Thank you for the replies. The info is very helpful.

I do have another question, but it may be too specific for many to know. If our degrees are approved (even with being done largely online), would the approval be permanent? For example, if we were to move to another school in the KSA later on, would our degrees have to be authenticated again or just be accepted based on the previous attestation? In a nutshell, I want to know if the IS pushing the approval through (if possible) is a permanent solution to our issues with the SACM about our degrees or a bandaid that could have to be done again and again.

Also, is this issue with online degrees only a problem in the KSA, UAE, and other neighboring ME countries? Has anyone had problems getting online degrees attested elsewhere? It never occurred to me that it would matter (for visa purposes) how your degree was completed if it was done through a fully accredited school and led to teaching licensure.

PsyGuy wrote:
> @austin
> They are scamming you. Assuming it is a new rule if an Is wants to they can make it happen, they just dont want to.

@ PsyGuy

Do you really believe an IS can get around a rule like this in the KSA? I don't ask to be snide. I really want to know what you, and others, think/have experienced.

We have a similar situation. Our degrees were done online, but our university is fully accredited. We got recommendations and a letter from the university saying the right things (per the visa processing company rep), but our degrees were still rejected. The visa rep says there is just about no chance of the SACM changing their minds, and our only real options would be to look at a business or work visit visa. We don't want to go that, seemingly sketchy, route.

The IS HR rep isn't worried and hasn't said anything about looking a different kind of visa. The HR rep is still very confident everything will work out. They plan to send a rep to meet directly with the SACM.

Hence, my question about whether or not an IS has the ability to go around these rules. I know there is flex room in some parts of the world but wonder if the KSA is one of those places.

We are registered to attend the UNI fair this weekend but were fortunate enough to receive and accept job offers beforehand. We already took the time off from our current jobs, booked accommodation, and paid for the event prior to accepting this offer. We are debating about whether or not we should go ahead and attend at least the first day for a networking opportunity considering we've already made the financial commitment. We don't want to be unreasonable, but we know the importance of networking. The fair is a great time to meet people in one place at one time.

Does anyone have any experience in this situation? What did you (or would you) do?

I apologize if this topic has previously been discussed. I tried searching the forum using several different phrases, but each time my search yielded no results because it said my words were omitted due to being to common.

I spent time in Seoul with my husband (teacher) and two large dogs. Seoul, and SK in general, is not a big fan of large dogs. It can be very difficult to find housing, veterinary care, grooming, etc., especially if you live outside of Itaewon. It can also be difficult to get around with a dog (for things like vet visits) because most taxis and the subway won't let them ride. This was one of the most difficult parts of our time there. We found that how happy most people were depended almost entirely on the quality/atmosphere of the school in which they were teaching. You spend a lot of time at school, and it can wear on you when you don't enjoy it. Other than that, I mostly agree with what overseaslifer said. I miss the awesome public transportation all the time!

Congratulations! It's such a relief to be FINISHED!

Thanks for the reply!

The bulk of my experience is in SPED with some elementary during our time in SK. Mr.SN teaches math and SPED in HS now and has taught elementary.

I am a new poster/long time lurker who always enjoys the feedback people get when they post and ask for marketability/chances input. I would love some input on my husband and I's info.

I used the PsyGuy Applicant Scoring metric to organize my info.

1. Experience: 3.5 years total; 1 year overseas in South Korea
2. Degrees: Each have M.E.D. and will be finished with Ed.S. in August
3. Cross-Certifications: Both certified K-12 SPED and K-8 Elem/Middle. Mr.SN also certified 5-12 Math and 7-12 Biology
4. Curriculum Exp.: Cambridge (Korea) and Common Core aligned (USA)
5. Logistics: Married couple with no dependents (but one dog who would be coming)
6. International Exp.: 1 year (1 year contract with references stating we fulfilled the contract)
7. Leadership Exp.: nothing to write home about
8. Extra Curricular: Mr. SN coaches wrestling now. I work with an after school tutoring/outreach program for at-risk students.
9. Special Populations: Both qualified and experienced; this is my top choice and Mr. SN is flexible
10. Special Skill Set: Mr. SN's masters in is Educational Technology; I have completed many training workshops in SPED strategies (all with certificates)

Based on PsyGuy's rating scale (which I think/hope is a very useful reference) we aren't rating too poorly and cover most areas. I was interested to see if this would likely be enough to get interest from strong schools. We really like our jobs in the States now, but we miss the excitement, atmosphere, and, yes, money of being international. We aren't willing to go to just any school though. Our first choice is the ME followed by SE Asia or China.

Feedback would be much appreciated!