Working in Korea

[lsw]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone can help with this one.

My partner and I would like to work in Korea due to the amount of money that we can make to save for our wedding. However neither of us has a degree. Does anyone know if the "backstreet" degrees are accepted as degrees in Korea and if they are is there a general, blanket acceptance of them or just certain places.

Thank you for any words of wisdom

[amm65]

Hi there,
To answer simply, an authentic degree is required. Before issuing a work visa, both the actual, original degree and sealed transcripts are needed by Korean Immigration.
Sorry for the bad news -- and good luck with your wedding plans!

[45tak]

From what I know there is an alternative. You can have your degree certified at a local embassy/consulate as being a true copy of the original. So no need to send your original whch may very well be lost or damaged along the way. But you should have the original with you when you enter the country.

[amm65]

You can have your degree certified at a local embassy/consulate as being a true copy of the original. So no need to send your original whch may very well be lost or damaged along the way. But you should have the original with you when you enter the country.

Yes, this is also an alternative, as long as you have a real degree!

neither of us has a degree. Does anyone know if the "backstreet" degrees are accepted as degrees in Korea

[candid]

and don't forget the sealed transcript

[amm65]

Again, lsw, the original poster, does not have a degree, so certifying a degree or sending transcripts does not apply in this case.

[jtfeedback]

I issue a severe warning against NIAT (Nanchang Institute of Aeronautical Technology). I worked there as an

English teacher for only one semester and then I left; this happened to be my worst experience in China (I had

already worked in several Chinese schools before, each of them being satisfactory). Let me emphasize the key

problems I met there:

1) The secretary of the Foreign Affairs Office does not speak proper English, which makes it very hard to solve

everyday problems; besides, once you are there, no one will help you if you are in need (if there hadn't been any

helpful students, I would have had left after the first week ! Students of this school are great, believe me)

2) The school is closely monitoring each of your moves, and you enjoy absolutely no privacy (there is a camera

at the front of the foreign teachers' building, and you don't have the right to welcome friends at your place, or

they start threatening you; I heard from the newcomers who now live on the new campus that they are locked

up after 9 pm by a person who puts chains on the front door of their residence building)

4) Major lies concerning the contracts ( once you arrive there, you end up being forced to teach more hours than

previously agreed. You are also required to teach subjects that you were not hired to teach, and they force you

to do extra hours). As a newcomer, you will be put under strong moral pressure and they will abuse the fact that

your are helpless because you don't speak any Chinese. I strongly advise you to make some good friends

among the students: Chinese people, provided they are not part of the administrative staff, are very helpful

people.

5) Total absence of morality (I heard from present teachers that one of their foreign agents is currently living with

a student from a neighboring school who is like 20 years younger than him).

6) Lies about the health care: NIAT tells you that the school covers (for 90%) your health problems, but if you

happen to have major trouble, they will have you pay the bill.

7) Finally, you are stuck in a place with nowhere to go, since the city center of Nanchang is quite far.

One of the good things about this school is that they pay you on time, and the pay is higher than the

neighboring schools (around 5000 yuan / month), even though they often find excuses to cut your salary by a

few hundreds. However, unless you are willling to sacrifice your well-being for a few more yuan per month, I

strongly warn you against this kind of trouble.

[Hubert]

If I was you, I would consider teaching English in other Asian countries. This is partly because Korea is very quickly gaining a reputation where teachers of English get exploited.

Good luck with your wedding plans.