Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Strode]

I taught for EPIK for 5 contracts, from 2007 to 2012. When I left, I was in a hurry and burnt out on Korea in general. Unfortunately, I didn't ask for some kind of verification that I worked for those 5 years. Now I have a gap in my employment record and have emailed EPIK for something, but got no response. My supervisor is long gone and I have no other contact information. Can someone give me a clue?

[northway]

Are you applying to jobs in Korea or the States? I've found that US employers are pretty chill about the fact that you were in a foreign country and may have had managers who are unavailable/don't speak English.

[Strode]

[northway]

[schwa]

National EPIK wont have those records, they're more like a recruiting agency. If you worked in the provinces, your POE (not your local DOE) has the files (or whatever the equivalent is for the major cities). Someone there is in charge of EPIK files & is legally obliged to provide you with an official record of employment: basic dates & places worked. There's a time limit but you're well within it.

What was your general location? Chances are someone here can provide you with an email address. Best luck.

[Strode]

[ttompatz]

There is NO obligation to provide a "reference letter", ever.

There is legal requirement and a a limit of 3 years from date of last employment at each location/employer for issuance of a "certificate of employment".

If you have been gone from the school for more than 3 years they won't issue a "certificate of employment" and are not obligated to do so.

Beyond that there is nothing you can do but try to find a friend to write one for you (it won't have a school stamp on it).

.

[stevieg4ever]

What Ttompatz said. You need to provide them with a 'certificate of employment', sometimes called a 'proof of employment', in Korean its called a 경력증명서. It just has a load of basic information with the school stamp. You need to go to your school or the board of education (education office, 교육청), not EPIK or your recruiter.

This is a loophole added so that schools don't have to pay you your full salary if you can't provide them with this. Always a fair chance that many native teachers will have problems with this because a) they may be abroad and thus contacting previous schools becomes that bit more problematic, b) the nature of Korea is that teachers are transferred and move around a lot and c) many teachers don't speak Korean so if you lose contact with your co-workers or if they are transferred you face more hurdles.

Another issue is that people provide them with copies and then the recruiter says that they need the originals right at the end when the documents are being gathered.

Its top down bullshit as all your information is stored electronically at immigration anyway so they know and have it on record that you worked where you said.

I am also having issues with this at the moment as well.