#epik application

Hi everyone!

What you are about to read is a comprehensive timeline of my EPIK application journey for the Spring 2017 intake. I know when I was going through this crazy-long process, it was always helpful to read timelines from various applicants to help me better prepare for what was ahead and to merely put my mind at ease at certain points of the process. Note that each person’s experience with the EPIK application process is different and this only represents my personal one. However, I have included approximate time spans as well as costs for documents, if applicable, at certain points of the timeline to help you get a more general sense of what to expect. I also applied through a recruiter, so my timeline may vary from someone who applied directly to EPIK around the same time I did. I hope this is helpful!

- Tayler

You've applied for EPIK and you've passed the first phase. Congratulations! Grab that soju and take a shot! This means the next obstacle: the interview. Cue the nervous breakdown.  

Even if you pass your interview, there is still a chance that you might miss out on a position if you do not send all the required documents to EPIK promptly.

This post will focus on the various documents I had to collate, the process which I went through and the costs involved. Please note I am from Australia and the documents required will vary depending on which country you are from.

1)    Original completed application form (with your ink signature)

Any changes required to be made to your application form which were discussed during the interview should be incorporated.

2)    Copy of your passport information page (preferably in colour)

3)    Passport sized photographs

It cost me about $19.00 for eight passport sized photographs. Whilst you only need to submit 2 photographs at this point of your application, the rest will be useful later on when you are applying for your Visa or Alien Registration Card in Korea (more about the ARC later).

NOTE: You should make clear that the photographs you need are for the purposes of applying for a Korean Visa. I know a lot of people who didn’t make this clear and later found their photographs to be too large.

4)    Apostilled Bachelor’s Degree

You will need to take your original Bachelor’s Degree to a notary. I found this website helpful in locating the Notary service nearest to me:

http://www.notarylocator.com.au/

The notary made a copy of my Bachelor’s Degree and then notarised it. Your Bachelor’s degree should now have a pretty red seal to confirm that the copy corresponds to the original. I paid $50.00 to have my Bachelor’s Degree notarised.

I then took the notarised copy of the Bachelor’s Degree to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to have it apostilled. I paid $60.00 to have it apostilled, left my notarised copy of the Bachelor’s Degree with DFAT and was provided a receipt to collect it in 3 working days time.

I was given the option of having the apostilled documents mailed to me, however the lady who dealt with my application urged me to collect it personally to avoid any mishap.

5)    Apostilled National Police Check (NPC)

You will need to apply for your NPC through the Australian Federal Police.

I applied for the National Police Check (without the fingerprint) which cost me $42.00.

Once you receive your original NPC, YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE IT NOTARISED. Skip this step and take it directly to the DFAT to have it apostilled. Once again it cost me $60.00 for the apostille.

6)    Apostilled Birth Certificate

UK and Australian Applicants are also required to provide an apostilled copy of their birth certificate.

Similar to what is required to obtain an apostilled Bachelor’s Degree, simply take your original birth certificate to a notary. The notary will make a copy of your Birth Certificate and have it notarised. I paid $50.00 to have the birth certificate notarised.

I then took it to the DFAT to have it apostilled which cost me another $60.00.

To save time, it would be prudent for you to have the Bachelor's Degree and Birth Certificate notarised at the same time before taking them along with the original NPC to the DFAT to be apostilled.

7)    Sealed Transcipts

You should make it very clear with your university that you want each of the transcripts to be sealed separately.

What this means is that each transcript will come in a separate envelope sealed with a university stamp over the top. I ordered 4 sets of transcripts which cost me $19.00.

8)    Letters of Recommendation

You are now required to submit the original hard copies of both letters of recommendation that were email with the initial application.

9)    Proof of Level 2 Pay

Whilst applicants can apply to EPIK without having completed a TESOL/TEFL course, the Offices of Education now require all applications to be at a level 2 or higher before signing the final contract. EPIK sets out on their website various ways to be considered a level 2 on the pay scale.

