Tefl in South Korea

G86

Looking into EPIK here and wondering about extra classes, I know it's illegal outside of your sponsored school, but can't you do extra classes in the school you're teaching in? Just organising documentation now, and not sure if I'm going to apply for public or private, also not sure whether to go through a recruiter as I've heard stories... - god there's so much to think about, I feel like I'm going around in circles!!! :eek:

Squeakyduck - didn't know you were heading!! I'll fb you later so:D

neaideabh

I have been following this thread for some time now and had been thinking about making the move to do tefl in SK for some time now! Getting good info. But by writing on this thread myself, I am commiting myself to the prospect of making the move.

To start I just want to know the following....

What exactly do I do regarding the garda check process. Do I just present myself to the garda station and state that I need to get a check! Do I bring any forms????

My degree.... I have a degree from Ireland and one from the UK. I would prefer to use my degree from the UK....

What exactly do i need in this regard.... Transcripts (document showing actual results) or do I just need the actual degree certificate? How do I get the copy notarized and apostilled?

I know what to do about the rest but I want to get started on the whole thing and believe I should by getting started on these 2 issues and want to do it right first time.

Thanks in advance

hyperbaby

neaideabh wrote: »

I have been following this thread for some time now and had been thinking about making the move to do tefl in SK for some time now! Getting good info. But by writing on this thread myself, I am commiting myself to the prospect of making the move.

To start I just want to know the following....

What exactly do I do regarding the garda check process. Do I just present myself to the garda station and state that I need to get a check! Do I bring any forms????

My degree.... I have a degree from Ireland and one from the UK. I would prefer to use my degree from the UK....

What exactly do i need in this regard.... Transcripts (document showing actual results) or do I just need the actual degree certificate? How do I get the copy notarized and apostilled?

I know what to do about the rest but I want to get started on the whole thing and believe I should by getting started on these 2 issues and want to do it right first time.

Thanks in advance

You need to get a form at your local station or online
http://www.garda.ie/controller.aspx?Page=1548
fill it it out, send money and they will send it back to you in a fee weeks, i think i was waiting 2 and a half weeks for it.
then you need to notarise and apostille it.

You will need to mention both degrees, (as far as i know).
you need stamped and sealed transcripts from both colleges and a photocopy of your degree which has to be notarised and apostilled.
here for notary http://www.notarypublic.ie/finding_a_notary.html
here for apostilles: http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=268

cloneslad

If you use a degree from the U.K, (well mainland U.K) then it can't be apostilled by the dept of foreign affairs, it will have to be done in Milton Keynes or wherever it is they get it done.

When I was getting mine apostilled, there was an guy from Dublin with a degree from Edinburgh and they would not stamp it for him. I'd imagine they will stamp one from Northern Ireland though.

neaideabh

hyperbaby wrote: »

You need to get a form at your local station or online

You will need to mention both degrees, (as far as i know).
you need stamped and sealed transcripts from both colleges and a photocopy of your degree which has to be notarised and apostilled.
here for notary http://www.notarypublic.ie/finding_a_notary.html
here for apostilles: http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=268

So.... does that mean...

• Get transcripts from universites that are stamped and sealed....
  AND
• Separately copy my degree certificate and have it notarized and apostilled???

No need to get the stamped and sealed transcripts notarized and apostilled????

cloneslad

neaideabh wrote: »

So.... does that mean...

• Get transcripts from universites that are stamped and sealed....
  AND
• Separately copy my degree certificate and have it notarized and apostilled???

No need to get the stamped and sealed transcripts notarized and apostilled????

exactly, the transcripts are not even need anymore (legally by immigration) though some employers do still ask for them. You just get them, make a few copies of them, put year 1-23 and 4(if there was a 4) into one envelope, seal it and get the university to stamp it.

You then copy your degree and get it notarised and apostilled. You don't need to notarise or apostille the transcripts.

squeakyduck

hyperbaby wrote: »

You need to get a form at your local station or online
http://www.garda.ie/controller.aspx?Page=1548
fill it it out, send money and they will send it back to you in a fee weeks, i think i was waiting 2 and a half weeks for it.
then you need to notarise and apostille it.

You will need to mention both degrees, (as far as i know).
you need stamped and sealed transcripts from both colleges and a photocopy of your degree which has to be notarised and apostilled.
here for notary http://www.notarypublic.ie/finding_a_notary.html
here for apostilles: http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=268

Do not download any form or send any money! What you need is a certificate of character. You write a letter to your local superintendent stating your name, DOB and all your previous addresses and that you want a cert of character as you are travelling to Korea in the coming months. DO NOT SAY YOU WANT IT FOR TEACHING. They will not give it otherwise. It should take a week. I sent mine to the wrong garda station and I was waiting ages for mine but I got it in the end.

