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hochigene
Joined: 15 Nov 2010
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 1:28 am Post subject: what is meant by "official degree copy?" |
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Hello,
I'm coming to HCMC in February to do the Apollo CELTA, and then job-hunt. I keep hearing that you must bring an "official degree copy" for your work permit, but when I asked Apollo if that meant an official transcript, they answered that, no, an "original bachelor degree" is better.
So if they don't want transcripts, am I actually supposed to photocopy my diploma and get it notarized? I clearly can't hand every school I apply to my original college diploma.
Also, is everyone still having to have their criminal background checks and bachelor's degrees notarized/certified by both the state and the federal governments?
Thanks so much for your help! |
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Steinmann
Joined: 17 Mar 2009
Posts: 255
Location: In the frozen north
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 1:58 am Post subject: Re: what is meant by "official degree copy?" |
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| hochigene wrote: |
Hello,
I'm coming to HCMC in February to do the Apollo CELTA, and then job-hunt. I keep hearing that you must bring an "official degree copy" for your work permit, but when I asked Apollo if that meant an official transcript, they answered that, no, an "original bachelor degree" is better.
So if they don't want transcripts, am I actually supposed to photocopy my diploma and get it notarized? I clearly can't hand every school I apply to my original college diploma.
Also, is everyone still having to have their criminal background checks and bachelor's degrees notarized/certified by both the state and the federal governments?
Thanks so much for your help! |
Personally, I'd have a hard time giving up my original sheepskin. Too difficult to replace. |
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PelemPelem
Joined: 16 Aug 2009
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 2:14 am Post subject: My experience |
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I've been here only 4 months and done this once.
My school asked me to bring the actual degrees and the transcripts to Vietnam; but only the degrees directly relevant to the job I had accepted.
After teaching here a few weeks, in order to kick off the work-visa application process, I was asked to take my original degrees to the Australian Embassy (I am Australian). At the Embassy they were taken into the inner sanctum, photocopied; the copies were verified, stamped, signed etc. then returned to me. I had to pay about US$20 per copy, if I remember correctly.
I took the copies to HR in my school, and the school reimbursed me for the amount spent on the verification of the documents. I kept the original documents. |
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Oh My God
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 273
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| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 12:25 am Post subject: Re: what is meant by "official degree copy?" |
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| hochigene wrote: |
Hello,
I'm coming to HCMC in February to do the Apollo CELTA, and then job-hunt. I keep hearing that you must bring an "official degree copy" for your work permit, but when I asked Apollo if that meant an official transcript, they answered that, no, an "original bachelor degree" is better.
So if they don't want transcripts, am I actually supposed to photocopy my diploma and get it notarized? I clearly can't hand every school I apply to my original college diploma.
Also, is everyone still having to have their criminal background checks and bachelor's degrees notarized/certified by both the state and the federal governments?
Thanks so much for your help! |
An old posting but still pretty helpful:
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What is needed are several items (which I'll explain below) in order to obtain a work permit. But please understand that this is not an individual requirement. It's not like the green card in America that foreign individuals carry which permits them to legally work anywhere. It's a requirement schools must have on file for every foreign teacher they employ. Therefore, every school you work for is required to have on file an original work permit for you. The bad part is that you'll have to do most of the foot work to get everything the school is required to have.
The criminal background check is only one part of what is needed for the work permit. It's not entirely true that not all schools require criminal background checks from their teachers. It's more true that many schools are not even obtaining the work permits required to legally employ their teachers which includes the criminal check. They've chosen to assume the risk of being fined for being caught employing without permits rather than going through the hassle of getting them done. Teachers are so scarce around here that many schools just don't want to drive them away by inconveniencing them with these issues. Then add to that the fact that permits aren't required for employment of less than three months and also that there is such a high turnover rate of teachers anyway that many times the permits prove to be unnecessary. Rest assured that you can start teaching legally without initially needing a permit.
Having said all of that, to be in legal compliance, there must be an original work permit on file at every school you work for. This means you'll need to bring as many notarized and authenticated copies of documents as the number of schools you plan to work for. There is some debate, however, as to whether or not the permits on file at schools must always be originals. My school has said that I can make a copy the work permit they have on file for me which other schools can use for their files if I were to gain other employment. But I'm not convinced that this is legal.
