Korean Job Discussion Forums

daytrippersa · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Location: Halifax, Canada

To whomever can answer me,

A buddy of mine is teaching in Korea right now and he has TEFL course under his belt but he was missing 1 credit toward his BA when he was offered a phenominal job in Korea. So he bought a FAKE BA and transcript for a couple of hundred bucks. He has been there 4 months now and hasnt had a problem. Im worried about what will happen if he gets caught...What are the consequences of getting caught this way? Also is there ANYWHERE in Korea he can teach without a degree and if not, what other countries can he teach in WITHOUT a degree? Thanks in advance for any advice.

DaytripperSa

the eye · Joined: 29 Jan 2004

immigration will come to his workplace and take him to a lock up until he has a hearing. Then he'll be found guilty, fined and deported.

white tiger · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

and good riddance.

white tiger · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

...although they do make great scapegoats when things get ugly in the news about foreigners. we can quickly blame the GI's or 'illegal' teachers. On second thought, hope he/she sticks around.

wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

LiquidSunshine · Joined: 31 Mar 2003

basically he gets deported...he may also have to pay a fine. the most difficult part is if he starts laying roots here in korea, he'll always be looking over his shoulder. it sucks living here and working here illegally...it's not really worth it. maybe for a year but it's not really worth it. you can do it but you can't do it for an extended period of time in Korea.

Homer · Guest

Actually on a fake degree he can be charged with fraud as well as work visa violation.

The fine can be heavier and some jail time can be imposed (rarely). Deportation is guaranteed and seizure of local bank accouts as well.

I agree with the poster who said being 1 credit short is hardly believable. One class ok....but one credit that makes no sense.

Also, no he cannot teach anywhere in Korea legally without a B.A. and he should not be teaching where he is now.

Best of luck to your friend buddy....

alabamaman · Joined: 25 Apr 2006

Your friend will get a lube job in jail.

sock · Joined: 07 Oct 2006

He's only missing one credit? Seriously?

If that's true, maybe the best thing for him to do would to be to search high and low for any online course he could find that would be sufficient. When he's completed the online course, transfer the credit to the university he almost graduated from (check beforehand to see if the completed credits would be acceptable). If they will honor the course, he will graduate and have a legitimate diploma & transcripts. Many universities will honor a certain number of transfer credits toward graduation. If he truly only has one credit left, it shouldn't be a big deal unless it has to be in some high-level class or an obscure subject.

Of course, he'd have to think of a really good song and dance to explain to immi why his new transcripts and diploma are different ... if they notice--they might not, who knows.

Anyway, it's not worth it to always be looking over your shoulder. Just do what it takes to get legit and go on your merry way and be happy.

sock · Joined: 07 Oct 2006

PS

So where is this phenomenal place he's working? I'd love to know in case my semi-mediocre-but-decent job doesn't work out.

Oh, and where did he find the fake diploma & transcripts? I will admit, in high school I was the loser who would have absolutely no idea how to go about getting a fake ID, etc. Sometimes I have a criminal mind, but how do people stumble on these things? And who the hell specializes in transcript forgery? Seems like such a nerdy-yet-seedy job.

And on another topic, I can believe that he only had one credit left to graduate. My university (which shall remain nameless) required 127 credits to graduate in my particular field, and ALL of the classes were 3-credit classes. It was supposedly changed when times were tough as a sneaky way of keeping enrollment numbers higher and the tuition money flowin' in.

TECO · Joined: 20 Jan 2003

So what.

Thousands of people faking degrees and work experience in Asia.

Most poeple get away with it.

Nothing new.

DCJames · Joined: 27 Jul 2006

There are plenty of people teaching in Korea with fake degrees still, even though they've supposedly "cracked down".

Korean employers are so desperate that many times they will look the other way even when they do find out your degree is fake. Koreans will hire just about anybody right now.

I know several people who have been here for years teaching with fake degrees. It's really a gamble, but for them it's payed off.

Also, immigration will deport you. No fine, no jail time. Most people posting here have no idea what the repercussions are for getting caught with a fake degree.

Toast and Kimchee · Joined: 12 Feb 2007

After working my butt off and spending loads of cash on a Masters degree I've got no sympathy for your friend. Quite frankly, if I were you I would rat him out. Tell him to get his lazy, uneducated, criminal behind back to wherever he came from and get his act together!

It's people like him who are ruining the reputations of the legits and, in the long run, making it more difficult on the rest of us...

Gatsby · Joined: 09 Feb 2007

It's amazing how many people in the U.S. go through life with fake degrees. Some even have the nerve to run for political office. I have seen it. I remember one woman who ran for the state legislature who always walked around with a fake orange tan, too. She got caught. It wasn't only the degree that was phony.

You would think people learn, and read the newspaper if they are in politics, but another fellow did the same thing a few years later and got caught.

Some even hold sensitive jobs that require technical knowledge, like environmental conservation - and the public pays. A friend told me he was working with this guy in DEC who claimed to have a degree from a school that didn't even offer that type of degree. If he's not even smart enough to claim a degree from a school that offers that degree, how the hell is he going to do his job?

And then there was the fellow I worked with who claimed to have worked for the CIA in an advisory position to the President, but didn't know the names of key Washington oficials during that administration, like the deputy Attorney General. The guy was always loosing his temper at even the sllightest criticism, which I saw as a coverup of his incompetence.

But the most amazing one was a high profile sheriff of the Southern county I was working in. Just about everybody was intimidated by him, he was one mean SOB.

It was time for him to run for office again, but this time his opponent checked. He didn't have the bachelor's in criminal justice he claimed. Only had a couple of years. Made up some lame excuse. Lost. Good! The advent of the Internet might have had something to do with this discovery, but it is just standard political operating.

It isn't just a question of competency. Fakers have other faults required to hide the truth from themselves or from others. One of them is called "dishonesty." But there are usually others.

Fakers, by taking a job under false pretences, take a job away from someone who really earned the right to that job.

Your "friend" should face reality now. He should save every Won and go back to school and get his degree, even if it takes four years. My guess is he has one credit, and needs 119 more. I have seen fakers like this. Heck, he might even be illiterate. Take an adult literacy course.

Or, if his moral compass is broken, tell him to write to Ann Landers.

Note:

bauerke is right. It is fakes like this fellow who are the reason why the rest of us have to jump through almost surrealistic hoops to get work in Korea. Double sealed, embossed transcrips, certified copies of diplomas, etc.

ChuckECheese · Joined: 20 Jul 2006

Where can I buy Ph.D.?