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ohhellojanie
Joined: 17 Oct 2011
Location: SF Bay Area, California
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 Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 5:39 pm Post subject: thanks for the help everyone! submitted my epik app today! |
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Got both my letters of rec back within the past few days and scrambled to get the personal statement & lesson plan revised, but it's done! I am using SayKimchi recruiting, so far the communication has been very prompt & Lindsay is really nice. I'm facing some steep odds because I'm a newbie applying to Seoul with no certification (but I do have an English Lit BA, for what that's worth). Just wanted to thank you guys for all the guidance and information you've given me over the past month - I probably would have gotten discouraged, confused, or both & given up if it hadn't been for this board!
How are you other late-ish applicants for Spring 2012 (I know you're out there)? :] |
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plchron
Joined: 26 Feb 2011
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| you won't be thanking anyone when you get placed in the middle of no where. Always have a backup copy of your visa documents on hand and be ready to pull a runner the second that they tell you you are living in a town with the population of 2,000. Although they usually wait until that last day of orientation to tell you for obvious reasons. |
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koreatimes
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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I think it is worse to apply late than to go through a recruiter. If you go through a recruiter, you can at least meet in person and visit the school. The school will be paying the recruiter, so they will have to be somewhat better than a school that just needs someone to fill a spot.
Hopefully, I am wrong in your case. |
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ohhellojanie
Joined: 17 Oct 2011
Location: SF Bay Area, California
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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| plchron wrote: |
| you won't be thanking anyone when you get placed in the middle of no where. Always have a backup copy of your visa documents on hand and be ready to pull a runner the second that they tell you you are living in a town with the population of 2,000. Although they usually wait until that last day of orientation to tell you for obvious reasons. |
sorry? i applied to epik-seoul, and was clear with my recruiter that i wouldn't accept a job elsewhere. it may be cutting my chances quite a bit by being so selective but i am not desperate enough to accept a job "in the middle of nowhere." i have no problem with dropping out or turning down an offer if it's not what i want. |
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koreatimes
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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| i applied to epik-seoul |
SMOE - Seoul
GEPIK - Gyeonggido
EPIK - Pretty much everything else, including Incheon
So, I think you'll be getting an Incheon position then. |
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ohhellojanie
Joined: 17 Oct 2011
Location: SF Bay Area, California
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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| not exactly - i had to fill out the epik application but was instructed to leave the section on your preferred provinces blank if you're applying to SMOE and fill out the "epik-seoul" attachment instead. maybe it's a new procedure from what they've used in the past, but my recruiter told me that the seoul program is now called epik-seoul instead of SMOE. either way i did NOT apply to incheon or any other city aside from seoul. |
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koreatimes
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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From what I just looked at, there are no places to "skip".
There is a SPECIFIC EPIK-SEOUL application for you to fill out.
On it, here are some important parts:
Applicants applying for a position with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) must submit this form
Then
the required lesson plan along with the EPIK Spring 2012 Application
There is also this:
Are you willing to commute up to approximately 60 minutes to your school(s)?
You could easily be in Incheon if you have to commute 60 minutes.
I am not saying they aren't merging, but look carefully at what you filled out. Again, you shouldn't have to "skip over" something if it should pertain to you. |
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Guajiro
Joined: 04 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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| ohhellojanie wrote: |
| plchron wrote: |
| you won't be thanking anyone when you get placed in the middle of no where. Always have a backup copy of your visa documents on hand and be ready to pull a runner the second that they tell you you are living in a town with the population of 2,000. Although they usually wait until that last day of orientation to tell you for obvious reasons. |
sorry? i applied to epik-seoul, and was clear with my recruiter that i wouldn't accept a job elsewhere. it may be cutting my chances quite a bit by being so selective but i am not desperate enough to accept a job "in the middle of nowhere." i have no problem with dropping out or turning down an offer if it's not what i want. |
I've heard from recruiters that EPIK is now recruiting for SMOE as well. As mentioned, you also have to fill out the Seoul attachment. That said, with budget cuts to SMOE and GEPIK, there will definitely be fewer available positions in the greater Seoul area.
There is Korea outside of Seoul. There are many other large cities. Just because you don't get placed in Seoul doesn't mean you will be stuck in a city of 2,000 people. Being flexible and open-minded should be a prerequisite for working in Korea, otherwise the culture shock will eat you alive.
Best of luck! |
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ohhellojanie
Joined: 17 Oct 2011
Location: SF Bay Area, California
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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| koreatimes wrote: |
From what I just looked at, there are no places to "skip".
There is a SPECIFIC EPIK-SEOUL application for you to fill out.
On it, here are some important parts:
Applicants applying for a position with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) must submit this form
Then
the required lesson plan along with the EPIK Spring 2012 Application
There is also this:
Are you willing to commute up to approximately 60 minutes to your school(s)?
You could easily be in Incheon if you have to commute 60 minutes.
I am not saying they aren't merging, but look carefully at what you filled out. Again, you shouldn't have to "skip over" something if it should pertain to you. |
Actually, in the "SMOE Application Attachment Instructions" document, it specifies:
"If applicants are flexible with working in other areas outside of the Seoul Metropolitan area, they should fill out the Provincial Placement Preferences page (page 5) on the EPIK Application Form. By filling out the EPIK-Seoul Attachment, applicants indicate that Seoul is their first preference and the provincial preferences listed on page 5 are their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th preferences respectively. If applicants only want to work in Seoul, they should not fill out the Provincial Placement Preferences page (page 5) on the EPIK Application Form. Again, leave this page blank if you only want to work in Seoul."
