Korean Job Discussion Forums

[snugglezone]

I guess I'll start off with a little introduction. I graduated from college in March and couldn't secure a well paying job (graduated with a degree in International relations). I've always had a desire to teach English in Asia and at the time when I started they didn't offer Korean, only Japanese so I took that for 3 years. I'm from a korean-dense area in socal and figured Korea would be a decent second shot since Japan is so crowded these days [also the perks are a lot nicer as far as I can see]. Trying to get some international experience, save some money for graduate school and then settle into a career in my major.

I've been reading this board and others for a couple weeks trying to gather up as much info as possible before coming on here and asking the same ol questions, but it's probably inevitable that I've missed something already answered so here it goes!

Hagwons & EPIK
As I understand it hagwons are for-profit organizations so you can expect to get hassled & owners will try to cheat you out of money. Essentially they minimize your experience to maximize their profits. Thus, I should be staying away from hagwons? Of course I've read that they aren't all bad and some people actually prefer the hours because they're later in the day if you don't teach kindy? Two sides to every coin kind of thing, but it's at least more likely to land on the bad side right?

EPIK is state run and can be trusted more not to shaft you, correct? I have, however, also read about EPIK schools giving some teachers the run around in their contract. Not exactly sure if it matters, hagwon or EPIK, as long as I get a good contract.

Here's my situation at present:
I missed the deadline for Fall EPIK applicants so now my only option until February (when the next application cycle begins) is hagwons. I wanted to use a reputable recruiter so I got in contact with Korvia and Footprints as they seem pretty established. I guess Korvia only deals with EPIK now so they said I have to wait until February to be placed by them and Footprints told me by BEST BET is to wait until February as well. I replied to footprints and they said they have enough applicants to fill up all of their available hagwons so I'd probably be out of luck.

EPIK only has a certain number of openings to be filled every application period so it wouldn't be to my benefit to use more than one recruiter if I decided to wait until February for EPIK placement right?

I was wondering if there would be any reason why the recruiting companies would prefer me to use EPIK over a hagwon. Maybe a larger commission? I see postings for hagwons all the time on many different esl boards so I don't see how I couldn't get into ONE of them.

There are two main reasons I don't want to wait until February. First off, my life is becoming stagnant. I went from being a college senior living the life to the college grad working a p/t job living with his parents. I have greater aspirations than making minimum wage and leeching off my family. The second is financial. Like most on here I've graduated with school loans and it'll be time to start paying them back soon.

What to do, what to do..
Stick it out until February or try to find a hagwon by mid-November?

On a side note my school said they won't have my degree for another 4 months. That seems ridiculous because I graduated in March and the website says it only takes 4 months to process. I think the girl I talked to was just full of [insert 4 letter word for feces]. Anyways, is there any way to NOT need my official degree? Perhaps a signed/sealed letter from the college saying 'it's in the works'

Thanks all (:

Snuggz

[Otherside]

Basically, your summary of the two is adequate.

EPIK/GEPIK/SMOE are state run, and there's a lot less sleaziness about them. Sure there are problems and in some cases major problems (co-teaching is a big one, big classes, "mis-understandings").

You got the overall Hagwon gist down too. If I had to go to a school without checking up, speaking to teachers, etc. I'd choose the public route every time. With a bit of research (and some experience/connections) you can find the better hagwons, which in many cases are far nicer than the average public school.

As for your recruiters, Korvia only seems to do public jobs, and footprints doesn't do that many private gigs. I actually believe the commission for public schools is LOWER than that of private schools. However, if you're placing 60 teachers with a single government programme, vs placing them in separate schools, the work per teacher is actually much less.

Simply put, you've missed the big in-take for September. You might get lucky with a public school gig down the road, but if you have your heart set on going to Korea ASAP, find another recruiter, and get a Hagwon gig.

To my knowledge, you NEED your actual degree. (actually, you need an apostilled copy of your degree, for non-Canadians, even a copy that has been Notarized by the Korean Embassy isn't good enough). In that case, if you add 4 months, you're looking at December (always a VERY lean hiring month, especially for public gigs, they're on vacation), so may as well wait till February - at least you can get in early, and hopefully get a decent spot.

[snugglezone]

I'm hoping the girl I talked to at the registrar's office was a fool and my diploma should be ready by October. I guess I'll just work on collecting my documents until I find out a more exact date. I guess the extra months would give me the option to find a Korean school somewhere where I live.

Is it a rolling admission system for EPIK (Apply earlier get a better spot or have a better chance of getting a spot)?

