Ever thought about coming to Korea to live and work here? Many adoptees keep thinking about exactly that. But there are things you should know before you come here. This small guide is intended for adoptees living in their adoptive countries…
Legal things: First at all you need a visa in order to be able to stay in Korea and also to work and make money for your living. For adoptees and overseas Koreans there is the F4 visa. The basis was made back in 1999 when the Overseas Koreans Act was passed. Thanks to G.O.A.’L’s lobbying at that time adoptees were included in that act.
The visa allows to stay for two years. It’s a multiple re-entry visa, which means even when leaving Korea you can return without having to apply for another visa. You can even extend the visa for another two years without having to leave the country. So far there seems to be no limit as to how many times it can be extended.
The procedure is really easy and usually I recommend to come to Korea on a regular tourist visa (the one where you fill in the form in the airplane) and then to do the necessary steps within Korea. Just make sure you bring along your adoption-related documents and especially for American citizens, the naturalization paperwork.
For the rest you can get advice from G.O.A.’L directly.
Accomodation:
Depending on your job situation you might need a place to stay. The main problem here in Korea is not even the monthly rent but the key-money that reaches incredible amounts. I put down for example 20 Mio. Won for my 3 bedroom apartment. Of course you can get the key-money after moving out back but who has that much money?
If you put down even more money, you can even rent an apartment by the so-called “Jeon-se” system (from 50 Mio. Won on up). That would mean that you don’t pay monthly rent any longer. You still get the money back after the contract is expired. The owner basically profits from the interest he gets when he invests that money.
Finding an apartment is relatively easy, depending on the location and your needs, of course. Just don’t expect everything to be like in your adoptive country. If you just come to study, you could also live in just a regular “Hasukjib” which is a boarding house. You basically just rent a room and share the other facilities with your room-mates.
With the Overseas Koreans act, we, adoptees, are allowed to acquire property here in Korea as well. But the fact is that many Korean nationals still don’t know about that law and therefore do not act upon it. Eventually adoptees are still being discriminated. Korean nationals are usually very much against influence from abroad (foreigners). It is kind of funny to see how every Korean family tries to get the best English tutor for their kids but would not treat an adoptee that well.
The working situation here in Korea is really much different from what it would be in another bigsized companies. The Korean society is still very much influenced by the confucianism. That’s why an opinion by the oldest is still very much accepted.
Available Jobs:
When you need a job, about 95% of the available positions are in the education sector. Mostly US adoptees have the advantage that they speak the required American accent. But even those face some discrimination by Korean nationals since in many cases “looking for native speakers” actually should be translated into “looking for a white guy”.
In case you have a degree, it might be much easier to get a job and maybe even a job not within the education sector but something more interesting (just my personal opinion). In most cases the most important thing is some level of Korean language skills.
Once again we come back to the legal aspect of the F4 visa. With the F4 visa you are allowed to work all jobs with the few exception of the so-called 3D jobs. This basically means you should get a “white collar” job as Korea is not interested in unskilled Overseas Koreans or adoptees. The advantage of the F4 is important as with that visa you are not bound to one institution. You also do not need a sponsor. With the E2 visa you would be stuck with the one employer. Fortunately the F4 visa is a great advantage…
Coping with the “Korean mentality”
One of the main problems you might encounter here in Korea is the “Korean mentality”. I always picture Korea as an island, it’s surrounded by water and to the north there is North Korea. That certainly had its influence on the development of the Korean mentality since many Korean nationals never actually lived abroad. That means that in most cases a Korean national doesn’t have an idea about different cultures or ways of living. If you come to Korea and think that the Koreans are to shortsighted, keep in mind that maybe that particular person is just a little xenophobic and might not want to change his/her lifestyle just because of some “rude” Koreans who do not know how to “behave”. Of course, as an adoptee, we do not know the Korean culture and will step into all those small traps the Korean culture keeps ready for those not in the know. But don’t worry, Korean nationals would do the same once they are actually leaving their country.
Patriarchal society
All in all, I have been living here now more than 3 1/2 years and have enjoyed my life here very much. But… I’m a guy. For women, it’s yet another picture. Living in a society that prefers male over female is also one of the aspects you should not underestimate before you make the decision to quit your job and make your move to Korea. Will you be able to understand and to a certain degree compromise your freedom you enjoyed in your adoptive country versus the smaller or bigger hindernis here in Korea? Will you be able to cope with the disadvantages?
Some of my female friends here hate their one year they stay here. Others are more comfortable with it and have been living here for quite some time. I think it’s a more a personal decision, for some it’s easy to adapt, for others it’s just not their piece of cake.
And as the last piece of advice…
Whenever you have a question or run into problems, email or call G.O.A.’L. G.O.A.’L is an adoptee organization and will therefore fight for your rights. You have a problem with your employer? Call G.O.A.’L and get help there. It’s always different to move to a unknown country when you know that there is an organization that backs you up.
