***This post is longer than I wanted it to be. On this page I include 1) different ways to get to Korea, 2) Documents needed (and a brief summary of each), and 3) Timeline for applying to EPIK. Please skip ahead if you don't need to read the other stuff.***
So the process for becoming an English teacher in South Korea through EPIK is actually rather long and can be both time and money-consuming. Almost 6 months from start to finish. But I stress that I think it is very rewarding. However, before I dig in, I will briefly list a few other things one can do to make the move to South Korea. (Besides going to school or moving as part of a US-based company) If anyone reads this and can tell me any other ways, I would much appreciate it!
1. Holt Homecoming
2. Live-in Volunteer at Ilsan
3. TaLK
4. EPIK
Holt Homecoming - Recommended! Korean Adoptees only. Application process takes about 1-2 months, the program lasts 3 months, and you can renew once.
What you get: free dormitory housing (you will have a roommate), 1-2 hours a day teaching daycare, 20 hours a week Korean language classes, and a monthly stipend (enough to live on).
What you need: Passport, health check (including drug testing), recommendations, criminal background check, copy of University diploma and official University transcripts.
What you need to know: You don't get any training for teaching. They say that they have an "orientation", but my orientation was basically lunch and asking about teaching. You can ask as many questions as you want during lunch, but if you're like me, and you've never taught before and don't even know where to start, you're not likely to even know what to ask. Also, teaching AND classes are non-negotiable. If you feel overwhelmed by both, you still have to do both. And you have to attend 80% of classes. You also will have an hour commute, an hour there and an hour coming back, from the dorm to the daycares.
Jodi's overview: Looking back, I really liked the Korean language classes and the daycares. But it took me about a month to get into the swing of things and that first month was pretty stressful. But if you make it through that, you're golden and can do anything! :D
Last note: If you choose this route, if you decide to continue past 3 months, you have to pass the Korean class to renew. If you either don't pass or don't want to renew the program but want to continue living in Korea, it's fairly easy to do so. A few of my friends have been able to continue teaching at their daycares as well as finding a few more to supplement that income. Also, as far as the teaching goes, I am going to make another post/page that talks about teaching. Please e-mail me if you want to know more about it and that page isn't up yet.
Live-in Volunteer at Ilsan - I don't know much about this except that it's 1-3 months long, although I expect that they wouldn't mind if you stayed longer. You get food and lodging free and a small amount of pocket money in exchange for being a volunteer at Holt's Ilsan Town, home for the disabled. If you want more information, contact me (I still have the document somewhere) or contact Holt directly.
TaLK - If you haven't graduated from college yet, check this out. It's pretty much the same as EPIK, without as many restrictions. I don't know about the application process. I think it's similar, but I'm not sure.
EPIK - I list this last because it's what I know the best, as this is the program I got into. All contracts are 1 year for teaching English. There are many ways to become a teacher in South Korea, but from everything I've read, this is the best way to do so. It only sends teachers to public schools, which is important, as some private schools (called hagwons) are not always very accommodating. It also has the largest reach, as this program sends teachers all over Korea. The downside? It sends teachers to all different parts of Korea. So if you want a specific place in Korea and won't go anywhere else, you may want to try and apply directly to schools in that area, or go through a recruiter and tell them exactly what you want. I was very blessed and got my first choice! (Which doesn't always happen).
Alright. This is longer than I meant to make it. Here is the skinny on EPIK:
What you need that will take a while:
Passport
TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate
Notarized Copy of Diploma with Apostille
FBI Background Check with Apostille
Sealed copy of University transcript
Recommendation letters
Passport: Make sure your passport expires well beyond the date you expect to return. If you end up deciding you want to stay, you probably don't want to try and renew your passport from Korea... So maybe you just want to renew it now so it's good for 10 years. That's what I did.
TEFL Certificate: when I applied I was told it wasn't absolutely necessary, but HIGHLY recommended, and that soon it would be required. I don't know if it is required now, but I would recommend getting one as it also puts you in a higher pay bracket and puts you above other applicants who don't have one. You can do in-person classes (which are highly regarded, but more expensive and not available everywhere) or online classes (which are still good to have, and less expensive). My online certificate cost $250. Was the content justifiable for the cost? Debatable. Was it worth it overall? Yes. Just do it. (And do it early.)
