Another thing I would like to throw out there for people to consider is whether you want to feel like an actual teacher or a teacher's assistant. I just switched from EPIK to hagwon and I have to say one of the best things about teaching at a hagwon is I *feel* like a teacher. As an EPIK teacher I felt more like just a person who came and played games with kids for 20 minutes. That's of course all dependent on your school, co-teachers, etc. but its pretty common that you will mostly be making games/activities for your students as an EPIK teacher. As a hagwon teacher I am actually teaching my students and it is a great feeling! It challenges me to think of ways to describe words in a different way if my students don't know what it is. I teach other subjects besides just English as well. If I could teach kindergarten with an EPIK schedule I would. I enjoy teaching kindergarten so much more than elementary.
i feel like an actual teacher at times. but the kids are just hard to control. since parents are paying for their kids to be taught, they get away with a lot of crap and being respectful to teachers and bullying other students. literally had a teacher talk about a student who after taking their phone for using in class, the student got in their face and YELLED at him. the student wasn't reprimanded. because student happiness equals parent happiness equals money.
I’m with EPIK right now but I am switching to a private school next year or Hagwon . I work at 5 schools , 3 elementary and 2 middle schools . I travel to all these schools, I have a total of 7 co teachers and it’s a lot . The Transit time to the schools is between 10-45 minutes depending on the school . I cannot do this again . EPIK Is a great program if you are placed in a great town / city with fewer schools say 2/3 schools . But anything beyond that is really hard to maintain especially if you want to be a good teacher . The government is also doing budget cuts and they are hiring less teachers meaning the remaining teachers get multiple schools . Also the smaller schools also need English teachers but because they are small the government can’t afford to keep one teacher in a small school so we travel to all these tiny schools and have maybe one big school . I really evaluated my life and structure and decided I’d rather leave and find a more stable work environment . Also the element of surprise with EPIK is really risky . You only find out what you have at the final hour . And at that point it’s hard to turn back.
This was super helpful, thank you much for taking the time to help people like me thinking about teaching in Korea 😊 Looks like it's going to be EPIK for me!
Im exactly where youre at now! Omg!!! Ive been waiting for it to go through! My contract got pushed back last year cuz my passport was expiring. I didnt know. So it’s been a year. Today... i just got the email from recruiter i finally got a contract again. I need to be there May 8th.. but just tonight im finding all these vids on youtube how it’s scammy omg lol. I thought I researched this well enough lol 😭😭. I might not do it anymore! I thought hagwon is more vacation! Lol
Sadly I'm convinced that ~90% hagwon jobs are crap. Hard to control students (and the ones in the 10-year old range are often flat-out disrespectful), unreasonably demanding parents, nonsensical curricula, long stretches of teaching hours with no break, directors that will throw you under the bus when things aren't going well, etc. Considering that hagwon salaries have gone nowhere over the past 10 years as the cost of living increases, I generally discourage people from taking such a job.
it is not all bad, but unfortunately the students, parents, long hours, etc is definitely a part of the hagwon experience. i'm hoping i last long enough at my hagwon so i can apply for EPIK next term and see for myself how it is working at a public school.
These positions are terrible. I honestly wanted to slap by hagwon administration for being so rude to me. They're just the worst bunch ever with endless and unreasonable demands with the most abusive attitudes ever
I’m going through a MOU/MOA organization that partners with EPIK and have had my eyes set on applying to EPIK but they had warned me because of COVID that a lot of people who passed the interview for fall 2020 did not get a placement because many provinces did not accept new teachers and that this may be the case for Spring 2021. They said I should consider Hagwons but I’m still very hesitant, but I also have already got almost all my documents ready so I don’t want to waste all this time and money for nothing and end up like the teachers for the fall intake that they didn’t have room for. I am so torn on what to do because EPIK just seems to be better 😣
You can always dual path and then make a decision. To be honest, it is hard to get a spot right now with both EPIK and hagwons since there are less teaching positions in EPIK rn because of Covid and hagwons would rather hire someone already in Korea to avoid the 2 weeks quarantine. Would try both and then decide later down the road.
