10 Things EPIK Doesn’t Tell You About Teaching English in South Korea

Prior to beginning my job as an ESL teacher with EPIK, I had no prior experience teaching English.   You can imagine the panic that arose when I found out I would not only be teaching four grade levels, but two after school classes and an adult class. I didn’t even know that was a possibility. These are examples of a few things EPIK fails to disclose about your new job as an ESL teacher. I am here to share a few things I wish I would have known before teaching in South Korea. 

1. The likelihood of teaching elementary students

You will most likely teach elementary students if you are applying to a public school through EPIK. No one tells you this, however, when you are applying. I had no idea what grade level I would be teaching, and it honestly contributed to my stress levels throughout the entire process. Since I had no prior experience teaching English, I imagined what my experience might be like if I was teaching high school students {or even adults}. I really wanted to teach elementary level students — after all, they would be more forgiving if I royally effed something up. Good news, 90% {ish} of EPIK applicants will be placed in elementary schools.

2. That you may still be placed in a rural area within a larger metropolitan

When my recruiter asked me if I would prefer to be placed in a rural area or a metropolitan city, I immediately expressed my preference for a city. Of course, most ESL teachers want to be placed in Seoul, but as we will learn it’s nearly impossible as a first year applicant. There are plenty of metropolitan areas outside of Seoul deserving of a chance, including Daegu — my city of preference when applying to EPIK. Upon hearing I would be placed in Daegu, I was ecstatic. That being said, Daegu is a large province.

On the last day of orientation, I found the name of my town within the Daegu area and immediately googled it. When looking up public transportation options into the downtown area of Daegu, the results told me it would take over an hour. I am the only foreigner in my town, and it is technically considered a rural location. So, while I am technically in Daegu, it is safe to say that I am relatively isolated. Personally, I am absolutely fine with my living arrangement, but I wouldn’t be surprised if others with the same fate felt differently.  Although this isn’t always the case, it is something to prepare yourself for.

3. The importance of learning Korean before arrival

To be fair, EPIK does express the importance of learning Korean before you arrive in the country — but not enough. I kind of brushed this aside when I read it in the pre-orientation assessment. EPIK made it seem like you could ‘get by’ without knowing Korean, and technically you can. But I would highly, highly advise learning how to introduce yourself, how to order food, and basic conversational phrases before arriving. And I don’t mean memorizing a few lines. It will make a world of a difference if you can hold a basic conversation here in your new home. That means knowing some of the language, and being able to recognize possible responses. I can’t stress this point enough!

4. The unlikelihood of being placed in Seoul

Again, EPIK casually mentions that it’s ‘hard’ to receive placement in Seoul as a first year applicant. I’m here to tell you they mean it’s not going to happen. Even some second year applicants are denied placement in Seoul. Everyone wants to teach English in Seoul when they think of teaching in South Korea. Please don’t waste your time by marking this as your city of choice on your application. I promise I am not trying to be negative, just realistic. Even in 2018, where intake was the lowest it’s been for years, Seoul was off the table.

Your time is better spent researching other cities or areas of the country that give you all the Korean feels. Busan is a very popular destination for ESL teachers, and I personally love living in Daegu. The exception to all of this, of course, is teachers with plenty of prior experience. If you have credentials, or some years of experience under your belt, Seoul is a more probable option for you — though still not guaranteed!

5. How long the waiting process takes

I started thinking about teaching English in South Korea in March of 2017 and began my application process in August of 2017 {right when applications became available}. I waited a few months for an interview. Then I waited to find out if I had been accepted by the EPIK program itself. Once accepted, I was forced to wait even longer to find out if any of the schools had approved of my application. I found out I got the job in South Korea two weeks before I arrived in the country {February 2018}. That’s right, I had one week to apply for a visa, and then a week to purchase my flight. I applied through a recruiter {highly recommend} who explained the application process to me.

EPIK will not tell you how long the waiting process takes. The internet will attempt to. But coming from a girl who had quit her job in New York City and packed up her life to move back in with her parents, waiting to find out if I was going to be employed over the next year or not was critical. Right when I thought I was going to form an ulcer from anticipation, I got my beautiful contract in the mail. Prepare yourself for a long wait, and a probably scramble at the finish line. Don’t fret, however, I am living proof that it will all work out in the end.

6. That you won’t be teaching during your first week of school

The most common phrase you will hear during orientation is, ‘It depends’. This is something EPIK does tell you that rings very true. It’s not something you want to hear, however when you ask if you should be prepared to teach the day you arrive at your new school. I didn’t even get a ‘maybe’. I got nothing. Coming from personal experience, the majority of friends I spoke with this year did not teach their students during the first week of school.

