Footprints Recruiting

First things first, have you been offered a contract? If not, have you applied to Footprints? If not... why not?

If you have already been offered a contract we need to get this process moving to get your visa to teach in South Korea. Because Canada did not sign the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Documents, the process for Canadians is different to all other countries.

All documents have to be "legalised" by the Korean Consulate or Embassy nearest to you. This is subject to change. If you hear of new requirements or changes please notify us immediately ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). At present here is what you have to do:

• STEP 1 - Documents Collection, Notarisation and or Apostille Authentication
  

  • You SHOULD start this process BEFORE you get a job offer.

1. Original University Degree
   • degree must be from a 4 year university
   • degree must be from an accredited university
   • must be the original degree (not a photocopy)
   • if you do not wish to send your original degree you can get a notarized copy (NOTE- public schools required a notarized degree, no originals to be sent)
     
     • make a photocopy
     • have the copy notarized by a notary public
     • send or take the notarized copy to the Korean Embassy or Consulate that has jurisdiction (list of Korean Embassies and Consulates found below
2. Three Sealed University Transcripts
   • this means you need to contact your university registrar and ask them to give you your university grades in a SEALED (that's unopened) envelope from your university with a stamp or signature over the seal
   • you'll have to order 3 sets of sealed transcripts
     • 2 will be sent to your school in Korea
     • 1 will be sent to the Korean Consulate only once your reservation number has been issued - this is explained in Step 2
     • REMEMBER - do not open them
3. Vulnerable Sector Police Record Check
   • order this from your local police department (this can be a local or a provincial search)
   • *** RCMP searches are not required and take far too long
   • the record check must be less than 3 months old
   • please ensure that you request a vulnerable sector check as you will be working with children. (A vulnerable Sector check is like a ‘Sex Offender’ check in the US). Sometimes reports do not specify that this check was made in addition to the normal check, but it must be clearly indicated for the consulate to accept it
   • have the results sent to YOU or pick them up yourself
   • if they ask tell them it is for Footprints Recruiting and provide our address: 500-55 Water Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 1A1
   • this report must then be notarised by a local notary public or lawyer
   • once notarised, send it or take it to the Korean Consulate nearest to you for Consular Notarisation
   • Send ATTN: Notarisation Department
     • IN-PERSON DROP OFF - please check with the consulate (information below)
     • MAIL IN - send by Xpresspost only to Korean Consulates in Canada
     • Include a return Xpresspost (only) envelope with postage and your address
     • Include the fee ($2.20) for the notarization- money order only if not in person
   • The Korean consulate will only authenticate documents with a local notary seal on it first
   • If you have ANY questions about this, please call us
   • To be valid your Vulnerable Sector Police Record Check must be less than 6 months old. 
4. Health Statement
   • this is a simple questionnaire form from the Korean government where you personally 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 communicable diseases. The government suggests that they are not testing for THC or marijuana but please note that smoking marijuana in Korea is a criminal offense and is NOT handled lightly. Foreigners are not exempt and are in fact targeted. DO NOT BRING or DO ANY DRUGS TO KOREA
   • 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
   • Click here for a PDF of the Health Statement
5. A Passport Photocopy
   • no this is not a photocopy of the cover of your passport. We have had that a lot...
   • photocopy the information page of your passport
     make sure you have at least 6 months on your passport before it expires
   • make sure there is at least 1 completely empty page in your passport
6. Resume
   • print a copy of your resume
7. Signed Copy of the School Contract
   • the contract will be provided to you by email once you agree to the contract and the school accepts you as their teacher
8. 4 Passport Sized Photos
   • standard passport photos - the same that you would need for a new passport
     photos must not be older than 6 months

We move to STEP 2 assuming you have been offered and have accepted a teaching contract in Korea.

• STEP 2 - Send Your Documents to Korea

• Required Documents:
  1. original degree
  2. 2 sets of sealed university transcripts
  3. Vulnerable Sector Background Check and appropriate authentication from notary and Korean consulate
  4. health check statement
  5. photocopy of the information page of your passport
  6. copy of your resume
  7. a signed copy of the contract
  8. 2 passport sized photos
• Please send your documents by FedEx or DHL
  • DO NOT SEND BY CANADA POST or PUROLATOR – if you do, your documents CANNOT be tracked in Korea.
• 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 Footprints a copy of the tracking number and the website that will allow us to track the documents.
• It is IMPORTANT to spend the extra couple dollars to get the tracking number.
• Once your documents are in Korea, your school will take these documents to the Ministry of Justice and Immigration in Korea to get a Visa Authorization Number for you.
• Within 7-10 working days, the immigration office will issue a Confirmation of Visa Issuance Number also referred to as the Visa Reservation Number or Visa Confirmation Number.
• The number will look something like this: UJBO 08007392 (the first four characters are letters, the remaining characters are numbers)
• The school will then forward this number (by e-mail) to you (or us). You will need this code to put on your teaching visa application for the Korea consulate.

STEP 3 – Apply for your Visa and Interview at the Korean Consulate

We move to this step assuming that you have received your Visa Confirmation Number. If you don't have it, please check with your Placement Coordinator and they will contact the school to see where things currently stand. Korean immigration usually takes 7 to 10 business days to process applications in Korea.

Once you have your Visa Issuance Number it is time to send or take your application and application documents to the Korean Consulate or Embassy nearest to you. Check the links below to find out which office has jurisdiction for your province.

Required Documents

1.  
   1. Download the E2 Teaching Visa Application Form
      • Fields on the form you might have questions about:
      • 8. Passport Classification: OR - ordinary (unless you are a diplomat!)
      • 16. Your occupational title should be: English Teacher
      • 19. Purpose of Entry: To teach English
      • 21 Desired Length of Stay: 1 year
      • 23. Address in Korea: Same address that you sent all your documentation
      • 27. Who Will Pay For Your Trip?: Employer
      • 31. References in Korea: Same person you sent all your documentation to
   2. Passport: Make sure you have your passport ready, that there is 6 months validity left on it and that there is at least 1 empty page. Make sure it's signed too.
   3. Photo: You will need to send a passport picture with your application
   4. Confirmation of Visa Issuance Number: Fill in the reservation number at the top of application form.
   5. Transcripts: Send one set of sealed transcripts to the consulate.
   6. Consuls Checklist: A simple two page document required by the consulate. Click here to download the Consuls Checklist- You must fill this out.
   7. Fee: The cost will be: $55.00 CAD
      • This HAS TO BE cash or a money order – this will likely be for a single entry visa – you can change your visa to a multi-entry visa when you get your registration card in Korea. There is an additional cost for this but it will allow you to leave Korea and return on the same visa. If you don’t have this, your visa will expire if you leave Korea to visit Japan or Thailand or elsewhere for vacation.

Once the consulate receives your application and paperwork, they will contact you to arrange an interview. Some consulates will let you call to book an interview before you have your visa number, others will not. Call them and try them out. Be nice.

Once you receive 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 on arrangements for your flight arrival and your airport pickup. Keep in touch with your Placement Coordinator so they can make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed. Have you read through the Korean Orientation Package? There is LOADS of information that will help you with culture, packing, arrival information and so forth.

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