Korean Job Discussion Forums

[LBC27]

Hi Everyone,

I am currently applying for EPIK in september and will be getting my application materials in by the beginning of May. My question is, when will everything be finalized? I have the opportunity to be paid to travel in July (done by late July) before leaving for Korea in mid-august, but do I have to be home at that time to take care of visa papers or contracts?

I'd appreciate hearing about anyone's experience with applying to EPIK.

Thanks!

[Jessie41]

[yeremy]

When I applied to EPIK, I was told by one of the Seoul coordinators, that applications were taken and processed on a first come, first served basis. I believe many positions in Seoul were filled rather quickly and some of the provinces filled afterwards. If you want a job in a desirable area, don't wait. Good luck.

[LBC27]

Thanks! I will definitely be taking my trip then, I'm already planning so hopefully it will be taken care of before I leave.

[thekakapo]

Holy frijoles, it's taking me forever to get this together. I'm asking a teacher I worked with in France to write me a letter or recommendation, and these things can take weeks...

I imagine I may be able to get all of this together by mid-April. I hope that will be enough time to get a good post.

[yeremy]

You can also fill out the on-line application and then arrange to have the rest of your documents sent directly to the EPIK office and then going in, or going on-line for the oral interview. You should keep in mind, that even though the EPIK coordinator may say that you're in, you don't really have a job until the local supervisor of the area of your choice agrees and places you in a school. So, you're not totally official until you get your Notice of Application and you won't know officially where you will be placed until the end of orientation. Good luck.

[casper5]

I am wondering if, after you have been fully processed into the EPIK program and received an assignment post that you just don't want, you can opt out or request something else. I mean, is there any recourse or way of arbitrating if you are given a post with which you just have this gut feeling you would be incompatible? My concern is that I might get stuck in some uber chaotic burrough of Seoul by contracting with EPIK that is far and away from the more tranquil countryside or semi-cosmopolitan Korean experience that I have in mind.

[casper5]

Oops, I thought of a couple of more questions related to EPIK. Does anyone know if it's possible to keep a pet in the apartment that is provided to the EPIK teacher? (I ask in case there's a chance I find a dog or cat to adopt while in Korea). Also, does anyone know if there is a damage clause applicable to the teacher's occupancy of the apartment and how stringent it might be (you know, in case the cat or dog has an accident on the carpet or something)? Thanks for any help you can provide!

[yeremy]

1. If you are offered an EPIK position that you just have a "gut feeling" would be wrong for you, just say no. EPIK may not have another position for you though, so you could be out of luck in that case. You should know that. The EPIK office in Seoul would be a good place to e-mail or to call and find out.
2. The vast majority of apartments, and even houses in Korea, do not have carpet, so even if you adopted a bundle of furry joy you would just clean it up. Korean apartments usually come with a loose laid vinyl flooring, which often seems to be a golden yellow colorl.
3. I am at work on my lunch break, so I cannot check my contract about whether or not you're allowed to have a pet in an apartment that an EPIK school supplied to you. I think it would be up to the school and not necessarily EPIK.
4. Yes, you would probably have to pay a damage deposit, but that would be spelled out in the contract you would sign. The EPIK contract may change from intake to intake, as I understand, so you would have to go by the contract that you sign. I think the EPIK office coordinators would be better equipped to answer a question about a damage deposit. But in general, what we consider to be damages to an apartment in the US, where I am from, is not considered to be damage here in Korea. My wife and I have left apartments with small holes in the walls from our calenders and white board which were not a problem. I have not done a move-in check here in Korea as I would expect and do in the US. Hope that helps to answer your questions. Cheers.

[ironwolves]

I am glad that to OP posted this because this is when I want to go over to Korea. I am waiting to see if I pass my classes first then i will start to do the paper work. I want to see my family and friends before I go over so that is the reason why i want to wait until Sept.

[casper5]

Thanks, yeremy, that was very helpful advice! Well, I suppose EPIK wouldn't hold a candidate to a contract if the person contested before things got underway. I guess it's just that certain experiences introduce an element of wariness about how binding a negotiation is, such as when you sign and take the oath of enlistment in the military. I'm sure EPIK is a pretty fair entity, and I am hopeful to get to work with them. Thanks again for the help!

[rayjoy]

I'm applying for EPIK in September as well. All documents have been sent. My last snag was they wanted our (I'm going as a couple) schools to directly send over our transcripts.

My questions are these:

1. When can I expect my contract/appointment/visa issuance number? This month? Next month?

2. I said I wanted Busan and Busan only. Is it possible they will try to place me some place else is Busan falls through? I didn't realize you could get Seoul jobs through EPIK. Should I contact them and say I'd take Seoul as a second option?

I just don't want it to be July and have them say, whoops, no more Busan jobs. When I applied in the winter, I got a job with SMOE at the end of January (had to turn it down because I wouldn't have been able to get all my paperwork in on time), but there had been no more Busan jobs when we applied in December.

[cruisemonkey]

[Stormy]

Just to give you an idea of the EPIK 'deadlines':

I decided spontaneously in late January to go to Korea & teach ESL. I found myself a recruiter & had an interview with them in early Feb. It was during that interview that they suggested it would be best for me to go into a public school (through EPIK) rather than a hagwon for a variety or reasons that all made sense to me. The only problem with that is that I had to start in less than a month & I still had all that paperwork to do. I didn't book a flight in time, I didn't get a visa in time, I didn't attend orientation & I arrived a week after I had officially started teaching according to my contract; all 'deal breakers' according to EPIK.
But I ended up in a great school and there were no dramas through it all. So my advice would be DON'T PANIC about anything. They want you to come and teach so don't get too caught up on all these deadlines and 'deal-breakers'.
As for the pet thing, it depends on where you end up & negotiations between you & whoever owns/runs the building you end up in. In my region there are 3 FTs & we all live in very different circumstances, me in a granny flat out in the countryside, another in a high rise in town, and yet another in a completely unique situation in another village. I've 'adopted' a cat & negotiated that (kind of) with my landlady - nothing to do with EPIK or the school. Work is work, home is home. Mind you if you live in a work-owned building it would be another story.

[Draz]