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Skippy
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon
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 Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 9:00 pm Post subject: Basic Answers to STUPID and Frequently asked questions. |
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I recently went on a little rant in a previous thread. The main question was about drug testing. For those regulars here it gets so tiresome to answer these people who are not willing to do some work. So I have decide to start his little thread. Hope other people can give some other examples and advice. If it gets big enough maybe it can get stickied.
Yes I am aware of the FAQ section. If the mod feel this is a waste.
Drug Testing - Yes drug testing is done. It is a urine test. It is done when you get your medical test done here in Korea. Best way to pass - be drug free. If not possible - stop doing drugs - till you are clean and all traces are gone. Sorry but I would definitely not recommend having that last bong hit with your friends the night before you get on the plane to Korea. They test for hard drugs including pot. False positives can come up. So if you take prescription medicine - make sure you tell the doctor and bring prescriptions to show proof. If you do ping you will likely get a second chance to try.
Criminal Record - If you have anything on your record, you have a very high chance of being refused. You can try and apply but it will be a gamble. I mean anything including on a record from being ticketed for drinking in public or even car accidents too. Yes It does also include youthful indiscretions and old 40 years ago drug charges. In the end you can try and explain. Maybe just maybe you might get a pass. Yes, some people have been cleared and allowed in. But most officials will do a simple glance and if see anything but NO RECORD will go next. They will not put the effort in to find the details or get the story. Sorry - dreams dashed. Last little hint do research into pardons and getting your record cleared.
How do I get _______ item? - Do you understand that your in a foreign country. You are not back home. If you want something unique or special there is a good chance you will not get it. BUT here is the caveats. The more unique it is the more likely no. Guinness available but not at all bars, some raspberry flavored ale made in the woods of Washington NOT going to found. If it is here IT WILL BE EXPENSIVE or difficult to get. Consider finding alternatives or finding the Korean equivalent or heck living with out it. Sorry the pharmacy will likely not have pink Peptobismal but there will be Korean alternative. Cohiba corollary to availability the farther you are from Seoul the harder it will be to find. If really you want your Hostess Twinkies and Player Cigarettes you should have stayed home.
How do I get University/Public School job? Apply. There you go - one word. Oh, more details. Try to fulfill what they want - if they want a Masters degree and you have a Bachelors you might not get the job. They ask for a woman and you are a man, once again no. There are other various things to do to fulfill what they want, from being available right now, to being in country, to willingness to go the backwoods of Korea. Now somethings can help get your foot in the door but are not sure things, yes a good letter of references - a little helpful. Being young and good-looking - yes, coming from a IVY league college - yes. Also - NETWORK - in person. Make friends. Just asking here for a job will not work. People do not want to do your work for you or give their possible lead to you for free or with no benefit. If I know something I will likely tell a friend first not some newbie or stranger.
SO PEOPLE give you basic answers to the over and overly asked questions. Lets try and build this thread.
Last edited by Skippy on Mon Jul 11, 2011 3:54 am; edited 1 time in total |
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mmstyle
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: wherever
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| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 10:33 pm Post subject: |
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Well, the thing is, people would have to search to even find your thread (at least, in a few days), and they quite evidently are NOT searching.
And, yes, OP, I agree...it gets old when you see what is essentially the same post every day. This is how I feel about the drug test questions anyway. |
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ChopChaeJoe
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:08 am Post subject: |
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| Your tone is pretty nasty. You might consider why people read these boards -- to look for answers to questions. A lot more people read than post. What's it to you if someone asks a question you know the answer to? Answer it or not. Who wants to read the bitter rants of some crusty old-timer? |
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Skippy
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:09 am Post subject: |
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| ChopChaeJoe wrote: |
| Your tone is pretty nasty. You might consider why people read these boards -- to look for answers to questions. A lot more people read than post. What's it to you if someone asks a question you know the answer to? Answer it or not. Who wants to read the bitter rants of some crusty old-timer? |
I am a bit bitter - yes. But I learned a long time ago on previous other boards on how to get help and ask questions on the Internet. Time and again I am seeing people who have no idea or understanding on what to do or how to use a a forum. You want to see nasty try going to a Computer Help board and saying "Help I have a computer virus" either one of two things will happen - ignored or ridiculed and called a moron for not reading the FAQ or the before posting instructions or RTFMing or googling something. You want to see crazy nasty go to some of the back places of the big forum places like digg.com or dman forget the name. Ask a simple question and before you know it somebody is calling you a queer, another is calling you a troll - welcome to the Internet. The recent flock of teachers have started to treat eslcafe as either a twit posting place or as Facebook and keeping the posts so short and vague it is maddening.
