Korean Job Discussion Forums

[laconic2]

[Rae]

[Dome Vans]

After reading through this thread I can see both sides of the argument. On the one hand there most definitely needs to be something to make applying to work in Korea a lot stricter. In a lot of cases Korea has been a magnet for people to come and make a buck regardless of whether they can teach or not. Where else in the world will hire you just because you're a westerner, seems to be open to abuse this.

If you were to take a teaching job elsewhere you would have an infinitely harder interviewing and screening process, is this why Korea is a popular destination for teachers because there isn't this hassle? Isn't this what the proper teachers and expats here want. Weed out the lameoids who do see it as an easy jaunt. If teaching in Korea is considered such a 'joke' shouldn't the Government take steps to adjust this.

I understand from the people who have been here a while that this process is gonna be a pain in the ass , but until it's 100% clarified and in practice we'll just have to wait and see. Implementing a policy like this can't take effect at the snap of the fingers.

When I applied I had to submit my police check, I had my medical done here. All that I didn't have done was the notarising of my degree, but I have my original here and my CELTA cert.

I got asked again for where I graduated from and if I had any teaching experience, this week by my co-teacher. The funny thing was after I explained that this is the third time, my co-teacher (who I have a good friendship with) explained that the Office of Education will look at it for two seconds and then throw it away. He said he was embarrassed to keep asking me, but he's just following orders. You shouldn't shoot the messenger. He explained that they'll send him a fax asking him to do it, because the Department of Education tells him to. But they don't keep these records, until they rather absent mindedly ask again. Gross incompetence from the higher echelons is what is causing alot of the grief. Even if they implement this unpopular policy, I doubt they're going to be doing it anytime soon. Expect a lot of goof ups.

I wonder what will happen when I re-sign for my school next year. Surely I won't need to fly back to England to have an interview.

[drizzt048]

Getting your interview done at a consulate is complete BS. I'm sure that consulates don't have anyone qualified to determine your teaching ability from an interview, and I bet they don't even have near the manpower for this. Plus it's expensive for those who don't live near consulates. Flying back to your own country just to get your visa renewed is completely unnecessary.

A police check and medical check I have no problem with, and a police check should be required. But if they require us to get them from and notarized in our home country, it should only have to be done once. If you renew or change your visa, getting a Korean police check should be good enough. I have no problem with more hassle and paperwork for my first job if immigration can actually keep records of everything so we only need to do it once, but having to fly halfway around the world every year just to get the same documents is complete BS.

Luckily for me, I wasn't planning on coming back after my next contract expires anyway.

[Kwangjuchicken]

[mindmetoo]

How long will the police checks take? Korean hagwons that seem to want a teacher last Tuesday are never going to be able to handle the months+ for the police check. And then the value of a local hire becomes meaningless. You have to fly them home, fly them back to Korea and then fly them home at contract end. And I'm sure the consulates are going to be fully staffed for interviews. There won't be no waiting list for that, eh.

And I can imagine these interviews being something like the parole hearing in Raising Arizona.

[BTSskytrain]

i'm done. take good care and i'll see ya at the consulate.

[wylies99]

[buymybook]

[Tony_Balony]

Hi - I'm still pretty angry over the fact the K's want a diploma. The West doesn't use diplomas to verify degrees any longer and hasn't for a long time.

Thats why they have a fake problem. They are relying on our junk and discards but they want to stubborn about making sure the diplomas are good. "Diplomas are important to Korea". I can understand that but that doesn't elevate the document's credibility in any way. Its still legal junk. No US uni, junior college, trade or technical school asks for diplomas when doing business. Perhaps in the 3rd world but not in the US. Every minute we spend on collecting diplomas is a complete waste of time 100% without exception. Its a sheer act of waste.

I'm actually a bona-fide legal expert and every single US criminal and civil law judge will testify to that. I have a degree in the field, plus credentials and have almost done this work professionally. I didn't do it professionally because the work clerical and tedious and comes with low pay and like esteem.

Regardless, this is the background...
http://www.msspnexus.com/msspn_vital.htm
http://www.msspnexus.com/

Maybe its time for a letter to the editor.

[potin14p]

ugh, these new visa plans are screwing up my plans big time. I was planning on handing in my notice this week, working until February, and then changing to a uni job, with a quick visa run to Japan. no no, now i'm stuck in my crappy piece of sh*t job, and i can't even afford to just do a runner.

[Kwangjuchicken]

[drcrazy]

[cruisemonkey]

[princess]