Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Joe Bradley]

Has anyone heard of changes in immigration policy regarding the hiring of instructors at university level? On Friday I was told by a friend at one Busan university that teachers applying for any university position in Korea must now be able to prove the following:

Bachelor's degree holders: 5 years' teaching experience at university level

Master's degree holders: 2 years' experience at university level

It may be that the rule has been brought in as a result of the recent scandal involving people with fake PhDs. If it's true, then it will have serious repercussions for many universities, as there simply aren't enough people applying for university positions with the above combinations of degrees and experience.

This rule apparently only applies to the hiring of new teachers, and not to the renewals of contracts of existing university teachers.

Sorry to be an alarmist here, but has anyone else heard of this new policy?

[chronicpride]

If there is such a thing, the strongest enforcement will be as of now, and weaken further on each following day. As with most things around here.

[Zed]

It wouldn't be possible for everyone to have this experience. Everyone does start at zero.

[Ajarn Miguk]

[Zed]

My point is that it would be impossible for this to be a governmental hiring standard. They would not be able to fill the necessary positions with such a standard.

[Derrek]

Drug tests are coming. Just wait.

The teacher busted was found growing weed.

Personally, I don't care.

If they do enforce the above rules, then the salaries of certain individuals who qualify will go up, up, up!

Gonna be tough to find enough people to fill the spots!

[Ajarn Miguk]

[lawyertood]

Drug tests coming, you say? They have arrived, they have arrived.

[Derrek]

[TECO]

Joe,

I could see this very well happening at some point but who knows when...

In September I started a new university position here in Taiwan.

I could not beleive the background checks they do on university teachers here in Taiwan.

I had to get my M.A. degree and transcripts notarized by both the Australian and Taiwanese Governments.

The Taiwanese government office in Australia contacted my university to verify my enrollment in the program and that I had graduated.

I also had to prove that I had at least 2 years teaching experience.

Then, the university applied to the Ministry of Higher Education for my teaching license.

All university teachers are given a teaching license or credential (Looks like a diploma with your photograph on it and the name of the university you work at).

As well, university teachers are not on the same kind of Visas / Work Permits as the hogwon teachers.

There are no English teachers with just a B.A. teaching in Taiwanese universities - You must have an Master Degree minimum.

I have been told that the Taiwanese government takes these steps because of the systemic fraud that was occuring and that they wanted to improve the quality of the teachers.

So, yeah, Korea could very well take these steps if it thought that it would improve the situation.

[fondasoape]

[canukteacher]

Is the Taiwanese government still refusing to recognize online MA's from accredited universities?

CT

[TECO]

[desultude]

[Joe Bradley]

Just to clarify on my earlier post:

It seems that this is not actually a new policy, but one that has always existed (though not usually enforced). I guess Immigration has now decided to take a tougher line on it because of the recent publicity surrounding bogus degrees. The good news, though, is that the five-year and two-year period of teaching experience required of BA and MA holders, respectively, does not have to have been at university level. As long as degree holders can prove that they've had this amount of actual teaching experience, then they should be OK.