Kukkiwon certificate

[Joebongi]

Hi Everyone ,

My daughter has just completed her black belt testing . The master of the school said it would take six months to get her certificate is this a true statement ?

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

It may very well be true that the certificate won't come for 6 months...but that's the school's doing. Many schools delay sending the applications to the KKW, in order to keep students. My previously school (where I went until red belt) said they grant the certificate at 6 months, to keep people motivated to come.

In my case, I think I tested (at another school where I started as a red belt) in May, and the master sent the application in August. My certificate has a date of Sep 28th.

If you want to press, ask the Master when he is sending the application, and whether he is doing it online. You can also check online here to see if it has been processed, and whether the master is perhaps holding on to the certificate.

:: Poom/Dan SEARCH ::

 

[Joebongi]

It may very well be true that the certificate won't come for 6 months...but that's the school's doing. Many schools delay sending the applications to the KKW, in order to keep students. My previously school (where I went until red belt) said they grant the certificate at 6 months, to keep people motivated to come.

In my case, I think I tested (at another school where I started as a red belt) in May, and the master sent the application in August. My certificate has a date of Sep 28th.

If you want to press, ask the Master when he is sending the application, and whether he is doing it online. You can also check online here to see if it has been processed, and whether the master is perhaps holding on to the certificate.

:: Poom/Dan SEARCH ::

Thanks

 

[Joebongi]

It may very well be true that the certificate won't come for 6 months...but that's the school's doing. Many schools delay sending the applications to the KKW, in order to keep students. My previously school (where I went until red belt) said they grant the certificate at 6 months, to keep people motivated to come.

In my case, I think I tested (at another school where I started as a red belt) in May, and the master sent the application in August. My certificate has a date of Sep 28th.

If you want to press, ask the Master when he is sending the application, and whether he is doing it online. You can also check online here to see if it has been processed, and whether the master is perhaps holding on to the certificate.

:: Poom/Dan SEARCH ::

How do I check if the application has been sent ?

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

How do I check if the application has been sent ?

I don't think you can check, per se. But I'm told and saw for myself that the actual processing at the KKW takes weeks, not months. I would suggest just asking the master directly when and where he sent it.

I should add that some national bodies can cause a delay. That may be an issue. I mentioned this for Canada in this post. Delays at National Level with KKW Applications

But 9 times out of 10, I would guess that delays are a school choice to keep students coming. And how much do you think you can negotiate yearly dues when you are waiting for the certificate for which you already paid maybe $600???

 

[WaterGal]

It shouldn't take more than 2 months, if they submitted it directly to Kukkiwon and were prompt about it.

Those are a couple of "ifs", though! If your school is submitting the application through another organization, like Gwai Lo Dan mentions, it could take longer.

 

[BuckerooBonzai]

Yes, 6 months can be legit but it depends on a lot of factors as stated above.

I have found it is best to respectfully ask about the certs after the ascribed waiting time (6 months in your case) b/c sometimes schools are not overly honest about them.

But, bottom line, I would not worry until after 6 months.

 

[andyjeffries]

My daughter has just completed her black belt testing . The master of the school said it would take six months to get her certificate is this a true statement ?

In my experience over the past five years, the Kukkiwon generally* returns certificates within 6 weeks of receiving the online application. They processed them on the 5th and 20th of each month (but the application had to be in a few days before those processing dates). However, from this year (or maybe last) they now process them on the 7, 14, 21 and 28th of each month, meaning you can often trim that down to 5 weeks.

Any delays beyond that are down to the master instructor, the recommender or the association.

* The only time there was a delay was over Christmas and the Lunar New Year, but that's completely understandable - I don't begrudge them having some family time too!

 

[andyjeffries]

And let's not even get started on how much the Kukkiwon charges for them ranks ;-)

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

And let's not even get started on how much the Kukkiwon charges for them ranks ;-)

Yup, my 2nd dan test is about USD 350 for "preliminary" and USD 600 for the "final" test. Of course the KKW fee is maybe 10-15% of that, and there are no extras like uniforms or plaques. But then again, I only pay about USD 675 for the year, so the total is reasonable.

I'm an accountant, and in school, the professors always talk about "activity based costing". The logic is that you better understand your costs, and factor that into your prices correctly. Otherwise, people will buy your items that are selling for "below" the cost or the market rate, and won't buy the items for which you charge far too much.

I'm curious if anyone here has attended a school, gotten tested elsewhere for a far lower fee, then told the master about it later. That would be an interesting conversation to hear!