EPIK
Programs and Reviews
EPIK, English Program in Korea, affiliated to the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology was established in 1995 with the missions to improve the English speaking abilities of students and teachers in Korea, to develop cultural exchanges, and to reform English teaching methodologies in Korea.
EPIK further extends invitations to responsible, enthusiastic native English speakers who are motivated to share knowledge with students and teachers. If you are looking for jobs in teaching, EPIK will be a great choice.
Through EPIK, English language education will cultivate open-minded and well-rounded Korean individuals capable of advancing Korea in this age of information and globalization. In doing so, EPIK will promote cultural exchange and foster strong ties between Korea and other countries. If you wish to explore the world, teach English in Korea. You will be rewarded. EPIK further extends invitations to responsible, enthusiastic native English speakers who are motivated to share knowledge with students and teachers. If you are looking for jobs in teaching, EPIK is a great choice.
Programs Abroad
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Reviews
90%Overall
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80%Overall
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Korea is great place for traveling, meeting people and saving money. On Jeju the summer time is amazing for camping, hiking, beach volleyball and of course beaches. The winters are mild and there is always a group of foreigners up to something, whether it be yoga, taekwondo, or a Jeju Furey event. It also never ceases to amaze me how talented some of the people are here when it comes to art and music. As for EPIK, things are changing. They were talking about expecting a years experience to start, couples may not be placed together in the same city or area and you can't choose where you live. Whether these are in full effect, make sure to ask your recruiter.
Your schools are a crap shoot really. I've worked at amazing schools with amazing students and I've had the worst. Sometimes you have great co-teachers and sometimes you have ones that are hard to work with or none at all. My advice is try not to take it too seriously and go with the flow.
Critical Feedback:
There is no career advancement with EPIK. All you'll ever be is a "foreign" teacher which is regarded as the bottom of the totem pole. If you are an experienced teacher, this can get very frustrating. Get used to being the last to know what is going on with your classes and always expect last minute changes. EPIK on Jeju is not very well organized.
90%Overall
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Teaching in Korea has been a very rewarding experience. My students are terrific, even if it is hard to get them to pay attention some days. The kids generally are not in your class willingly to learn English and the textbook materials are HORRIBLE. There are times when I feel like a marionette because the schools sometimes decide they want to overly control me and what I teach, even if I go by the book. It is kind of like I am a bragging right for the school: "Look! We have a native English teacher!" The support you receive is awesome and the orientation they hold before you start is pretty well done. There are opportunities to do things like temple stays and festivals, so you won't be bored easily. The transportation system within Korea is amazing. The downside is that there is a LOT of desk warming. You are contracted to teach 22 hours and work 40 hours a week, so you potentially have at least 18 hours of sitting at your desk not doing much. The pay and benefits are great. My schools are fantastic and I have a good support base. Other English teachers in my city, and from what I can tell other cities do this too, have a network online to help each other and get together to do things. If you are vegetarian or vegan, it will be hard to satisfy your diet, but it is not impossible. Food is very expensive here. Every month the city has a meeting of EPIK teachers to discuss problems and train you some more. I am glad I decided to teach through EPIK, mainly because I know if I have a problem there is a network in place to help me and that it is not easy for schools to take advantage of my contract, as in decide to work me past my contracted hours without paying me and that sort of thing.
Critical Feedback:
The orientation was well done if you were teaching elementary school. There are hardly any resources readily available for middle school and high school students and they did not train you for what to do as a young foreign person in the work place. Korean society has a hierarchy based on age and gender. As a young, white woman (I am the youngest teacher at my schools), I am the lowest ranked person on the totem pole but it can be extremely hard to get anything done with this hierarchy in place without the training to know how to do it.
80%Overall
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I've just started my second contract and I'm really enjoying my time in Busan. The social scene is great and the summer on the beaches is fantastic. The job itself varies from school to school. I've been lucky in that I've got good co teachers but the kids are quite disrespectful. Some classes are a nightmare even with a co-teacher.
Overall i'd advise new teachers to apply, I imagine it can get quite boring if you're experienced and want a real challenge.
Critical Feedback:
I don't like the fact that we're often the only teachers desk warming. I think that when other teachers are allowed to leave the school that we should be also. I think the contract should be updated to include spring break into our vacation. I sat on my own in the school in february last year for three weeks. It was freezing cold and we weren't provided with lunch. Half of my friends were given that time off while myself and the other half were forced to sit and wait until 4.30 before going home.
100%Overall
Rating
I have nothing bad to say about EPIK. It is the softest cushion into teaching abroad. Korea is a really interesting country, there is so much to see and do.
They provide excellent training and a soft way into the extremely unique culture. You teach with a co teacher (most Elementary EPIK teachers) so you are not alone in the classroom. The schools have lots of English resources, and if you do have any problems so many people can help you.
The pay and accommodation (living in your own apt) are fantastic! It's really easy to travel within Asia from Korea. I could not nto say enough about how great EPIK is!
If you have more questions about the process, check out my blog post, or want to read more about Korean life check it out!
http://nicoleyoleravioli.blog.com/how-to-teach-with-epikin-koreain-asia/
Critical Feedback:
The only difficult part is not knowing what part of the country you will teach in until after you arrive in Korea!
Your experience teaching in Korea is heavily dependent on your expectations. It may not be an overwhelming cultural or spiritual experience that changes your life forever, but, it will be fun. Korea offers travel, change, new sights, new people, and an excellent opportunity to save money.
EPIK is a large program and almost no teacher I have talked to has had the same experience in the workplace. So much is dependent on individual schools and co-workers that it is hard to anticipate what your situation will be. Your greatest assets are flexibility and patience. I have taught in large schools and small schools, with coteachers and without coteachers. Each situation has its own challenges and its own rewards. The EPIK program will basically plant you in any type of work atmosphere and then expect you to thrive.
I find the work to be very easy. Teaching rarely surpasses 22 hours a week and the 'planning' time is so excessive I often have trouble finding productive things to do with my time in the office. This is nice some days but the lack of challenge can eventually get a bit tiresome.
In my opinion, the two most prominent benefits of teaching for the EPIK are the opportunity for travel and the capacity for saving money.
The EPIK program is much more liberal with their vacation days than almost all private teaching positions in Korea. With Korea as a starting point travel around Eastern and South Eastern Asia is easy business.
As for the second benefit, that of money. Within six months of arriving in Korea I had paid off my student loans and at the end of two years here I should have around 20,000 US dollars set aside for graduate school. There are almost no personal expenses when you work with the EPIK program. I spend less than 100 a month on utilities and food and entertainment are my only other expenses. I spend more money here than I ever have in my life and still manage to put aside about 1000 USD a month. Your travel should not be all about the money but in this case it is a very beneficial factor.
My main complaint about Korea is the lack of interaction with Koreans. Culturally Koreans are a sort of shy people. I have found it hard to become close friends with any Korean. I do have Korean friends but it is always a bit of a reserved relationship. You will be invited to do things with Korean groups but I have never felt like an insider. Even now that I speak enough Korean to hold conversations with the locals I still find it hard to feel truly welcome in Korean social settings.
And that is my review of EPIK. I would recommend it. It has been wonderful for me and for many others.