Generally, the first week of classes is spent desk warming. You will most likely be called in to introduce yourself over a school broadcast, and invited to an opening ceremony. As far as teaching goes, don’t worry too much, it’s likely you won’t be thrown into the deep end right away. Personally, I had two weeks of desk warming until I even entered a classroom. The teaching aspect of things was very gradual and not too overwhelming {luckily}. Of course ‘it depends’ on your specific school, but worst case scenario prepare an introduction PowerPoint. Include pictures of yourself, your hometown, your family and friends, etc. The students will love it.

7. How irrelevant your orientation lesson plan is when compared to actual lesson planning

During EPIK orientation, you are required to prepare a lesson plan with another future ESL teacher, and present your lesson to a group of your peers. Seems simple enough, right? Wrong. EPIK presents you with a laundry list of requirements for your said lesson plan, and lays on an unnecessary amount of pressure. Suddenly you’ve spent hours on one 40 minute lesson plan and you’re thinking to yourself, ‘How the hell am I going to do this multiple times a week and still have time to breathe?’ Fear not future ESL teachers.

The reality is your daily lesson planning will consist of 80% less work than your orientation lesson planning. In theory, the components of the orientation lesson plan should be incorporated into daily lessons, but it’s simply not the reality. I will use myself as an example.

Firstly, my school does not require any written lesson plans. Let it be known that this is an exception as many schools require written lesson plans prior to teaching lessons. Regardless, it’s something I don’t have to worry about. Secondly, I am only responsible for planning half of the lesson. So, instead of planning for 6, 40-minute lessons a week, I am esentially planning for 6, 20-minute lessons {give or take}.

8. That your EPIK training will continue throughout the entire first semester

This little tidbit of information isn’t disclosed to you in a straight forward way… ever. I kind of assumed after orientation, we were in the clear and at the mercy of our school. Unfortunately, your training continues as you have to complete another online training before the end of your first semester. And yes, it’s as painful as the pre-orientation online training.

It should also be noted that EPIK doesn’t touch much on open classes. I somewhat understand why since it is technically at the discretion of your districts’ office of education. However, it’s something every EPIK teacher has to undergo and therefore should be discussed. Open classes occur around the second or third month of teaching and consist of other EPIK teachers observing one of your classes. I was very confused about my open class prior to actually presenting it. If you have questions about open classes, comment down below and I’ll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

9. Anything about after school classes

Another thing EPIK explains nothing about are after school classes. A lot of people I know {myself included} are required to teach after school classes at their school. The internet is also somewhat lackluster in terms of information pertaining to after school classes. So, when I was told I had two after school classes to prepare for on a weekly basis, I panicked. After school classes require more prep work than any other class you will teach. Therefore, you would think it’s a topic EPIK would at least mention at orientation.

Since they do not, I am here to give you the 411. Firstly, there is no Korean co-teacher to assist with translating, classroom management, or lesson planning. Secondly, there is no course book guiding you along any type of curriculum. As intimidating as this sounds, it can also be quite freeing. For example, you have the opportunity to get creative with your classroom content. Want to have an entire class dedicated to superhero’s? Go for it. Want to share your love of the San Francisco Giants? Sure. You can tie almost anything into an English lesson if you try hard enough.

My after school class is actually very unique in the sense that I coach basketball every Wednesday after school. My class is called ‘English Basketball Club’, where we mostly learn basketball drills and play 3-on-3 games in the school gym. I don’t have to worry about classroom management, as I can simply have the students run around if they are getting a bit rowdy. This is a great way for my students to gain confidence speaking English since they are not required to sit stationary in a classroom, with all of the spotlight on them. We can communicate freely, with casual conversation as the focus.

10. The number of schools you will work for

In addition to your school’s location, the number of school’s you will work for is not disclosed to you until your last day of orientation. It’s pretty common to work for more than one school. In fact, I once again find myself as the exception when I tell people I only work for one school. I got ridiculously lucky with my school and feel hashtag blessed that it’s my only one. Most of my friends here in Korea teach at two schools, however two of my friends work at five schools. FIVE SCHOOLS. That means a different school each day of the week.

Bonus: How hard you will fall in love with your students

And of course, EPIK can never explain the extent of which you will fall in love with your new students. For someone who doesn’t really enjoy the presence of children, I have accepted multiple jobs that require close interaction with them. Well folks, I can confidently say I am a new woman. I had no idea I would look forward to seeing the smiling faces of my students each every day. And that it would become the highlight of my day. They make the entire process worth it. I can promise you this. You even fall in love with the little assholes.

Overall, the EPIK experience is what you make of it. You will never be fully prepared for your new life in South Korea. After all, it changes every single day. None of these things would deter me from wanting to teach English. I really love my quality of life here in Korea, That being said, these were a few things I wish I would have known prior to beginning my job as an ESL teacher in Korea. You can read more about orientation here, or gain more insight about life in Korea from my vlogs on my YouTube channel here.