need to apply for an extension (
maximum one month). You can either go directly to Immigration Office or do it online:
HiKorea.go.kr. --> Under the E-application tab --> The heading for is is Sojourn - Temporary extension of stay for departure of registered foreigners.
If you're renewing, you'll need the following documents:
- Your passport
- Your Alien Registration Card
- Your
new contract
- Proof of Employment, the POE Business Registration Number (ask your school for these)
- A processing fee: ~30,000 KRW (
cash only)Entrance AllowanceIt is administered by National Institute for International Education (NIIED), not your school. You'll get it some time within the first month of your contract.
QuittingAs of the Fall 2011 EPIK contract, if you quit within 6 months, you have to pay 700,000 KRW. Otherwise, there is no financial penalty other than losing out on your exit allowance and, potentially, severance.
You must give 60 days notice to your school, but the day you give notice is NOT the day you stop working. Thus, if you give notice 60 days prior to the six-month mark, you will not have to pay back 700,000 KRW.
SeveranceSeverance is administered by your
school for EPIK and GEPIK.
For renewing teachers, your severance (~one month's salary) and EPIK renewal bonus (2,000,000 KRW) will be paid within
one month from the start of your new contract.
For departing teachers, you may request your school to give you your severance with your last paycheck/paycheque, but they are under
no obligation to do so. If they say they can't, bear in mind that it is probably because they haven't received the funds from the Office of Education yet. It can take up to
one month for the severance to be wired to your home bank account, but
14 Korean working days is typical. It may or may not come with the exit allowance.If, for whatever reason, your school won't be wiring the money to you,
you should ask your Korean bank how to transfer the funds from your Korean bank account to your home bank account.
Exit AllowanceLike severance, you can request for the exit allowance to be paid on payday, but they're under no obligation. If they say they can't, bear in mind that it is probably because they haven't received the funds from the Office of Education yet.
Like severance, it can up to a month, but 14 Korean working days is typical. It may or may not come with the severance.Pension RefundThe refund is currently available to citizens of
Australia, Canada and the United States.Go to the National Pension Service website at
www.nps.or.kr| English | Foreigners and Lump-sum Refund. This page will explain when and how to fill out the necessary form.
You can apply for the refund no sooner than 30 days from your departure date.It usually takes
one month for the pension to be wired to your home bank account. If you don't want to wait,
you can pick it up at the airport. Note that you'll likely get a less favorable exchange rate by exchanging the money at the airport.
For more details about picking it up at the airport:
http://www.sulyapinoy.org/n6602-airport-payment-service-of-lump-sum-refund-for-foreignerThere is also a link to a very accessible brochure, “Guide to the National Pension for Foreigners,” at the bottom of the main English NPS webpage.
When will I get the renewal offer?Eight to ten months into your current contract--the timing varies from POE/MOE, so don't worry if you know somebody in another city or province who got it.
Note that your evaluation score must be at least 70 percent to be offered a contract extension. Your score is determined by co-teacher(s) and vice principal. If your score is below 70 percent, you will not get rehired through EPIK.
What if I want to stay another year, but in a different city/province?Same province, different cityYou simply have to inform your POE and they might accommodate. You can also request to go to a different school (different level or same level, but different school), but there's no guarantee that they'll accommodate.
Different POE/MOE You have to apply from scratch again (criminal record check, etc.) and have to ask your employer for a letter of release. You will also receive a settlement allowance of 300,000 KRW from the new POE/MOE (Article 11, clause 4) and you WILL receive a pay raise. However, you will
not get the following:
-renewal bonus (2,000,000 KRW)
-two calendar weeks of additional vacation (calendar days includes holidays and weekends)
-entrance allowance
VacationArticle 14
-Ten WORKING days in the winter and eight working days in the summer (this is in general, but other provinces such as Gangwondo get more). These days DO NOT include weekends and days when the school is closed (i.e., statutory holidays and the school anniversary).
Unfortunately, if a holiday falls on a weekend, you will not be given a make up day.-Technically, t
he school is not obligated to give you these days consecutively, so it is theoretically possible for them to break it up. For example, in the winter, they could, in theory, give 5 days off one week, 3 days off another week, and 2 days off another week. (total of 10 days).
-You must get your school's consent at least 15 calendar (calendar includes weekends and holidays) days in advance from the start of your vacation (clause 2).
Just because your co-teacher, VP, etc. agreed that you can take vacation on X date weeks in advance,
there is no guarantee that they'll accommodate, even if it is in writing. If the requested vacation period ends up interfering with an English program (e.g., English camp), the school can move your vacation to another date (clause 1)
(This is what happened in winter '09 in Daejeon. Many teachers had to cancel their vacation plans because the MOE suddenly decided to have a city-wide English camp (Hermes) during winter recess.)
-For the days you're NOT on vacation, you are obligated to come to school (i.e., "deskwarm") even though there are no classes or English camps. Some principals are lenient and may tell you not to come in, but technically this is a contract violation. Please do not brag about not having to deskwarm to other NETs as it might eventually cause all NETs to do something worse than deskwarming (who knows what the Education Offices can think of).
-If you're late or leave early on school days (illness, bank, immigration work, health check, etc.), this will count towards your vacation days. Eight accumulated hours = 1 day. So if you left early four hours one day and four hours another day, one vacation day will be reduced.
However, if the semester total is fewer than eight hours, no vacation days will be reduced.
-Renewing with the same POE/MOE gives you two calendar weeks of vacation. Remember calendar
includes holidays and weekends. Again, it doesn't have to be consecutive, so the school can, in theory, break up these days if it interferes with an English program. This renewal vacation can also be banked for the next school vacation
if necessary,
but it must be taken within the first six months from the first day of the new contract. If they are assigned after the six-month period, there's a very good possibility you will lose those vacation days
even if the school agreed, in writing, to give you the vacation period after the six-month mark. The Office of Education can overturn the school's decision as it violates the contract.
I need to go to my brother's wedding during the school semester (i.e., when classes are taking place); can I get time off?Ultimately it's up to the principal. If s/he agrees, the school will either deduct your nearest entitled vacation days or not pay you for the days you're taking off. You can request your preference, but , again, it's ultimately up to the principal.
To increase your chances, say your mother or father is getting re-married since Koreans will probably view it as more important than, say, a brother's wedding.
