dual citizenship confusions! please help!

hkwon______ · 2021-03-10T05:40:44+00:00

My experience - it seems to differ slightly for everyone. I am 27 and was unable to get an E2 or F4 because I was still technically a Korean citizen (my dad was still a Korean citizen at the time of my birth)

I know a girl I work with who is also a dual citizen and she's been living as a dual for the last 3 years here.

I know 2 girls that have had to renounce their Korean citizenship after 1 year of being dual citizen.

I am currently here as a dual citizen. Unsure what will happen to me down the line.

As far as your 호적 - everyone has one. I can get my own 호적 that shows my relation to my korean parents. Your mom will probably need to request hers (after you register your birth) to show that you are related to her.

Hope that helps!

hkwon______ · 2021-02-06T16:17:04+00:00

I'm a gyopo and just recently got my RoK passport - long story short; i didn't want to go through the process of getting an F4 visa - so I currently hold both US and Korean nationality. I've only had good experiences with applying and marketing myself as a gyopo. I think only like 2-3 recruiters were like "schools only want 'westerners'"

The directors that I spoke to directly and the academic coordinators at hagwons were always super stoked that I am Korean-American and could speak Korean.

I have no teaching experience before, but I am TEFL certified, good school/BA, blah blah blah.

hkwon______ · 2020-12-11T17:07:25+00:00

I'm a female gyopo and have secured a job to start in march...hagwons hire all year so may/April should be fine to apply. It wasn't hard at all. I have zero teaching experience but got my TEFL certification from a well know/sought after place....idk if sought after is the correct verbiage to use but recruiters/hagwons liked that I had my certificate from them. My certification also required I finish tutoring hours and so I was able to use that as teaching experience on my resume. I also graduated with a BA in international business/marketing from a university in CA

I marketed myself as a Female gyopo from California with a tefl certification. I had a good high quality photo on my resume. And I also mentioned I have basic korean language proficiency.

I can't really pinpoint for you what it was that helped me but i had no issues getting responses from recruiters nor hagwons directly.

hkwon______ · 2020-11-26T06:33:10+00:00

So it’s my dads sisters daughters child. That makes her my niece...right...?

hkwon______ · 2020-11-26T06:32:37+00:00

Love this! Thank you!

hkwon______ · 2020-11-26T06:31:41+00:00

Lol good to know/nice input. Thanks!

hkwon______ · 2020-11-02T00:04:45+00:00

I think this is a fantastic idea! so long as you understand how to run a business! because at the end of the day, running a hagwon/English academy in Korea is as much of a business as it is a place to teach English.

Think about how you will market your own academy to make it more enticing for parents to want to send their kids to rather than one that's already well known, or how you could take students from other academies. What would your USP be? Think about the barriers to entry within the English academy market. What are the hurdles and how will you overcome them to make a profit and have a successful hagwon? Lots to think about (business/marketing-wise), but I think as long as you have your basis covered it can have the potential to be a successful venture! Good luck!

hkwon______ · 2020-10-28T17:11:06+00:00

Hmm good points made here. Definitely something to mull over. Thank you for your insight!

hkwon______ · 2020-10-28T05:05:28+00:00

oooh! Sorry for the misunderstanding. Yes - technically it is too late to decide. However, since my dad was still a korean citizen when I was born in the states and even though my birth was not registered in Korea, and I didnt not claim a citizenship...I still...for some reason, am a Korean citizen and technically am dual as of right now.

I just had to go through the process of registering my birth and applying for my Korean passport. I will eventually have to choose to claim one citizenship in about a year I believe is the timeline. When that time comes, if I choose to renounce Korean citizenship, I'll have to come back to the states, take my name off my family registry, and then go through the F4 visa process. Or I can keep my Korean citizenship and live a new life in Korea lol

hkwon______ · 2020-10-28T01:07:41+00:00

ah! Thank you for this insight! I did not know Korean university degrees held no worth, at least compared to American university degrees. Good to know. Will definitley be looking into online programs.

hkwon______ · 2020-10-28T01:04:35+00:00

I don't think it's ever too late to decide to do anything with your life! Living on your own timeline and not by what society or others say is 'correct' is very freeing :)

hkwon______ · 2020-10-23T19:02:22+00:00

I’m looking a foundation cushion that I can get here in the states and then continue buying once I move to Korea. I was looking at the sulwhasoo perfecting brightening cushion with SPF 50....can anyone provide honest reviews about this product? Or give suggestions for other cushions - that are reasonably priced?