Also, what are the benefits of TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA? Outside of being a gold sticker on my resume and putting me one step ahead of new prospective teachers who have nothing but a degree, do they actually teach you anything? I'm always suspicious of certifications you can get over the internet. Is it worth the money? Which one is best for Korea?

Snuggz

[Otherside]

Not sure about the rolling admission. Basically, each recruiter gets given a number of slots. Once they fill up their slots, they have no more, hence you want to get in early (or try a different recruiter).

Additionally, EPIK is broken up into different regions/cities, obviously the more popular places (eg, Seoul, Busan) fill up the fastest, while the least popular places might not even fill up at all. (If you aren't fussy about location and are willing to go rural, then no rush, and you can most likely get a job as soon as you have your docs ready).

TEFL/TESOL/CELTA, not required to teach in Korea. For the public system, normally bumps you up a pay grade (extra 100k won). They're all treated pretty much equally in Korea (make sure you do one over 100 hours though!). Yes, on a good certification you will learn ALOT. In my opinion, the CELTA is the best, yet the most expensive and the hardest work. Also, it's geared towards teaching adults, so a lot of what you learn can't be directly applied to teaching kids, yet you learn a lot. If you just want the gold sticker and the pay jump, do a cheap, easy, online one, maybe you learn something, maybe you don't.

[sallymonster]

[meagan8477]

I'm in the process of getting my documents together to apply for EPIK 2011. They are taking applications for February. If you use Korvia (which is who I am going through), I suggest filling out the online "application" which is really just a form you fill out so the recruiter can email you the information you need. The only things you have to supply upfront are the application (with personal essay), self medical check (on app), interview setting form and 2 reference letters.

If you do the online app they will email you all of the forms you need and give you the details on the EPIK program.

[pk_00]

[amcnutt]

That seems like a long time to wait for your diploma, right?
Don't they expect that recent graduates may need proof of their degree for potential job applications? I would go in to the school in person and tell them you NEED it, ASAP. At my university they gave us our diplomas the day of convocation.
As for the school situation, I wouldn't cross hagwons off of your list right away. Some are really good, it depends on the branch and its management a lot. They would probably be your best bet to getting a job sooner rather than later. If you choose hagwon, just read the contract carefully and ask to speak to current teachers of the school. That way you can find out if it sounds like a good place for you.
However, if you want to wait until February, I'm sure you could get a job with the public schools. I'm kinda in your position, I just graduated with combined honours in Social Anthro & IDS, had moved back home with my mom, and wanted something challenging and different. I found a position with a well-reviewed hagwon just outside of Seoul.
Good luck to you!

[young_clinton]

Epik will hire midsemester if someone does a midnight run in the middle of the semester. I got hired midsemester after my school's native teacher died midsemester (she drank herself to death) and her replacement from New Zealand fled after 3 days of teaching. I was hired by a recruiter listing on Dave's ESL . For the most part every teacher in the county I worked at was hired mid semester. The problem is now that the teachers are gone (contracts expired) the county is waiting untill September to get new teachers from EPIK. I don't know if that is EPIK wide or not. But I suspect that some of these new teachers hired for the county might be quitting early, because in the past some of the teachers I knew there did not like the place at all and left quite early. If you're looking for an EPIK position midsemester, I think the positions available midsemester will be quite rural ones.

[WillTurnerinVanCity]

[pk_00]

[snugglezone]

Thanks for all the great replies (: I e-mailed someone higher up at the registrar's office and she said I have about a month to 2 months left to go, which is fine I guess because I need to finish getting the rest of my stuff.

New question: If I apply through EPIK and submit the documents for Seoul does that mean I'm applying to SMOE?

[itsjustverbs]

[fugitive chicken]

In regards to not having the degree on hand, the only reason they generally don't take anything but the actual degree, is that they don't recognize the official letter saying that your degree is coming.

I was helping my GEPIK school hire a replacement for me, and the teacher sent in an official letter from the school saying that her degree is on it's way. However, my co-teacher didn't recognize it and I had to take 10 minutes to explain what that letter was and where her degree is before they could accept it as is.

[Mariposa1418]

I don't know if this has been said already, but applying directly through EPIK worked out great for me. I got all the help I needed from the coordinator and didn't have to work with a middleman who was trying to make a buck.

With regards to your question about the SMOE, I think they have been taken over by EPIK. Sooo, maybe you can apply to both? I looked on the website, and there seem to be two separate application forms.

Finally, my boyfriend couldn't get his diploma on time, so he sent the standard "diploma is coming" letter from our university's records office. He actually didn't receive it until about 4 or 5 months into his contract and had no problems at all. I guess it depends on your school, but if EPIK says its fine, you should be set.