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passport

 
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andyOhio



Joined: 20 Nov 2005
Posts: 16
Location: Dayton, Ohio

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 7:57 pm    Post subject: passport Reply with quote

My passport has less than 6 months left on it. I am interested in finding a teaching position overseas again, but I think that I need to get a new passport before travelling. Should I go ahead and renew the passport now, or wait until I have a firm offer to teach? The passport will cost about $110, and will last 10 years. On my last passport, I ended up being able to go abroad for three years. It was a nice experience. I think that finding a school was the most difficult part of it though. Once I get into the process I don't want to worry about waiting for a new passport and then waiting for a new visa. But, it seems like I should be able to use the entire 10 years of the passport that I already have.

I guess I will just have to give the US government an extra $110, because I want the ability to travel, even if I don't go right away.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We all pretty much take an active passport for granted here...as you say, can't do much without one!!

Get the new one. In fact, you can now ask for one with double the nimber of pages. It's handy.
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tttompatz



Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines

PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Less than 6 months validity and travel isn't even an option so employers won't seriously even look at you (like applying for jobs and not having a valid passport).

Get a new one ASAP then start looking for jobs.

You might also want to get an FBI check done as well since that is also becoming a more frequent request by employers and immigration services and getting one can take a while.

.
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andyOhio



Joined: 20 Nov 2005
Posts: 16
Location: Dayton, Ohio

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 4:28 am    Post subject: passport renewal Reply with quote

I will apply for the new passport tomorrow. I filled out all of the forms today, so everything is ready. The thing is, I am not sure whether to get expedited processing. That may reduce the processing time from 4-6 weeks to 2-3 weeks. I guess the main thing is to stop delaying it, but the way you put it, it seems like the expedited service might be worth it.
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andyOhio



Joined: 20 Nov 2005
Posts: 16
Location: Dayton, Ohio

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 5:11 am    Post subject: 52 page book Reply with quote

Do a lot of English teachers find that they need the extra pages? I never had to add pages to my last book. It seems like I had quite a few extra, but I know that sometimes the pages can fill up fast.
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HLJHLJ



Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 5:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The issue is often about visa requirements for completely empty pages or sometimes completely empty double pages, rather than the passport being entirely full. I've only had my current 10 year passport for 5 years, but I will have to get it replaced this year because I no longer have an empty page. I will need one for a new visa later this year. I will definitely be getting one with extra pages this time.
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Ariadne



Joined: 16 Jul 2004
Posts: 960

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 5:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

US passport holders can have pages added without getting a new passport.

If you never go anywhere, no problem, but if you go home or travel during breaks and summers the pages fill up fast.

.
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HLJHLJ



Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 5:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ariadne wrote:
US passport holders can have pages added without getting a new passport.
.


True, but at $82 a time, plus the inconvenience of it, it makes sense to avoid it as much as possible.
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Ariadne



Joined: 16 Jul 2004
Posts: 960

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 6:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good point. Might be more cost effective to get a new one with the extra pages in it for free.

.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 6:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

52 pages MIGHT last me 5 years...the normal sized one doesn't make it 3 on my schedule....
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andyOhio



Joined: 20 Nov 2005
Posts: 16
Location: Dayton, Ohio

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 6:47 am    Post subject: fees Reply with quote

Thanks for pointing out the $82 fee. I probably will still go with the "standard" book, because it doesn't seem like I travel so much. I was on page 16, and the pages with the "Entries" and "Departures" labels ended on page 21, when I left Korea.

Now about expediting, if I send off for the passport and get it back 2 or 3 weeks earlier, would that mean that I would be able to get a teaching job overseas 2 or 3 weeks earlier? I guess if there is some measurable chance, it might be worth it.

I have an M.S. in Applied and Social Economics, and a Bachelor's degree in music. I spent a year in China at a technical college, and two years in Korea in the EPIK program. I think the experience at the technical school was a pretty good one, but I think that universities in China and elsewhere are probably in the middle of a semester right now.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 7:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's probably a question for the China forum.
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Xie Lin



Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:


Now about expediting, if I send off for the passport and get it back 2 or 3 weeks earlier, would that mean that I would be able to get a teaching job overseas 2 or 3 weeks earlier? I guess if there is some measurable chance, it might be worth it.



I received each of my last two passports approximately three weeks after submitting the application--standard processing, not expedited. Of course, I wouldn't book a nonrefundable flight that depended on receiving it that quickly.

.
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coledavis



Joined: 21 Jun 2003
Posts: 1838

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you wait for the job offer, then waiting for your passport to be processed will mean delaying getting that job, and maybe even losing it. Get the passport.
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