Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Cohiba]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/06/117_46532.html

Bills Seek Tighter Screening of Foreign Teachers

By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

A lawmaker proposed bills to strengthen the screening of foreign English teachers in Korea, Tuesday.

Rep. Choi Young-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party submitted the bills obliging foreign English teachers to present criminal record and health check documents, including HIV-AIDS tests, before they are hired at public or private schools.

Under immigration regulations, applicants for an E-2 English teaching visa have been required to submit those documents since December 2007.

``E-2 visa holders, once caught for taking drugs or sexually harassing children, were often found to be rehired at another school or hagwon,'' said Yeo Jun-sung, an aide for Rep. Choi. ``The proposed bills are to remove these loopholes from the current immigration law.''

If the bills are passed at the National Assembly, they will go into effect from next year.

In addition, the bills require ``cannabinoid tests'' to detect marijuana users. The authorities initially planned to conduct the tests on E-2 visa applicants, but the idea was scrapped in March last year due to a lack of equipped hospitals and the fact smoking marijuana is not illegal in some countries.

Rep. Choi said Korea had a total of 38,822 E-2 visa holders last year. Among them, 11,067 were registered with hagwon, and 5,553 at elementary and secondary schools, but 22,202 were not accounted for.


Meanwhile, foreign teachers' groups are urging the Korean government to test all teachers, whether they are Koreans or foreigners. They filed complaints with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, claiming the visa regulations were based on prejudice and bias against foreign English teachers last February. Also, Gong-Gam, a group of human rights lawyers, plans to file a petition with the Constitutional Court on their behalf.

[email protected]

I don't get it. Are they hiding?

[cdninkorea]

[afsjesse]

They're just not going to be happy until nobody wants to come here I guess... anyways, we already have to submit our CBC before we come here. A medical check in the states would cost a lot of money for those who are uninsured and would likely lessen the number of Americans here.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

"taking drugs or sexually harassing children"

There are plenty of documented drugs charges but how many documentated cases of FTs sexually harassing children are there? I can think of a couple of allegations during the past few years, but that's about it. Yet certain people never fail to bring this up.

[Troll_Bait]

Gusts of Popular Feelings wrote an excellent post on this (as he usually does).

Regarding the notion that foreign teachers who "molest children get hired again":

[TheUrbanMyth]

[http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/06/117_46532.html

Bills Seek Tighter Screening of Foreign Teachers

By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

AIn addition, the bills require ``cannabinoid tests'' to detect marijuana users. The authorities initially planned to conduct the tests on E-2 visa applicants, but the idea was scrapped in March last year due to a lack of equipped hospitals and the fact smoking marijuana is not illegal in some countries.

[][/quote]


So have the hospitals become magically equipped all of a sudden since last year?

It seems that this is some minor lawmaker's way of getting his name in the press. I doubt it will come to that. Too many people have too much money in the ESL industry...if this bill passes it will likely be watered down as well.

[Chambertin]

Typical politics, in about any country.

When things go in the shitter blame the foreigner.
Right? no. Does it matter? Not to me. The US has a hefty record of doind some screwed up things to foreign nationals even today concerning visa and immigration conditions.

My guess is that those 22,202 teachers are those who recently moved, ran back home, had the visa expire mid year and left normally, or just didnt pickup the phone on time when the auto diler called.

100% of statistics have numbers, and those numbers have little to do with facts.

[justaguy]

How much is it going to cost?

Who is going to pay for all this?

Are they going to create a new government department to administer all this?

Who are these "foreign teacher groups?" Where do they get off speaking for me. They don't represent me. I can speak for myself. I do not think they speak for most teachers.

Why are the Koreans listening to them? They are just a bunch of wackos.

[earthbound14]

[Ultimo Hombre]

Come on guys. We all read the paper here. We all know it's ridiculous. It's just another drop in the bucket.

[Yesterday]

Democratic Party Representative Choi Young-hee is a female...

She wants ALL foreign teachers (E1, E2, F1, F2, F4 etc) - to do the criminal checks, drug tests, medical tests -

at the moment it is only E2

She also encourages people to lay down in front of Police combat (riot) buses...

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/359660.html

She also wants to make laws protecting (helping) male sexual victims - by extending the definition of a rape victim to include men and transsexuals.

Under Korean law only women are classed as rape victims.


http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8831.html

[digsydinner]

it's quite funny how this report would make some foreign esl teachers feel like the mexicans back in the states. all illegals... i just love the dynamic here...of how the roles are now reversed...where so many pompous westerners come in to this country and now get the same treatment they've subjected to minorities in their own countries. brilliant!

[BigBuds]

[Xuanzang]

Troll Bait should change to Choi Young hee and her words of wisdom.

[Ultimo Hombre]