Korean Job Discussion Forums

[zeppelin]

The leader of the Immersion program at my Elementary School asked me to sign a form today from the Education Department. He had a photocopy of my degree and transcripts in his hand.

I asked him what the problem was and he said that the Education Department was 'suspicious' about my degree. I asked for further clarification and he said that 'University' was spelled incorrectly on my diploma.

I graduated from Glasgow University an old (but hardly obscure) university in Scotland. They use Latin on their parchments.

I�ve taught in Korea for 3 years. My degree is entirely valid.

I'm assuming the form was to give the Education Department permission to verify the authenticity of my degree from Glasgow University.

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Anyone got any precise or further information on what the form was for?

[shaunew]

I wonder if they don't know how to spell University. They probably think it is spelled Univeristy. Sometimes Koreans are........

[The_Eyeball_Kid]

[laconic2]

Yes, before "university," there was "universitas."

That's because before there was English there was Latin.

Really, I kid you not.

Oh well, I don't know how much help it will be but I ran across a university in the U.S. that provides English translations of its various Latin diplomas:

http://aisweb.wustl.edu/studentrecords/home.nsf/pages/Graduation#ldiplomas

If nothing else, you could show the site to your minders in the hope that they will realize that Latin diplomas do get issued at some of the very best universities in the world.

Good luck!

[JamesFord]

These Koreans are just embarrassing themselves.

[lawyertood]

When are these universities going to wake up and realise that Latin is dead? Long live the world's most scientific language--한글!

[Bibbitybop]

Always answer authoritative, demeaning questions with questions for the best results.

For example:

Do you think immigration doesn't recognize fake degrees? (This is an immigration issue, not a made up "Education Department" issue)

Are my teaching methods suspicious?

Can you please spell the word "university" for me? In Latin?

[zeppelin]

[jaganath69]

[Bibbitybop]

[zeppelin]

I was told again today that the Education department were 'suspicious' of my degree. They asked for the impossible. I was asked to log on to my University Website to verify that I graduated from there. There is no such service at my University. After much sucking of teeth, the head teacher muttered something about it being problem and then left.

I wrote a letter to the Korea Herald about this. Here it is

Dear Sir,

I have taught English in Korea for three years and worked for the same school for almost two years. In the last few weeks the head of our English program has informed me that the Education Office believe my degree to be �suspicious�. I hold an honours degree from a respected University in the United Kingdom. The problem appears to be that my degree parchment is written in Latin - a common practice among older Universities.

I was asked to log on to my University website to prove that I graduated from there. My University (along with most others) offers no such service. I asked why I was being asked to do this since I have satisfied Immigration of my credentials for three years running. I was told that the Education office "don't trust" the Immigration Office. Having supplied my original degree certificate and transcripts in a sealed envelope I am at a loss as to what else I can do to verify the authenticity of my degree.


I have spoken to several Korean friends and colleagues about this and the typical response has been comments to the effect of 'the Korean government are incompetent". I wonder why such an energetic country which strives for dynamism and international prestige labours under such an inept and intransigent bureaucracy which appears to be deeply suspicious of anything 'foreign'.

Why should I have to verify my credentials to more than one government agency?

Why should I have to submit the same documents year in year out?

Are the people staffing the education office so unworldly that a degree from an English speaking country written in Latin confuses them?

With the new E-2 visa regulations becoming law soon, one has to wonder whether the Korean government is able to administer them correctly and efficiently.

Incidents such as this make Korea's claim to be the �Hub of Asia" and "Sparkling" seem ridiculous.


Yours sincerely,

[anyangoldboy]

Mines in English and Welsh...No problems there.

[mindmetoo]

[kat2]

OK. I've never actually seen a Korean diploma, but don't some of them use Chinese characters (hanja) on them? It seems like a lot of official documents have at least some hanja. Perhaps you could explain it to your superiors like that. Just an idea.....

[lawyertood]

Wonder if they would have a problem with this type of diploma?