The new E2 Visa Hoopla...

Ok. I've been sucked into the "you have to know about.." category because I'm a fellow EFL Teacher here in Korea. And, though I've stayed away from talking much about EFL related stuff (well, I've had a kid, for one--and he surely keeps me busy) I decided it was time to contribute.

Everyone is talking about it. You can read it daily in various blogs. There's tid-bits of gossip you hear at work, or on the street; and up to this point, it has sounded like nothing but hearsay. The new E2 Visa laws have caused a lot of commotion in the ESL/EFL community.

The Korea Immigration website posted about this topic, but I think if any native English speaker were looking to get the right information--and the necessary documents to get their E2 Visa accordingly (especially newcomers who plan to come and teach in Korea)--a huge question mark pops up.

Who has the low-down on what's really going on?

For the past month while on maternity leave, I had been helping out a Korean friend who works as a recruiter, finding teachers to work for hagwons in Daegu. She didn't even know about these new requirements that supposedly took effect as of January 1st, 2008. One thing I DO know, however, is that schools will no longer be able to find teachers quick. And if you want to tack on a part-time job working for another school (at your own risk, of course), these new E2 laws won't apply to you. You'll have a whole new set of issues to deal with yourself.

EFL Geek has posted on this, and I found the site to be the most informative. The widely read Marmott's Hole also posted an interesting take of the E2 situation through an article written for the Korea times. I also ran across EFL-Law.com has some particularly important links to consider, too.

So what's the deal? Does anyone have a definitive answers?!?

Well, I fell upon the G4F of Korea website, dedicated to bridging the gap between Korea's foreign population and the government. TONS of valuable information to be had, so check it out; however, as of yet, I haven't found any new information regarding the new E2 visa requirements. In the meantime, I'll be surfing the web for more info on this matter...