Probably a hagwon because you would be working with more people your age versus in a public school you are the only foreigner teacher and most of the Korean teachers are older.
Hello , I'm from India and I am currently pursuing my Bachelor's degree in economics , which will be completed in 2021 . I want to apply for the EPIK program / Hagwon (2021)And as India is not included in those 7 countries but India has a CEPA Agreement with Korea , which allows Indians to work in Korea. I wanted to ask if I have any chances to be selected in the EPIK PROGRAM / Hagwon? Is being non native a disadvantage for teaching in Hagwon?
I applied to EPIK twice and was denied without an explanation and I even said I would go to a rural area. I just think it's because of my age but it's okay.
I'm sorry to hear about that. Please don't let that discourage you. If you're open to other opportunities abroad, you can look into employment at American universities that have campuses abroad.
It’s definitely not okay and I’m sorry you had to go through the application process twice!! Try hagwons if you haven’t already. I really hope you get to Korea soon!
You can switch both ways but with epik you have very specific start dates that are non negotiable so your hagwon contract would have to finish beforehand. You also cant get an epik position if you have ever broken a hagwon contract.
There has to be a long term solution to fix this problem because no one deserves this. The administration of these South Korean schools have to do a better job and treat their teachers well. The bottom line is that their schools are very poorly run with dumb people managing everything, this creates a massive disparity. There has to be more complaints in this regard to all the employment unions on a massive scale not only in Korea but in many Asian countries. Poor employers are unacceptable and we need to let people know this.
Question, for anyone that has worked with Epik and Hagwons how does it work in terms of the payment, is it enough for you to pay rent and food and stuff like that? Do they give you a place to leave?
Another thing I would like to throw out there for people to consider is whether you want to feel like an actual teacher or a teacher's assistant. I just switched from EPIK to hagwon and I have to say one of the best things about teaching at a hagwon is I *feel* like a teacher. As an EPIK teacher I felt more like just a person who came and played games with kids for 20 minutes. That's of course all dependent on your school, co-teachers, etc. but its pretty common that you will mostly be making games/activities for your students as an EPIK teacher. As a hagwon teacher I am actually teaching my students and it is a great feeling! It challenges me to think of ways to describe words in a different way if my students don't know what it is. I teach other subjects besides just English as well.
If I could teach kindergarten with an EPIK schedule I would. I enjoy teaching kindergarten so much more than elementary.
i feel like an actual teacher at times. but the kids are just hard to control. since parents are paying for their kids to be taught, they get away with a lot of crap and being respectful to teachers and bullying other students. literally had a teacher talk about a student who after taking their phone for using in class, the student got in their face and YELLED at him. the student wasn't reprimanded. because student happiness equals parent happiness equals money.
I’m with EPIK right now but I am switching to a private school next year or Hagwon . I work at 5 schools , 3 elementary and 2 middle schools . I travel to all these schools, I have a total of 7 co teachers and it’s a lot . The Transit time to the schools is between 10-45 minutes depending on the school . I cannot do this again . EPIK Is a great program if you are placed in a great town / city with fewer schools say 2/3 schools . But anything beyond that is really hard to maintain especially if you want to be a good teacher . The government is also doing budget cuts and they are hiring less teachers meaning the remaining teachers get multiple schools . Also the smaller schools also need English teachers but because they are small the government can’t afford to keep one teacher in a small school so we travel to all these tiny schools and have maybe one big school . I really evaluated my life and structure and decided I’d rather leave and find a more stable work environment . Also the element of surprise with EPIK is really risky . You only find out what you have at the final hour . And at that point it’s hard to turn back.
gotta say I wouldn't trade EPIK for Hagwon for anything. the 10 days vacation in the year makes me want to cry
I wish i knew that! I thought EPIK was less vacation 😭😭😭😭 rip
This was super helpful, thank you much for taking the time to help people like me thinking about teaching in Korea 😊 Looks like it's going to be EPIK for me!
