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fergalreid
Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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 Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 3:30 am Post subject: |
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| azzwell wrote: |
| It is getting very very tough and I personally think this year will see a repeat, on a large scale, of the SMOE screw up from last year when 100 people got the shaft. |
Unless they renew their current stock of PS teachers now, I think it'll be SMOE on a national scale. EPIK needs a news section on their website so we can all find out what the story is!! |
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fl4mers
Joined: 26 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 5:27 am Post subject: |
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| GreenFloyd wrote: |
Hey guys, I'm waiting on my recruiter to go through my EPIK application and then contact me about being interviewed before it's sent to the EPIK offices and it's been about 4 days now without hearing anything.
I'm VERY tempted just to apply to EPIK directly and forget this whole middle-man recruiter thing. I'm just worried that people are going to get in before me and my window of opportunity with EPIK is closing with every day that passes and my application isn't sent.
What do you think? Wait and go through with the recruiter? Or send my letters and application direct and then wait for the interview call from them?
How long did it take you guys from the time your app. was ready and your recruiter finished looking through it and got it to EPIK? |
Hey Floyd, I would say just be patient. I have only just heard back from my recruiter who told me my documents had been looked at by EPIK for an interview but that I need to send in another letter for proof that my middle school was an English language school (because it was in Switzerland). Anyways, it took them 9 (working) days to get to me, so don't get too impatient just yet. I know you're probably nail biting at the wait, but I'm pretty sure they will tell you one way or the other once they get to you. Good Luck!
EDIT: That is assuming your application has been sent off. If your recruiter hasn't sent it to EPIK yet then by all means go direct to EPIK! |
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UKsimon
Joined: 01 Nov 2009
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 6:34 am Post subject: |
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There seems to be a lot of skepticism and negativity on this thread, so i will add my story from the February 2010 intake, in the hope it allays some fears.
I had a positive interview in November (Equivalent of a May interview this year) and sent in all my docs, I was then waiting for the NOA.
I read the February EPIK thread religiously and was so paranoid about everything that was said and interestingly everything has been repeated this time around again, especially the "over acceptance story".
I was contacted late December (27th maybe?), regarding my NOA. I guessed this was the first time that my docs were looked at by anyone in EPIK, because they didn't like the look of my ref. letters (no letterheads) and wanted more before they would send out my NOA.
Whilst waiting for my new ref. letters to arrive here, right up until Mid January, i was told there were still positions left at EPIK, until eventually it was too late and i missed out.
So, despite me having no experience, no TEFL cert. and EPIK "over accepting" on a large scale,EPIK still had jobs available to me a month before orientation.
I am not saying things will be the same this time around, but just to make people feel a lot easier, these negative comments were made last time and in the end i feel they didn't effect the amount of jobs available at all; there were jobs available until a month before orientation.
Good luck. |
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WillTurnerinVanCity
Joined: 05 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 6:46 am Post subject: |
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[quote="fergalreid"]
| azzwell wrote: |
| It is getting very very tough and I personally think this year will see a repeat, on a large scale, of the SMOE screw up from last year when 100 people got the shaft. |
I disagree with this, and it is turning into a pet peeve of mine. The SMOE debacle was a screw up. It was a screw up where one department didn't communicate to another. The hiring department honestly hired applicants with every intent that there would be positions. When it came to the lead up to orientation, where they determine everyone's specific placement, they realized that they had fewer spots. It was an unfortunate situation for everyone, the teachers especially.
The current situation is not the same. Based on previous intakes, EPIK communciated X number of spots as a projection for how many jobs they would have. Unlike previous intakes, a significantly larger number of teachers are preferring to stay on as EPIK teacher, and as EPIK is notified of this, they'll reduce the number of positions available.
One was an unfortunate screw up where people were hired, given their NOAs, had their visas and, in some instances, plain tickets. The current situation is just part of the hiring process, and though unfortunate, and though it causes a lot of stress for applicants, it is just business. It isn't the same thing as a colossal mistake.
Last thing I would like to point out - we're all in this together. This is a low margin industry. There are about 20 recruiters who were all competing to staff 900 positions, and signs show that there are about half that number of positions. That means we all get a much smaller piece of the pie, despite all the time, money and effort we've all put in. |
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Depths of My Soul
Joined: 04 Apr 2010
Location: In The Sun
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 8:49 am Post subject: |
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| fergalreid wrote: |
+1 They don't seem to be able to stick to their own guidelines, which is all we have to go on. My interviewer told me NOAs would be sent out a month after documents were received, if applicants were successful! And certainly they expect us to be much more prompt and professional than they themselves are.
I dunno. Hagwons might be the wiser choice right now. |
Exactly. I'm no genius, but I know that 'guessing' how many positions there might be is far from the best procedure. 