So you are instructed to skip the Provincial Preferences portion of the main EPIK form if you are only interested in working in Seoul, which is exactly what I did. I suppose you're right about Incheon being within a 60 min commute, but from what I've read on other posts, commutes longer than 45 mins are rare. Regardless, the prospect of living in Incheon doesn't actually bother me so it's cool. |
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ohhellojanie
Joined: 17 Oct 2011
Location: SF Bay Area, California
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Guajiro wrote: |
There is Korea outside of Seoul. There are many other large cities. Just because you don't get placed in Seoul doesn't mean you will be stuck in a city of 2,000 people. Being flexible and open-minded should be a prerequisite for working in Korea, otherwise the culture shock will eat you alive.
Best of luck! |
This is good advice - and I want to stress that I don't mean to come off as closed-minded, I just have a pretty strong preference to live and work in (or at least very very close to) Seoul. If it means my chances are shot, that's okay, I can always reapply in the future if I am rejected. While I acknowledge that flexibility and adaptability are important with respect to a job like this, I also think there's something to be said for knowing what you want & being persistent about it.
& thank you! |
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koreatimes
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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| So you are instructed to skip the Provincial Preferences portion of the main EPIK form if you are only interested in working in Seoul, which is exactly what I did. |
Being instructed to skip something doesn't validate its worth/value. You are jumping like a dog when you don't need to.
Be ready to be taken advantage of if you carry through with this dog and pony show. |
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ohhellojanie
Joined: 17 Oct 2011
Location: SF Bay Area, California
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| koreatimes wrote: |
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| So you are instructed to skip the Provincial Preferences portion of the main EPIK form if you are only interested in working in Seoul, which is exactly what I did. |
Being instructed to skip something doesn't validate its worth/value. You are jumping like a dog when you don't need to.
Be ready to be taken advantage of if you carry through with this dog and pony show. |
Haha look, I'm sorry that my application offends you so - but I guess it's a good thing that it's got nothing to do with you, right? I've obviously and unintentionally hit a nerve of yours and I'm not sure why - there's absolutely nothing wrong with being picky about my own job application and I never said anything negative about other locations in Korea or the people who choose to live and work in them. Being rude to me and trying to offend me by name-calling is just silly and uncalled for - I really just came here to say thanks to the people who have helped me on this forum, not to have my application picked apart.
By the way, I definitely don't plan on being taken advantage of, but thanks for your input! |
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koreatimes
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:17 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm sorry that my application offends you so |
It's not your application. That's the point. They are dictating HOW you will apply. You are being owned before you are even contracted to work in Korea. It doesn't offend me, just sad you don't see it. Maybe it will take getting burned before you have learned.
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| there's absolutely nothing wrong with being picky about my own job application |
Doing what they say is not being picky. It is soliciting yourself as an eager brown nose slave who will go anywhere to work for someone else's agenda. Hope you enjoy your first job in Korea under these conditions. If you stop enjoying it, remember there are better positions out there. You don't need to SKIP over anything in those applications, and most of the time you don't have to apply. A demo lesson or interview is enough to get you hired, and you can pick and choose your location.
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| I definitely don't plan on being taken advantage of |
Then rip the application apart and don't go through with this farce of an employment process. They are not trying to hire you to give you an experience you may be seeking. They are simply going to fill a void to satisfy their agenda. You, alone, applying or not applying won't change their decisions. |
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plchron
Joined: 26 Feb 2011
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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definately good luck. No hate from my post. I hope you get what you want. Seriously though, everyone that comes over here should be ready to bail if shit hits the fan.
Good luck OP |
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ohhellojanie
Joined: 17 Oct 2011
Location: SF Bay Area, California
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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| koreatimes wrote: |
They are dictating HOW you will apply. |
Who is this "they" you are referring to? EPIK? My recruiter? You're right, I'm definitely not seeing something about your reasoning, because you're being quite ambiguous. What alternatives are you proposing? To apply to EPIK directly? To forgo the public school route entirely and aim for the private realm? Your criticism would actually be helpful and constructive to me and to other people in my position who might be reading this thread if you would actually impart some of your supposed wisdom rather than just belittle me for being inexperienced.
| koreatimes wrote: |
It is soliciting yourself as an eager brown nose slave who will go anywhere to work for someone else's agenda.
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Seriously? Again - rude and uncalled for, and when it comes down to it, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a total novice at this. I only decided less than a month ago that I wanted to apply, did as much research as I could, and I've concluded that, given the options I see available to me - putting my resume up on Korean Craigslist or Dave's Job Board, applying to EPIK directly, applying to EPIK using a recruiter, or going the hagwon route - the one that makes the most sense to someone in my position is going with a recruiter who has gotten good feedback from their teachers. The time constraints I'm working under and my inexperience when it comes to getting all the documentation through are the main reasons I chose to go through SayKimchi rather than submit my application to SMOE (or EPIK-Seoul, or whatever we're calling it) directly. There are many, many other people using recruiters to apply to EPIK this year who are posting on this board, and I haven't seen anyone get this much flack about it. |
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