Korean Job Discussion Forums

[FUBAR]

Imprisoned for a year? That's a little too harsh for illegally teaching and forging documents. At least if they are a first year teacher fresh out of college. I think something where the time needs to fit the time. When Company Presidents are getting only a few years in prison for stealing/laundering billions of dollars from their own companies, sending off a foreigner to jail for a year doesn't really hold up to standard.

I think that seizing their bank accounts and all cash found in their apartment, then give the person a week in jail for every Million won they are found to have sent via wire transfer back home. After that issue the person a deportation order never to return to the country.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Manner of Speaking]

[ontheway]

REALLY. Just sitting in the lock up a few days and deportation at their own expense would be enough to discourage most teachers. These are not your typical criminal element. Many are just young, ignorant and naive.

Five years ago I met a young (she turned 21 in Korea), American girl. She was an illegal teacher at a hogwan. She had no clue about teaching ESL or Korea until she was recruited by a Korean American recruiter through her church. She was told her 2 year community college degree was enough. She was working for 1.2 million/30 hours per week. She believed and trusted.

After teaching about four months, she discovered that other teachers had insurance, taxes, trips to immigration, and higher pay. She began to figure it out. She had big fights with the hogwan manager. She was bawling to him about how he had lied to her, that she would be a legal teacher. She was fired for being a "bad teacher". And sent home.

This girl was a victim, not a criminal. Perhaps many others are as well.

I suspect many "illegal teachers" are not so much in need of punishment as they are information.

[Homer]

[YoungLi]

ontheway wrote:

[YoungLi]

FUBAR wrote:

[denverdeath]

[waterbaby]

[Homer]

Well,

When I arrived in 1997 they only accepted 4 year degrees or 3 year degrees from a recognized University....different stories out there.

[waterbaby]

[BigBlackEquus]

[Ajarn Miguk]

If Immigration, way back when, wanted to issue an E-2 on the basis of a 2 or 3 year degree, so be it.

In my particular case, I was very clearly told by the Korean Embassy that a 4 year degree was required.

The present push by Immigration does not seem to be over legitimate degrees of whatever number or years, though. Rather, the emphasis seems to be on recruiters and would be "teachers" involved in submitting fake degrees to obtain an E-2.

There is a difference.

What I find interesting is that up to now I have not heard of a single person caught up in the clampdown claiming that their degree (2 year, 3 year, 4 year) is legitimate.

Immigration seems to have uncovered a scheme clearly intended to pass off non-degreed individuals as degreed and thus eligible for the E-2.

If they stop with just the one recruiter, it will defy all logic.

[denverdeath]

[waterbaby]