Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pocariboy73]

[PatrickGHBusan]

Couple of comments..

1- Chicken, there are many long term E-2 visa holders in Korea with roots here. They have much to contribute and you should not brush them aside like this.

2- On the whole F-visa issue comment made (not your comment chicken). F--visa holders do not hold "unprecendented" advantages and benefits...they have the benefits and rights of RESIDENTS vs FOREIGN WORKERS ON TEMPORARY VISA. This has been stated so many times it is a wonder that it still comes up as a debate point! Residents in most countries have more rights and a different legal status that foreign workers..that seems painfully obvious.

3- The whole disrcimination issue is a non-issue..it is just someone wanting to get his diggs in.

4- The idea of a social network is not bad at all. It could however easily become what is needed for ALL teachers here: a network that offers advice, workshops and contacts but that does not become some sort of pseudo advocacy group.

[FUBAR]

[TheChickenLover]

[T-J]

Exclusive does not equate to discrimination. An example:

If you don't qualify you don't join.

And some of you profess to understand the English language. Amazing.

[PatrickGHBusan]

Any organisation CAN have membership requirements and that can be non-discriminatory.

Teachers Union: must be a certified and employed teacher.

Trades Union: same kind of idea

This is not discrimination. Heck ATEK is doing the same: only certain types of people can vote and become full right members. Thats not discrimination it is a membership criteria based on QUALIFICATIONS AND STATUS.

[Scouse Mouse]

[TheMeerkatLover]

[Ruraljuror]

I like this idea. Everyone time I meet somebody new who has an F visa I always pick his brain about his life as I have so many questions (I've only had my F visa for less than 2 years). These questions are invariably exclusively F visa concerns. We always talk about things like:

-- Their wedding. Wedding hall or church? Did they do a paebeck? How many daechus did their wife catch? Did the parents fly in? How did they like Korea? How do the 2 families get along?

-- Married life/dealing with a spouse. Far, far too many questions here to attempt to list.

-- Children. Are you going to have children in Korea? Will your child go to Korean public school? If no, what are you going to do? If yes, what are thoughts on how they will be treated? What are you going to do to make it easier on them? What can you do to properly raise a bilingual child? What is the role of each parent in raising a child? Will your child go to church? What role do each set of in laws play in raising a child in Korea? How did you handle naming your child? There are many more questions than these actually.

-- In-laws. Did your Korean in-laws support your marriage? What is your relationship with them currently? Do you have any resposibilities during Chuseok or New Years festivities? Do you support your in-laws financially? Are you going to have to do so in the future?

-- Finances. Do you have a traditional Korean marriage where the wife controlls all the money? Does your wife work? Do you have a car? How did you get your driver's license? Do you have driving insurance? Do you have life insurance? Do you do chunse or wolse? How do you invest your money? Do you split your savings between Korea and your country of origin? Do you have any properties or investments back in your home country? Do you pay taxes on them? What are your plans for the future?

-- Working. How many jobs do you have? What is your hourly rate? How many days a week do you work? How many hours a day do you work? Do you teach privates? Do you advertise your services? Does your wife help you? What materials do you like to use? Do you have a tutoring license? How did you get it? Have you established a "study room" in your name? How do you do it? How much money can that bring in? Does having a F5 as opposed to an F2 carry any advantages?


Believe it or not, this is NOT the entire list of questions that I have when I meet an F visa holder. This is just something I threw together off the top of my head. I actually have many more things I like to pick their brain about. And frankly...most of the questions are not things that E-2 are concerned about. And with good reason! I certainly wasn't when I was E-2!

That last point is important -- this club is not excluding based on a sense of superiority or entitlement. It is simply a place where like-minded people can get together socially and try to learn some things.

