Korean Job Discussion Forums

Homer · Guest

Not apologizing Equus...not at all.

Just putting this into a bit of perspective.

Do some hakwon owners cheat their teachers with taxes? Yes they do!

Do teachers have legal recourse in such a case? Yes they do.

Sometimes in life on should stop blaming everyone else for their misfotunes and take some responsibility for their choices.

If you come here and work...don't you think it is the least you can do to check if your income is taxed at it's proper rate?

Or is it better to go on hearsay and then complain based on incomplete and often faulty information?

Better to rant and rave about a situation or get off your butt and do something about yourself instead of crying in your soup that you are being cheated?

Simple choice really: see something wrong --> act on it OR see something wrong --> cry and do nothing.

Lunar Groove Gardener · Joined: 05 Jan 2005 Location: 1987 Subaru

Hi "Daveheads". I just thought I'd reassure the OP that the overall concern which South Korean immigration assigns to English teachers' credentials is being applied to all nationalities. I work at a school with over 50 teachers from everywhere from the U.K. to the U.S.A. Even though we all had applied for our positions with notarized or original diplomas and sealed transcripts sent directly from the registrar's office of our universities, we all recently were sent to immigration to reprove the veracity of our credentials. Of course there were a couple of phony diploma holders who had to run last year. While I appreciate that your initial concern was for the fair treatment of Canadian citizens, I think that it displays a lack of understanding of the situation working abroad.
Being subject to this nation's laws and professional requirements is clearly the order of the day for all of us, therefore putting us all in the same boat. Let's not sink it with cynical prejudice based on poorly thought out motives. Remember that the world in which you live is one of your own creation. As per the passion to teach, I hope that what we can all teach the current generation of students to display genuine respect for people of all walks of life and national origins. Keep striving for excellence. Send the fakers home.

BigBlackEquus · Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 5:17 am Post subject:

Homer · Guest

BigBlackEquus,

You and your little group of dim wits do seem to drive right on pass the point quite often. Glad to be entertaining you guys.

By the way....in case you missed it (yet again) Korea ain't perfect, then again it ain't hell either. Also to note (perhaps it will get through this time) I have no problem with someone pointing out something bad about this place. What I find dumb beyond belief is how you and your merry little group of dumbos are bent on painting all of the country and its people with the same stupid brush. Then there is the always entertaining: it is never the westerners fault song that you sing so well.

In the end, your little song and dance about how Korea miss-treats you is also entertaining...keep bashing and never, ever and I do mean ever look in the other direction or at yourself!

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

lastat06513 · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:11 am Post subject:

To Homer and UrbanMyth....

Why can't we rant?
Why can't we do the same as what the Koreans are doing now?

Obviously, they bunched us together in the same group by having everybody with an E2 go down to immigrations and conduct their little audit.
Koreans have no worries about painting "outsiders" as drug-abusing, child molesting, beer swilling nobodies who fake their credentials and womanize at every chance they get...

To the average Korean, Korea is a perfect little paradise away from a corrupt and evil world.

and yes, I know "a korean or two" and they are not afraid to tell me what others tell them about foreigners. And the ones married or dating foreigners always get a grilling (IE- "why are you with him?", "Whats wrong with a Korean man?", etc.)

In real life, I am an apologist and do my best to paint Korea in good colors. But there are times when even I want to throw my hands and wonder what the hell is going on....
Thats the part of ranting.
This wouldn't be a "free forum" without those who have negative opinions about Korea.

Homer · Guest

Lastat you can rant...thats your right.

Others can object to that rant if they find it offensive, such as when some throw all Koreans in one bag and start crapping all over them and their culture based on a few personal experiences.

Also, it is amusing how some get so worked up about every little thing here in Korea and start thinking the country is somehow "against" them. Not to mention the all popular double standard being applied where sweeping generalizations about Koreans is fine but if someone (Korean or other) makes a comment of the same kind about their culture then it is not ok. In reality both statements are dumb....

lastat06513 · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 4:05 pm Post subject:

A few years ago, I went through a very big "hate Korea" phase, especially after getting out of a very intimate relationship. I would strongly criticize about EVERYTHING about being here, no holds bar!!!!
But then one of my friends explained to me that to hate something and find so much fault with it means that there is/was some kind of immense love for being here. I realize it especially in my last days in Korea.
And I had a tremendous chip on my shoulder that Koreans were purposely singling out Americans for everything that is going wrong here.
But I was terribly wrong, to the fifth power
Koreans tend to blame others for their own ills, but it takes a bigger person to deflect all that citicism and go on with their lives.

Hollywoodaction · Joined: 02 Jul 2004

BigBlackEquus · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 5:31 pm Post subject:

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

BigBlackEquus · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 6:17 pm Post subject:

Is it that difficult to stamp us with 1 month and ask us to stand in the quene after a month to get the extention? This doesn't breech the agreement, as the agreements are not exactly specific as to how immigration carries them out.

Not much manpower needed for this. As for the rest, the threat of the possibility that they might come after you is what is important to them.

6 months ago, you would have said that they didn't have the manpower to check degrees either. They hired temps to do the work.

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

If Britian had this reciprocal agreement, there would have been 50 (whatever number of Canadians) caught too. If America and Canada both had this agreement with Korea, there would have been 50 Americans and 50 Canadians. And why do people keep saying it's unfair ? It is unfair, but only to illegal workers. Why do any of us care, atleast the ones who actually worked for a degree and are legal? Why are legals fighting such a hard battle for a bunch of illegals?

BigBlackEquus · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 6:21 pm Post subject:

Actually the reciprocal agreement had nothing to do with the 62 Canadians being caught. It was due to illegal degrees.

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/10-26-2005-79856.asp

Three Britons are now believed to be among the latest group of English language teachers arrested in South Korea as part of a crackdown... The Britons are believed to be among more than 70 teachers reportedly arrested over the past month for working in Korea without the proper qualifications. Four Australians, three Americans and 62 Canadians are also under investigation. Some of those arrested have now been deported.

"Many of the foreign teachers, if not most, are Canadian. "

http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=2529

http://www.dirseo.com/node/457

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea