Korean Job Discussion Forums

[poeticjustice]

They have been hounding me all morning about it. I told them that I have my degree and its in my apartment if they want me to get it, but they want to see my "graduation card" that I should have recieved from my university. I showed them my ARC, my Korean driver's license and my passport but they're not satisfied.

They're really concerned and if I don't find it soon I would not be allowed to work while my university sends me a new card.

All the while I've been explaining to them, over and over again... I didn't get a "graduation card" from my university. Nobody gets a "graduation card." I've never even heard of this concept before. I suppose, maybe, some Korean universities grant them but definitely not in the US!

Anyway, I work for a GEPIK school. The people I'm dealing with have limited English but I speak enough Korean that I was able to confirm what they were requesting. I think this comes from higher up. Anybody else in this boat?

[blackjack]

If you don't have one (I don't never heard of one did a google and no luck). Just tell them you don't have one. "graduation card" ob say yo.

The only other thing I can think of is they want your transcripts

[Big Mac]

I've never heard of this. Why isn't your degree enough? I've never heard of anyone getting a graduation card. Maybe it's something they give out in Korea, and they probably think that they do the same thing everywhere else.

[CentralCali]

You can contact your university's Registrar and ask for a letter verifying your graduation. What torqued me was I got that letter when I graduated and the Korean government said it was no good, I had to wait for my actual diploma. Then two years ago, the Korean government demanded that I provide that very letter to "prove my diploma is valid!"

Big Mac: You're probably right. I know that at least one college in Busan gives a certificate on demand to its graduates. I went with a friend when she needed one for a job application. It was kind of cool. Transcripts and graduation verifiation certicate printed right at a machine very much like an ATM.

[The_Source]

[Dodgy Al]

Is it like a birthday card? Congratulations!

I too think they mean transcripts. Lost in translation...

[lookingforworkinasia]

I got one of these from my University, so they actually exist overseas. I don't understand why a school would need it. I would just tell them I don't have it so no, they cannot see it. If you're with GEPIK call your co-ordinator.

[oskinny1]

[OculisOrbis]

This asinine request is coming courtesy of Senator Kim Sae Yeon. I saw the request from him after my co-teacher began asking me if my diploma was apostiled. WTF!! I'm 8 months into this contract and now youre asking about the validity of documents!?!?! You watched me make a copy of my original for you - so yes, it's real, but no your copy is not apostiled.

It seems he's gathering information on the validity of FT's credentials and instead of using the readily available info from kimmi, he's using the more dependable method of asking individual school to verify documents that have already been repeatedly verified. The purpose of his sleuthing, I dont know, but it probably isnt going to be positive for any of us. If anyone is interested in seeing the request, PM me and I can scan a copy and email it you. If anyone knows what this guy is up to, let us know.

[poeticjustice]

[CentralCali]

Your mistake is considering the Republic of Korea a first world nation. It's not and, I fear, never will be.

[Carla]

[Countrygirl]

2 years ago, a gypo, if I remember correctly, embezzled some money from a university and it was discovered that she had a fake degree. Of course, fake degree panic of '07 swept the country as fast as the mad cow panic of '08 and swine flu panic of '09.

Everyone working at a GEPIK school had to verify through some means that their degree was valid. Some people only had to go online to their University and pull up something with their name on it with their student number.

Since I went to University so long ago that wasn't possible for me so I told my co-teacher to call the University to verify my degree. Since she put it off until the deadline, she panicked when she found out that it would take up to a week to verify my degree. The VP kept pressuring me to verify my degree and couldn't understand why I couldn't get it done right away like a Korean University. All smiles and 'thank you's when it came through though.

The end result of the fake degree panic was a handful of famous Koreans found to have fake degrees and they lost their jobs or quit in disgrace. Can't remember if any foreign teachers were caught.

[poeticjustice]

[Carla]