Visa!

My visa came today, booyah!  It's a day late which has caused me some additional stress, but now that it's here I can safely redirect what stress to something else. 

I've had a visa before for America, so I know that it's just a piece paper that they stick into your passport.  So much hassle over a small but very important document.  Ah well...so now I just have to check and re-check my stuff, gather my important documents, re-pack my bags for the umpteenth time and then travel to Manchester and a wait the time to come to go to the airport.

That's it that's all there is about my visa, but I have realised I missed a couple of documents out of my last post, again I have no idea if this will ever reach mass consumption, but I know that it could be of some use to anyone looking to work over there from the UK.

Documentation 2

Okay, so one thing I forgot to mention yesterday was the criminal record check.  In the UK we normally have to apply for a CRB check for a variety of jobs and an enhanced CRB check if we want to work with kids or the vulnerable.  Now that's all well and good but for some reason the UK has recently decided that an individual cannot apply for one of these about himself...which you will require if you want to work abroad, because your employer will be willing to wait for it if they have apply for it.  Therefore you will require something slightly different, just as I did.  What you'll need to get is a CRB check from disclosure Scotland.  I have no idea why this has been outsourced to Scotland, but whatever.  It's not actually a difficult document to get, it cost something like £30...I think.  Anyway, it doesn't take that long to come either, which is nice.

Diploma, right well you're not going anywhere if you don't have one.  If you do, then it really doesn't matter what your degree was as long as you passed.  You will need to have a copy of this apostilled.  First off, a photocopy is perfectly acceptable, you do not need to use your original, plus this saves you ruining your diploma in the process or potentially losing it, oh and whatever you send out you sure as hell won't get back. 

Next up apostillisation (I may have made the last bit of that word up) any way you will need to get both your CRB apostilled.  The process is a complete pain in the arse, but not that bad if you get it right...I on the other hand did not.  All you need to do is take either your original document or the photocopy to a solicitor for authentication.  If it is a photocopy bring the original for the solicitor to check, if you are using the original, well just tell them that all they need to do is verify the document, sign it and stamp it.  This is a totally bollocks step, but without it the Legalised Office will send it back without an apostille.  One thing worth mentioning at this point is this; you can have your documents notarised (that being the legal term for verified) by a notary public for about £50 a pop or a solicitor for about a fiver and maybe a pound on top for each additional copy.  Some countries are stingy about using a solicitor, but for Korea that is not the case, luckily.

Okay, so the next step in the apostillisation process is to send your documents off to the legalisation office, I think each document costs about £35+ pounds, so this can be an expensive ordeal.  But if you can get it right in the first place you'll be laughing.  My advice is make lots of photocopies and get loads signed at the solicitor and copies of other things too.  This may just be a waste of money, but it should only amount to a couple of quid, probably no more than the cost of the journey back to the solicitors and the additional post to and from the legalisation office.

Now if you're like me and you have a TEFL/TESOL qualification there's no need to muck about with this, but it would be a good idea to get a copy or two of it because your potential employers may want a copy.  Also another note on this document, these things are great, the course helps you get ready to teach, it make you appear more attractive as an employee and finally it bumps up your pay, so you'll probably earn back the cost of it in your first year.

Another piece of advice is this, if you have a scanner scan all your documents once you have them onto the computer and save the file all over the place.  One it's a good way to send copies to the recruitment agency and your employer and two if anything goes missing you will have some evidence that you did once have it.  But if you don't have a scanner as I didn't, fear not there will likely be one at the nearest big library, that is, probably city libraries.

Okay so I THINK I may have actually got down most of the documents here, but if I've missed any I'll probably come back to this and add it later.

Another thing though is the jabs.  There are a few jabs to choose from...that sounds a bit sadistic.  Anyway I went for them all, it may not be necessary, but hey I have no intention of getting seriously ill out there.  Your doctor/nurse will be able to fill you in about what you need to have done.  But an important thing you should know is that you should leave at least a month to have this done.  The process can take longer, but nothing less, so leave yourself time, otherwise you will be looking for a booster in Korea shortly after having arrived.

Hmm, more stuff keeps flooding into my head of advice and suggestions regarding your preparation for working Korea, but I can't really stuff it all in here.  Ah well I'm sure it will come up in my later posts as I come to experience it for real. 

So, there's just a couple of days left now, I leave on Saturday...AHHHHH! Ahem, well its normal to be nervous.  Right I'm going to go away now and do other stuff, until next time.