I'm thinking about holding onto my documents whilst I look at other options. Some of us can't afford to keep getting extortionately priced new ones to explore each potential job avenue.  |
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WillTurnerinVanCity
Joined: 05 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 9:15 am Post subject: |
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| Depths of My Soul wrote: |
| fergalreid wrote: |
+1 They don't seem to be able to stick to their own guidelines, which is all we have to go on. My interviewer told me NOAs would be sent out a month after documents were received, if applicants were successful! And certainly they expect us to be much more prompt and professional than they themselves are.
I dunno. Hagwons might be the wiser choice right now. |
Exactly. I'm no genius, but I know that 'guessing' how many positions there might be is far from the best procedure.
I'm thinking about holding onto my documents whilst I look at other options. Some of us can't afford to keep getting extortionately priced new ones to explore each potential job avenue. |
It is tough when you're starting out, but the hagwons aren't really any better. Take a look at the number of hagwon positions through any recruiter out there...we're probably talking about 40 at most. So with the public schools, it is you and everybody else fighting over 500 positions, or you and everyone else fighting over 40 positions in hagwons.
Even if you go through multiple recruiters, and apply directly to schools...it probably isn't anywhere near 500 positions that you're applying to. Not to mention hagwons are not first come first serve, they are about qualifications, so if you are a first time teacher...it will be harder. Public schools hire in larger volume, which means first time teachers have a better shot. |
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fergalreid
Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 9:46 am Post subject: |
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| WillTurnerinVanCity wrote: |
Last thing I would like to point out - we're all in this together. This is a low margin industry. There are about 20 recruiters who were all competing to staff 900 positions, and signs show that there are about half that number of positions. That means we all get a much smaller piece of the pie, despite all the time, money and effort we've all put in. |
Forgive me, I certainly don't mean to talk down the sterling work being done on our behalf by recruiters. Today I heard that, despite all my documents being checked by my recruiter before submitting them to EPIK, my BA transcripts never arrived. This strikes me as odd, seeing as they left Ireland in the same sealed DHL envelope as the rest of my documents. I am hopping mad today. I don't even know if my application has been processed at all. All I know is that it's taken EPIK exactly a fortnight to pass this message back to me. I might be less worked up if (a) I was treated like an adult or (b) EPIK wasn't so hermetically sealed that you are the only source of information any of us seem to be currently receiving. |
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WillTurnerinVanCity
Joined: 05 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 10:26 am Post subject: |
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| fergalreid wrote: |
| WillTurnerinVanCity wrote: |
Last thing I would like to point out - we're all in this together. This is a low margin industry. There are about 20 recruiters who were all competing to staff 900 positions, and signs show that there are about half that number of positions. That means we all get a much smaller piece of the pie, despite all the time, money and effort we've all put in. |
Forgive me, I certainly don't mean to talk down the sterling work being done on our behalf by recruiters. Today I heard that, despite all my documents being checked by my recruiter before submitting them to EPIK, my BA transcripts never arrived. This strikes me as odd, seeing as they left Ireland in the same sealed DHL envelope as the rest of my documents. I am hopping mad today. I don't even know if my application has been processed at all. All I know is that it's taken EPIK exactly a fortnight to pass this message back to me. I might be less worked up if (a) I was treated like an adult or (b) EPIK wasn't so hermetically sealed that you are the only source of information any of us seem to be currently receiving. |
Hi fergalreid - that last bit was more of an 'aside,' and wasn't meant to suggest you didn't appreciate our, or your recruiter's (you're not with us are you?) work.
Sorry about the transcipts situation in either case - that sucks. |
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sallymonster
Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Location: Seattle area
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 12:14 pm Post subject: |
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| fergalreid wrote: |
| Depths of My Soul wrote: |
I know they have to cover themselves first, but I already dislike the last minute culture whereby they don't seem to give a crap if they tell you at the last moment that you're not going to get that job you spent months (and hundreds of �/$) preparing for. So yeah, I'd advise everyone to keep their options open just in case they end up being one of the unlucky ones. |
+1 They don't seem to be able to stick to their own guidelines, which is all we have to go on. My interviewer told me NOAs would be sent out a month after documents were received, if applicants were successful! And certainly they expect us to be much more prompt and professional than they themselves are.
I dunno. Hagwons might be the wiser choice right now. |
Reading this thread lately has been making me really glad that I went the independent public school route.
I wholeheartedly recommend applying to independent public schools, the public schools that don't hire through EPIK/GEPIK/SMOE but use the same (or similar) contract. The process is much quicker and more certain. You contact a recruiter, they tell you which jobs are available, you pick the ones you're most interested in, and you interview with the school. If all goes well you get hired directly to that school. You'll know exactly which school and city/province you'll be in, and the age of the students you'll be teaching, as soon as you're hired.
