Korean Job Discussion Forums

[INGSOC]

Hello All,

I have been offered a public school position through EPIK in Gangwon-do, and I have a few questions for those of you in that area.

In general do you like the area?

How is your housing?

Do you teach at more that one school? If so, do you like teaching at multiple locations?

Any other advice that can be offered will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advanced,
ING.

[schwa]

This topic has been well-covered in several recent threads. Search "gangwondo" & you'll get a sense of the range of opinions. Remember that no one person's take is definitive. More specific questions will get you better feedback.

Best luck in your research.

[CasperTheFriendlyGhost]

Beautiful area, but a little remote. Then again, nothing in Korea is really that far from anything else. It's a small country.

[Darkness]

I'm in the same boat, I was offered a postion in Gangwondo as well. I would do a search for more information, but the search function never works on Daves.


Anyone got any info on Gangwondo?

[lookingforworkinasia]

This is the best thread on Dave's I have found for information about EPIK in Gangwon.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=103990

Although, I still have many questions that I haven't gotten satisfactory answers for as of yet. If you have information that hasn't been posted, I encourage you to put it up. Between the new visa regs and the lack of control over placements (thereby having no information on living conditions, working conditions, etc) any information that CAN be made available is helpful.

[INGSOC]

^ That is the best thread I found as well in my search. It was mostly hijacked and there is not much information about Gangwon that is useful. I have also been searching other sites and the web in general. Over all there is just not that much information to be found.

[lookingforworkinasia]

I know. Its very frustrating trying to prepare for something like this, and being told that either the information is unavailable (which people say should be a deal breaker) or being given advice that you can't follow up on (such as housing conditions).

What kind of information are you looking for? If your just looking for info about Gangwon itself, I can recommend several good websites. Other than that I'd be willing to bet you know more than I do.

[INGSOC]

The best thing is to not get overly discouraged. Most of the information I have found on the web is older or based on the glossy tourist brochure type web sites. I would guess over all with the current visa situation, for the time being, that there are teacher shortages all over Korea, especially in Gangwon. I am now in the final stages of the process, waiting for my visa information and contract. So, I guess in a few weeks I will be able to provide a little more information about my personal experience there. Right now we are just the blind leading the blind. Best of luck to you and Darkness. ING.

[Rteacher]

I lived and worked in coastal city Gangneung for a year with a struggling hakwon. It was nice and scenic with a famous beach (Gyeonpo) but I still needed to go into Seoul most every weekend (mainly because I had a very small apartment that was basically university student housing...)

I'm sure that EPIK would provide better.

The (luxory) express bus trip was pleasant but usually took three-and-a half hours (including a stop at a rest area) and it was fairly expensive - over 18,000 won each way (like $35 round trip.)

[lowpo]

[daz1979]

Hi,

I live in Gangwon-do and have visited most of the cities around here. Tell me where you are looking at and perhaps I can help you.

If you have specific questons please feel free to e-mail me.

[schwa]

Okay, a few facts then about the Gangwon epik program.

Placement is & will continue to be a last-minute decision. Occasional exceptions occur for compelling reasons like family connections, established roots in some town, etc. Be wary of recruiters making promises about a specific location -- they generally have no say in this.

Placement is left till the end of orientation because the majority of recruits all ask for the same few places (the city names known outside Gangwondo). Other less well-known areas have charms & advantages of their own. Every effort is made at orientation to assess individual needs & preferences & to place each person where theres a best likelihood they can be content. Mountain or beach preferences are taken into consideration. Some new teachers ask for remoter postings. Some teachers work in rural schools but live in larger communities. Some work in the larger cities or in small towns just a short trip away. Nowhere is super-remote from most urban amenities.

Its like a logic puzzle for the organizers to try to place everyone happily. Not first-come first-served, not a random dice throw. Teachers are also welcome to request transfers after a year of good service.

Everyone asks about housing, understandably so. But with 150 teachers now, youre likely to get 150 different opinions. Every district has been mandated to find the best available housing in their area that their budget affords. Standards will vary from so-so to great, but nobody is forced to live in grossly substandard conditions, in which case the province would intervene. All apartments or houses have modern appliances & furniture. The great majority of Gangwon epik teachers have no major housing complaints.

Re: multiple schools. Placement in a single school can happen but isnt that common. More typically, a teacher has a base school plus parttime duties in other schools. Some more rural teachers may visit several schools in a week. Theres no saying one set-up is better or worse than another. Urban teachers enjoy the stability of one main workplace in exchange for larger classes (35+ students) & maxed-out schedules. Rural teachers typically have much smaller classes & lighter teaching loads, but spend time commuting. I've done both, enjoyed both.

Re: orientation. Gangwondo puts on its own 4 or 5-day orientation with an emphasis on working conditions here specifically. The province pushes cooperative team-teaching with Korean co-teachers, who are gradually becoming more experienced with this concept & with dealing with the likes of us. Connecting with new (& veteran) foreign colleagues is encouraged -- youre not in this alone! Theres also an ongoing system of regional foreign coordinators in place who can help with workplace & settling-in concerns.

This program has grown exponentially in less than 2 years but a lot of thought has gone into making it as successful as possible. Nice contract provisions have minimized recruitment problems -- lots of applicants, despite new immigration hurdles. Hiring is selective.

Ultimately its a real job with real challenges but if youre an enthusiastic self-starter & can live without constant concrete & neon, maybe worth your consideration. The rate of current teachers wishing to renew runs high.

[Disclaimer: Yes I work for these people & have for some time but I have zero fiscal involvement with recruiting. But I care about the program & more especially about the students of Gangwon -- I wish to see them well-served by well-intentioned teachers who know what they are getting into.]

[INGSOC]

Thank you all for the replies. I hope to be placed in one of the 6 costal counties. I do not care much about the size of the location I am placed in. I would just like to be near the sea. Also, I hope to be able to teach at more than one school. Again, thank you all for your replies.

Live well,
ING.

[R. S. Refugee]

[casper5]

Is bus transportation the only way to get from Gangwondo to Seoul or Busan? In other words, is there no KTX line in this area of the country? I have another question, too, that is kind of similar to this. I was reading how one EPIK teacher had no way of getting to his/her various school worksites. Are most Gangwondo public school teachers in a similar situation?
Okay, I also have one more question that isn't related to the first two: where would you say are the better beaches in Gangwondo? Thanks for any input you may have on these matters!!