Korean Job Discussion Forums

[John Lennon]

Hi all,

I am thinking of teaching EFL, I have no qualifications yet and have a few questions before I start studying to get one.

My first question is as follows;

If I want to work in Korea how in depth a Criminal Record Check would I need to complete.

I am currently 30 years old and I have 1 minor stain on my character. When I was about 17 (so still a minor) I was arrested whilst drunk and ended up getting a formal caution for drunk and disorderly (or something similar).

Is this going to hamper me in trying to get a job in Korea, make me need to forget about EFL teaching and need to look for an alternative career.

Or is it OK as it was a minor infringement and a long time ago.

Also does anyone know if this will stop me getting work in the UK or other overeas countries.

Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

[joe412]

The drunk and disorderly conduct might actually help you get a job here. Public drunkeness is completely acceptable in Korea, and if I didn't know better I'd actually say it is encouraged.

[blue.sky]

I'm not sure, but I think cautions disappear from your sheet after a few years. I have a friend who used to be a smack head and did some time for dealing, so that will never leave her record, but I think minor offenses aren't kept on your record for that long.

I'm not sure whether its the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act which dictates this - maybe you should do some research.

A brother of another friend broke into a neighbour's house while drunk and they found him sleeping on their sofa with his bag full of CDs and stuff. That was when he was 16 or 17, i think. He spent a spell in a young offenders' institute (a bit harsh, but the neighbours hated him). I heard he was working in Korea last year and he must have been in his mid-20s, so either that offense had been removed from his record or the school/immi didn't mind.

Maybe you could create a gnome email account and contact some recruiters here (and the immi) to see what they have to say before you start looking under your real identity?

[hugekebab]

That'll be wiped mate, but go and check with a solicitor if you want to be sure, it's a simple query so won't cost you much.

[Scouse Mouse]

Get a criminal check done now. If it shows, get in touch with them and ask for it to be removed. You were a minor so it should have vanished when you turned 18. Even so, a caution stays on record for a maximum of 3 years.

[hugekebab]

[Scouse Mouse]

And a knowledgable one too... a friend of mine used to be the Data Protection Officer for Merseyside Police.

If it still shows, just quote the DPA at them and they delete it right away. As long as your D&D didn't involve anything of a violent nature, you are fine - the fact that you got a caution tells me you were ok. The only hiccup could be if you were caught taking a leak and they did you for public indecency... as a 'sex crime' that can stick around a lot longer.

[Cordova]