The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) in cooperation with the Human Resources Development Service (HRD Korea) announced that the application schedule for the next Korean language Test (KLT) is set on the last week of this month. This is important information for Filipinos who wish to work in Korea because the language test is a major requirement under the Korean Employment Permit System (EPS).

Under the memorandum of agreement between South Korea and the Philippines, the latter recruits Filipino workers via the Employment Permit System and the recruitment is handled by the POEA. The POEA is the only agency authorized to handle the EPS-KLT program so do not believe or entertain any agency that offer same service.

According to an announcement that appeared on the POEA website, the application schedule for the next Korean Language Test is on January 25 to 29. To qualify and be included in the List of Jobseekers, the government agency advised jobseekers to prepare early. Interested applicants should make sure that they are registered in the POEA Manpower Registry System on or before January 15.

Employers from Korea will electronically select workers from the said list. The job openings that are available for Filipino workers in Korea are in the manufacturing and construction industry under the foreign labor quota for 2010.

Applicants who are already registered in the POEA Manpower Registry System are reminded to update their accounts. Applicants who are not able to visit or update their accounts within the last three months are considered inactive and have lesser chance to be included in the List of Jobseekers.

To qualify for the KLT, here are the requirements:

• Must be 18 to 38 years old
• At least be a high school graduate
• Holder of a passport valid for at least six months
• Have no criminal or imprisonment record
• Have not been restricted to travel to Korea due to a past immigration violation.
  
  Requirements for the KLT Application:

• Payment of USD17 or Php 850 fee payable to the Human Resources Development Service (HRDS) of Korea
• Two 2"x2" ID pictures with name tag.
  
  The venues for registration in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will be announced later while the actual examination will take place either on the last Sunday of February or first Sunday of March 2010. The KLT  will consist of 50 items which will test both reading (40 minutes) and listening skills (30 minutes).

For every correct answer, the examiner will get four points. To pass the test, one needs to get a minimum score of 80 points. The application requires no formal Korean language training. One can download EPS-KLT reviewer with answer keys here: http://www.poea.gov.ph/eps/klt_review_materials.htm