Generally the easiest way for most applicants is to obtain a Teachers’s TEFL/TESOL Certificate with minimum of 120 hours. I paid $99.00 for an online 120 hours TESOL/TEFL course through TEFLEN which I bought through Groupon - love a good bargain!

There is no requirement as to which provider you must obtain your TEFL/TESOL Certificate from however it must be an internationally accredited provider.

NOTE: Various Offices of Education may have different requirements. For example, you can only teach in Busan it you have at least a 50 hour in-class component.

At the time I sent my required documents to EPIK, I had only completed 50% of my TEFL/TESOL online course. As such, I had to complete a "Sworn Declaration of Intent to Fulfill Mandatory Qualification Required for EPIK Contract" and forward it to EPIK along with a letter from TEFLEN confirming my enrolment. After completing the 120 hours, I emailed a copy of the Certificate of Completion to my EPIK coordinator.

I paid $32.50 for the above documents to be delivered to the EPIK office by international express post. Whilst a bit on the pricey side, it gave me a peace of mind knowing delivery would be prompt and I could track where my package was at any given time.

All up I spent around $491.50 during this part of the application process.

Yes, it is a bit of a gamble to spend so much when there is no guarantee that you will get a position. However, I was sure that even if I was not accepted by EPIK I would still want to teach at a Hagwon in South Korea and so most of the documents would not go to waste.

So this completes my posts on the EPIK application process. I received my Notice of Appointment about 1 month after sending my documents to EPIK. For those who are curious - this is what a Notice of Appointment looks like:

My interview was scheduled on 3 April 2014 at 15:00pm Korean Standard Time (KST).

To be honest I was nervous about the interview as I felt it was the make or break portion of my application – What if my interviewer didn’t like my personality? What if I was asked questions I couldn’t answer?  What if Skype wasn’t working or my computer broke down half way through the interview?

However, all my worries were unnecessary as my interview ended up going really smoothly. My key to success? PREPARE, PREPARE AND PREPARE!!!

2 weeks prior to the interview:

I reviewed the EPIK website.

I used the internet to research common questions which were previously asked during EPIK interviews and prepared brief responses to them.

Note: I did not write out my response word for word as it would not be natural during my interview. Rather, I prepared simple dot points and practiced how I would respond if those questions were asked.

I briefly researched South Korea – history, geography and culture.

3 days prior to the interview:

I reviewed my completed EPIK application and the dot point response prepared 2 weeks prior to the interview.

1 day prior to the interview:

I double checked the time my interview was scheduled.

Printed out a copy of my completed application.

I checked the microphone and speakers on my laptop were in working order.

Logged onto Skype to ensure the program was working.

Note: There is a function on Skype which allows you to speak and Skype will replay your voice to show what the other person will hear.

Plan what I will be wearing for the interview. Your choice of attire should be professional – nothing too low cut or flashy.

Plan where I will be sitting during the interview. Make sure your choice of location has good lighting and background.

On the day of the interview, I logged onto Skype about 45 minutes prior to my scheduled interview time. If you have never used Skype before, I would advise you to download and practice using it prior to the interview.

My interviewer was extremely friendly and whilst he was Korean, spoke perfect English. The interview began with the interviewer going through my application with me. Every now and then the interviewer would ask me to elaborate on various aspects of my application.

Afterwards, the interviewer moved onto more general questions such as “What do you know about Korea?” Luckily most of the questions asked were similar to the questions I had anticipated.

We have been advised by EPIK not to relay the questions that were asked during our interviews. As such, I can only give you the following tips:

1)     Know your application inside out, including your reasons for wanting to teach in Korea, your teaching philosophy and lesson plan.

2)     Prepare some questions you may wish to ask your interviewer.

3)     Speak confidently. Practice in front of a mirror beforehand if you need to. You are applying to become a teacher and the interviewer needs to know whether you can communicate effectively.

4)    Maintain eye contact with the interviewer by ensuring you are looking into your laptop camera.

5)    Smile and let your personality shine.

