Korean Job Discussion Forums

[iamjonny]

I have a rather specific medical question and am not sure who, if any one, will be able to give me a straight answer. I haven't had much luck so far.

I'm 27 and would like to each English in Korea for a year or two. I was born with a neurological condition called hydrocephalus which does NOT impact me in any way on a daily basis. It has not stopped me from anything whether it be contact sports, getting my SCUBA license, sky diving, etc.

However, the condition is kept in check by a valve called a shunt and a tube running down my abdomen under the skin. The valve/tube set up doesn't last forever and eventually needs to be replaced. If I catch the symptoms (progressively bad headaches) soon enough, the surgery is quick and recovery is a week or two of bedrest.

My question is this: Will having this condition and the possibility of needing surgery while in Korea stop me from either obtaining the visa, or of getting to Korea and being sent home because of the medical exam?

And if the condition was never brought up, or didn't stop me from getting there and gaining employment, how would they handle it if I had to miss a few weeks because of surgery/recovery? Would I be let go and sent home? Would I be able to recover and get back to work, even if it meant extending my contract to make up for lost time?

The odds of needing surgery while in Korea for a year or two are slim. In 27 years I've had the surgery twice. The first shunt lasted 19 years, the second lasted 5, and I've had the third since 2007. So I'm less worried about that, and more worried about being rejected outright because they don't even want to deal with someone like me.

If you read this far, I commend and thank you. Nobody seems to be able to give me a certain answer about this and I sure don't want to spent all that time and money, and get my hopes up to be turned back after arriving in Korea.

Thanks again.

P.S. I'm open to teaching in other countries who may give me less of a problem about this, I just know Korea both pays well and has sufficient medical care should I need surgery. But if anyone has any other suggestions on destinations for me, I'm all ears

[Troglodyte]

You'll have to declare it before even applying for the visa. If you lie, they'll find out when you do the medical exam here. That gives the school a reason to fire you if they want to.

I think that most hogwans won't want to hire you. They won't want to take any risks with you. Many don't even like teachers taking a sick day if they have the flu. I'm not sure about PS. Maybe someone else can answer that.

[lalartu]

if you are upfront about it, you will have less trouble in the long run
the school may give you a week off, but it will be probably taken from your vacation time. so look for a school that gives a lot of vacation time. there are no sick days in korea because koreans are never sick.

when applying, do not put an emphasis on the disability though. because if the school thinks it will cause a lot of problems for them they will never hire you.

if you never mention it and the school finds out about all this, you may get fired and will be stuck with no apartment or the return ticket home.
especially if you have to get the surgery. they will let you go while you're recovering and have no second thoughts about it.

On top of that, Korea is a very appearance oriented country, so if the tube/valve is in any way visible, I would advise against coming here.
disabilities in general are a sort of a stigma here and if you work with kids they WILL make fun/make you feel bad
unless you don't care and are open about it

but yeah, i would definitely put a lot of emphasis on the appearance thing.
this one teacher at the school i worked at lost it and had a nervous breakdown because students kept calling her old grandma because the girl always wore scarves (fashionable ones) and dressed in a hippy kind of way. they gave her nicknames and pointed fingers until one day she snapped and started screaming at kids and was gone soon after. the girl made a mistake of wearing her nose ring once too (what part of NO piercings dont people understand) and geez, i've never heard so many cow jokes made about one person in my life. but that was also partially her fault because she really sucked as a teacher and had no idea how to control the kids.

[iamjonny]

Everything is internal, none of it is visible. Appearance wise I come across as a normal, healthy, fit, 27 year old male.

[kimdeal54]

You'll have to get a chest x-ray as part of the required medical test for an E2 visa. I wonder if the tube would show up on that, and what kind of questions you'd be asked. That is, if you decided not to be upfront about your condition (you'd have to lie during the initial stage of visa processing).

Sorry to say but... I agree with Troglodyte that schools would probably not be willing to take a risk by hiring you.

[iamjonny]

Not only did I plan on being upfront about it but that is also what came to mind, the chest XRay, And I'm certain it would show up and then questions would be asked.

