School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

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Cam Nivag
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Re: School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

Post by Cam Nivag »

that genius wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 6:47 pm
Another thing to remember is that there are levels of criminality...smoking a joint or drunken driving is nothing, imo, but drug dealing, habitual serious assault or even a suggestion of sexual abuse is not tolerable.

The problem is that people can be all over the board as to what type of criminal conviction is disqualifying and what isn't. You say drunken driving is nothing, what if the prospective teacher has three drunk driving convictions, is that still nothing? What if it's seven drunk driving convictions? What if it's drunk driving and getting into an accident causing death?

You say that in your opinion drug dealing is not tolerable. What about possession with intent to distribute? What is it's "only" marijuana? What if it's cocaine but it happened 18 years ago?

These are all rhetorical questions. My point is that it can be really hard to draw the line as to what convictions are disqualifying and what aren't. Back when I worked in the casino business, our HR department would be all over the map, one day they would be hiring someone with multiple recent theft misdemeanors, or pending embezzlement charges from their last job, and they'd say "Well, we can't disqualify him, he's not a convicted felon." And the next day they'd want to disqualify someone for something dumb.

Adding to equation is that most competent employers will have an application where they ask people to disclose criminal convictions. This should be done regardless of whether they person is going to submit to a background check. So what happens if it's a minor conviction or two but the person lies on the application? Should that person be disqualified? What if they have an excuse for not disclosing it (I forgot, I didn't think I was convicted, my lawyer told me the case was dropped, I thought it was expunged, etc. Because they always have an "explanation" for it.
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Re: School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

Post by John Bingham »

Cam Nivag wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:18 pm So what happens if it's a minor conviction or two but the person lies on the application? Should that person be disqualified?
Yes, lying about your background during any stage of recruitment will disqualify the applicant. I don't have a problem with this check as I haven't always been squeaky-clean but have absolutely no convictions anywhere. The problem is getting the certs from abroad.
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Re: School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

Post by that genius »

Agree about lying.

However, I don't agree that all crimes merit termination of employment.

I suppose somebody with a legal mind and a strong interest in the children's welfare should be part of the recruitment process, not just leave it up to the boss's ignorant nephew or cousin.
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Re: School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

Post by Duncan »

John Bingham wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:45 pm
Cam Nivag wrote: Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:18 pm So what happens if it's a minor conviction or two but the person lies on the application? Should that person be disqualified?
Yes, lying about your background during any stage of recruitment will disqualify the applicant. I don't have a problem with this check as I haven't always been squeaky-clean but have absolutely no convictions anywhere. The problem is getting the certs from abroad.
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Re: School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

Post by Gilmore »

My school generally only employs qualified, experienced teachers, though we make occasional exceptions in Secondary English and Humanities, if they have majored in those areas in their degree. If they are registered as a teacher in their home country, there is generally no need for a CRC, as it is a standard requirement for registration. When a teacher has worked extensively in many Asian countries over a long period of time, which happens often, it is almost impossible to obtain a full CRC. Many countries, such as the UK, will not send a CRC to an overseas recipient, so it becomes a complicated task.
In Australia, a DUI conviction was never used to deny employment or to sack a serving teacher. I knew Principals and higher Education Dept. officials who had such convictions. A conviction for cannabis possession resulted in instant dismissal till the early 90s, though the teacher could be sacked for a repeat offense. This may not apply today, as possession has been decriminalised in some states and is regarded as a minor offense in the others.
If the report is true, I support the move. Before teacher registration was made compulsory in Queensland, I knew of two cases of teachers caught molesting students and it was subsequently discovered they had previous convictions for the same thing in other states. As the age of consent in Queensland is 17, I also knew of teachers who were caught having it off with students that age or older, but were not fired, because they had not broken the law. Since 1998, such behaviour is now regarded, correctly, as gross professional misconduct and results in instant dismissal.
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Cam Nivag
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Re: School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

Post by Cam Nivag »

When in doubt, just forge a few letters declaring that you are "a good, Samaritan" and then start working at Golden Gate.

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Re: School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

Post by bolueeleh »

looks like any word processing document software could easily reproduce this :beer3:
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Re: School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

Post by Artful Dodger »

Cam Nivag wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 12:30 pm When in doubt, just forge a few letters declaring that you are "a good, Samaritan" and then start working at Golden Gate.

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That is just gold !! Bares resemblance in writing style to those emails from Nigeria telling me I inherited millions from a lost relative.
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Re: School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

Post by that genius »

It could get interesting if they ask owners for CRCs, LOL
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Cam Nivag
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Re: School in Phnom Penh is Starting to Ask for Criminal Background Checks for English Teachers in Cambodia

Post by Cam Nivag »

that genius wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 2:27 pm It could get interesting if they ask owners for CRCs, LOL
Yeah, that would be odd if foreigners disqualified from teaching because they are felons could just start their own schools.
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