Korean Job Discussion Forums

[real merry hijackers]

I have an F-2 and I'm a bit confused.

Is this correct?:
1. F-2s don't need a criminal background check from their home country for private schools, eg. Hagwons
2. F-2s do need criminal check for public schools if they demand it.

I have an offer for an after-school program at a Seoul public school. The contract is with the private company that has hired me. There is no mention of the public school in the contract, except for the location as place of employment.

So do I need a (Canadian) criminal background check?

(I have a friend on an F-5, and he insists that (even when F-2) a Korean criminal background check is all he's ever needed for all jobs. But, I'd like something a little more substantive.)
Anyone had this experience, or can speak with any certainty about it?

Thanks.

[Alaskaman]

I have an F-2 as well and all I have ever needed to do is go down to the local police station here in Korea and have then do a background check on me. Sometimes they will let me do it my self and sometimes they request that the employer do this directly from them. If this is the case there is a form to fill out and a document you need to sign and then they will fax it to the police station and secure the needed doc on your behalf.

[kprrok]

You need whatever you employer wants you to have to get the job. If your employer wants a Canadian background check, that's their choice.

That said, you DO NOT need one for immigration as you won't need a new visa.

[real merry hijackers]

Thank you both for your replies.

Alaskaman - thanks for the heads up about the employer-direct option. My wife just called to tell me about that, too.

kprrok - I understand that employers can ask above and beyond what is legally required if they wish. My issue is that I'm a bit foggy about what is required in this circumstance.

I have found in numerous encounters since getting the F-2 that many employers, administrators, and recruiters do not know either and have to be told. I think they are so used at dealing with E-2 visa holders they have difficulty getting their heads around things being different for F-2. Sometimes what they ask for is what they think they need, and it would be nice to have an idea about what the legal requirements for employment are for when I talk to them.

[kprrok]

[real merry hijackers]

Thanks kprrok.

Which way did you do it? Did you get the check that you pick up yourself, or the form where you consent for them (employer) to check your background with the police?