Job Discussion Forums

[megone]

Does anyone have any recent experiences of having hepatitis C but still passing the medical exams that most countries require to get a work visa or residence card? If so, please share the country and school where this was not a problem. PMs are welcomed. Thanks.

[naturegirl321]

Some countries, like those in Latin American don't require medical exams, for others, they're mainly looking for things like HIV and AIDS, I believe.

[megone]

Thanks for the response. Yes, I've found that Chile and Costa Rica do not require an exam, but I really need to earn more than the salaries they pay. It seems that most Gulf countries, China and South Korea test for it for Hep C. Kuwait's visa webpage actually states that they test for it among other things and that persons will be deported if found positive. I wish all embassy websites spelled it out clearly like that.

[denise]

I think that my first job in Oman (College of Applied Sciences, hired through CfBT, who now use another recruiter to hire for them... long story there...) only tested for HIV. When I was hired, you needed at least a BA + certificate + experience, with higher salaries for MAs and PhDs. They often advertise on tefl.com.

d

[megone]

Thanks for the tip about Oman. It turns out that in Oman, if you go to a private clinic, they'll test for many things, including hep C, but if your employer sends you to a government clinic, those clinics only test for HIV. So in that case and perhaps with other countries, the policy is not consistent, and is therefore, hard to find out.

[denise]

Makes sense--nothing is consistent here! (Except for inconsistencies.) At my current job, we had a slightly more thorough medical check, but I couldn't say what exactly they were testing for.

d

[justcolleen]

Consider Egypt, where Hepatitis C is common as a result of a government immunization program. If employers test for it, I've never heard of it. Even so, if testing positive prevented employment, a significant portion of Egyptians would have huge problems getting work.

Salaries vary depending on the location, your qualifications, the type of school, and a host of other factors. Still, you might want to think about it.

[megone]

Justcolleen, thanks for the post. I didn't get an email notification that someone else had posted, so I'm just seeing it. I'm a bit curious though...my understanding is that there is no vaccine for hep C. There is for A & B, but I've never heard of one for C. Could it be A or B you're thinking of? I'll do some digging to try to find out more. Thanks again.

[megone]

I just did a quick search and found that Egypt was immunizing its population against other diseases and re-used dirty needles which caused such a high incidence of hep c. Maybe it won't be a problem there after all. Thanks again justcolleen.

[justcolleen]

You're quite welcome.

Actually, my mother-in-law was infected in with a re-used needle as part of that same project.

Check out the Egypt board for more information about teaching here. I don't know what your qualifications are, but it's certainly worth looking into. Teachers can have a comfortable life here. Not always enough to pay bills "back home," but comfortable nonetheless.

[megone]

I will check out the board. I know someone who used to teach there, so I'll ask him too. Thanks.