(personally I found trying to find out the above REALLY DIFFICULT I was told about a million different things (by guards and from others) until a friend of mine who is in Korea sent me a copy of his to have a look at.)

As for the degrees hyperbaby is bang on. Just get stuff photocopied and bring both copies and originals to a notary and they will charge 10e for it. To get stuff apostilled at the dept of foreign affairs it cost 20e per doc (I got my BA, MA and cert of character done....€60) cert of character is already notarised.

cloneslad

squeakyduck wrote: »

Do not download any form or send any money! What you need is a certificate of character. You write a letter to your local superintendent stating your name, DOB and all your previous addresses and that you want a cert of character as you are travelling to Korea in the coming months. DO NOT SAY YOU WANT IT FOR TEACHING. They will not give it otherwise. It should take a week. I sent mine to the wrong garda station and I was waiting ages for mine but I got it in the end.

This is correct. The other thing is only to state you can work with kids. That is not what's needed as you could have a criminal record for theft, which would allow you to work with kids. However if you had a criminal record for theft, it would not allow you to get a visa to work in korea.

They don't care if you are only safe to work with kids, they don't want you to have any criminal record at all. You don't have to pay for the statement from your superintendent and if they tell you that you must send it to Thurles, then it's the wrong one.

hyperbaby

What?
I will lose the plot if i have the wrong criminal record check. I asked at the garda station,double checked online and rang Thurles before and after and i was sure that it was correct.
If it is wrong, ill have to re notarise and apostille it, I'll be very annoyed.

Cole

I got my police cert recently (not for S. Korea, but they're all the same).

You need the check that's done for visa applications. You don't have to mention teaching, probably best not to, as it may just add to the confusion in the station....just stress visa, not employment. A lot of the stations are dealing with these applications now, due to the numbers of people emmigrating to the US, Australia, Canada etc.

There is an application form for this (it says "for visa applications/foreign embassies only" or something to that effect) but it appears that it's not necessary to have this filled in, provided you have supplied all the relevant information. My district station had the form and gave me one to fill out (another station said that they don't hand out these forms, but fill them in themselves from the info provided by the applicant?) I still put in a cover letter to the super, explaining my application.

My suggestion is to ring your district station and ask to speak to the clerk's office. These are the civilian admin staff and they deal with the paperwork relating to these type of applications. I found them very helpful and efficient. I dropped mine into my local station (very helpful garda) on a Friday and had it back on Tuesday/Wednesday....I did mention that I wanted it asap.

It's can be a ridiculously confusing process, with a lot of mis-information thrown around....a lot of it by gardai. It seems to be pot luck who you get to speak to, but I think the clerk's office should be clued in.

cloneslad

hyperbaby wrote: »

What?
I will lose the plot if i have the wrong criminal record check. I asked at the garda station,double checked online and rang Thurles before and after and i was sure that it was correct.
If it is wrong, ill have to re notarise and apostille it, I'll be very annoyed.

you don't need to notarise the gardaí check as it's already signed by the superintendent, which is good enough. You just get it apostilled at the Dep Foreign affairs (unless that's changed recently)

hyperbaby

It definitely is the wrong criminal check, so i need to organise getting this sorted. I hope it doesn't take too long. How frustrating!

kraggy

hyperbaby wrote: »

It definitely is the wrong criminal check, so i need to organise getting this sorted. I hope it doesn't take too long. How frustrating!

You just need to go to your Garda Station. Thurles have nothing to do with it. They deal with Garda Clearance for Primary School Teachers, Nurses etc in Ireland. They do a very detailed search.

The one you need should be able to be got back in 5 to 7 days. Call into to your local station with your previous addresses for the last 6 years, Date of Birth, PPS, Why you want the clearance cert i.e. for which country and maybe some other details. Ring them and ask. It won't take long to do. Some stations will have it ready in as little as 3 days.

kraggy

So, started work here in Seoul yesterday. Going grand so far. Have to do an introduction presentation about myself and Ireland to the classes next week and the week after.

Any tips? I'm in a middle school. Have started a Powerpoint with the usual, cliffs of moher, hurling, U2 etc. Just wondering would they know Robbie Keane?

Trying to think of famous Irish folk they might know. So far

Bono
Robbie Keane
Will also tell them about the Irish dude who designed the White House.

Any others? Have also included youtube clips of hurling, river dance.

Thanks.

SpatialPlanning

They will probably know Robbie Keane better than Bono! Everytime I tell a Korean where I'm from they say "Oh, ROBBIE KEANE". Once I got a "Giggs" and one time a bus driver even did part of the Robbie Keane goal celebration for me!