As to be keep this thread going! More advice.
Searching the Forums - Overall you will find lots of good information here on Dave's. But the search function is cruddy and a bit buggy. If you use the Dave's search keep to one or two words and use the selection "Search for all terms". If you get a blank screen. Go back to the search page and reenter and try again. Clicking reload or page back and search again will not work it will just stall on you. Also you might want to just go to another page (check you twitter or facebook) for a minute and then search. Dave's is weird that way.
"Alternatives to searching Dave's" - work on your google Kungfu skills. Learning to use quotes will make refining searches better. Using selection tags. like "site:" For example -
"Vocabulary Games" site:forums.eslcafe.com/korea
So find a basic how to and trick tutorials on search google or other search engines and you will get your information quicker and easier
Another site to try is searcheslcafe.com nice site it will search eslcafe and some Korean blogs and other forums for you.
"Getting help on Dave's"
Put down your I-phone and use a real keyboard and type a one or two paragraphs - not sentences. Unless it is an emergency take the effort to make a post.
Include details and what you have done to try and solve it yourself. Try ask intelligent or specific questions . Explain things like who you are. A newbie not yet here in Korea will get more help then somebody who has been on Dave's for 2 years and posted 21 times.
Try and be funny or interesting or tell a story doing so will get you more responses. People come here to be entertained and to be informed not to do more work. Unless you make it worth are while. No not money but if you make it interesting or do something that wants to make us involved.
Be careful with spelling and grammar here as the grammar Nazi side here is a bit more prevalent (we are English teachers).
Also please become a member of the community the more you are around the more help you will get. If you just come in and post a simple "I need help message" and then get some help, then disappear. This fractures the community and weakens it. People will be less likely to help in the future as they either feel used or nothing gets resolved. Pop in once a week, post or comment often, contribute to the gestalt information of Korea and teaching and make this place better.
Any more advice people? |
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Ramen
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:41 am Post subject: |
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| Skippy wrote: |
| ChopChaeJoe wrote: |
| Your tone is pretty nasty. You might consider why people read these boards -- to look for answers to questions. A lot more people read than post. What's it to you if someone asks a question you know the answer to? Answer it or not. Who wants to read the bitter rants of some crusty old-timer? |
I am a bit bitter - yes. But I learned a long time ago on previous other boards on how to get help and ask questions on the Internet. Time and again I am seeing people who have no idea or understanding on what to do or how to use a a forum. You want to see nasty try going to a Computer Help board and saying "Help I have a computer virus" either one of two things will happen - ignored or ridiculed and called a moron for not reading the FAQ or the before posting instructions or RTFMing or googling something. You want to see crazy nasty go to some of the back places of the big forum places like digg.com or dman forget the name. Ask a simple question and before you know it somebody is calling you a queer, another is calling you a troll - welcome to the Internet. The recent flock of teachers have started to treat eslcafe as either a twit posting place or as Facebook and keeping the posts so short and vague it is maddening.
As to be keep this thread going! More advice.
Searching the Forums - Overall you will find lots of good information here on Dave's. But the search function is cruddy and a bit buggy. If you use the Dave's search keep to one or two words and use the selection "Search for all terms". If you get a blank screen. Go back to the search page and reenter and try again. Clicking reload or page back and search again will not work it will just stall on you. Also you might want to just go to another page (check you twitter or facebook) for a minute and then search. Dave's is weird that way.
