Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/


The police yesterday took action against four unqualified English instructors and six officials of cram schools who had hired them without verifying their credentials.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency arrested two Ghanaians and booked another Ghanaian and a Korean- Australian without detention for forging their academic degrees or nationalities so that they could teach English here.

One of the arrested Ghanaians was employed as a teacher at a local high school while he was an illegal alien. He tried to get another job after he was fired from the school for sexually harassing a student.

Police also booked six officials of regular schools and "hagwon" (cram schools), including a recruiting agent surnamed Lee, for arranging these individuals` employment without vetting them.

The Ghanaians used fake U.S. college degrees and foreign registration cards that identified them as Australians or Canadians, seemingly entitling them to teach English beginning last April, police said.

The suspects entered Korea on 90-day visas and filed for refugee status when their terms of stay expired so they could keep teaching during the screening process which lasts six months to two years.

Only E2 visa holders with bachelor`s degrees are permitted to work as foreign language instructors in Korea. Several educational institutes were found to have hired unqualified people as E2 visa holders get paid more.

"Such qualifications can be verified simply by checking with the Korea Immigration Service, but many institutes failed to do so," a police officer said. "The refugee-assessment rule needs to be revised, as it is being misused by people who want to stay here long-term."

The suspects earned between 2 million won ($2,000) and 2.5 million won a month for teaching at English camps for elementary school children.

The police are expanding their investigation to check into some 120 English teachers who were employed through the same recruiting agency.

Nearly a thousand English instructors were found to have forged their degrees or worked without E2 visas over the past five years.

This latest crackdown on illegal English teachers comes a week after seven hagwon instructors were booked without detention for smoking marijuana.

Police also arrested a 40-year-old Ghanaian for selling the drug, in addition to a hagwon boss for hiring non-E2 visa holders as instructors.

A Korean cram school instructor surnamed Lee allegedly bought marijuana from the Ghanaian and sold it to foreign instructors around Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

E2 visa applicants are required to submit statements about their health. One question deals with whether or not they have used any illegal drugs in the past five years, but the applicants are no longer required to get tested for marijuana use.

By Kim So-hyun

([email protected])






2008.05.05

[wylies99]

[Been There, Taught That]

I've never heard the term "cram school". Is that a new one? Is it meant to be derogatory?

[CentralCali]

It's been in use for quite some time. Here is a Wiki article about the places in Asia.

[lastat06513]

This reminds me of the crackdown a few years ago on some 600 or so people that were in the database of David Kang. The KNP got a hold of it after arresting him. They got about a hundred or so people and many others simply ran off after they tipped that Mr. Kang got arrested.
The only way the police would do such a wide sweep would be if someone talked......

[wylies99]

What's the name of this recruiter? Has it been in the Korean language press?

[ttompatz]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[garykasparov]

Mr. Lee? Well that narrows it down to about 30% of all Korean males

[Join Me]

Funny...seems like things are only getting worse with the new regulations in place. Nobody decent wants to go through the hassle anymore so it is wide open for scumbags to walk through the door. I can't wait to see what this week brings.

[garykasparov]

The recruiter will change his surname to "Park" or "Pak" when he's arrested in another province next week. What are the 10 most common surnames Korean recruiters use when they're arrested? Does anyone have any idea?

[jim_we]

[jim_we]

[ytuque]

[wylies99]