What It Actually Takes to Change Hagwons on an E-2 Visa
You can't simply quit one hagwon and start another on the same E-2 visa. Immigration requires a workplace change report, a release confirmation from your current employer, and a signed contract from the new school before you can legally work again.
Park English2026-09-073 min read
An E-2 visa is tied to a specific employer, not just to teaching in general. That surprises a lot of people. You can find a better job, sign a better contract, even get a start date from a new director — and still not be legally allowed to walk into that classroom until immigration has processed the change.
The document is called a Workplace Change Application (근무처변경허가신청서 — geunmucheo byeongyeong heoga sincheongseo), filed at your local immigration office. It's not the same paperwork you did to get the E-2 in the first place, and it doesn't require redoing your apostille or your criminal record check in most cases — though some offices ask for an updated health check if enough time has passed. Confirm with the office directly, because practice varies by branch.
What you actually need to bring:
- Your ARC and passport
- The new employment contract, signed
- The new hagwon's business registration certificate
- A release confirmation or termination letter from your current employer
- The application form itself, filled out at the counter or downloaded ahead of time
- A small processing fee — it's hovered around 30,000 won for years, but check the posted amount when you go, fees do move
The release letter is where most of the trouble happens. Legally, your current director doesn't get to block your visa forever. But in practice, a director who's angry about losing a teacher mid-contract will sometimes drag their feet on signing anything. If that happens, the Ministry of Employment and Labor's counseling line and your local immigration office both deal with this regularly — it's common enough that staff know the drill. Keep every text and email where you gave notice, because it becomes your evidence if the release letter never shows up.
Timing depends on the office and the season. We've seen approvals come back in under a week. We've also seen them take close to a month during February and March, when half the country's hagwons are turning over staff at once. Don't hand in your notice assuming a fast turnaround during hiring season.
| Situation | Extra step |
|---|---|
| Moving to a better job, no dispute | Straightforward — release letter, new contract, file and wait |
| Old employer refuses to release you | File with Labor Board; bring proof of notice given |
| Old hagwon closed or stopped paying | Different process — this counts as employer-initiated termination, not a normal transfer |
| Moving from hagwon to public school (EPIK/GEPIK) | Same workplace change form, but public school paperwork has its own separate onboarding timeline |
One thing nobody tells you clearly: you are not supposed to start the new job before the change is approved. Working before approval, even for a single class, is technically working outside your visa status, and it's the kind of thing that only becomes a problem if something else goes wrong — a workplace inspection, a dispute, a visa renewal down the line. Most teachers get away with a short overlap. It's still a risk you're taking on, not a rule that's been quietly retired.