Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hwa jang shil]

I'm off to Japan for a weekend soon, a week after buying the ticket I got a memo from the school, stating that 'anyone leaving Korea will not be allowed back to the school for a week on account of H1N1 flu'. 'If you are planning to make a trip you must inform the boss so they can make arrangements'.
I don't want to inconvience the other teachers by having them cover my lessons for a week (small school!) and I don't want to cancel the trip (I'm sure my company would not refund my ticket costs) so I'm sneaking out.

What I'd like to know from anyone who has recently returned to Korea is, do immigration or any other Government department contact the school to ensure that you are not there for the week following your return?

A freind went a few months back and a week after returning to Korea got a call to her house phone from immigration (or someone) asking if she had any symptons. I don't mind that, I would just prefer the school does not know.
Thanks!

[fezmond]

i went to tokyo about 3 weeks ago and nobody cared. no problems with my boss, immigration or any phone calls.

i told my boss i was going but she probably wouldn't have noticed if i hadn't.

[hwa jang shil]

Thanks! Pleased to hear that.
It's a definite no-no telling my boss I'm going, she's got the flu paranoia bad!

[Old Gil]

I went for Chuseok and didn't tell anybody cuz I didn't want to deal with the BS. Immigration only has your number cuz you write it down on the entry card, if you give them a fake number nobody is the wiser.

[cruisemonkey]

[Trinidad]

E7 visa, spent 11th-17th in HK. (flu central) No problems on re-entry.
If you pass the infra-red scanner you should be OK. As for the entry
card, yeah, you shouldn't have to fill one out if you have an ARC and
a re-entry sticker in your passport.

[runthegauntlet]

[Trinidad]

Customs is concerned with taxation and contraband. It has nothing
at all to do with immigration. Hence, customs you pass through after
immigration.

But, yes, I usually fill out a card on the flight. The procedure seems
to have a mind of its own. I fill it out "just in case". (so I don't have
to go to the back of the line if some newb asks for it)

[CentralCali]

OP: Is your school an actual school or a hagweon? If it's a regular school, there is no quarantine for those just going abroad. If it's a hagweon, you have no obligation to tell your boss where you are during your time off.

[hwa jang shil]

Hagwon.
Yep, I'm pretty annoyed at the situation and feel I should not have to give details of planned trips abroad if it's during my own time. I don't intend to either. Nothing has been signed agreeing to it, so I don't see a problem avoiding it. My main concern was having the school find out through immigration and keeping me away for a week and 2 poor buggers having to work non stop for 10 hours covering my lessons. Wouldn't make me the most popular chap there.
The problem lies with company management who have implemented this nonsense throughout their schools. I imagine it's to appease concerned parents.

[Old Gil]

[steveinincheon]

You have to list a phone number on the health/ Swine Flu questionnaire you fill out when landing. I put my cell phone number down and they called me a couple days later. However the call was during class so I hung up on them and there was never any follow up after that.

[rowdie3]

I went out at Chuseok. One school knew and were fine with it, but I didn't tell my other school as they seemed to have a big case of the paranoia.

Went to Hong Kong.

No problems leaving or coming back. No follow up phone calls.

Gave my real contact info. Figured if i was exposed, I'd want to know. Didn't want to be the one teacher that brought down the whole school.

Have fun in Japan!

[Konglishman]

Since your name is Hwa Jang Shil, immigration might be concerned that you caught a disease such as swine flu from a dirty rest room. I am just kidding.

[DeLaRed]

I read the quarantine rule got scrapped

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=167333