June 7, Visa Dreams

The chatty sub has returned and is already back to gifting me with various food items.

Today was a simple day of sixth grade classes; I quickly learned that allowing them to form their own groups for Jeopardy was a no-go but things smoothed out after that. 6-6 has rearranged their seating which has separated the more talkative boys and made the day easier as a whole.

I talked to a few teachers on a message board to brainstorm best activities for my travel school kids (they dislike competition so collaborative activities were helpfully suggested). My Anki deck also got revamped with vocabulary from my last few tutoring sessions. I advised House Owner on behalf of her Austrian guest who wants to get a hair cut and dye job at a foreign-friendly salon.

In between all this I started to think about goals and plans. Not the big BIG ones, just the nebulous medium ones.

I think I’d like to turn this blog into a book in the future. Self-publishing ebooks is a real possibility with the rise of Kindle.

I’ve also kicked around the idea of setting up a consultation service for those who want to come to Korea to teach. I saw people on Fiverr who offer to make local calls in Korean or design itineraries for the days we’ll get to travel again. So why couldn’t I offer my advice?

I’m no expert but I have had a dearth of experiences from buying a car to switching visas. Imagine how I could shop my service to other foreigners once I’m fully fluent– I can accompany people to doctor visits or immigration appointments.

But my head was filled with questions. The freelance visa, F2-7, is an elusive and mysterious beast. The rules were recently changed (Asia Time) and now if I want to legally freelance (I am barred from doing any side work on a teaching visa) I must bend to the whims of immigration. One recent change was instead of working for one year on the same visa, one must now have worked three years on the same visa before being considered eligible.

There is a salary exception of course– if you can make 40 million won per year. A feat almost laughably impossible and a salary that no one on a teaching visa can make unless one works twelve hour days at an adult academy.

I calculated that I might just be able to squeak by IF 1. my school wants me to renew 2. I pick up every after school and weekend opporunity through the province and 3. admin would be willing to give me the housing stipend so that I could pay the landlord myself. That seems like it would be needlessly complicated in their eyes and I’m not holding my breath. Honestly, trying to explain that in English to Helen or Jack is already giving me a migraine.

There are also visa points for language ability, university prestige, and age. Assuming the rules don’t change again, and they might, it’s going to be a long and complicated road to the freelance visa.

The world might shift once again so I’ll just keep chugging along with my eyes open to possibility and my dreams stacked and ready for launch.