"Alternatives to searching Dave's" - work on your google Kungfu skills. Learning to use quotes will make refining searches better. Using selection tags. like "site:" For example -
"Vocabulary Games" site:forums.eslcafe.com/korea
So find a basic how to and trick tutorials on search google or other search engines and you will get your information quicker and easier
Another site to try is searcheslcafe.com nice site it will search eslcafe and some Korean blogs and other forums for you.
"Getting help on Dave's"
Put down your I-phone and use a real keyboard and type a one or two paragraphs - not sentences. Unless it is an emergency take the effort to make a post.
Include details and what you have done to try and solve it yourself. Try ask intelligent or specific questions . Explain things like who you are. A newbie not yet here in Korea will get more help then somebody who has been on Dave's for 2 years and posted 21 times.
Try and be funny or interesting or tell a story doing so will get you more responses. People come here to be entertained and to be informed not to do more work. Unless you make it worth are while. No not money but if you make it interesting or do something that wants to make us involved.
Be careful with spelling and grammar here as the grammar Nazi side here is a bit more prevalent (we are English teachers).
Also please become a member of the community the more you are around the more help you will get. If you just come in and post a simple "I need help message" and then get some help, then disappear. This fractures the community and weakens it. People will be less likely to help in the future as they either feel used or nothing gets resolved. Pop in once a week, post or comment often, contribute to the gestalt information of Korea and teaching and make this place better.
Any more advice people? |
i advise you to take a long vacation from dave's.  |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:36 am Post subject: |
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| Skippy wrote: |
| Any more advice people? |
Newbies (NOT meaning the OP here) should actually read the advice they are given and not simply get in a huff when the answer (sorry, but your shortcut idea won't fly with Korean immigration) is not what they want to hear.
Some of us actually do occasionally know what we are talking about.
Take the time to read the FAQs. Yup, a lot of them are old but really, a lot of the information hasn't changed either and when it does the new posts at the bottom of the threads update the information.
Take an hour or two and read the contract sticky threads (yes, there are 2 of them). If you have some idea of what should and what should not be in your contract you will be better armed to deal with your contract than if you just sign it and hope for the best (usually the next posts you make will be of the "Help, my hagwan is screwing me!" variety).
recruiters deserved a whole thread of their own but to keep it short, ALL recruiters are good and ALL recruiters are BAD. In a nutshell, they are like used car salesmen and they ARE nothing more than an introduction to a job that you otherwise wouldn't find. If you have at least the same level of common sense that ghod gave to green apples you will be fine.
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lithium
Joined: 18 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:28 am Post subject: Re: Basic Answers to STUPID and Frequently asked questions. |
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| Skippy wrote: |
I recently went on a little rant in a previous thread. The main question was about drug testing. For those regulars here it gets so tiresome to answer these people who are not willing to do some work. So I have decide to start his little thread. Hope other people can give some other examples and advice. If it gets big enough maybe it can get stickied.
Yes I am aware of the FAQ section. If the mod feel this is a waste.
Drug Testing - Yes drug testing is done. It is a urine test. It is done when you get your medical test done here in Korea. Best way to pass - be drug free. If not possible - stop doing drugs - till you are clean and all traces are gone. Sorry but I would definitely not recommend having that last bong hit with your friends the night before you get on the plane to Korea. They test for hard drugs including pot. False positives can come up. So if you take prescription medicine - make sure you tell the doctor and bring prescriptions to show proof. If you do ping you will likely get a second chance to try.
Criminal Record - If you have anything on your record, you have a very high chance of being refused. You can try and apply but it will be a gamble. I mean anything including on a record from being ticketed for drinking in public or even car accidents too. Yes It does also include youthful indiscretions and old 40 years ago drug charges. In the end you can try and explain. Maybe just maybe you might get a pass. Yes, some people have been cleared and allowed in. But most officials will do a simple glance and if see anything but NO RECORD will go next. They will not put the effort in to find the details or get the story. Sorry - dreams da | | | |
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