Korean Job Discussion Forums

[blunder1983]

Well I've been in EPIK for four months now.

I never got my paperwork back when I arrived, made a few enquiries and they said they still needed it. But now its been so long, I've pushed a bit more firmly asking for my degree, celta and criminal record check back.

My co-teacher told me today that they don't give them back and I should have sent a notorised copy.

Erm WTF? This happen to neone else in epik? I know I should have got a notarised one but I was in a real squeeze for time (standard K business practices as usual) and had 5 days from getting the job to having to be here. There was no time and a replacement from uni costs the same as notorisation.

That said its MY degree. They have no right to keep it.

Suggestions?

[Grotto]

co teacher is talking out their ass....they obviously have no clue as to what is going on.

Talk to your vice principal or principal they will probably make a call on your behalf.

[kermo]

I've been in this position with original documents. Don't give up. It'll piss them off, to be sure, but ask them to show you where it says that your documents are now their property.

[BigBlackEquus]

Someone suggested on here that you should do the following, and I did it, and it worked.

Sit in the office at the school and tell them you wont teach until you receive your documents. My director was pissed, but I got my documents back in about 5 minutes.

Koreans want to own you like a slave, and as a black man, I can think of nothing else more offensive than that. I let them know it, too.

[whatshisname]

find your nearest labor office and make a call. It is quite illegal to hold them, but its just another way the Koreans try and make us stay under their thumb. The call will sort it out quickly, mine did...good luck.

[blunder1983]

I dont think its an evil thing on the schools part, this is a public school and my teachers are very nice. I think its simply a case of my co teacher doesnt know and took a guess hoping i wouldn't push it. I'll explain its illegal and try and sort it out civily before getting anyones back up

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I applied for and then turned down EPIK. This was my last exchange with Betty Chung of EPIK:


Dear Betty,

I'm sorry to take so long to get back to you this week but I have been wrestling with a lot of indecision. I wish to say first off that I very much appreciate all of the hard work that your office has done to process my application, and that I have been impressed with the general professionalism of your programme's head office. That said, it is with regret that I must inform you that I have decided not to take a job with EPIK for the coming year. In the event that things do not work out with my new employer, I would appreciate it if you were to keep my application package on file; however, for the time being I would like to receive my notarised copies of my degrees and my original transcripts back. If you could post them (COD if you wish) to

...


I would be very much appreciative.

Since there is often a lot of confusion between employers and foreign teachers in Korea regarding goals and expectations I hope it might help to clarify some of the bases of my decision.

My main reason for chosing a different employer stems from the uncertainty of my future workplace should I go through EPIK. I've decided to accept a job with a school where I was able to visit it, speak with the principals and Korean English teachers, observe classes in session, see my future residence, and get definite information about the classes I will be teaching. The school I've chosen has a strong academic focus and really impressed me, and so I think it is only natural that I should go with it rather than take my chances with EPIK and hope I end up at a good school but not be certain. Had I been able to do the same EPIK - i.e. have more choice over where I'd be working and actually visit some schools - I would likely have signed on with you, considering the enormous number of schools one would have from which to choose; but unfortunately the EPIK hiring process does not provide for this. If EPIK offered more choice about exactly which school teachers would be working at - especially for those teachers already in Korea - I think that finding suitable employees would be a lot easier.

My second reason for deciding not to go through EPIK stems from some very negative (and varified) reports I have read about the treatment some EPIK employees have received from certain Provincial Offices of Education. I have read varified reports of employees not being paid on time (an absolute disgrace for a government programme), having to undergo humiliating and unnessary medical examinations, and having confidential medical information released. While I have not heard such negative reports from several teachers I know working for the Incheon POE, I have heard that it is very difficult for teachers to get in touch with EPIK headquarters when it comes to dealing with problems they encounter after they have begun work.

My final reason concerns salary and vacation, as I have been offered a contract for slightly more salary and considerably more vacation time. While salary is not as important to me as finding a really good school, vacation time is a very important factor in my decision, especially as English immersion camps do not appeal to me very much. I have also read a number of complaints about ambiguities in EPIK vacation schedules, and know of people working through EPIK who have been expected to come to school during holidays even when there is nothing to do. The offer of several long paid breaks a year at the school I have chosen makes it much more appealing.

So once again, I'm sorry for my lateness in coming to a decision, and I did like a lot of things about the EPIK programme; however, after my experience with my previous job here, I want to be absolutely certain I know exactly what my new job will be like.

Best wishes for the future, and who knows, depending on how thngs go I may be in contact with EPIK some time in the future.

Stephen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She replied:


Dear Stephen,

Thank you for your recent email..

As for your documents, please be advised that documents provided for your application will not be returned under any circumstances. This is stated on our website as well..

Sincerely,

Betty Chung
EPIK Program Coordinator
Korea National University of Education
+82-43-233-4516
[email protected]
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I replied:


Dear Betty,

Well, I shouldn't be needing any documents for at least a year, though it would be really nice if there was a way to get at least the notarised copies of my degrees back.

I realise of course that you don't determine policy and it seems that you do a very professional job, but it does strike me as odd that EPIK insists upon following certain procedures that are bound to make things difficult for them in the long run. For instance, I will probably talk to dozens of people who are interested in working at public schools over the next year. They'll ask me "what's the EPIK application process like?" and I'll answer "the woman who does the interviews seems nice, but you won't get your documents back, you'll have to pay for currior costs COD, they'll only fund the return half of your ticket if you have to make a visa run to Japan, and you won't know what school you're working at until the last minute". Right away, a few little things create a much less favourable impression, and with the internet today many people in the Korea ESL community are very well informed and share information. In fact, one of my friends is quitting EPIK precisely because he thought he could get a job at an academic high school and ended up at an overcrowded middle school. It seems it would be so much easier for organisations like EPIK to find quality, experienced teachers if they were just a bit more flexible with policies and placements - and I've heard enough good things about EPIK that if it was a bit more flexible it's reputation would probably be going up rather than down.

Anyways, that's my little "things I can't understand about Korea" rant for today, lol.

Good luck in the upcoming academic year,

Stephen

[Gord]

I don't see why the going for medical tests is an issue as it's required in most countries. Canada, for example, requires a medical test be complete prior to a work visa in excess of six months being issued.

As for returning notarized copies, I don't see them as being any different than asking for a resume or cover letter back. When I worked for IBM, I never saw anything I gave ever again and I was under the impression this is standard in the western business world.

I could see if it was an original degree, but for a copy?

[blunder1983]

Yeah this IS an original degree tho and while I can get a replacement its
a. not the same (has a big stamp on it saying its not original)
b. 40quid down the drain

and why do they need it anyway?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Gord]

[deessell]

I personally went in to my local MOE and asked for it back. I am the only teacher from my orientation that has their original back.

[Ekuboko]

Wow YuBumSuk, I'm impressed that woman in the EPIK office replied to you. I emailed them a couple of weeks back about something and haven't heard a peep.

Anyhow, blunder, I can't believe you had to give them your original degree. What I mean is, when I applied, I sent in photocopies and when I went to the 'interview' at the Korean Consulate in Auckland, NZ, I took the originals so that the PA could check they were kosher. I didn't have to go out and get the copies notarised myself, she just looked and said "fine, off we go"....

I know each case is different when it comes to Korea, but this PA was Dutch, not Korean!
(Then when I called up to check if I really needed to get a chest X-ray, the Korean on the line said "yes" after much consultation with the aging 'Consular guy' but I didn't bother (waaay too expensive) 'cos it sounded like they didn't know anyway.)