Korean Job Discussion Forums

Mosley · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I said EPIK sucks, not GEPIK...although GEPIK seems to have taken its cue from EPIK.

As a 3 year veteran of JET, I can assure all & sundry that JET is a SUPERB program, w/dissatisfied JETs being a tiny minority(i.e. TRUE whiners). JET rejects thousands of applicants every year, while EPIK is hard pressed to make its quota of less than 200 native speakers a year. What does that tell you?

EPIK is having its 10th anniversary this summer and it still doesn't have its s*** together. How many years should they be given?

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

Sorry, didnt mean to derail the conversation with my epik comment. I just wanted to make the point that gepik is a new program with inevitable growing pains. It may be modelled to some extent on epik but the people administering it are still on a learning curve in forging good working relations with their foreign teachers (& vice versa).

As anyone who has worked for any time in Korea knows, "planning" here is based on vagary & hope.

Each school in Gyeonggi is still in the process of working out unique specifics with their native speaker, with loads of variables from one situation to the next. There'll be hits & misses. In my time with epik, I've seen good teachers saddled with bad working environments, but I've also seen decent districts saddled with relentlessly contrary foreigners.

But the epik program in my province has worked out quite well -- every county is served & none of the native speakers has major gripes. This took some years, & effort, to evolve. No way a program as ambitious as gepik can be up & running smoothly across the board from the get-go.

My own situation could turn to crap in a heartbeat with some idiotic directive from above (but I'm doubtful thats about to happen) & I acknowledge that epik has failed utterly in other provinces. If in saying that I'm an apologist, so be it. Mosley had a nice time in his position in Japan so the jet program is "SUPERB." Epik wasnt the same for him so he trashes it. But it aint all bad, thats all I'm saying.

Ultimately with any of these larger programs a lot depends on the interpersonal skills & cultural sensitivity the foreign teacher brings to the game, in his or her immediate situation. Best of luck gepik people.

Canuckophile · Joined: 30 Jan 2003

Someone suggested that I look at the GEPIK website. I can't find it on Google. Can anyone send me the web address?

Thanks,
CANUCKOPHILE

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

GEPIK

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I'm still trying to figure out if I'm part of GEPIK or not. I was a sort of guinea-pig for a Kyunngi program, so I assume it's GEPIK. I'll have to ask when I finish vacation.

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

Derreck you can find out if you are GEPIK by answering these simple questions.

1. Did you attend a week long orientation the last week of August in Pyeongteak?

2. Did you have to teach a winter camp for a month?

3. Were you told you had to attend a meeting on December 14'th?

4. Are you living in a two bedroom apartment?

5. Do you get a minimum of 14 days vacation + national holidays + school days?

6. Do you spend 40 hours a week at the school?

7. If you teach more than 22 classes a week do you get overtime?

8. Are you working at an elementary school?

If you said yes to all of these questions you are most likely working for GEPIK.

Canuckophile · Joined: 30 Jan 2003

Thanks - when I googled GEPIK, it sent me right back to ESL Cafe. (Dave Sperling rocks, eh?) All the other citations were old ones for EPIK.

Someone has said that the lesson plans are on this site - most of the site seems to be in Korean, so I'm a bit baffled. I'd like to see something of what the curriculum involves, so can anyone give me a website to review this stuff?

And I'd also appreciate more comments on this co-teaching system. I'm used to hogwons where (for better or worse) the Korean owners simply walked you to the classroom and ran off as fast as they could.

Thanks....
CANUCKOPHILE

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

go to gepik.ken.go.kr

click on foriegn teacher

teaching plan

then choose 3 and the plan will/should come up in both English and Korean

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I'm not sure about it, really, grotto... I am curious to find out.

I know I am on Gyonngi money. My job is funded entirely by that. Also, as a part of the deal, we got about 20,000,000 won in equipment, which sound like GEPIK too.

But because I was a guinea pig that started 8 months before you guys, I think they just avoided having me do the orientation stuff this year.

I'll ask around.

peppermint · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 5:25 pm Post subject:

Gonna clarify that a little. The page with the index of lesson plans by grade comes up. Click on a link and download it- if you've got Hangul 97 or better. Thankfully, I do on my school computer.

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Wow, I downloaded one of those lesson plans... I forgot that my school is an English-intensive one. If I tried to teach, "I like banannas" for an hour to my 3rd graders, the girls would be whining, "Teacher... boring!"

And then I've have to correct them, "Teacher, this is boring!"

I liked the game idea, though!

peppermint · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 6:30 pm Post subject:

Remember these are elementary schoolers. .

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Ah, ok...

I am not a part of GEPIK, apparently. I asked my advisor today. The money comes from Kyonngi, but it's not GEPIK. Maybe because my school is private or something.

Canuckophile · Joined: 30 Jan 2003

I'm no techno-wizard, but EVERYTHING I click on with the lesson plans/teacher sections is in Korean. I'm not in Korea now ... someone said something about needing a something 97 -- does this mean I can't open the lesson plans except on a Korean computer?

I also notice that these sections ask for a password. Is this something you get once you're actually employed?

Sorry to be so stupid Confused

about this, but I need to ask basic questions.

Thanks...
CANUCKOPHILE