Keep in mind that you'll still need the same documents as EPIK/GEPIK, including the recommendation letters, you just submit them to the POE after the school hires you so you can get your visa.
Of course the biggest drawback is that there are far fewer independent public schools than schools that hire through EPIK/GEPIK/SMOE, so you'll likely have some competition (unless you want to live in the boonies).
As for recruiters, I found my position through WorkNPlay, but there are also other recruiters that work with independent public schools, like KorVia and ESL Planet. Check Dave's job board, apply for multiple recruiters, and ask if they have any public school positions. |
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fergalreid
Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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| WillTurnerinVanCity wrote: |
| fergalreid wrote: |
| WillTurnerinVanCity wrote: |
Last thing I would like to point out - we're all in this together. This is a low margin industry. There are about 20 recruiters who were all competing to staff 900 positions, and signs show that there are about half that number of positions. That means we all get a much smaller piece of the pie, despite all the time, money and effort we've all put in. |
Forgive me, I certainly don't mean to talk down the sterling work being done on our behalf by recruiters. Today I heard that, despite all my documents being checked by my recruiter before submitting them to EPIK, my BA transcripts never arrived. This strikes me as odd, seeing as they left Ireland in the same sealed DHL envelope as the rest of my documents. I am hopping mad today. I don't even know if my application has been processed at all. All I know is that it's taken EPIK exactly a fortnight to pass this message back to me. I might be less worked up if (a) I was treated like an adult or (b) EPIK wasn't so hermetically sealed that you are the only source of information any of us seem to be currently receiving. |
Hi fergalreid - that last bit was more of an 'aside,' and wasn't meant to suggest you didn't appreciate our, or your recruiter's (you're not with us are you?) work.
Sorry about the transcipts situation in either case - that sucks. |
I'm not with Footprints - yet   |
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binderman278
Joined: 25 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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| I think things are going good so far. EPIK has been in constant contact with me throughout the whole process. I guess EPIK has reviewed my documents and have now recommended me to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Has anyone else who's planning on going to Seoul received this email? |
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FruitDrops
Joined: 11 May 2010
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone else is going through Footprints? I received confirmation about my application and reference letter scans being sent to EPIK on May 3rd and have yet to hear back about an interview. I'm kind of getting worried after reading previous posts and seeing people getting interviews within 5 days. |
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WillTurnerinVanCity
Joined: 05 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 7:45 pm Post subject: |
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| FruitDrops wrote: |
Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone else is going through Footprints? I received confirmation about my application and reference letter scans being sent to EPIK on May 3rd and have yet to hear back about an interview. I'm kind of getting worried after reading previous posts and seeing people getting interviews within 5 days. |
Contact your PC about this. Recruiters, and in this case us, can only submit your application and then wait on EPIK. I've been keeping a close eye on this board, and it seems that there is a lot of variation regarding how quickly interviews get set up. Yes, some people hear back within 5 days, and others take longer. Also, keep in mind we're getting into the thick of hiring season, where the body of the applications has been sent over.
Obviously - we want you to get your interview set up ASAP. We want to be able to tell you that, but we have to wait for EPIK to set it up. There was a technical situation a month or two ago where the googledocs schedule wasn't updating properly, but that was resolved weeks ago.
Generally, as a rule - if we know, you know.
You can email [email protected] if you like, I'll take a look in the AM. There are always a few people on the edge of their seats, so you won't be giving away your Daves anonymity.
-Will |
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hypnotoad777
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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| binderman278 wrote: |
| I think things are going good so far. EPIK has been in constant contact with me throughout the whole process. I guess EPIK has reviewed my documents and have now recommended me to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Has anyone else who's planning on going to Seoul received this email? |
Ditto. Make sure you teach those Seoulites that things are "going well." Zing! |
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GreenFloyd
Joined: 03 May 2010
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| Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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So I decided to go straight to the Korean Education Center in Los Angeles today with my application and documents.
I have only good things to say about Reach to Teach, my previous recruiter, but I just decided I didn't want to be delaying the process anymore when I had an office here in my city that I can drop things off directly to.
The person in the office today was very nice and helpful and insisted that there is no difference in the way you are considered as an applicant whether you go through a recruiter or apply directly to EPIK. Best news? I was able to set up an Interview immediately! I could chose my interview day and time, starting as early as tomorrow. No waiting game!
If you live in a major city that has this option, I highly encourage you to go this route. I know this might be too late for most of you applying for August 2010, but perhaps it will help others who plan on applying in the future.
I'll let you guys know how the interview goes after Friday  . I'm looking forward to it! |
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