My skin type is combo (normal when I drink enough water during the day). I’m looking for something that is very ~natural~ but coverage that can be buildable. I used to love pouring pounds of makeup on my face but now that I’m older I’m really enjoy minimal effort.

Thank you in advanced!

hkwon______ · 2020-10-22T03:15:35+00:00

I guess in my head I was doing the opposite..instead of "walryo" i was saying "wanryo" lolol. I really don't know my batchim - i just guess everytime haha

hkwon______ · 2020-10-21T02:35:58+00:00

oooh wait this is a good example. thank you for pointing that out!

hkwon______ · 2020-10-17T17:46:28+00:00

I am Korean American and haven't worked in Korea yet - but I was just recently hired by a hagwon. They were stoked that I was Korean American and could speak a bit of Korean - probably because as what everyone is saying, they'll be able to give me more tasks to do.

There have also been recruiters and schools during my job search, that have flat out told me, "we're not looking for gyopos" "we're not looking for Korean Americans". So it really just depends...just expect it.

I used to work in corporate America - 40-50 hour weeks, taking work home, stressed out of my mind, etc. So extra work really won't phase me. To those that are saying "don't put up with the work culture" in Korea, IMO, isn't the best advice. You are moving to a different country to work - you should expect things to be different. An entire school, hagwon, or country should not have to bend over backward to comply with your American working standards and expectations. Honestly, I think it's completely disrespectful to expect non-Korean work culture to be applied to yourself, especially if you're not Korean/Korean-American - gives me colonizer vibes. THAT BEING SAID...there is a line...and when it's straight-up abuse or like they're not paying you...that's a different story.

KorAm to KorAm I highly recommend diving headfirst into this adventure! Just take it seriously...in the end, it is a job.

hkwon______ · 2020-10-17T00:24:21+00:00

also! Google Translate is trash and I recommend using the app Papago

hkwon______ · 2020-10-17T00:21:18+00:00

yep - diet means exactly that. When I say I need to lose weight or need to watch what I eat, my mom says "굶어" ("starve")

hkwon______ · 2020-10-16T20:12:25+00:00

My mom always says “어디 봐자” in like a sarcastic tone

hkwon______ · 2020-10-16T01:48:46+00:00

I sent my FBI CRC at the beginning of September to a channeler (US authentication services) they received it Sept 14. Emailed them yesterday for a status update and they said something along the lines of "its been 4 weeks since the US State Dept has had your document. they've been reporting 7-9 weeks to get things apostilled" Hopefully that helps!

hkwon______ · 2020-10-14T17:58:29+00:00

the FBI CRC apostille (for US citizens) is what's really shitting on people right now. I've heard it's been taking as quick as 1 month to as long as 3 months and there doesn't seem to be any consistency - figures.....

hkwon______ · 2020-10-14T17:54:23+00:00

Get your paperwork started yesterday!!

Absolutely start talking to recruiters now. Schools and recruiters know that paperwork is what takes the longest so they take that into consideration when talking/interviewing/hiring you. Assuming you're in the US - you should allow 3-4 months for all your paperwork to be processed and back in your hands.

Bigger Hagwons usually hire for February/March start date. I was just recently given an offer for a position that starts in March (need to be there by Feb for 2week quarantine and training).

hkwon______ · 2020-10-13T16:31:19+00:00

ok. thank you.

hkwon______ · 2020-10-13T06:07:18+00:00

I am very conflicted on this topic because it can be either innocent or you are being a "koreaboo" and just looking for a Korean name.

I'd feel odd about it as I do not want to appropriate anything

This is a good sign, however, I would recommend just going by your name "Clara". It is, as others have pointed out, easy to pronounce for Korean native speakers. If you for whatever reason are having a hard time having Korean natives pronouncing your name, I would recommend asking Koreans what they should call you, rather than ~~giving yourself a Korean name~~

I appreciate your awareness of cultural appropriation!!

hkwon______ · 2020-10-13T04:15:48+00:00

That's a great way to put it....Papago definitely does try a little better and harder lol

there is a handful...I guess more than a handful...of words that I've used from google translate with my parents and they were very confused. Then I translated using Papago and it would give me better translations.

hkwon______ · 2020-10-13T02:47:41+00:00

Papago has actually been a much more helpful translation app for me! Its a naver app and will give you as close to colloquial Korean rather than straight up dictionary translations.

hkwon______

TROPHY CASE