My interview went for half an hour. I was advised by my interviewer that I would receive confirmation as to whether I passed my interview within 3 – 5 days.

On 8 April 2014 I received an email from my EPIK interviewer that I had passed my interview. The email included comprehensive information on the documents which I was required to submit to EPIK before I would be referred to an Office of Education.

Before I break down the EPIK Application process, if you are genuinely interested about teaching English in Korea through EPIK, I strongly advise you to check out the EPIK website:

http://www.epik.go.kr/index.do

All the information you need is there including information on the job eligibility, description, forms required, documents required and the entire procedure in applying for EPIK.

EPIK applications are open twice a year – the Spring term positions start in February and the Fall term positions start in August. EPIK begins accepting applications approximately 6 months before the start date. I would recommend you to start preparing your application at least 3 months before the date that EPIK begins accepting applications.

For example, I wanted to start teaching in South Korea in August 2014. EPIK began accepting applications in February 2014 and I began preparing my application in December 2013.

The initial application process involves sending your completed National EPIK Application Form to [email protected] by email with an attached photo and 2 scanned letters of recommendation. As I was hoping to be considered for a position in Seoul I also had to submit a completed Seoul Attachment Form. All application forms can be downloaded from the EPIK website.

When preparing for this first stage of the application process, you should definitely spend more time drafting your personal essay and lesson plan.

Personal Essay

The personal essay should between 500 – 800 words and address your ability to succeed as an ESL teacher in a public school in Korea. This section will be assessed by EPIK on your content, form, grammar and style.

In particular, EPIK is interested in 3 things:

1)    Your reasons for wanting to teach ESL in Korea

This is an easy issue to address. Simply ask yourself – what is your motivation behind wanting to teach English in Korea. Be frank with yourself but at the same time don’t simply write about how much you love Kpop. As discussed in my previous post, your overarching consideration should be why you want to teach.

Personally, I discussed my love for mentoring children and being able to share my passion for learning with others. I also discussed my fascination with the Korean culture.

2)    Your teaching philosophy

I found this issue difficult to address as I am not a teacher and have no experience in teaching. However, I drew on my previous work experience as caregiver for children with disabilities and discussed how that experience has shaped my teaching philosophy and method.

If you are in a similar position as me, simply reflect back on any work experiences or courses you have participated in which have involved you passing your knowledge onto others and talk about how that may have shaped your teaching philosophy.

If you have no such experience at all, a few suggested questions you could consider are:

What are your attitudes, values and belief about teaching and learning?

How would you like the students in your class to behave?

What would you like the atmosphere of your classroom to be like?

What methodology would you employ to foster the ideal atmosphere in your classroom?

How do you intend to engage the students?

3)    Your thoughts on encountering cultural differences

I spoke about how encountering cultural differences are inescapable and gave examples. I also discussed that being aware of cultural differences can go a long way in establishing your teaching style and maximising teaching and learning satisfaction.

Whilst I was a bit stumped on this section, in hindsight there were lots of others things I could have address. For example, I could of discussed instances where I have previously encountered cultural differences, how I addressed my previous experience with encountering cultural differences and how appreciating cultural differences may assist in building a stronger relationship with your co-teacher or diminish homesickness.

This is a personal essay so be honest with yourself when completing this section. Whilst there are no right or wrong answers think deeply as to whether the content in your personal essay are in line with the values or goals of the EPIK Program.

Lesson Plan

The lesson plan portion of your application is difficult if you have no teaching experience. At the time I was preparing my EPIK application, I had never even drafted a lesson plan before and initially relied on “Google” to give me some general understanding of how to prepare a lesson plan.

Coincidently, I was also half way through my online TEFL/TESOL course and happened to reach the topic about lesson plans which was a lot of help.

EPIK also provides a template and thorough information on how to prepare a lesson plan in their information booklet which can be found on their website.

TIPS on preparing your lesson plan:

1)     To begin with you should consider the unit title (theme) you wish to teach. For example weather, sports, countries etc.

