Korean Job Discussion Forums

[crabstix]

There seems to be different opinions on whether transcripts need to be sealed or not.

I am in London now. I am applying for my criminal background check. Seems to be a lot steps I need to go through to be legal but i want to get it all done while I am here.

Can I request sealed transcripts sent directly to me? I plan on applying for several jobs. Should I request several copies? I am not sure which jobs I will apply to yet but I want to apply for jobs in a University.

Also do degrees really need to be notarised? If so, How many of them do I need and where can I get this done in London?

Notarising the criminal background check needs to be done in Milton Keynes (for British citizens). Can I get the degree notarised there too? I want to get it all done in as short a time as possible

Thanks

[Dude Ranch]

Yes Transcripts must be sealed. Your university will do this (make sure to check it off on the request form and/or request it done personally) Order 5 copies to be safe


I dont know what the laws in UK are but I know in Canada the Criminal record check + the vss + degree must be notarized by a public notarary or lawyer and THEN notarized again by the Korean consulate (can be done by xpresspost here)

then you send the documents off to korea, where the boss or recruiter sends them to visa immigration for processing. then they email you back a visa number that you take to the korean consulate for an interview whre they stamp your passport and give visa

[highdials5]

[Bread]

Officially they need to be sealed, but you might get someone who doesn't care. The guy popped the envelope open in front of me and didn't even look at the transcript.

[nizpaz]

Transcripts
They need to be sealed and stamped across the seal. They make a big deal of it during the application process. Whether or not it actually matters, who knows?If you apply to SMOE or GPIK you need to have them sent directly to them and not to you. In such a case (In the UK) they do it for free. If you get them sent to you, it's about 10 quid but I suppose depends on the uni.

After asking around a lot of other teachers currently here, it seems the recruiter work n play are the ones asking for notorized degrees. I applied for my visa with an un-notorized copy of degree both in Korea and in London. I was advised to bring the original with me. And I ignored work n play. I checked out the issue of notorizing a degree certificate both in the UK and in Seoul. In Seoul it's much easier and cheaper than back home. You fax a copy to the British Council and for 30,000w they'll notorize the copy. Check out their website and I also got an email from them confirming such. When I called the FCO in milton keynes, they told me before apostilling the degree, (�27) it needs notorizing by a UK solicitor. (����) UK solicitors told me they'd notorize a COPY but to do the original was unusual. ANyhow, I decided not to bother, knowing if I really get pressed for it, I'll do it Seoul for much cheaper.

CRC
Well you'll be told many different things about this, there is another poster on here who keeps getting hot under the collar about what I say BUT all I can do is explain my own experience, which is pretty recent. And you can choose your options. I got my CRC from my local police authority in around 20 days for 10 quid. Then I called the FCO in Milton Keynes who told me I could either post it, or go to their public counter for the apostille. They told me the Subject Access issued by a UK police authority can be appostilled without getting it notorised. I dont know about Disclosure Scotland. I went in person, it was �27 and took a couple of hours. Try to get a cab number for your return journey as it's a bit of a trekk from the station. Call the FCO or email them if you have questions first, I found them helpful.

As for the Korean embassy in London, I sent them photocopies of everything and because I'm with PS and got a notice of appointment I didn't need an interview. I sent the docs, photo,fee and their form and 4 days later pickd up the visa in person.

Well hope that helps. I know from expereince that it's all very confusing getting this stuff togther, but it does work out.

Good luck!

[hochhasd]

[SandyG21]

Now see Gepik told me to get the transcripts and send them myself - because the college won't want to pay that kind of postage - and they could get lost or separated from other documents.

So which do we do?

And this gets expensive too!

[hochhasd]

[Hotpants]

At some stage you will have to notarize a copy of your degree cert - or else you need to send the original which you might never see again - as this is part of the visa application procedure. You only need to do this once, when you have settled on a job and are actually going to apply for a visa.

Also, you might want to order 2-3 transcripts for yourself, but don't order anymore - just wait until schools ask to receive a sealed transcript direct from your uni, in which case you should order again. The transcripts supposedly become invalid if they are more than 3 months old, so if you order too many, you'll just waste money.

[SandyG21]

The transcripts have the date you graduated on them - so of course in most cases they are more than 3 months old.

If I go to my college and pick up the transcripts in the special envelope with seal - there is no date on the envelope.

In addition if I go overseas and then want to change jobs and I take a stack of official sealed transcripts - they won't know the age.

Lets say I am overseas and want some transcripts - they will prob ask me to pay postage and put them in a larger envelope - the special seal would get damaged after all in the postal machines - so the date will not be on them.

For me transcripts are 3 bucks - and extra postage once I am overseas.

So I plan to take some with me.

I simply don't see how the 3 month rule applies.

Maybe you can explain it better.

On the otherhand I can see why a criminal history needs to be recent.

I am getting an extra copy from the college of my diploma - will look just like the original (which has sentimental value to me) and using that for the notarizing and apostille.

I am not sure the Korean government knows the hassle we go through for all this in a much larger country - with tons of government offices and different rules in each state for apostilles and notarizing and so on and so forth.

[fezmond]

I'm also confused - my recruiter has asked for the degree to be apostilled which i think is rubbish, though if she keeps on whinging then i may have to head to the FCO in milton keynes for it. apart from this thread it's the first i've heard of a degree being apostilled. not happy

[Hotpants]

I quite agree that the LOGIC would be that your transcripts cannot go 'out of date' - however, I have noticed some employers requesting that the date of issue (ie, the printing date) is shown to be within 3 months, so there is no straightforward uniform requirement.

For some of us, transcript issue is quite expensive - my UK uni issues transcripts at 80,000 (Won) for the first one and 40,000 for any other thereafter. Along with CRB checks and running up and down to embassies and places of notarization, it soon adds up.

[SandyG21]

Do they put a printing date on them - that is absurd!

Say I apply now for a job and it starts in 6 months - I send my transcripts and then take more with me and the school wants more - or I change jobs in a year and want to use the ones I brought with me - I am going to have to have new ones sent all the way to Korea from the USA each time.

Expensive and time consuming.

[offtheoche]

[SandyG21]

My college told me I could get a copy of my diploma - that looks just like the original for 15 dollars.

Think about it - what happens if someone loses your original? a fire? theft? flood? lost in luggage?

So the college said it doesn't say Copy on it.

In addition when you send this diploma around it can get folded, torn, smudged, worn looking - which doesn't look professional either.