Korean Job Discussion Forums

[laconic2]

Not good news but expected from my experience:

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2883905

[mehmeh]

[Gwangjuboy]

From the article,

I just don�t understand why they cannot make some exceptions to accommodate the needs of their own nationals,� Choi said. �In Korea, criminal records can be easily obtained online. But they don�t have a centralized system

Is this person so naive that they seriously think the embassies will make exceptions for Korea? In Korea the privacy laws are next to non-existent so Korean officials have these wild expectations that we can magic documents out of thin air. This sort of nonsense manifests itself in other ways too; my co-teacher strongly suspects that I haven't graduated from university because I was unable to access a list of alumni on my university's website. When I explained that we have strong privacy laws she said, "we don't have strange laws like that in Korea." She was shocked when I shot back "yes, and how do you think I know that you are a low risk for breast cancer? I saw the results of your health check up on my desk."

[Hollywoodaction]

The Korean government shouldn't blame the embassies for problems that their own policies have caused. I think the reporter doesn't understand the role that embassies play.

Why would the embassies accept to incur the cost of Korean policies if they don't receive something in return? Why would foreign governments accept to help the Korean government enforce a law that will cost their citizens?

I think the Roh government, through its dealings with North Korea, has lost sight of the fact that diplomacy operates on the concept of reciprocity.

[haute 4 teacher]

"The new policy requires applicants for the E-2 visa to provide detailed criminal and health records before receiving a new or renewed visa, documents that were not required previously except for those who applied through the Ministry of Education to work in public schools. The new rule means that teachers in language academies, or hagwon, also must secure the clearances.
The move is a direct response to the case of Christopher Paul Neil, a Canadian English teacher who taught in Korea before being arrested in Thailand in October on charges of sexually assaulting children."



The irony is that he wasn't here on a E-2 visa, it was an E-7 visa for specialty occupation (foreign school).

[reactionary]

Sorry to sideline from the main point, but.

[Hollywoodaction]

[aaabank]

I think that the main point of these new rules should not be missed. They are being put in place to keep the children safe. No parents want their children to be in a classroom with a person with a criminal background (read: serious crimes). In the previous system, anybody with a degree could come here, be hired, and jump right into a classroom without references or background checks of any kind. I've heard some people complain that these new restrictions are too much while it is my opinion that these rules should have been put into place much sooner than they were.
While it will take some time to adjust to these new guidelines, and I feel sorry for those teachers who will be forced to make a return trip to their home country for these documents, I truly believe that this new system was inevitable and is actually beneficial to our students.

[NicRenee]

[Milwaukiedave]

[Milwaukiedave]

[slothrop]

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[jaderedux2]

[Bibbitybop]

[SirFink]