Teaching Private Lessons in Korea
Legally you cannot teach privates lessons in South Korea.
Everyone has heard the story about the guy or girl who was pulling down 7 million Won a month and many have asked, "How can I make the MOST money in South Korea?" We're here to tell you the facts.
Yes, you can make a TON of extra money teaching private lessons and yes many teachers do teach privately. BUT KNOW THIS. It is illegal. If caught you could face fines and deportation.
When you teach in South Korea, the company that sponsors you for your visa (the school) is completely responsible for you for the duration of your contract (typically 1 year). The visa you get is specific to that school or company and legally you cannot work anywhere else. This not uncommon. When sponsoring someone for a work permit in Canada the authorization is given on the pretense that the individual only work for the sponsoring company.
With an E-2 visa (a teaching visa) you can only legally work at the school which sponsored you. If you want to work elsewhere legally, you must obtain a “rider” or addendum to your visa- which entails getting permission from your full time employer and registering your part time job with your regional immigration office.
The chances of your school owner approving of you working elsewhere after they have paid for your plane ticket, your apartment, your medical insurance are remote at best unless your part time job directly benefits your employer. For example if you landed a leading role on a Korean children’s television program- Mr. Cookie on “Ppo Ppo Ppo” translated to “Kiss Kiss Kiss”, your boss would probably grant you permission to take the job because it would bring students to his or her school.
Outside of getting a rider to your visa, you enter the nebulous world of private lessons. As mentioned before, teaching outside of your school is illegal, however many foreigners use this as a means of supplementing their income. If caught you can potentially face fines and deportation. Many suggest that teaching privates is akin to jaywalking.
