The Horrors of Bureaucracy

As soon as I found out just HOW much paperwork was involved in obtaining a South Korean Work Visa I decided to get organized. I give you:

My HUGELY important Korea Notebook...

and the long checklist of necessary document contained within!

Many of these documents were relatively easy to procure. Things like sealed copies of my transcripts (though I did have to pay one university parking ticket), a copy of my teaching license, and passport photos were a BREEZE. Even getting the FBI background check was rather easy (though I am still waiting for it to be apostilled). No, my friends, the WORST aspect of all these was getting these:

Apostilled copies of both my degrees.

Why was it so difficult, you ask? Well, first thing is first: both of my degrees were currently sitting in my old bedroom, in very nice frames, in Maine. Said degrees needed to be copied, notarized, and then sent off to the Tennessee Dept. of State to be apostilled. I figured, to save myself some hassle, I'd just have my mom get them copied and notarized in Maine and then have her send those copies to TN. WRONG! Turns out that if you want an apostille in Tennessee, you need it notarized in Tennessee. Also turns out that Korea wont accept the degrees unless they are notarized and apostilled in the same state in which they were conferred (thank GOD I didn't move back to Maine after graduation). So, my mom sent me the degrees, I got them copied, notarized, and sent then back to the  TN Sec. of State. WRONG! Apparently I also needed a note from the Knox County Clerk to prove that the notary was an ACTUAL notary. So, it's like when I tried to get out of gym class in high school and they called my mom to make sure my note was real, only with me walking all the way home to get secondary proof rather than them PICKING UP THE PHONE AND CALLING THEMSELVES! The whole day of fun involved in getting the County Clerk's permission slip is an entire other story.

In case you haven't bothered to look at the list above, here are the documents I need for my Korean Work Visa:

- Passport √

- Resume √

- Apostilled, Verified, and Notarized Copies of Bachelor's and Master's Degrees √

- Two Sealed Copies of All UT Transcripts √

- Teaching License (still not 100% clear if it needs to be notarized) √

- Two Professional Letters of Recommendation √

- Apostilled and Notarized Copy of FBI Background Check-- just waiting for apostille

- Two Passport Photos √

- Get Some Hot Luther Lovin!

Wait! How did that last bit get.... ugh, teaches me to ever allow Luther to sleep in my apartment without permission when I'm out of town.

Coming Soon: Who Would Hire Such a Girl?