Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stevieg4ever]

have my interview next week thursday in london. Just wanted some opinions. I think its a much safer bet then hagwons.

and yes i did use the search engine but i just thought what the heck.

[JD1982]

Your chances of landing a good job at a good public school with nice coteacher is 50/50.

Good luck.

Read these:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=85956

And

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=85876

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Indeed those are about the odds. I've heard of people landing wonderful EPIK positions and people landing really crappy ones. The only thing one can say for sure is that it's a crap shoot.

[xtchr]

[pest2]

Agreed. 50/50 about the co teachers. That means if you teach at 4 or 5 schools, expect at least 1 or 2 problems.

What about your qualifications? If you have a TESOL, some teaching experience, or a teaching cert, you can definitely make more money at EPIK than at a hakwon. If not, you're about the same, money-wise.

EPIK will probably have you teaching fewer hours. However, you have to design your own lessons, probably (which could be good or bad depending on what you want).

All in all, I'd say EPIK is better than Hakwon but I wouldnt blame someone for saying otherwise.

[Mosley]

Wow! I wish the OP would've been here a few years ago... now THERE was an EPIK discussion!

The thing to remember about the English PROGRAM in Korea is that it's NOT a program. It used to bill itself as Korea's answer to Japan's superb JET Programme but there's no comparison. Here's a little primer:


JET: initial visa put in passport free of charge. New JET is given free boarding pass on initial flight from designated home city to Tokyo. Flight is JAL...business class, baby!

EPIK: must pay for first visa and arrange paperwork himself. Pay for economy class flight yourself and if you're lucky, you'll be given a "refund"(i.e. loan) 2 weeks later.

JET: You're on the payroll as soon as you clear customs. Orientation is only three days. You're put up at a 4 star hotel smack in the middle of an entertainment district in Tokyo. A sumptuous banquet is provided the last night, complete w/sake and beer. After orientation, JET is w/you all the way...keeping you informed, acting as middleman between you and your host school and serving as an ombudsman, should the need arise.

EPIK: UNPAID, 12 day orientation. Stay in dormitory on isolated campus. No A/C. Your roommate, chosen by EPIK, WILL snore & smell. Eat cafeteria school lunches. You're warned against boozing. Done orientation? Then you're done w/EPIK. You'll never hear from them again, even if you tell them your apartment is a craphole & your school won't do anything about it.

Get the picture?

[TOMODACHI-KID]

"STEVIEG4EVER,"

where did you come up with this absurd notion? Just look at all the postings about EPIK....

[stevieg4ever]

I get the picture but it is pretty bleak as you paint it.

I think the most worrying thing and what i wasnt aware of before is that you dont get to hear from EPIK in the event of trouble. Is it all dealt with the POE then? i guess getting a decent POE is like getting a decent hagwon.

And is there any chance you wont be given a reimbursment for the airfare? Not what it says in the contract (famous last words).

[stevieg4ever]

done the hagwon thing and it went bad. epik? well a lot of the people i had pm before said it was good and felt well treated on the scheme. I know there are downsides but all in all i felt EPIK stoodup better than the average hagwon.

[TOMODACHI-KID]

Whatever decision you make, just take care of yourself, bro! As foreign teachers, we gotta stick together!

[Mosley]

THe OP sent me a PM asking for more info on EPIK so I'll reply here.

Salaries: are relatively competitive but over 2 years I was paid late FOUR times. The last time, I politely but firmly issued an ultimatum: pay me by 5 pm that day or I'm not teaching tomorrow. Money was there and it never happened again. But why should it happen in the first place? Crap like that sure as hell never happened on JET.

Accommodation: a crapshoot. Some EPIKs got great places, others not. Mine was mediocre but adequate. With JET, there is a minimum standard for apartments which must be met by host institutions. Not so w/EPIK.

Co-teachers: a REAL crapshoot. I was relatively lucky. If you have problems w/any, there is no chain of command to go through to try to resolve the problem. Not so w/JET.

EPIK is NOT a program...it is a recruiter. I wish they'd be honest about that. Other things....

1) With JET, a teacher in Hokkaido has the same contract as one in Okinawa. This results in a high level of satisfaction w/the program and JET is flooded w/applications every year. Something like two thirds of the applicants are rejected! EPIK? Lucky to get 200 newbies a year.

2) JET supports you w/foreign staff at the prefectural (provincial) and national levels. They have teaching experience and a functional command of Japanese. EPIK? Well, when I was in there was a foreign "coordinator" who a) didn't speak Korean b) was in Korea for the first time c) had never taught EFL before! d) never once placed a phone call or sent an email to any EPIKs in 2 yrs.! e) got the job because she met a Korean at her univ. in the States & that Korean eventually got a job w/the EPIK office and hired her!

3) Whew! Well, can I say anything good about EPIK compared to JET? Well...a)EPIK doesn't do the age discrimination thing ...the oldest EPIK I met was 60. The oldest JET I met was...me!(I was 41 when I left JET).
b)EPIK has different pay scales for veteran/qualified vs. newbie w/BA. JET pays the same to all, regardless of background.

My advice to the OP? EPIK might be OK. Might. If you take the job, don't be afraid to ask HARD questions at orientation. Hope this helps....

[Mosley]

One other difference between JET and EPIK and I'm going to mention it because it's a big one, IMHO.

With JET, you know the city and school you've been posted to BEFORE you leave your home country. Moreover, the guy or gal you're replacing is REQUIRED to send you a letter with details about the life that awaits you. They must give you their email address so you can barrage them w/questions. And hell, I even got a letter from the governor of the prefecture to which I'd been posted. Extended a warm welcome, he did. Needless to say, this did a lot to alleviate stress levels. JET also sends you tons of info before you leave.

EPIK? You can probably guess. I found out where I was going 2 days before orientation ended. Trying to get the powers that be to even give me the NAME of the guy I replaced proved to be a struggle. I finally got a hold of him months after I arrived! I asked why he hadn't left some info lying around the apartment for me when I arrived. He said he had(!) so someone from the school board must have chucked it away!

[pest2]

[Mosley]

pest2: No, I've never heard of an EPIK NOT getting the airfare "refund" but there's a crapload of red tape to go through & if you get it back within 2 weeks, you're doing well. I was just comparing that w/JET where they simply give you the ticket and it's ... business class! Only way to fly!

I would never assert that EPIK is, in general, worse than the average hakwan gig. My point was in comparing it to JET.

Moneywise, there's not a whole lot to choose from between the two. I might've actually saved a bit more while on EPIK. However, the JET experience was far more satisfying.

[poet13]

What does JET pay?

Also, I hear people complaining all the time about how expensive Korea is....or is getting.
How does the cost of living compare from say, Seoul or Busan, to anywhere in Japan?

I'm scheduled to go to level 1 in EPIK this year, (2.3 I think), and 1+ next year (2.5 I think). Does that compare favorably with JET?