I'm bummed, because this condition has kept me from doing some other things I've wanted to do before, based on the 'risk' rather then reality. But these are the responses I expected. Thanks for your time everyone.

[lalartu]

I say the only way to find out is to apply. you're not losing anything.

just let them know in advance and see what they say

if director is okay with it, nobody will care

[nathanrutledge]

Play it down. Like you said, the odds of you needing the surgery while you are in Korea are slim, so don't make a big deal out of it.

"Hydrocephalus? It's just like having allergies, no big deal!" Then move on to another topic.

If you require lots of attention and it's going to be a problem, you're hosed, but like you said, it's never kept you from doing anything before, so don't worry about it. Put it down, then when it asks for an explanation, just say that you had surgery to correct the problem and that's it. They ask, make it seem as small as possible of a problem (which it sounds like it is) and you should be fine.

DON'T LIE. DON'T fudge the truth. But they don't need to know the gritty details of it, especially if the gritty details are only a problem once every 5 to 10 years for a week or so.

[rowdie3]

Hi there,
Well, here's my opinion.

First, no harm in applying. Tell whatever recruiter you end up with that you have a tube in your body that will show up on an x-ray but that it is nothing to worry about.

Honestly, I wouldn't say much about what you said in your posting about possibly needing surgery etc because the truth of the matter is that, if you end up in the hospital for surgery, 9 out of 10 schools will fire you while you are in there. This is very common. So, in my thinking, why tell them about what "might happen". Instead get the job, save lots of money, and then whatever happens happens. I know this is not the most honest way to go about things, but hagwon owners in Korea are also not the most honest of people. Alls fair in this game I think.

[DingleBerryLarry]

There's no need to fret about this situation. There are other people in Korea just like you! You will need to apply to the CEPIK, or the Cyborg English Program in Korea. Most of the people here love the Terminator movies. Just remember to use your powers for good. We've got Skynet by the balls now.

[liveinkorea316]

Have a test on an x-ray machine at home. If it doesn't show up then you are clear. There is no other way of them knowing about it than if you tell them. If you wanna play it safe just don't tell them.

If you need more surgury, deal with that bridge when you come to it but if at all possible get it done out of country or pay cash to a private hospital here.

[tokkibunni8]

Public schools give you "X" amount of sick days. Depending on your relationship with your school, you may not have a problem using them. I am on my fourth year at my school and have 15 sick days to use every year. I use at least 10 days every year with no problems at all. If I take more than 4 consecutive sick days, then I just need a note from the doc.

In my first year, I was given a week off for when I broke a bone while the semester was in session and in my second year another week off for my eyes to heal after getting lasik. However, that was over summerbreak, but still they had no problem with me taking sick days. Actually, it was at the suggestion of the principal that I take those days off. He's a pretty fly guy for a Korean guy!

Be honest and depending on luck, you may hit a good, accomodating school.

Good Luck!

[subak09]

What was the result to the original poster's question? Similar situation, different condition, same restrictions (ie. no high contact, or high elevation/pressure activities). Did you get a job? I made it past the medical checks and I didn't think in a million years I would. I was confident in saying that I was doing well and they allowed me in. Also, I wasn't working through a major hagwon or big school. Maybe their restrictions are different? I want to go back a second time, so I'm hoping that prior experience in the country will help

Good luck

[recessiontime]

yeah they will chest x ray you when you get to Korea for sure, there's no point playing it down like most other illnesses. You'll have to bite the bullet and talk about this one. Hopefully it works out.

[DosEquisXX]

So long as your condition doesn't affect your teaching ability, I wouldn't tell anybody. The market is so flooded that owners are being extremely risk-averse. Even the smallest of medical conditions would raise a flag and likely result in you not getting hired.

If it would show up on any of the test given, then you might have to tell someone. But downplay it if you do. Just say something like, "Ah, I just get headaches occasionally but if I take some Tylenol I'm perfectly fine."

Not sure if you take any medication for your problem, but you might want to mention them if it would show on a drug test. I'm not exactly sure what they test for (can someone enlighten me?) but if it's anything that could cause a false positive, you should be careful.