Robin Day B.Sc. MSc. B.Ed.
- 2006-04-24
Titles/degrees. I never used them until a few years ago at someone's suggestion. They say where you are coming from. I'm a plant scientist in China for a stint so was interested in your mentioning herbal foods. Degrees don't bother me. Who do they bother, and why? I've been around doctors, dentists and academics (few engineers) all my life, moreso now on-line
austronesian@yahoogroups.com,austric@yahoogroups.com.
ESL is just one part of what I do. Accomplishments (degrees, olympic medals, books written, whatever) do open doors.
Rheno747, B.A., M.A., PhD, Hard Knocks U
- 2006-04-19
Why all the titles, guy?
Titles mean nothing in TESOL. I have only a B.A. in English, which does just fine when I play the role of walking billboard.
Rheno747
- 2006-04-18
I wouldn't take the chance and use a fake degree. Fake TESOL, sure. Fake degree? No way. A TESOL job just isn't worth it.
How are some of you arriving at the conclusion that running on a fake degree in SK IS worth it?
Robin Day B.Sc. MSc. B.Ed.
- 2006-04-17
Yes people used these in the past in Asia and Immigration, the embasseys and the schools were too lazy to check them. That has changed in Korea. Degrees or transcripts have to be mailed now from the home university and received by Imigration unopened. They keep legit examples on file.
Sure you can still fake it with friends back home etc. but if caught all your earnings/baggage can be confiscated (I have seen it done to a Romanian) and you have a criminal record that is international. Much safer to go to these countries on a tourist visa and do what you will. Canadians can stay 6 months on a tourist visa as Canada reciprocates with 6 monthd for Korean tourists. I suggest all teachers go to Asia on a tourist visa to check out the school first. Don't buy a pig in a poke or more to the subject: Don't work for a pig in a poke.
Robert
- 2006-04-17
What he's worried about, is how far the immigration will go to check his fake college degree. He says the schools really dont care, as long as he can get the visa, he is legal. frankly i am curious myself, about how far the govennment will go to check his degree. Do they actually contact the university listed on his degree to verify that it is legit? He told me there are sites where he can buy very real looking degree and transcript, but wonders if they actually check into the university to verify the degree?
Robert
Rheno747
- 2006-04-17
Before I went to work in SK, the SK government did a background check on my credentials to make sure I was who I claimed to be. This check took about a week, and involved my sending my actual degree and TESOL to the school I was going to work for. The school then submitted my documents to immigration. After the immigration office gave me the O.K., it sent my work visa to my school, and the school then sent it off to me. The school's name was written on the visa, so I know it was all legit.
You shouldn't try to pass off a fake degree in South Korea. You won't be able to get the 3-month visa (that will later be extended) that will allow you to be legally employed there.
Sure, you could possibly find a school somewhere that will allow you to work on a tourist visa, but you'll risk being deported, not to mention you'll be constantly looking over your shoulder wondering when you'll be busted. To top it off, you'll have to fly to Japan on occasion to renew your visa.
Rheno747
- 2006-04-17
If you ARE able to find a job on a fake, and the employer is 'in' on it, the employer will have you by the gonads. Yeap, this means he will be able to screw you around as much as he likes. What will you do about it? He'll report you if you complain.
Assuming you are in the USA, check into a diploma mill back. I've heard there are mills in Cheyenne, Wyoming that will award you a degree after only a year with very little work. Don't know about their tuition, though.
frank andrews
- 2006-04-16
A fake degree? Its been done. Sometimes they're caught, sometimes not. Sometimes the employer doesn't care, as long as they have something in their hands that looks official. Some employers will even help with the fabrication process.
The problem is that it just potentiates the problems around dishonesty in business in many parts of east Asia. The idea of 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' just isn't sensible in this circumstance. If he ends up with problems with the police/government, his own Embassy/Consulate won't help him much. Lawyers attached to the Emb/Cons won't even be interested, as its a losing situation. Honesty really is the best policy.
Is a degree really all that difficult to get? If your friend is looking to start a career in teaching, he'll eventually need a degree, so why not get it now? If he's looking for an adventure, there's better ways of doing that than ESL in Korea.
Here is something I am curious about. I have friend who lives in America. He wants to go to Korea, to teach English, but does not have a BA degree. He was considering buying a "fake degree and transcrips" online, and applying for whatever the visa is that he needs to go there.
Is it possible for him to do that? How closely to government agencies go to verify college transcrips and degrees submitted to them?
Robert