Korean Job Discussion Forums

[idonojacs]

Got any suggestions for Korean officials on how to make the new regulations work, or how they should be changed?

Post them here.

Some of these problems lead back to the Ministry of Education, if I understand this correctly.

So my first suggestion is to get one set of rules, and don't have the MOE impose new requirements on teachers once they get to Korea.

My second suggestion is to put the regulations in one place, tell us where they are, and tell school officials where they are.

Here's what I would like to tell Korean Immigration:

The new regulations will not achieve any useful purpose. They put all of the burden on the applicants, and it is a huge one. And no one, it seems, is certain what the rules are, including Korean government officials.

Only one thing needed changing in the old regulations: They should have required a national criminal records check. We all know this.

The ONLY way for Korea to be absolutely certain the national CRC is authentic is for Korean officials to do it themselves. Every school in the U.S. (and Canada, and everywhere else in the West?) does fingerprint CRCs on new school employees or applicants. There is no reason Korea could not use the same Internet based system. Have you asked to do this? And you should do it on all employees, including Koreans. It is just common sense. Anything less is racial discrimination.

As to drugs and alcohol, if a school has good reason to think a teacher is coming to work drunk or on drugs, all they have to do is fire him or her. A little fairness and due process would be nice, like not going after innocent people. If a teacher is doing a bad job, they fire him, right? So what's the problem?

On the other hand, it my observation that it is the Korean teachers who are more likely to drink during weekdays, and even to brag about it when they come to work. This is not the norm in the U.S. Apparently heavy soju drinking during weeknights with friends is customary in Korea, am I right?

Drug testing is normally used in the West primarily for jobs that involve risks to the public or co-workers, such as a bus driver or machinery operator. If Korea is so concerned, use random drug testing while on the job, and apply the rules equally to Korean school employees.

Have a nice day!

[Khenan]

I've never heard of a school in the states that required a drug test. I'm sure there are some, someplace, but I've never seen it. And I've talked to a lot of schools in several different states.

[moosehead]

[Suwoner10]

[idonojacs]

Well maybe you don't give a damn, moosehead, but I think many, if not most, ESL teachers here want to protect children from sexual predators.

I think many, if not most, want to protect the reputation of Native speakers in Korea. We do not want people coming here and committing crimes - though I do not see proof that this has been a problem in the first place.

And I, for one, do not want to see illegal drugs spread in Korea, having seen the irresponsible way they have been abused in the U.S. I think Korea is safer without them. But, again, I do not see much evidence that this is a significant problem with regards to ESL teachers. When it has occurred, the Korean police seem to have little trouble catching the offenders - we don't exactly blend into the scenery here.

Based on other threads on this and other sites, I think most teachers feel the same way. But I expect that there are exceptions.

As to drug testing, Suwoner10, I don't wee how you could know "first hand" for all 50 states. I wasn't drug tested when I applied to be a substitute teacher. So I don't think saying "every state" is accurate. And I don't think they do a pre-screening to see if you have alcohol in your urine, though I could be wrong.

But while were on the subject, a self-administerd drug and alcohol test is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of, Korean Immigration, although asking illegal drug users to fess up on the immigration form comes close.

[GoldMember]

Korean Drug Test:

Tester:Here drink 6 bottles of Soju
Testee: Glung glung glung
Tester: Mmmm, still standing, ok you pass.

[SeoulFinn]

Dear immigration,


I suggest that Korean Immigration should establish a Department of Degree Validation (DDV). DDV's main responsibility are as follows:

1) Check that the visa applicant's college degree is real and that is from an accredited institution.

As I see it, this can be easily done by phone, fax or computer. For this approach to work, the staff members of DDV cannot be afraid of using English as they are supposed to be in contact with foreign institutions. If neccessary, man the staff with native English speakers.

2) To create a data base that stores the degree documantation for easy reference in the future if needed.

This would be greatly beneficial to the applicants and many departments and ministeries of the ROK goverment.

May I suggest that the staff is well-compensated for their important work, as a measure to lower the attractiveness of corruption. (Note: Other measures to battle corruption should also be implemented.) As I see it, the salary should be at least 3 000 000 KRW per month with full benefits.

Furthermore, I suggest that the Korean Immigration will hire me as the director of the new department. My salary should be at least 6 000 000 KRW per month with normal benefits that department head usually receives (i.e. secretary, car and driver, VIP treatment etc.).


Yours Truly, SeoulFinn

[moosehead]

[bejarano-korea]

What would I tell Korean immigration?

"Why the bloody hell did you let me in?"

[idonojacs]

When the next criminal or child abuser comes to Korea on an E-2 visa,


DON'T BLAME US!


You will have only yourselves to blame for these imcompetently crafted rules.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Julius]

Keep it all on file, in a database, for future reference.
Do not make applicants submit the same credentials over and over again because you "lost" them. Its an expensive and time-wasting process to keep ordering new documents, from degree certificates to transcripts. Sometimes they cannot be replaced.

Give the applicants back their original documents.
-They will need them again when they apply for another job.

"Have a nice day".

[bacasper]

[Vicissitude]

There should be a different set of regulations and visas for people who work with children versus people who work with adults.

The apostille process is not reasonable. That should be the first to go.

Make sure to test people not only for HIV/Aids, but also for Hepititus and overall general health. There are other highly contageous diseases that are even more deadly and serious than HIV/Aids. I'd rather work with a person who has Aids than a person with Hepititus A or B. In fact, I wouldn't even want to be eating at the same table as one infected hepititus A/B.

Make sure to check in S.E. Asia for the list of wanted pedophilles and sex offenders before handing out visas to anyone getting any type of visa in Korea whether it be an E2 visa or a tourist visa for that matter. Korea needs to work internationally in this regard. Don't forget that CPN is clean in Canada as his alleged crimes were commited in S.E. Asia and not Canada. So a CBC from one's home country is not a total safeguard.

Don't leave children alone one-on-one with teachers when there is no one else around, especially if you don't know that person very well. This seems like common sense here. If I were a parent, I would never leave a child alone with a perfect stranger. A parent's first priority is to be a protector of her/his children. Parents must protect their children by not giving full trust to anyone who is alone with children. There should be a healthy reasonable distrust. We understand this in the Western countries. Koreans must learn this too.

[The_Eyeball_Kid]