Teach ESL with DWI related violation?

I have been interviewing with schools in South Korea for over a month. When I chose a position and sent the necessary criminal record I was told they do not hire teachers with ANY DWI related violations. After applying to several schools and getting the same response I found it impossible to get a job. My charge was plead down to a traffic infraction but the arrest on my record was enough. Will this be a problem in Japan as well?

If you are in America and applying for a visa, the embassy doesn't use CORI as a background check. It couldn't even if it wanted to, actually. So no, you will not run into the same problem.

They might do a regular background check, but arrests do not show up, nor will your DWI. Especially since it was turned into a traffic infraction.

Employers also do not do background checks in Japan. There may be rare instances where one might ask for a CORI, but even if they did you shouldn't have any problem. I've read of many people with DWI records that get jobs in Japan without a hitch. Besides, a traffic infraction is not a crime. If an employer asks if you've ever been convicted of a crime, remember the answer is No! Which, is the truth. So don't go divulging more info than you need to, and you'll be fine.

If it was an arrest and not a conviction then it's probably ok. Some employers and some programs such as the JET program may ask for a detailed criminal record check but for the most part they don't. It's really drug related crimes and some other serious things that immigration might stop you for or deny you a visa but for that sort of record you should be fine.