Okay, so here's my first step (after applying to your program).
In order to work in any country other than your own, you need a visa. You need a visa to stay there indefinitely. You just need a Visa. I know I'm repeating myself, but people, this thing is very important. The required visa for the TaLK program is the E2-2 visa, which means that I (or you) am authorized to work in Korea as an English teacher at a public school. Don't confuse it with the E2-1 visa, which authorizes teaching in private schools (or Hagwons). So be sure you are applying for the right visa.
My advice will only work for you crazy kids who are State-side (AKA U.S. citizens). If you're not one of us, be sure to check with your local consulate or embassy for the details, but this is definitely a good outline.
The process for getting a visa for TaLK is a little different from EPIK or other teaching programs. In fact, it's much simpler. For the TaLK program, you need 4 things for getting your visa:
- your passport
- a passport sized photo (2x2" or 3.5x4cm)
- your contract
- a visa application
For all of you thinking you need to get a CRC (criminal record check) because the lady on the phone told you to, no you don't need to. Even if they've never heard of the TaLK program, someone else in the office has and insist this is all you need, because it is.
A passport is a no-brainer. You can't leave the country without it. Getting a passport takes about a month (including processing and mailing to and fro) so you want to get that as soon as you get your acceptance letter. Or before, because you never know when you suddenly get an opportunity to go abroad. Getting a passport in the regular amount of time costs approximately $100. Steep, but totally worth it in the long run. You can apply for your passport at any participating post office (you can take your photo there too, but more on that later). You will need to send off proof of citizenship, like a green card or a birth certificate. The photo is taken separately and costs $15 at the post office. To be on the safe side, let's just get the actual picture with the post office.
The second item, the extra passport pictures. Yep, that's a doozie. It's $15 a pop at the post office. But guess what? I got mine at FedEx, and I got 4 pictures for about 21 bucks. Yes, that is a deal. Passport pictures are expensive for some unfathomable reason, but getting them done professionally is always the best idea. And they recommend that you bring 3 extra photos anyway, so cough up the cash, peeps. Put yo money up.
I waited god knows how long for my contract. The contract is key to getting the visa. For real. You can't get your visa without it. The government needs proof for your stay, be it a benefactor or a job. Make sure you sign each and every page of your contract before taking it with you for your visa. You can't get your visa without having your contract first.
The last is also a no-brainer. If it has anything to do with the government, there's paperwork. Always paperwork. Fortunately, there's only one sheet of paper to fill out. You can fill out your visa application at the embassy or before you get there. To avoid the classic DMV-like lines we all hate, I would do it before hand and go at a time NO ONE will be there (not during lunch). If you want to get your own, here's a link: http://www.mofa.go.kr/english/visa/images/res/visakorean.pdf . It comes complete with instructions. Just fill out what you can and the nice person at the window will help you with the rest. Chances are you'll fill it our anyway. I had no clue what I was doing and it turns out I had done the thing right. Go figure.
Okay, so the price of a regular, single-entry visa is $45. Don't worry about wanting to leave the country and come back, though. Later you will be asked to apply for an alien registration card (ARC) and that will serve as your Korean passport, you'll be able to come and go as you please, provided you stay true to your TaLK contract.
Lastly, getting your visa. If you mail your visa, it will take about 2 weeks to get it back. 3 days to process, and the rest to mail it out. If you're like me and have a consulate nearby, you can just take it there yourself and pick it up 3 business days later. Word of advice for you working chaps. Don't do it during your lunch break. i did that and came back almost an hour late. I'm just worried that my co-workers will tell my boss, although he knows I'm leaving already. I still wanna be a good worker before I go. Connections. Connections. That, and I like my boss. He's a cool guy. Anyway, my visa had no picture, which is weird, because American visas like the F-1 student visa have pictures. However, it's the right one. So yippie for me.
Anyway, this concludes the visa portion of my little adventure, the adventure before the adventure, really. Next time I'll be posting about booking flights and maybe a little on the application process. And gripe about how slow everything is. Yes, the process is very slow.
This is Blazian Mocha, signing out.
Cheers~