My lesson plan was on the topic “animal body parts”. I initially wanted to prepare a lesson plan around the topic “animals” but as I began to draft the steps and procedures of my lesson plan, I felt that “animals” was too broad.

2)     Once that has been decided, ask yourself “What skills do you want your students to have at the end of your lesson?” This would form the objectives component of your lesson plan. Be specific with your objectives and don’t just write “to memorise different types of sporting activities.”

I had 3 objectives for my lesson plan. These were:

Read, write and pronounce 10 animal body parts.

Identify the animals which possess each of those body parts.

Construct simple sentences which describe animals with their body parts.

3)    Subheadings are extremely useful in assisting you with structuring your lesson plan. This may be as simple as “Introduction”, “Development” and “Conclusion”.

I wanted to be more succinct and chose to use more subheadings – “Warm-up/Review”,  “Introduction”,  “Presentation”, “Practice” and “Conclusion”.

4)    Add variety to your lesson plan. This shows you have the ability to think outside the box and can employ teaching methods outside simple lecturing. For example you may include activities such as showing a short film clip or organising games related to the learning objectives.

5)    Include additional material to supplement your lesson plan and make it stand out. Just make sure you keep your lesson plan within the 5 page limit.

I simply prepared a worksheet for the students to complete. I know other applicants chose to include a detailed power point so that is something you may wish to consider.

Letters of Recommendation

The letter of recommendation is another aspect of the application process which people often have a lot of questions about.

In my view, this is one of the more time consuming aspects of your application as it is purely dependent on when your referee is available to write and send you the letter of recommendation. Therefore, I strongly suggest you begin obtaining your letter of recommendation as soon as possible.

If you have the slightest inkling that you want to apply for the EPIK Program then start requesting your letter of recommendation NOW. Your letter of recommendation has a 2 year expiration date from when it is issued.

Please note EPIK only requires you to initially scan and send a copy of the letter of recommendation to them. It is only after you have passed the interview do they request an original of the letter of recommendation.

EPIK requires 2 letter of recommendation preferably from a professional source. This means the letter of recommendation should not come from your family members, friends of colleagues. I obtained my letter of recommendation from one of my previous employer and my previous law lecturer at university.

The letter of recommendation must:

Be in Korean or English.

Include the applicant’s full first and last name.

Include dates of employment in YYYY/MM – YYYY/MM format.

Include the exact location of the school, institute or company.

State the average number of hours worked per week.

State the relationship to the applicant.

Should contain the referees’ position title, company address, contact information, phone number and email address.

Any additional relevant information.

Not be older than 2 years.

Signed by the referee in ink signature.

Be printed on the referees’ company letter head or if that is not possible the letter should have a business card attached.

You will note there is A LOT of criteria for your letter of recommendation. Please ensure when you touch base with your referee to request your letter of recommendation you advise them of all the above criteria. This would help you avoid any delay to your EPIK application process as well as the need to hassle your referee for a revised letter of recommendation.

TIP: Ask for at least 3 copies of the original letter of recommendation (all with ink signature) from each referee. Always good to have extra on hand in case you lose one in the mail.

On 2 February 2014 (the day after they began accepting applications) I emailed my initial application to EPIK.

On 3 February 2014 I received confirmation from EPIK that they had received my initial application and that my application would not be processed until the last week of March. At that time, we would be notified as to whether we have been invited for an interview which begins on 1 April 2014.

After a long and arduous wait, I have finally received confirmation from EPIK that I have been allocated to teach English in... SEOUL!!!

Seoul was my preferred Office of Education which I noted on my application form from the outset. In the past, EPIK allowed you to choose your second preferred Office of Education as well, however this has now changed.

On your application you can only list one specific preferred Office of Education. There is an option for you to either be recommended to a different location or withdraw from EPIK in the event you are unable to be recommended to your preferred Office of Education.

I will now need to apply for my visa and finalise my ticket. However, I can only do that once I receive my Notice of Appointment from EPIK which should arrive around mid/late July.