Professional background checks
I'm wondering about the implications of dancing on future professional school admittance/job opportunities. I found one other thread that deals with this, but I have some questions based on what I found there.
http://www.stripperweb.com/forum/sho...ight=character
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The only way that you would NOT be allowed to practice law or medicine is if you "lie" or fail to disclose that you did something in your life. If you put on the Bar/Medical License Application that you worked briefly as a stripper to pay for your law school/med school expenses, they usually look the other way. However, if you don't disclose that information...when they run the background checks and find out that you did do it, you will immediately be "disqualified" for failure to be honest and truthful.
I'm not so much worried that I wouldn't be allowed to practice because it was discovered that I danced (although from what I understand, the committee reviewing those kinds of applications have a lot of leeway to make a "judgment call", so you could get shut out entirely if they decided that dancing cast a negative light on your character or morals), but that it would close a lot of job options, aka:
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It won't stop you from working as an attorney or doctor, but it might limit your career options - i.e. forget about direct politically connected law (DA's office, judicial), forget about working in most private hospitals (particularly religious affiliated ones).
Posters on that thread didn't seem to agree on whether it would definitely come out on medical/legal/etc. background checks that you had worked as a dancer. Obviously, if there's a chance it would turn up in the check (or be indicated by tax records, see my thread in Dollar Den), you have no choice but to disclose, since lying/omitting will keep you from getting your credentials in the first place...but what if there's no paperwork? Or, just an application? I doubt the medical boards/state bars go around to every strip club in the area to check and see if their applicants' names are on file, and if there's some sort of listing they could go check, I've never heard of it...how could they get that info?
Basically, I'm wondering if any of you have actually gone through this process after having been a dancer (or if you know someone who has) - if you/they disclosed, what was the result? Did it make it harder to get your license/certification? What about finding a job after getting certified? Do you know if your/their dancing showed up on the check at all? While dancing, did you/they take any precautions to stay "off the record"? - like finding a club that didn't document as much, claiming to have worked a different job inside the club, etc?
Thanks so much! I'm really hoping to find a way to dance without precluding a future "professional" job (especially since I don't know if I'd be able to afford the education to get the latter without doing the former :P ).
Re: Professional background checks
Good post. I wish someone has some answers...
Re: Professional background checks
Well, if you don't file taxes and no one there knows you, you could say you were unemployed and got tired of begging your parents and friends for money so you got fed up and decided to make a great life for yourself. Well, you could. I'm not recommending it.
Re: Professional background checks
I'm curious too... I want to adopt from China one day, and the Chinese are very conservative. I'm avoiding "license cities" like Vegas and San Diego, and just making sure I stay off the record as much as I can. I don't think it turns up in a background check unless you had a license, but the license would show up.
Re: Professional background checks
You would be very surprised how thorough the background checks are. The most important thing on these apps is that you are completely truthful. Why spend all that money to get a professional education only to not be able to "practice" because you blatantly lied on the app?
The background checks will find things you completely forgot about. It's better that you just come clean and be honest about your life.
But, it seems that most of the posters (who knew anything about it personally) said that you should not try to hide anything. Not at all. Also, say you are working as a dancer and you have Regular Joe come in every week and drop $300 on you. No big deal, right? Now, let's say you've filled out your paperwork for the Bar and are going in for the interview...to find out that Regular Joe is one of the interviewers. No big deal, right? The only problem is that you have now been caught red-handed lying...by omission...and Regular Joe knows it. It is his moral and ethical responsibility to bust you out on that. And, he will.
Just because YOU don't think that there is any kind of paper trail, doesn't mean that there isn't. One lawyer here had a small juvie record here. A long story short, he failed to disclose this on the apps because the records had all been expunged. But, guess why he didn't get admitted to the bar? ;)
If you are going to lie by omission or commission, then just stay home, work your ass off and send me the equivalent of your grad/professional school tuition. ;D In the end, you'll end up in the same place.
Re: Professional background checks
Would dancing affect a teaching career? Would it matter on the age of the students (i.e. kindergarten vs. university level)?
I know if you get charged with prostitution that's a huge problem, but does just dancing for a few years prevent teaching... hope not!