Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rollo]

Slugger, this debate is sort of derailing the topic. but i will write this. F visa who are teaching , most or all of them at one time were e-2 visa holders. They have a paper trail in Korea. they h ave a background that is much easier to check. they are a known quanity. They still have to submitt to much of the testing that e-2's have to. Also they have other rquirements to meet. Also they are vouched for by a Korean, their spose and spouse's family.

The topic is what is A.t.e.K. going to do next. Will they hold elections ever. Will they clean up the ethical problems within the group. Almost every poster on this board's problem with A.T.E.K is they want to be an advocacy group without a mandate. They also seem to not understand how it appears when they start wanting to "teach" Koreans how to protect their children and goven their country. Also Wagner who is not a teacher and has been in korea a very short while and who obviously was not objective in his report. he has an agenda . A reprinting and retitling of the guide book. Get out of the advocacy busines untill an election, is held. Rethink attitudes toward korea and koreans. People who a rmarried to koreans have children with Korean blood are offended by the title of the book. They are offended at the constant pointing out of rascism by koreans. they ae ofended at the belittling language used about koreans and the Korean government. Much of what i use to see as exenophobia and rascism i now see as cultural clumsiness and my own closemindedness . have no doubt i think there is a strong strain of exonophobia in korea. I alos see a lot of kindness and often a lot of tolerance. A.T.E.K seems to be looking for a fight, well Koreans never surrender. The will win any battle you choose! Sorry for the rant. A.T.E.K. needs to hold an election, get" away from WAgners report! Choose your fights carefully. No more Announcements to the media!!!! The guide book is a good idea no doubt just clean up the problems!!!

[broken76]

Now here's an interesting thought on the medical checks done in Korea. All E2s need to fill and sign a medical checklist before coming to Korea as part of the Visa paperwork.
So if a teacher lies or misinforms immigration on this would it not be legal for immigration without discrimination or any human rights abuses to expel someone from the country?
Then doesn't that make the medical check simply verifying what the E2 applicant has already stated was true.

[Milwaukiedave]

[pocariboy73]

[Milwaukiedave]

[pocariboy73]

[Bronski]

[Arthur Dent]

Bronski:

You can probably get the same information at the link below. There were two articles in the Korea Herald about this. One on December 29th, 2008 (probably the one below) and the latest on April 4th 2009. I couldn't find the online source at the Herald site but I still have the paper version.


http://migrant.kr/?mid=englishnews&page=5&listStyle=webzine&document_srl=16930&cpage=

Japan and the US have already instituted similar policies, the EU is considering them, and I have heard - though I cannot confirm this - that the U.K. has already done something similar.

It may lack the editorial comment of the article TJ referred you to, but you can get the general idea.

[PatrickGHBusan]

This fingerprinting issue has been in place in Japan for well over a year. They also take your picture on entry to the country.

I visited Japan this week for work and stopped there last year as well. I was fingerprinted and photographed each time.

Korea, if it adopts this, is only folling a trend initiated by other contries, namely the US.

This is not a Human Rights Issue..it is national immigration and entry policy. A sovereign state has the right to decided how they screen people who wish to enter their borders.

[broken76]

Considering that Koreans have their fingerprints on file I think the whole fingerprinting thing is a non-issue.

[pagehamilton]

There�s some Tony Hellman hating going on here so........ here�s my stance on him (regardless of the actual issue) for what its worth :

As a foreigner having trouble with your boss in Korea you officially have two options :

A) The immigration hotlines that never answer / deliberately tell you things that don�t reflect the law just to make their life easier or B) The global help center

Now, when Koreans get ripped off in Yongsan they just accept it. They never think about causing a scene to get their money back (or fighting back at their mean boss at work or whatever). They just accept all these things because Koreans never want to rock the boat - EVER. And so, as nice as the global help center staff are, they don�t really tell you anything really useful when you�re in real trouble, they just set you up to roll over.

Tony however, REALLY TELLS YOU WHAT�S LEGALLY PERMISSIBLE. I once worked for a NIGHTMARE school that was making me physically ill. Tony asked to see my contract online, was prompt to respond (within an hour!) concise with his advice and above all - RIGHT ON THE MONEY. He really knows the law and is happy to tell you in a nutshell for nothing. NO COST.

When you have all these other official sources telling you that �the rules� are to the contrary of Tony�s advice, DON�T LISTEN TO THEM. Tony helped me totally screw my nightmare employer and get out of a seriously tight spot. Global help center would have had me sell myself down the river just to avoid causing offense to someone they don�t even know. Nobody in Korea wants to risk their reputation by operating outside acceptable forms of behaviour (like, you know, ACTUALLY FOLLOWING WHAT THE LAW STATES OR SOMETHING!!!). When it comes down to it, he's one of the only people out there genuinely trying to help us out on all these issues.

All you guys slamming him on this post : Where were YOU when I was going through all this? And how much have you extended yourself to making yourself available to us helping us all out at the drop of a hat?

Oh.......... I see! BIG SILENCE!

Tony Hellmann ladies and gentlemen. Call him. He may not have tons of time to talk, but then he�s NOT GETTING PAID ANYTHING to give you the long and short of it. Face it, you wouldn�t get that from any legal man back home. Be thankful. I for one SERIOUSLY SERIOUSLY am.

[T-J]

Oh where to begin? I try not to cut up quotes, but sometimes you just have to.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[pagehamilton]

However to make the leap of logic that he is the best choice to help foreigners based on your experience again displays your inexperience.

Well, in the end thats EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS. Global help meant well, but when push came to shove......... they weren't of much help to be honest. "Korean friends" aren't always legally clued up either, so thats that one out the window - (DUH!!!!)

Just go away and just consider what I'm saying : I was having some real trouble and needed help. ATEK just fell into my lap. I'd never even heard of them before but out of all my options he was by far the most effective one in the end. He was just great.

In fact, I thought he was so good that I'm back here trying to spread the word to others about ATEK : talking with Tony is one of the best moves you can make when you're in trouble. Straight up.

Anything else is just a bunch of useless posing and mouth running.

[bassexpander]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/06/117_46121.html