[Arkay]

Hi all

I am South African and very interested in teaching in South Korea or elsewhere and as far as I can gather from most sites that I have visited on the internet, I meet most of the necessary requirements (I have a degree in Youth work and just completed an Honours degree in Psychology- no TEFL/ TESL though, but would be willing to complete a course).

The problem I face is that my criminal background check would not be clean as I pleaded guilty to three DUI charges in 2008, 2010 and2011. These offences were due to plain stupidity on my part and the result of losing my way in life a bit. I have however gotten my life back on track and would like to fulfil my dream of working abroad.

What would be my chances of obtaining a visa to be able to teach or work? According to some sites I wouldn't have a chance at all, while others state that as long as it isn't drug- or sexual offence related it wouldn’t be a problem. I spoke to someone at the South Korean embassy in SA over the phone and they said any criminal record is unacceptable. Are there countries which do not have such strict policies or is there perhaps somewhere one could state your case in order to obtain a visa for Korea? What other countries might be options? Korea would however be my first choice as I have a loved one already there.(Jinju)

Any help or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[uscollegeranking]

Most likely, if you can't pass criminal background check, it would be hard to get a Visa to teach in South Korea as far as I know, the regulation has been changed very strictly to foreign English teachers if they have no clean background. I feel sorry for you.

[arielhud]

I don't know how applicable this is in South Africa, but in the U.S., sometimes you can have D.U.I.s removed from your record after a certain length of time (also, when I came to Japan to get my visa, they didn't do a criminal check, as far as I'm aware.... and I think D.U.I.s are a different sort of violation than criminal records.... I don't know. It seems like the driving record vs criminal record would be different things. In any case, here's some advice for an American case... maybe some of it will be a good starting point for you: How Long Does A DUI Stay On A Driving Record?

[Chris Patton]

Is South Korea your only target? It might be worth considering other countries in Asia. I've been working in Indonesia for 7 years and love it. I just signed on for another 2. I can tell you that your background would not be a barrier to a visa here.

[Denis DNT]

Try China. That wouldn't be a problem in most cities I know here.

[Arkay]

Hey guys..

Thanks for all your advice. Does anyone know what my chances for Vietnam would be? Apparantly they also require a cbc, but arent as strict as Korea. If anyone has any contacts, info or advice maybe, I would really appreciate it!