Korean Job Discussion Forums

[David.Levy]

My girlfriend and I are planning to apply for the EPIK program to go to Seoul for September 2012. My girlfriend sent a basic preliminary email to a government recruiting company, Korvia, who responded that due to budgetary issues the government would not be accepting EPIK applications for that time period.
After contacting other recruiters, they stated that they hadn't heard anything resembling that. Does anyone have any knowledge as to the veracity of what Korvia told her? I know GEPIK is slashed, but I was hoping the rest of the country would still be open.

Thank you,
David Levy

[jvalmer]

EPIK hiring for Seoul and Gyeonggi will be minimal. Consider working in areas outside of the Seoul area and you probably will have more luck. The more rural area, the more likely you'll get a spot.

[bcjinseoul]

2-3 recruiters are only advertising 350 EPIK positions nationwide for the Spring 2012 intake...350 for the whole country, when normally it's 2-3 times that (or more?)

[ttompatz]

[jvalmer]

[ttompatz]

2009 to 2010 - S.Korea accepted more US refugees than it did N.Korean refugees.

Prior to the US meltdown there were typically 10,000 EFL teachers in Korea.
AFTER the US meltdown there were just about 10,000 US EFL teachers in Korea (in spite of the crashed won).

The numbers are just returning to the pre-US crash levels. The Americans are going to have to look to China for the bail-out (as in EFL jobs for their young college grads needing to pay off those massive student loans).

USA = the new Mexico - with all their strong, young hard workers headed west across the NEW Rio Grande (Pacific Ocean) looking for any work they can get.

.

[Ribena]

So is it likely that EPIK will still be recruiting for Spring 2012 then?

[bcjinseoul]

[isitts]

[itiswhatitis]

Who cares about EPIK cutbacks anyway!!!????!!!!

I've been in Korea since 2007 and I've worked at 2 hagwons and 1 public school. From my experience, the BIGGEST LIE is that public school jobs are better PUBLIC SCHOOL JOBS ARE NOT BETTER, HAGWONS ARE MUCH BETTER. After completing my first year at a hagwon I took a public school job. I was so glad when the year contract was over at the public school. Since then I've worked at the same hagwon for 2 years. My job is not a dream job, but it is a million times better than my public school job. From my experience, the great majority of foreign teachers in hagwons are happy while the great majority in public schools are not.

If you do go for a public school job, make sure that it is NOT IN SEOUL. From my experience, the public schools are much more relaxed outside of Seoul. But a hagwon job is still by far your best bet. If you hear anything bad about a hagwon, it was probably from someone who worked at a hagwon in Korea 10-15 years ago when the ESL business in Korea was in its infancy.

[bcjinseoul]

I agree with the above. The only reason to work at a public school is for the vacation time...with the vacation time cut down to four weeks for the vast majority of public schools, you're better off working 12-6 at an after school program or 2-8 at an afternoon hogwon and just getting a week off twice a year instead of 2 weeks off twice a year, which, again, is what most public schools have devolved into. It's funny how picky public schools can be now, with the exact way they want a letter of ref done, local korean CBCs, and the shunning experienced teachers and taking-in of noobs, and this expectation that every 22 year old is going to do a great job with lesson plans as well, when there's no real curriculum in place and horrible text books. Some people might argue that public schools offer "guaranteed" benefits, like return flight money, pension, completion bonus, etc, but anyone who ACTUALLY stays here more than a year and ACTUALLY does his homework is going to find a great deal. Not a lot of lifers work in public schools...mostly colleges, after school programs, and short shift afternoon hogwons.

And I'm done.

[cincynate]

[World Traveler]

[Ralphie]

[TheUrbanMyth]