Korean Job Discussion Forums

legalquestions · Joined: 25 Mar 2007

Are Korean teachers (public schools, universities, hogwans, etc.) required to undergo medical exams and/or criminal background checks?

Anybody know? I'm just curious.

Hater Depot · Joined: 29 Mar 2005

I'm pretty sure they are, yes. There is a whole lot they have to go through that foreigners don't, such as being certified teachers, which is a very arduous process.

normalcyispasse · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:21 pm Post subject:

At least at my school, K-teachers are required to have health checks.

Typhoon · Joined: 29 May 2007 Location: Daejeon

Passing the teaching test here is really, really hard. In fact you have to be pretty fricking smart to pass it. A lot of people who would be great teachers just can't get the high scores required to pass the test. I am pretty sure teachers in the public school system are qualified and checked pretty well before being given jobs.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Of course there are some double standards (how can there not be, when the majority don't know much Korean beyond ordering food or telling kids off), but I would argue that at many public schools, foreigners on one-year contracts are treated much better than Koreans on one-year contracts. We generally get better holidays, con't have to do manual labour jobs or supervise cleaning around the school, don't have to supervise students outside our own lessons, and don't have nearly the paperwork. As for qualifications, however, a good number of KTs on one-year contracts haven't yet passed all the tests, either.

I think that far more double-standards are present at some hagwons, where it's made very clear that foreign 'teachers' aren't even to be treated like teachers, even if they possess more qualifications than some of the Korean 'teachers' who don't even have BAs.

Unposter · Joined: 04 Jun 2006

Not to disagree with you Typhoon; the teacher's exam is very, very competitive but there are still some teachers who get their jobs because of bribes.

aarontendo · Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Location: Daegu-ish

The bribes are done in private schools mostly from what I understand, and they don't require passing the teacher exam, but I guess many still do.

thegadfly · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

Wow -- imagine citizens of a country having one set of laws to follow regarding employment, and non-citizens from other countries have a completely different set of laws to follow in order to get a job in that country, even if they are doing the same jobs! Man, I am glad in my home country that we don't make folks jump through any hoops in order to come in and get jobs...oh, wait...er.....

Prior to these recent regulations, it was tougher for a Korean to get a tourist visa to the US than it was for a US citizen to get an E2 visa...let alone comparing a tourist visa to a tourist visa.

The new regs are a pain, but are nothing compared to what the US puts other folks through...so I guess I should be glad I am not a foreigner trying to get a job in America....

lucas_p · Joined: 17 Sep 2007

faster · Joined: 03 Sep 2006

THIS JUST IN:

KOREAN TEACHERS MUST HAVE TEACHING DEGREES!

OMG!!!!!!111!1!1!!!11!!one

yeremy · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:58 pm Post subject: Double Standard?

If you work in the public school system in Korea, you have to have a medical check up every two years, so there is not a double standard regarding the medical check ups. But, there may be a double standard as to whether or not a Korean teacher has to stay all day at school. It seems to me that they have more ways to excuse or beg off staying at school for more reasons than a foreign teacher can, but I don't really care about that.

T-dot · Joined: 16 May 2004 Location: bundang

Private school teachers are still required to take a test. Have been told the Private test can be much more difficult. The ones that havent taken the test are usually on a contract and are waiting to take or even re-take the test.

ALL teachers must do a basic check-up when the become a teacher. Its cheap and simple. They are then given an optional check-up(most teachers do it because its to a cheap way to monitor their health) every 2 years which is paid for. The first test allows you to work. The yearly test, is just to make sure you are healthy etc.. There is no pass or fail for the yearly tests.

Yes, we do get treated and paid better than newer Korean teachers on contract. We generally have half the hours and workload as well.

Gamecock · Joined: 26 Nov 2003

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

Al Khidr · Joined: 27 Nov 2007

We have yearly physicals at my university--along with the Korean professors. That being said, I don't know why I can't just submit my blood work and exam results from my university instead of going to some special government-approved clinic probably run by an uncle of someone in the Ministry of Justice.

As mentioned earlier, Korean English teachers do have to be licensed as teachers of English; however, from my experience working in a middle school some years back, that did NOT mean they had to be able to speak more than a few badly pronounced words of English. The head of the English program at that middle school could shout out "Good morning!" any time of the day, but not much else beyond teaching grammar all in Korean. I also recall the male teachers drinking on the job being a regular experience. Hmm, I don't suppose Korea has on-the-job drug tests for their Korean teachers? One Korean teacher at that school told me that the vice principal carried a special cash bag in his car to pay off cops if he ever got pulled over for drunk driving. Double standard? Heck, it's their country... What do you expect?