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Lately I’ve been getting a lot of people asking me questions about teaching English in Korea through EPIK. While I’ve said a lot of good things about the program, there are now a number of downsides of applying though EPIK (a big one being the massive job cuts they’re making). I decided to make this video to break down what these are and give a little perspective to those who have the mentality of “EPIK or nothing”.

While EPIK is a great program, there are 3 main reasons why teaching English in Korea through EPIK may no longer be the ideal choice.

1) Teaching English in Korea through EPIK is becoming extremely competitive

This is not some fact-less claim. Native English Teacher jobs in government schools have been cut down from 9520 in 2011 to just 6875 in 2014. Almost all high school and middle school jobs have been cut and EPIK has stated that they are only hiring teachers for elementary school jobs in the Spring of 2015.

This means that getting a job has become a whole lot more competitive because there are less positions and lots of demand, as well as current teachers renewing and staying in the program. Having teaching experience and/or teaching certifications is definitely going to be advantages even though you can still get in with a any bachelor’s and a TEFL.

2) The Application Process for EPIK is long and stressful

The earlier you get your application in to EPIK the better, and EPIK opens up for applications 6 months before the intake begins. This means you’ve got a long process of applying, waiting, interviewing, waiting and submitting documents to get in. While it’s true you can do this while you’re working on things back home, the process is still a long and tiring one.

There are other options which, if you have your documents ready, you can start pretty much right away.

3) It is extremely difficult to get into highly sought after locations in Korea with EPIK

Getting into the popular cities like Seoul or Busan is a long shot, due to many teachers re-signing with their schools, a high demand, and few positions.

Not only this but you have very little choice on where you get placed at all and you only find out what area you get into after months of applying and only find out your exact location AFTER you’ve arrived in Korea!

If you’re okay with rural, then EPIK is still a good option (though not guaranteed) but if you have any preference as to where you want to be I’d recommend looking into the other options (although of course you can still get lucky and get your desired location).

If you understand and are okay with the above, then by all means go ahead and apply to EPIK: it can’t hurt (other than wasting your time). EPIK jobs are fantastic and would still recommend going through them if you do get in. Just realize that you MAY NOT be accepted, as it is not as easy to get in as it once was.

Okay so what are the other options other than teaching English in Korea through EPIK and are they any good?

1) Hagwons

First up we have hagwons, or private academies. Hagwons vary in a number of ways from public school jobs, most notably in teaching hours. There is a lot of debate between public schools vs hagwons, and usually public schools are considered the better option all things considered.

However, there are thousands of hagwons out there and many of them are great. For every horror story out there you’ll find someone who loves their hagwon job. So the key to this is finding a good hagwon job. Make sure to look up hagwon “black lists” before signing up for one of these.

The upside of hagwon jobs is you can usually start immediately or find a job starting at a time that suits you, and you are far more likely to get a job in a highly sort after location such as Seoul or Busan.

2) Direct Placements Into Public Schools

Then there’s the option of being placed directly into a public school. There are far less jobs like these available as the majority of these positions are filled up by EPIK teachers. However, they do pop up from time to time and you will often be able to get one of these jobs even if it’s not at the start of a semester (like EPIK is).

These jobs have the exact same contract, benefits and pay as jobs through EPIK as they are government school jobs.

3) After School Jobs And Multiple Part Time Jobs

This is another option that’s somewhat under the radar and are usually found by people already in Korea who have worked here for a year or more. Finding after school and part time jobs is going to be a lot harder than a regular job and you’ll usually need some good contacts on the ground.

The trickiest thing with these jobs is securing a visa. Working at multiple jobs is on a regular E2 visa is illegal so you need a special visa for this which can be difficult to obtain. It can be done though and the people I talk to who have done this kind of thing say it’s the best option out there.

Alright so that’s it about why EPIK may longer be the best choice and those are the other options you can consider. I hope this post gave you some insight into the current situation and left you open to the idea of other options and not just teaching English in Korea through EPIK.

Let me know if you have questions or get in contact for a free Skype chat where we can discuss the topic more. Good luck!

Teaching in Korea