| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
sluggo832004
Joined: 04 Sep 2010
|
 Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:37 pm Post subject: Which is better for a highschool position? GEPIK or EPIK? |
 |
|
| Which gives a better opportunity for teaching high school? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:57 pm Post subject: Re: Which is better for a highschool position? GEPIK or EPIK |
|
|
| sluggo832004 wrote: |
| Which gives a better opportunity for teaching high school? |
Same but different.
Basically the same contract with similar schools. The only difference it the provincial office that you work for. GEPIK is Gyeonggi-do (the province surrounding Seoul) and EPIK is the rest of the country.
Both have a similar number of schools.
Both have a similar number of teachers.
If you are a "green-as-grass-newbie-coming-in-from-abroad" then your chances are about the same in both cases.
. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Stalin84
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Location: Haebangchon, Seoul
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:58 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| You can find a High School through GEPIK. I got hired to a GEPIK High School in Suwon with only a year's experience... about two years ago. I got the job by getting a Korean friend to fire off emails to a bunch of High Schools in the area asking them if they were looking to hire a NET. The first school she emailed hired me within a week. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
lalartu
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 1:03 am Post subject: |
|
|
chances are better in GEPIK, but in general GEPIK schools focus more on math and less on English compared to other provinces.
Jeju apparently has the best English education in public school system of all Korean provinces, which probably just means you have to work more for same pay:) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
EmGen
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Location: Bucheon
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:42 am Post subject: |
|
|
Stalin;
I'm in a similar situation to the one you talked about. I got in touch with the education board of a city, and they put me in touch with some schools. One of the schools (actually the only one they sent my resume to) is interested in me, but I don't think they know how to deal with getting me a VISA without using a recruiter. How did you manage this?
(I've actually got a separate thread going for this also, in which I've received some great advice, but I'm not entirely sure what this school is going to do yet.) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Stalin84
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Location: Haebangchon, Seoul
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| EmGen wrote: |
Stalin;
I'm in a similar situation to the one you talked about. I got in touch with the education board of a city, and they put me in touch with some schools. One of the schools (actually the only one they sent my resume to) is interested in me, but I don't think they know how to deal with getting me a VISA without using a recruiter. How did you manage this?
(I've actually got a separate thread going for this also, in which I've received some great advice, but I'm not entirely sure what this school is going to do yet.) |
It was several years ago and the school I applied for was desperate for a teacher, I guess. They made one of the English teachers figure out all the visa stuff and it gave him major headaches but he did it. It wasn't actually that difficult for me as I was already in Korea. Since it was a public school, I didn't have to fly to Japan or anything.
If you're in your home country, this probably wouldn't work. I also expect that it wouldn't work these days. I did this in 2008. When I left the same High School in 2010, I interviewed twelve English teachers who wanted to take over. In 2008 the school was desparate for a NET and couldn't find one for nearly a year, in 2010 they had the opposite problem where they had to choose between a dozen NETs who wanted the job. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
EmGen
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Location: Bucheon
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:07 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Well, I've also got a GEPIK offer, but I would rather go to the school I applied to directly (as it's in a city I'm more interested in). I should be hearing from that school today, either way... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
EmGen
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Location: Bucheon
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| BTW how do direct placements with Public Schools work as far as their responsibility. Can they decide to hire you, and then go back on their word a few weeks later, leaving you high and dry? This is what I'm a little afraid of... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| EmGen wrote: |
| BTW how do direct placements with Public Schools work as far as their responsibility. Can they decide to hire you, and then go back on their word a few weeks later, leaving you high and dry? This is what I'm a little afraid of... |
Until you have the visa in your passport and have actually landed in Korea you have nothing. They CAN leave you high and dry (smoe did it to about 100 or so teachers here a couple years ago).
Typically however, once you sign the contract and send the documents off you are pretty safe at a public school.
. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Stalin84
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Location: Haebangchon, Seoul
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| EmGen wrote: |
| BTW how do direct placements with Public Schools work as far as their responsibility. Can they decide to hire you, and then go back on their word a few weeks later, leaving you high and dry? This is what I'm a little afraid of... |
It's extremely rare. What's more common is simply not re-offering the position to you after your first year. Once you're on, you're pretty much guaranteed to last until the end of your contract.
The NET who worked at my PS before me was fired. She lasted six months. She was fired because she kept leaving work several hours early, she wouldn't show up when she didn't feel like it and she kept making outrageous demands at work, like not wanting to teach more than ten students at a time.
That's pretty much how ridiculous you have to be to be fired or 'let go' midway through a contract in a PS in Korea. If you're even remotely half-assed and relatively punctual, you'll survive the year. That's no excuse to be slack, though! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
EmGen
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Location: Bucheon
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 6:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks, ttompatz, you've given me some good advice in other threads too. And thanks Stalin. I'm just stuck in a situation where I've got one position (I haven't accepted yet), but I'm trying to hold out for the other position, and if I wait too long for the position I'm holding out for, I could lose the one I already have, and end up with nothing (assuming the second one doesn't accept me).
Hope that wasn't too confusing  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dyc
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Location: Vancouver
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| lalartu wrote: |
| chances are better in GEPIK, |
I was told that GEPIK's school board is more picky than others (you need higher qualifications), but I'm not sure how accurate this is. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Stalin84
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Location: Haebangchon, Seoul
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 5:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| dyc wrote: |
| lalartu wrote: |
| chances are better in GEPIK, |
I was told that GEPIK's school board is more picky than others (you need higher qualifications), but I'm not sure how accurate this is. |
Having attended a GEPIK teacher-training camp, I wouldn't say this is true at all. It looked like at least half the teachers at the camp (for JHS and HS teachers) were fresh out of university types. Pretty much the same as anywhere in Korea. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 6:27 pm Post subject: Epik vs Gepik |
|
|
| One big difference is that Epik only provide 14 working days vacation & Gepik are more generous, with 20 days. In both, you're usually expected to split them for summer & winter vacation (7 / 7 or 10 / 10). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
shostahoosier
Joined: 14 Apr 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 6:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Stalin84 wrote: |
| dyc wrote: |
| lalartu wrote: |
| chances are better in GEPIK, |
I was told that GEPIK's school board is more picky than others (you need higher qualifications), but I'm not sure how accurate this is. |
Having attended a GEPIK teacher-training camp, I wouldn't say this is true at all. It looked like at least half the teachers at the camp (for JHS and HS teachers) were fresh out of university types. Pretty much the same as anywhere in Korea. |
I'll co-sign with Stalin84. In fact, some of the teachers you meet at GEPIK training may make you wonder who they didnt cut. 
GEPIK is about the same as other areas. The difference might be that some of the locations in GEPIK are more desirable (as in more modern and closer to Seoul) so they may be a bit pickier. Gyeonggi being a huge province though, if you're open minded you can be put somewhere. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