As an example, consider this club. A club made up of Overseas Korean Adoptees Who Have Returned to Korea. This club would be about these people coming to terms with their identities as adoptees and as Koreans, and their feelings of exclusion and displacement. The membership would consist entirely of overseas adoptees who have returned to Korea. Anyone who was not an oversea adoptee who would be prohibited from joining. They discriminate not based on a sense of entitlement or superiority, but instead the club has a very limited focus it wants to maintain. For those who are feeling excluded, I hope this example has helped you realize that this club is not something you belong in, nor should you feel excluded that you do not.

I think Chicken's talk of "political action" was meant as a joke to tweak ATEK. The amount of "political power" this club would represent would be so minimal as to be laughable. For one thing, only F-5's can vote, F-2's can not. And in the rare subset of F visa holders, F-5's are by far the rarest. And F-5's can only vote in local elections. Which means, in each district of this country, there may possibly be a few people who are members of AFEK and who hold an F-5 visa who may be able to cast a few votes for the mayor or city comptroller that AFEK would support. That's it. I highly, highly doubt that politics will even come up in the meetings...after all, what English language paper covers local politics in any detail? If you are at all concerned about AFEK's "political influence" all going to advance F visa issues at the expense of E visas...well, I don't think you have much to worry about. Frankly, I think this is mostly going to be a meeting of a bunch of old, fat, balding men drinking a few beers, meeting some new people, and showing pictures of spouses and kids. This cabal is not nearly the scary thing you have in your minds.

[Scouse Mouse]

[Scotticus]

[saw6436]

I think one thing alot of E-2 visa holders are missing is that an F series visa doesn't just magically grow out of your ass. I've been in Korea going on 11 years. On and E-2 for 4 of those years (F-2 and F-5) the rest of the time.

I understand exactly where E-2s are coming from. Their concerns, issues and questions (I've been there, done that). When I was on an E-2 Daves's was a pretty valuable tool. Much less so now that I am an F-5. Most posts here have been done to death. If Dave's had a decent search function there really wouldn't be much need to post. Just about every question and topic has been covered previously.

F series holders DO have a totally different set of needs and questions that would be best served by fellow F series holders. When i was on an E2 my mates and I spent the majority of our time talking about where to go/what to do on the weekend. Now, my friends and I discuss morgtages, pediatricians, investment vehicles, the best Hagwons for our kids, etc. Not saying some E2s don't have the same concerns but the majority don't.

Also, keep in mind that most Fs are married to Koreans, have Korean relations, are pretty much IN Korea for the long haul. Having this Korean connection makes networking much more effective. E2s would dilute that and, in fact, drag it down.

I totally support chicken's idea and would work towards making it successful.

[b-class rambler]

[TheChickenLover]

For those who wish to have their names added to the email list. Please send me an email at [email protected]

I'll be compiling a list this week and sending out emails this week-end after I figure out how to setup a webpage (I'm 0% programming able)

Thanks to those many of you who emailed me. I never figured there we actually that many of you.

Chicken

[Enrico Palazzo]

This is what was the AFEK thread.

1)I changed the title of it, so that members will know that the thread is for F visa holders and that it is moderated for their sake and for keeping it clean from any fights with this group or another group. It is not for E-2 visa holders to fight with F visa holders. E and F visa holders could collaborate and discuss on the other non-AFEK sticky.

2)The issue of it being placed in the Off-Topic area by Scotticus was studied, considered, but not accepted. Dave's ESL Cafe is a site for professionals who work as engineers, businesspersons, and EFL/ESL instructors. The focus is on EFL/ESL instructors, but not all posters are engaged in teaching. A job social networking group can be in the job section. It will be, at least, for now.

3)It will focus on what's good for those who may want to join this group, rather than focusing on discussing another, non-related group.


4)This thread was cleaned and was reduced by a couple of pages with more of the pages focusing just on AFEK kept in place and stuff that dealt with ATEK were removed.

5)If there is any flaming in the thread, alert a moderator by PM or by hitting the report button, and we will look at it.

We ask that you focus on what would be good for foreigners with F visas and do something that's productive for all concerned.


We moderators have been accomodating and, to a large extent, have the interests of the users of the site.