Job Discussion Forums

[ovbude]

Hello ESL Caf�. I have an illness that is not contagious and has mild symptoms which are controlled with a small dosage of a prescribed daily medication. Upon deciding to try and teach abroad, I got letters from my physicians clearing my health to travel and work.

Hoping the letters would be enough, I recently applied for a position to teach in South Korea and was passed over with no explanation from the program. The recruiter I was working with said they usually don't give details about why they decide to move forward with some applications and not with others. He presumed they didn't want to work with me because of my illness and because there were a lot of healthier (my assumption) applicants for the Fall. He then said that the recruiting company would not try and place me either because it would be too difficult to find a private institution interested in hiring me.

My question: Does anyone with a similar health situation have any advice?

Also, how much health information do programs need to know when considering a new hire?

I've been researching other options but don't know if it's even worth applying because of my illness. If all I'm going to hear is no, I'm wondering if I should just make a plan B and forget about my dreams of teaching and living abroad. : (

Any help, thoughts, comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[salkay]

Don't give up!

I used to work for an English School in Taiwan, one of my jobs is to take new teachers for a health check upon arrival (for visa/work permit), as far as I know, couple things (like AIDS) will stop you from obtaining a work visa and work as an ESL teacher there. I am not sure if it's still true.

But every country is different. Maybe you can go to the South Korea Government web site, and check for the health requirements/restrictions for applying a work visa as an esl teacher?

If your illness is not contagious, mild and well under control, do you really have to mention it? I don't remember we asked our esl teachers anything like that, we just looked at the health report issued by the hospital, if no AIDS or anything major, you are fine.

Hope this help and good luck!

[ovbude]

Hi Salkay,

That's reassuring. Thanks for the smart advice! I'll definitely do a little more research.

[naturegirl321]

I agree with the above poster. If you can control it and it's nothing like AIDS, then don't say anything. IT's like when they ask you if you have tatttos, as long as they're not visible, you should say no.

[JZer]

[Justin Trullinger]

Good luck with this.It may present some problems, but is certainly not a guaranteed deal breaker.

Is your condition obvious? If it's not contagious, and it's not obvious, other posters may be right that it's none of your employers business.

What about health care costs? You take a daily medication- can you afford to cover this, either ahead of time, or out of your projected wages? If so, look into its availability in your country of choice. If the med is available, and you're ready to pay for it yourself, and your condition doesn't have obvious symptoms that call for explanation, then there's really no reason to tell anyone anything at all about it.

If, on the other hand, you're looking towards employer sponsored health care coverage to cover costs...the road may be harder. Most places will ask for a physical for this, and coverage may not cover a pre-existing condition.

Remembering that you're anonymous here, if you choose to post what med it is you need, or what condition it is you have, there may be someone here with more info.


Luck,
Justin

[Stephen Jones]

You'll need to tell us the disease if you want useful information.

What we can't understand is why you mentioned it to your employers in the first place. It's either a disease that will cause a work visa to be refused, in which case you shouldn't be wasting your time applying for a job in that country anyway, or it isn't and thus none of your employer's business.