Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Rutherford]

I�m coming back to Korea for my second year and just had a successfull interview with EPIK. My recruiter tells me they have reserved me a spot in Busan next year, but that I won't know in what specific area of Busan until next February when I show up for orientation.

Is that normal? I lived in Busan last year and know there are some areas of town that I don�t want to live in. I don�t want to show up and be placed in a school an hour away from the friends and hobbies that I�m coming back for. Any suggestions?

The recruiter says I need to commit by phone or email within 3 days. Is that EPIK policy? I appreciate any input. Thanks.

[cruisemonkey]

There are many different location policies for EPIK contracts depending on where you apply.

In general, EPIK won't even guarantee in what province you will be placed - never mind what city or actual school - they will only take your preferences into consideration.

Certain provinces who do their own hiring for EPIK contracts allow you to pick your city; and at least one (Gyeongsangnam-do) allows you to pick your actual (main) school.

As for all the metropolitan areas: Busan, Daejeon, Daegu etc., I believe it's a 'crapshoot' as to the area of the city and the school.

[yeremy]

When I filled out the EPIK qpplication and interviewed, I asked for a specific city and an elementary job in that city in Gyoungsangbuk-do. I did receive my geographic (and city) choice, but I ended up teaching at the (academic) high school level. It was a bit of a surprise because I had been told prior to orientation that I was going to be working at an elementary and at a middle school in the city of my choice in Gyoungsangbuk-do, but it has worked out. I'm renewing.

You won't know where you will be working until the last day of your EPIK orientation in Mar. 09, I believe.

BTW, your recruiter may have stretched things a little bit. You aren't a part of EPIK until you have received the formal Letter of Appointment, the LOA, which will have two copies of your new EPIK contract, so, until you get the LOA don't count your chickens until they're (proverbially) hatched. It sounds like you've passed the EPIK document and interview screening, where they tall you're in, etc, but you're not "in" fully until the hiring manager/authority for a POE wants to hire you and then you will get a LOA later.

The EPIK orientation is a week long. You will meet many new friends and colleagues, most of whom you will likely see rarely afterwards when all of you have been spread out throughout your new home province. Be prepared to spend up to all day listening and watching lectures which may or may not be of interest to you. Pay special attention to the teaching ones because when you get to your new school job, you will be given a week to get oriented but then you will be expected to hit the street running. In my case, my KT's wanted me to start right away and with one, I did.

So, for that reason, I suggest that you spend at least part of your time at the orientation beginning the process of thinking about what you will teach for the year, what materials you will use, what reference stuff you will need, how you will teach and how many lesson plans you will have to make each week and for how many weeks.

Friday morning is when you will find out what your assignment is. That is when you will meet with some EPIK officlals from your new POE. Last March, they packed us all into Korean highway buses. The buses will likely take you to the Education Office for the province you will be working in, where you will meet with your new co-teacher and vice principal for your main school, who will come to pick you up. They will take you to your new city, where they will also probably take you to your new home (apt), which they found and leased for you.

I hope this info is helpful. You will probably go through a similar process. Good luck.

[cruisemonkey]

The OP is going to be working in Busan, not a province. I've never heard (until now) of anyone being given a week to get 'oriented' once they get to their school. Most likely he/she'll arrive late one afternoon and be expected to teach first thing the next morning!

[chris_J2]

'BMOE' (Busan Metropolitan City of Education ) looks after Busan, & 'Epik' manages Gyeongsangnamdo province, which is adjacent to Busan. Sounds like you won't actually be in Busan?

[Rutherford]

Thanks for the replies. To the best of my knowledge EPIK hires in the city of Busan. I have several friends whose schools were inside the city and I'm almost sure they went through EPIK.

I really didn't expect to not find out until the end of orientation, but at the same time it's not surprising.

Is there something I can do if I am placed in a bad location? I know they always have some people drop out after a few weeks. Maybe there's a way to shuffle things around. When I filled out the application I put down that I wouldn't accept the offer of a city other than Busan.

Thanks for explaining the whole 'hired but not really hired situation' as well. It's funny when you get an email to tell you you're hired that also includes an application form.

[yeremy]

Do not sign the EPIK contract, if you don't like what you read or hear, including if you don't hear anything at all (about where you'll be placed).

[Aussiekimchi]

Some people on this forum actually sound like they know what they are talking about, but in reality, they don't.

EPIK will be hiring 200 teachers for Busan Metropolitan in March. Busan office may be hiring some teachers on op of this number but they do their own hiring.
EPIK MOST DEFINATELY hire for Busan city.

It sounds like you have simply passed the interview stage. You have no job guarantee until your visa documents have been submitted to the EPIK office, sent down to Busan office and then processed.

Busan office will then send two contracts and an appointment letter to your recruiter or EPIK Head Office. Whichever you applied through.

At this point you are golden.

Once you arrive in Korea, yes you are oriented. In as much as you are taken along with 600 EPIK newbies to a University campus in Seoul for 1 week's "training".

EPIK need 650 teachers for March. Because of huge dropout rates, they will interview approx. 1000 teachers.
They will fill those 650 positions with the first 650 set of documents.

So about 40% of all EPIK applicants do not end up coming to Korea. They drop out for a variety of reasons.

The EPIK Head office nor the Recruiting companies do not really know how many applicants will be getting off that plane in February. This is the reason why EPIK do not allocate teachers to schools earlier.

So, by orientation, EPIK HEAD OFFICE has told all the Metro and Provincial offices that their teachers have arrived safely and they can now be allocated to schools.
By the end of that orientation week, the teachers will be told where they will be going.

All teachers will know which city or which province they will be going to before they get on the plane to come to Korea. They will know this because it is that city or province who has sent them the contract.

If you hate the location you are placed in with a city or province you will find it very hard to change. Your school would have just secured a 12 month lease on your apartment and done some organising for your 12 months at the school.
Don't expect to be moved.

[yeremy]

I work and live in Gyoungbuk, which I do know about. I don't work or live in Busan, but an EPIK friend of mine went to Busan last Feb after orientation. I know that for sure, too.

Aussie Kimchi is right. Once your school has leased an apartment for you they are reluctant to move you.

Frankly, if you're fussy about your living space then it would be a good idea to think about going and getting your own apartment, and then take the living allowance. I did that in GEPIK in Gyonggi-do and I have done the same in Gyoungbuk in EPIK. My wife is Korean, so looking around was fairly easy and we put our own deposit money down. We also had our own furniture, but the only thing I regret is that I didn't ask my main school to get a microwave for us. One disadvantage, generally it seems, to living and working in a big city is that housing deposits are more expensive and the size of an apartment is that you get is usually smaller. For me, the best way to go is to get my own place. I'm glad that I have saved the money so that I can do that now, but that's just the way I like to do things.

I hope it works out for you.

[jiyull]

You should demand to know at least which region that you will be located and make them confirm.
I got screwed over by EPIK...I was told that I was going to Incheon, but I ended up somewhere and I wasn't told until I got there and wasn't told about the exact location until the last day of the orientation.

[yeremy]

I totally agree with the previous poster. By all means possible, you should confirm where you are going to be placed (geographic area, city, level, etc). You don't want find that out on the last day of the EPIK orientation when you meet with the officials from your new POE.

[mogbert]

I highly doubt EPIK will get 1000 applicants for 650 spots.

With EPIK, yes you may be told you will work at XXX and arrive in Korea only to be told there was a "misunderstanding" and be placed somewhere else. This is Korea, they WILL have last minute changes.

And no, not all schools will have leased a place for you before you arrive. Some of us were placed in love motels while they looked for a place. Some schools won't know about you until the day you arrive at the POE.