As I sit here and count down the days until I hear back about my visa (another 11 days at least), I realize that this is the worst part of the whole process: the waiting and wondering. Will I get accepted by a good recruiter? Will my background check come back clean? How long until it is back? I wonder if it made it to Washington already? Will I get and interview soon? What if they didn't like me? Do I sign the contract or hope to hear back from another school? I hope my documents made it over alright! When will I get my number? Etc, Etc.
Truthfully, I've managed to put most of the worries out of my mind. Actually, every single worry I listed is one I don't care about at the moment. No, my worry is this: will my complicated last name cause my visa to not go thru?
When you apply to teach, they recommend you make sure your diploma has the same name as what is on your passport/ background check/ etc. Unfortunately for me, my last name has a period in it. Weird, huh? So my passport and Social Security card? Same. Driver's license? Different punctuation (it's actually different from my dad's last name on his license even though we have the same last name >.<). Diploma and transcripts? Spelt out. Background check? No punctuation and mashed together into one word. Oof. Thank you US government, lol.
I doubt this is going to be a problem, but I sent along an alias affidavit which I had notarized saying that the government has spelt my name 5 different ways but they are the same name and I am the same person (only in fancy legal mumbo-jumbo). Fingers crossed that that is enough!
But anyways, the waiting. I've been warned by a few friends that "hurry up and wait" is common for most ESL schools but sticking to a timeline isn't. You have to be able to just wing it and go with the flow. If I was the same person I was 4 years ago, that would be difficult. Now? I embrace it.
... Er, I'm TRYING to embrace it. It would be easier if I didn't have a wedding followed by a 3 day trip to NYC right before I hope to go, but such is life! If I only manage to give my job 1 week notice? Oh well. Have to donate stuff because I can't sell it? At least it goes to a good cause! Don't have a chance to see most of my friends after May 7? I'll cry, but I'll make sure to see them at least once before I leave. Only get to see my family for 3 days right before I leave? Sad, but we will all deal I think (if/ when my family reads this, they might just kill me... But I love you none the less!!!).
Okay, I lied a little bit. I am a tiny bit worried about a few things. Not going to let that rain on my parade though! FIGHTING!!!
So right now, I'm going to put all my worrying aside. Well, except for one thing: my stupid last name. Oh well, nothing to do now except sit back and wait!
Truthfully, I've managed to put most of the worries out of my mind. Actually, every single worry I listed is one I don't care about at the moment. No, my worry is this: will my complicated last name cause my visa to not go thru?
When you apply to teach, they recommend you make sure your diploma has the same name as what is on your passport/ background check/ etc. Unfortunately for me, my last name has a period in it. Weird, huh? So my passport and Social Security card? Same. Driver's license? Different punctuation (it's actually different from my dad's last name on his license even though we have the same last name >.<). Diploma and transcripts? Spelt out. Background check? No punctuation and mashed together into one word. Oof. Thank you US government, lol.
I doubt this is going to be a problem, but I sent along an alias affidavit which I had notarized saying that the government has spelt my name 5 different ways but they are the same name and I am the same person (only in fancy legal mumbo-jumbo). Fingers crossed that that is enough!
But anyways, the waiting. I've been warned by a few friends that "hurry up and wait" is common for most ESL schools but sticking to a timeline isn't. You have to be able to just wing it and go with the flow. If I was the same person I was 4 years ago, that would be difficult. Now? I embrace it.
... Er, I'm TRYING to embrace it. It would be easier if I didn't have a wedding followed by a 3 day trip to NYC right before I hope to go, but such is life! If I only manage to give my job 1 week notice? Oh well. Have to donate stuff because I can't sell it? At least it goes to a good cause! Don't have a chance to see most of my friends after May 7? I'll cry, but I'll make sure to see them at least once before I leave. Only get to see my family for 3 days right before I leave? Sad, but we will all deal I think (if/ when my family reads this, they might just kill me... But I love you none the less!!!).
Okay, I lied a little bit. I am a tiny bit worried about a few things. Not going to let that rain on my parade though! FIGHTING!!!
So right now, I'm going to put all my worrying aside. Well, except for one thing: my stupid last name. Oh well, nothing to do now except sit back and wait!
Okay, I really hope you see this--I have to ask how you went about getting the alias affidavit - is this a government thing or a lawyer thing? Google search is inconclusive.
ReplyDeleteMy name has no spaces in my background check and a space on my diploma, and I'd love to be able to solve my problem with something a little more simple than ordering a whole new diploma and getting it re-apostilled! D:
Hi! So, an alias affidavit is basically something that you can get from a notary. I recommend looking up what an alias affidavit looks like, especially in your state, and then type one up. Make sure that it includes the different spellings before you take it to a notary (most banks provide them for free). I also recommend you print off 4 copies, sign each in front of the notary, and get each notarized with a stamp. That way in case you need extras, you have it!
DeleteI sent one with my background check, one to the school, and submitted one with my visa application.
Hope this helps!!!
Perfect, I'll definitely look into that. I've been stressing about this for a while so it's a relief to know that someone else successfully worked it out! Thank you so much!
ReplyDelete