Yeah, a presentation with pics of your family, home, any pets, hobbies, GAA, Irish music...etc. They will want to know all about you!

skinsseries3

Westlife goes down pretty well I always find.....get them singing 'My Love'...good craic :pac:

hyperbaby

How about mentioning The Script and Colin Farrell?
When I got off the plane last year, the first thing i saw on the wall of the airport was a massive poster of Pierce Brosnan advertising a casino.

cloneslad

They know, or at least did know Kevin Doyle from him time with Reading. They had a korean player on their team at the time so every reading match was shown on TV.

They'd most likely know gentleman John O'Shea as he plays alongside Park Ji Sung.

I always liked comparing Ireland to Korea and England to Japan. We both got taken over, murdered, are small, have a chip on our shoulder, hate the people to the east of us and we even decided to get the IMF in last year, just like they did in the late 90's. Though you might want to save that for when you know them better, chatting about war is hardly a friendly introduction.

G86

Guys I've just had a quote for €40 from a notary for one document, he asked me if I was a student to which I stupidly said no:rolleyes: But is €40 still decent enough?

Thanks a mil
Gráinne

dapto1

That's a complete rip off, should be ten euro per document.

G86

dapto1 wrote: »

That's a complete rip off, should be ten euro per document.

Really? I had another solicitor tell me I could be looking at €100 - I told him he was mental, so when I got quoted €40 I thought it was alright! I'll keep phoning around then so! If anyone knows anyone cheaper I'd really appreciate it if you'd pm me the details

hyperbaby

10 euro is the most you should be paying.

cloneslad

it doesn't have to be from a notary, it can just be from a commissioner for oaths. The guy that did mine in 2007 was a solicitor next to the 4 courts and charged €10-20, (not 100% sure how much) and the guy who did them in 2010 was from my town and was a chemist and he charged me €10 (total) for mine and my g.f's.

G86

I've another stupid question...

I sent off to my home Gard station for my clearance, and sent all my previous addresses etc., but they just called me saying I need to apply for a 'visa and consular authority' police cert from my local station in Dublin. I stupidly presumed I'd have to apply from my home station in Donegal. Does that sound right enough though? It's basically sending them the same info, but labelling the application differently. Also, he said it might take a while as I've had so many addresses....

God all of this is doing my head in, can't wait to get it sorted!:)

virmilitaris

G86 wrote: »

I sent off to my home Gard station for my clearance, and sent all my previous addresses etc., but they just called me saying I need to apply for a 'visa and consular authority' police cert from my local station in Dublin.

Where's your home station, Donegal or Dublin ? That's the one that needs to do it.

I stupidly presumed I'd have to apply from my home station in Donegal.

That's right. Are they mixing the check up with the one for teaching in Ireland ? It's not the same.

Does that sound right enough though? It's basically sending them the same info, but labelling the application differently. Also, he said it might take a while as I've had so many addresses...

No it doesn't sound right and why did you give them so many addresses ? Just throw down 2 or 3. It doesn't matter.

G86

virmilitaris wrote: »

Where's your home station, Donegal or Dublin ? That's the one that needs to do it.



That's right. Are they mixing the check up with the one for teaching in Ireland ? It's not the same.



No it doesn't sound right and why did you give them so many addresses ? Just throw down 2 or 3. It doesn't matter.

Well, home is Dublin for the past 7 years, but I'm from Donegal. He said to apply in Dublin though so I guess that's what I'm doing! I didn't mention teaching as previous posts advised not to, I told him it was for a visa to travel in Korea. I thought you had to go back 6 years with addresses?

chris6

I'm hoping to go to Korea in Jan 2012. My girlfriend found this article today and I was just wondering what people think who are already teaching in Korea?
http://www.lilith-ezine.com/articles/politics/Dont-Teach-in-South-Korea.html

ARGINITE

One teacher I knew had been screwed but I knew plenty who hadn't.
Don't let stuff like that put you off.

livinginkorea

No offensive but if you don't get paid after 3 months then don't go back again then. The writer was screwed over but still went back for more. It is very rare that somebody wouldn't get paid after one month and to be fair most people wouldn't let it drag on so long. The writer must have been an easy target or something. I have heard of Koreans getting screwed over for months and months but rarely non-Koreans in teaching. There are labor boards to protect this kind of thing.

Have a look around on the net. There are always good and bad stories. People are more than likely to complain when something doesn't go their way or work out but most of the time people are pretty happy here. To be honest it is the same in every country - the ESL industry in general is pretty tough at times.

Anyway it is good that your girlfriend is doing some research. Ask some questions here if you have any.

squeakyduck

:eek: My recruiter just rang me earlier to tell me that my date for the EPIK interview has been set! 3rd of May at 4pm Korean time. I'll have to be up super early for that call! I'm really excited/nervous!