I went personally to the government labor office at 159 Pasteur Street, Dist 3, here in HCMC and verified that all schools I work for must have original work permits on file for me. This is the same office the HR at my school had to go to find out how to be in compliance with their work permits. I also bought a copy of the decree of detailed labor regulations and codes which was adopted in Hanoi on Sep 17, 2003. It's in both Vietnamese and English.
Here's exactly what's needed for work permits: completed work permit application; completed cirriculum vitae; completed local police record application and a completed Certification of Temporary Residence form (this involves the local police in whatever district you live in HCMC, not where you live overseas); three passport size color photos (without wearing glasses or a hat); medical exam certificate; copies of your degree and/or teaching certificate; properly authenticated criminal background check (I'll go into more detail about this below).
Don't panic about all the forms. Your school should provide all of these for you along with instructions. And there are places all around here to get passport size photos made. Even the medical exam is no big deal. You can get it done where you're at or over here. I recommend getting it done here for the convenience of obtaining certified copies any time without having to request them from overseas. I had mine done at a nice clean place here for $85 (you can find cheaper) and my school reimbursed me for $50 of it.
As far as notarizing your degree and/or certificate is concerned, I'll quote exactly what the regulation decrees say under Chapter 1, Article 5, Item (dd): "Copies of certificates of professional expertise and skills of the foreigner, comprising university graduation degree or equivalent higher certificate, or certificate of level of skills of the foreigner issued by the body authorized under the laws of such country." Therefore, according to the regulations, your degree and/or certificate only needs to be a copy and not notarized or certified in order for your school to obtain its permit. My school wanted notarized copies from me but I gave them plain copies right off the Xerox machine and they took them without uttering a peep. Don't be intimidated by schools as if they know so much and you know so little. They're fighting for table scraps over here during this teacher recession. Try just standing up to them for once. It seems the notarization is more of a school safeguard rather than a government requirement. But I would definitely advise getting them notarized anyway even if just for peace of mind, and you'll need to do it where you're at. I tried one time getting mine notarized at the US Embassy here in HCMC and they wouldn't do it. There are only certain kinds of documents they'll notarize and this isn't one of them. And by the way, the fee for it is about five-times what you'll pay for notaries there on the mainland.
The most difficult part of the whole process (only for Americans since the US has no labor agreement with VN) is the criminal background check. It must go through the proper chain of authentication in order for it to be valid here in VN. Some of the local requirements vary by state (some will fingerprint you) but typically, you'll just need to walk into your local police station and have them print a letter stating there's nothing incriminating against you on record. The issuing clerk must then sign this in front of a notary. I would get at least three of them so you'll have a supply for future use. Next, the Secretary of State's office in your state must authenticate it which consists of a sheet they attach to it. Then you should overnight it with return postage to the US Dept of State Authentications Office at 518 23rd St., N.W., SA-1 Columbia Plaza, Washington, DC 20530 [ph 202-647-5002]. There is a fee of $6.00 for each one. Then you must overnight it with return postage to either the Vietnamese Embassy at 1233 20th Street, Suite 400, NW, Washington, DC 20036 [ph 202-861-0694] or to the Vietnamese Consulate General at 1700 California Street - 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109 [ph 415-922-1577] to be authenticated and also translated into Vietnamese. Their website is www.vietnamembassy-usa.org
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hochigene
Joined: 15 Nov 2010
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for your responses!
I guess my university will issue me additional diplomas for $20 each... 
But after I have those, do I need to have them notarized by the Secretary of State here and then the federal government? I have read that the American Embassy in Vietnam will not notarize or certifiy any documents so you have to have this done in your home country beforehand. Just checking if I really need to do that because it's just another bunch of hoops to jump through if so! |
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Oh My God
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 273
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| Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:09 pm Post subject: |
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| hochigene wrote: |
Thanks for your responses!
I guess my university will issue me additional diplomas for $20 each...
But after I have those, do I need to have them notarized by the Secretary of State here and then the federal government? I have read that the American Embassy in Vietnam will not notarize or certifiy any documents so you have to have this done in your home country beforehand. Just checking if I really need to do that because it's just another bunch of hoops to jump through if so! |
The requirements seem to keep changing. I got a notarized copy from my University - then apotisized by the state - then signed off by MS. Rice (this should give you some idea of how long ago) - then stamped and translated by the VN Consulate in SF - brought it here - got US consulate to notorize it as a "true copy" - then got it "legalized" here.
I've heard of others that took several "short cuts" but I can promise you that it can't get any longer than the route that I took! |
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