Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Riker]

Out of all the posts I see here on Dave's, FBI checks seem to cause the most irritation.

I've seen a lot of posts of people who have to leave Korea after long stays and others who can not come for the first time because of the FBI background checks.Personally, it does not affect me other than the delay of waiting for it as I have no criminal record ( thank god, because we all know how easy it is to get one in the states )

Part of me likes it because maybe it will cut down on the competition but strikes me as just lame and I feel a little guilty about it.

What's your take? Do you know people who had to leave because of it?

[s10czar]

I'm stateside. On thing I wanted to share is that when you request your CRC from the FBI you also have to request that it come with an official seal and signature. Otherwise they will send you a generic one that cannot be apostilled.

What is absolutely inexcusable is that the Feds DO NOT make this clear upfront and -unless you specifically request it- they WILL NOT send you the signed and sealed version.

Thank you Uncle Sam. Now instead of leaving in April as planned I have to re-do this step and wait until August.

I'M PISSED OFF

[Canonite]

I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. We Canadians have to get a national criminal record check done as well, and it sucks that it cost me a few bucks (criminal record 25, notary public 25, apostille 5), but I think it's perfectly legitimate to hold guests in your country who will be with children for extended periods of time to a certain standard.

The ONLY thing that I thought would suck, is the kind of record check they request we Canadians get reveals everything, including arrests and other dealings with police that DID NOT result in a conviction. So, for example, if there is a big barfight and you happen to be there but not involved, but the police think you were fighting and you get arrested then released, that, in theory, shows up on this record.

Obviously none of this was an issue for me, my record is spotless in every way, but I could see that minor point being a perhaps somewhat unfair stumbling block to some.

[Bibbitybop]

s10czar, recently the FBI has added paragraph on their CBC info page about requesting the seal/signature.

Here are the problems with Korea requiring an FBI CBC for E-2 visas:

1. Korean immigration does not use CBCs farily nor do they understand the US legal system of "innocent until proven guilty." Immi will only grant visas to people with CBCs that say "No criminal history." If an arrest shows up, or if something like "case dismissed" shows up, they will not grant an E-2. People that were completely innocent or wrongly arrested are being denied visas.

2. Korean immigration does not really care about protecting children even though that's why they say E-2 holders need a CBC. This is evident by the number of Korean teachers that have been found guilty of crimes, even sexual crimes against students, yet return to teaching or are simply placed in another school after paying a fine and and saying "sorry." We see this in the Korea news and on sites like Korea Beat and Marmot's Hole every few months. Additionally, F-series holders are not screened with a CBC. The case last year of the gyopo from California wanted in Cali for a gang related murder while he was teaching at a hogwan is a great example of how broken and biased the screening system is.

3. E-2 holders that never work with children, like some uni teachers and people who teach at adult hogwans, are required to have an FBI CBC.

4. Most importantly, Korea's own crime statistics show the crime rate of foreign teachers to be lower than that of other foreigners in Korea, and much lower than the crime rate of Koreans. I'm talking per capita, here. Gust of Popular Feelings is a great blog to read and has these stats.

[crossmr]

[Bibbitybop]

To fix the problem, then, immigration should not be requiring CBCs. Let anyone working with kids have to supply one, and in the case of Korean teachers who are guilty of molesting kids, stop giving them jobs with kids. The Dept. of Justice surely could serve justice in those cases as they deal with more than immigration issues.

The crime rate of foreigners and esp. foreign teachers has consistently been lower over the years, even before CBCs were required.

If I have bias against the Ministry of Justice, it is justified due to their xenophobic and selective enforcement of requirements, and their unwillingness to focus on the real and proven threat to Korean children: Korean teachers who have been found guilty of sexually-based crimes that are allowed to continue working with children. All the while, foreigners are made out to be the threat without one single conviction of a foreigner teacher in Korea abusing children.

[crossmr]

[Bibbitybop]

I think signals are getting crossed and confused here.

I bet we could agree that, if the protection of children is the goal of regulations, that people working with children should be screened (like supplying an FBI CBC). I bet we could also agree that anyone, including Korean teachers, that have abused or molested kids should not be working with kids.

I bet we may differ about what criminal activity is acceptable in order to work with kids. Immigration says "none" for E-2 holders, but doesn't screen many other teachers, and in other cases, let's people with serious convictions work with kids. I would say that, for example, a foreign teacher that was caught with a beer when they were 20-years-old in the USA is not a threat to kids.

I bring up criminal Korean teachers being able to teach kids due to the reasoning behind the E-2 CBC requirement: To protect Korean kids. It is obvious that protection of kids is not the priority or else ALL teachers would be screened by some agency (if not immigration, then other government departments), and if criminal activity exists, they would not be able to work with kids (which is not true in the case of convicted Korean teachers).

Now a clarification: Immigration is part of the Ministry of Justice. Immigration policies directly reflect on and are part of the MOJ.


I'm not saying Korea should get rid of qualifications and requirements. I'm saying their requirements are enforced only on certain demographics, and in the end, the kids are not protected nor are they protected against the greatest threats.


And what are you saying about visa transfer?

[Weigookin74]

[Weigookin74]

[Hugo85]

[Riker]

Yes, its super easy to get a "criminal" record in the US. I still don't know how I've managed to not get one. Everyone I know has a least one type of violation on their criminal record.

Usually involves alcohol.

I was curious if anybody knew first hand of people who had to leave Korea or will be leaving because they cannot renew in 2011 with the new law.

Although, I doubt too many would openly share that as the reason for their departure.

[vermouth]

It's actually really unnerving and adds a considerable layer of stress to the process of getting a new job.

I managed to avoid it last year as the implementation of it was stayed a bit but this year I'm going to have to get the FBI background check handled Korea-side if I want to stay here and I really don't understand how to get the fingerprinting done here.

I also don't understand why the process is the same for people in country as it is for people coming out of country. It seems to me that if I was good enough to be let in the first time and haven't returned to my home country and haven't had any issues with the law since I've been here I couldn't have magically became a threat in my two years here.

[crossmr]

[Canonite]