Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wanderingsalsero]

I asked this question a week or so ago but I want to be sure I was specific enough because what my Vice Principle is telling me conflicts with what I was told by two or three people who responded to me previously.

Here's the deal:

My contract expires December 23, 2008. It'll be 18 months I will have been here at that time. I want to stay in country so of course I'm looking for other jobs (Winter Camp and Spring 09 regular semester) and of course I'll need the required documents again.

Since I'm applying for Winter Camp and Spring 09 Semester jobs simultaneously, I'll need two sets of everything......i.e. diplomas. And they're not cheap anymore ($125 from my graduate school). So.......I asked my supervisor, a couple of weeks ago, if I could get mine back (the one they have here).

She called somebody and then told me that 'no', I couldn't, because they needed to keep it on file.

I thought that was suspiciously unreasonable so I posted a question about it here. I had at least three people tell me that I was entitled to get my diploma back and that they, in fact, had gotten theirs back in similar situations.

I had a chat with my VP tonight and he was adamant that the school was supposed to keep the diploma (and, by implication, the other documents I'd submitted too) for 3-5 years in order to comply with Gyeonggi policy.

He wanted to know from what school were the people who told me they'd gotten theirs back. Obviously I didn't know. I never thought it would come down to 'he said......she said' type of face-off.

I wondered if the people who told me they'd gotten theirs back were perhaps from a different provincial system(SMOE?) or perhaps a hagwon, So I want to ask again, more specifically:

Is there anybody here in a Gyeongi Province school who has gotten their diploma returned to them when their contract expired? Or who has tried to get it back and was told the same thing I'm being told?

I tried to call "Dain" (not sure on that spelling), the GEPIK foreign teacher coordinator last week and she was too busy to talk to me because she apparently was in the middle of a teacher orientation. I've left a couple of messages on her voice mail so I would assume she knows what I'm calling about.

But she hasn't called me back yet. She said, on her message, something about not being able to do that until the 27th of this month.

It's not a life threatening situation or anything but I do resent the idea that they think my original diploma sitting in their friggin' file is going to make any difference to anybody in this millenium. Surely a copy would suffice.

Comments or advice, anyone?

Regards,
Art

[Otherside]

Art,

You saw my reply on the other thread.
I work for GEPIK. They have NEVER SEEN MY ORIGINAL DIPLOMA (It's still in my home country). I was in-country when I applied, on my first day, I showed them a notarised copy of my diploma, they made a photocopy...and gave me the notorised copy back. The end.

I agree the school should keep a copy of your diploma on file. But the damn original. You must be kidding. Ask your VP to explain how you are supposed to get another job, (in korea or elsewhere) for the next 3-5 years while he's holding your diploma. Or perhaps he's willing to keep you on salary for the period.

[zipperhead2]

Art: Finishing my year in Gyeonngi-do. Got my original back in a few days. Demand it! That piece of paper is YOURS!

[nomad-ish]

no school is supposed to keep your diploma period. it is your property, end of story.

have another little chat with your vp, and like another poster said in the other thread, mention that your embassy suggested you go to the police and file a report.

[yeremy]

Your school is wrong. They cannot keep your original diploma and you never should have "given" it to them. I worked for three years at the same GEPIK elementary school. I had to show my former school my original diploma but then they kept a scanned copy I printed off of the computer. Your school does have to keep a copy for a certain period of time but I am very sure that you're in the right. You should never give any of your genuine and/or original diplomas except for the purpose of getting your visa. After that they are supposed to return them but they can make a copy of them to keep on file.

One of the problems with Korean law is that it often seems to have been written so vaguely that one's interpretation rather than the letter of the law is what people follow.

You can pm me personally, if you want, and I will give you my name and the name of my former school, so you can take it back to your school to get your diploma back.

I currently work in EPIK, which is the national, rural version of GEPIK and they do not keep our (original) diplomas, only a copy of the one we use to get our E2 visas.

[Ramen]

Actually, they may have misfiled your original diploma into a trash can.

The last day at work:

You: Can I please have my diploma back?
VP: What? I don't understand.... What's diproma?
You:
VP:
You: SOL

[Countrygirl]

I think it will be futile waiting for Dain to call you back and the 27th is too long to wait. Just act confused and tell your co-teacher that everyone you talk to says that you should get it back and you are thinking of calling immigration to find out. Ask your co-teacher to call the provincial education office about this. I once threatened my principal that I was going to go to the labour board to settle matters, and within minutes everything was solved. Principals and VP's hate when other government agencies become involved and they quickly become reasonable.

If you wait on Dain, things will be settled but it will take time. Worst case scenerio is that the school has lost your diploma. Now you will have to fight to get them to reimburse you. Keep on this because that piece of paper is more important for your future than for the school records.

And, oh yeah, I am a Gepik teacher and no, they don't have my original. In fact, at the orientation that I went to, Dain and Wenise had a whole box of original diplomas that they handed back to the teachers.

[itstiff]

I just arrived in Korea a week ago and work for GEPIK .. they actually sent me back my diploma with my letter of appointment, I was quite happy and shocked they sent it right back.

But, 3-5 years .. that's complete BS .. get it back! Did you go through a recruiter for your job? Try contact your recruiter and see if they can help.

[call_the_shots]

Tell them you're not teaching another class until you have your diploma back. In the future, never give your diploma to anyone for any reason. Show it to anyone who needs to see it, but don't give it to them.

CT: "Can I have your diploma? I need to show it to _________."
You: "No, I will show it to them."

[marlow]

How is this an issue?

[wanderingsalsero]

I got my diploma back.

I contacted Dain(spelling?), the Gyeonggi-do coordinator lady. She said she'd make a call for me. She did it much quicker than I expected.

Anyway, the two Korean teacher ladies in my office (one of whom is my supervisor and the other is sorta her first sargeant) were talking, talking, talking about something. I sorta got the feeling that it was about me but I didn't know what it was about.

I kept hearing the word that sounded like 'womban'...or something like that.

So then my 1st SGT lady gives me the diploma. She had'em right there in her hand. Apparently she'd went downstairs and got them after she got a call from Dain.

That's all I know. But I kinda get the impression, from the fact that they seemed to still be discussing something as if they did't understand it, that somebody in my 'upline', I think maybe the VP, doesn't understand why I'm getting it back. Or maybe he doesn't even know yet.

I'm not totally sure about that. But it worked out anyway and it's over as far as I'm concerned.

Just FYI.......I had sent it to them from the US, where I was when I was applying for this job. That's how they got it. At that time I wasn't thinking that I would ever need it again. It still seems sorta strange to me that subsequent employers want all these same documents when the prospective employee hasn't been out of Korea.

But.........whatever.

Regards,
Art

[patongpanda]

I haven't been able to get mine back. I've been asking for nearly two years now.

I'll give that Dain a ring if I don't get it soon.

[sojusucks]

The school has always given me my originals back, which were only needed for immigration, but they kept photocopies of the documents in a file.

Your school is trying to prevent you from leaving. They are essentially trying to force you to stay at that school. If they are treating you like that, then you probably don't want to stay much longer.

[CentralCali]