Notarized Copy of Diploma with Apostille: This one doesn't take as long as the FBI check, but you might as well do this one at the same time, if not earlier. In fact, I recommend doing this one as soon as possible and maybe even get more than one as they don't expire and you will probably need to have one for every job/visa you apply for. You only need to give them at the very end though, so don't get 16 copies if you're applying for 16 jobs. They're just nice to have in case you renew or apply somewhere else afterwards. It's not very expensive either. I got my diploma copied and notarized at my credit union (banks and other places generally charge for it), and sent it off for an Apostille with my Secretary of State for $10.00.
Sealed copy of University transcript: As above, this one shouldn't take too long, but it pays to do it early and get multiple copies. You never know when you will need another, and it will never expire. I was told to get at least 3 copies. I think I ended up getting 5 or 6, just in case.
Recommendations: ALWAYS ask early for this. Sometimes it takes people a while, sometimes not. But it's better to be early than late.
FBI Background Check with Apostille: This one can be the worst. Fortunately, mine only took 1.5 months, but I think that's because I started early. This one also doesn't necessarily pay to be early. If the FBI check is too "old", it won't be accepted and you will have wasted your time. I think it's 6 months is the cutoff line. So try and send it out 2 months prior to when you are planning to apply. For instance, if you apply October 31st. Send it out September 1st. But remember, you still need to get your fingerprints done before that, and sometimes, if your fingerprints get screwed up or something else weird happens, they may send you the check back for xyz reason. So be careful and double check EVERYTHING before sending it to the FBI. There's a lot more to it, but since a plethora of other people have written about getting one of those, I'll just post a link to it. If you have any specific questions after that, contact me.
TIMELINE
Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. How does the timeline look for applying to this program? I said 6 months, how can that be? Well, here's how it went for me (and I applied early and to two different programs, so it will look different for you, I also sent only 1 FBI check the first time and needed two, so I sent it again):
June 13th: Got fingerprints taken and mailed application for the FBI Background check, also applied for a renewed passport and a notarized copy of my degree for the Apostille. Also sent notarized copy of diploma to my Secretary of State for an Apostille.
June 18th: Received my degree with Apostille
July 5th: Received my new passport book
July 16th: Received FBI background check back
July 17th: Mailed FBI background check to Department of State for Apostille
August 1st: Received FBI check with Apostille
August 29th: Sent another FBI Background Check request
October 4th: Application sent to EPIK
October 5th: Received FBI check and mailed out for Apostille
October 18th: Received email with EPIK interview time
October 24th: Interview for EPIK
October 25th: Received email stating interview passed!!!
October 29th: Received FBI check back with Apostille
October 30th: Sent all documents to Korea
November 6th: EPIK received documents
November 29th: EPIK confirmed position
SO... As you can see, I started the process June 13th and didn't know until November 29th that I had a position. The latest I think you could start this process is the end of August, beginning of September, since that's when I sent the second FBI check which was sent to EPIK.
I also mentioned above that this process is money-consuming. Singularly, the prices weren't very much (except for the certificate), generally ranging from $5-20. But added up, I would guess I spent about $500.00 on this process, including the TEFL certificate, fingerprint fees, Apostille fees, FBI check fees, Dept of State fees, multiple priority mailings, FEDEX package to Korea, etc.
But was all of this worth it? For me, absolutely. I have honestly never been happier in my life. I LOVE teaching, and, although I know other teachers who don't enjoy it as much, there is plenty of other things in Korea to love. But I truly hope you enjoy teaching if you come, because the joy the students bring to me is worth it in every way everyday.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
I also mentioned above that this process is money-consuming. Singularly, the prices weren't very much (except for the certificate), generally ranging from $5-20. But added up, I would guess I spent about $500.00 on this process, including the TEFL certificate, fingerprint fees, Apostille fees, FBI check fees, Dept of State fees, multiple priority mailings, FEDEX package to Korea, etc.
But was all of this worth it? For me, absolutely. I have honestly never been happier in my life. I LOVE teaching, and, although I know other teachers who don't enjoy it as much, there is plenty of other things in Korea to love. But I truly hope you enjoy teaching if you come, because the joy the students bring to me is worth it in every way everyday.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
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