Glad it was helpful!
Feeling very discouraged after learning about Hagwons.. but trying for a year won't hurt! If I don't enjoy it I can always apply for EPIK right? haha
Same here they all have such scary reviews 😥
Im exactly where youre at now! Omg!!! Ive been waiting for it to go through! My contract got pushed back last year cuz my passport was expiring. I didnt know. So it’s been a year. Today... i just got the email from recruiter i finally got a contract again. I need to be there May 8th.. but just tonight im finding all these vids on youtube how it’s scammy omg lol. I thought I researched this well enough lol 😭😭. I might not do it anymore! I thought hagwon is more vacation! Lol
Please be very careful. Hagwons can be horrible places to work with the worst administration ever
Sadly I'm convinced that ~90% hagwon jobs are crap. Hard to control students (and the ones in the 10-year old range are often flat-out disrespectful), unreasonably demanding parents, nonsensical curricula, long stretches of teaching hours with no break, directors that will throw you under the bus when things aren't going well, etc.
Considering that hagwon salaries have gone nowhere over the past 10 years as the cost of living increases, I generally discourage people from taking such a job.
it is not all bad, but unfortunately the students, parents, long hours, etc is definitely a part of the hagwon experience. i'm hoping i last long enough at my hagwon so i can apply for EPIK next term and see for myself how it is working at a public school.
These positions are terrible. I honestly wanted to slap by hagwon administration for being so rude to me. They're just the worst bunch ever with endless and unreasonable demands with the most abusive attitudes ever
I’m going through a MOU/MOA organization that partners with EPIK and have had my eyes set on applying to EPIK but they had warned me because of COVID that a lot of people who passed the interview for fall 2020 did not get a placement because many provinces did not accept new teachers and that this may be the case for Spring 2021. They said I should consider Hagwons but I’m still very hesitant, but I also have already got almost all my documents ready so I don’t want to waste all this time and money for nothing and end up like the teachers for the fall intake that they didn’t have room for. I am so torn on what to do because EPIK just seems to be better 😣
You can always dual path and then make a decision. To be honest, it is hard to get a spot right now with both EPIK and hagwons since there are less teaching positions in EPIK rn because of Covid and hagwons would rather hire someone already in Korea to avoid the 2 weeks quarantine. Would try both and then decide later down the road.
I’ve heard of issues with budget cuts cutting jobs mid contract through EPIK. Is this bs?
How did you make friends? Is it easier to find people to hang out with by working at a Hagwon versus a public school?
Probably a hagwon because you would be working with more people your age versus in a public school you are the only foreigner teacher and most of the Korean teachers are older.
this was so helpful thx you💗enjoy your journey💗
Awesome! Glad we could help!
Is there a way to apply for both at same time? For example for placement at epik and a private school?
Hello , I'm from India and I am currently pursuing my Bachelor's degree in economics , which will be completed in 2021 . I want to apply for the EPIK program / Hagwon (2021)And as India is not included in those 7 countries but India has a CEPA Agreement with Korea , which allows Indians to work in Korea. I wanted to ask if I have any chances to be selected in the EPIK PROGRAM / Hagwon? Is being non native a disadvantage for teaching in Hagwon?
I applied to EPIK twice and was denied without an explanation and I even said I would go to a rural area. I just think it's because of my age but it's okay.
You should try the GOE program. It's a public school program in the south.
I'm sorry to hear about that. Please don't let that discourage you. If you're open to other opportunities abroad, you can look into employment at American universities that have campuses abroad.
It’s definitely not okay and I’m sorry you had to go through the application process twice!! Try hagwons if you haven’t already. I really hope you get to Korea soon!
@@IAmSakuraba I did and they denied me too.
It's probably because you're black, unfortunately.
Do you have any school suggestions where you’ve have good experiences?
so can you switch after the school year is over from an epik school to a hagwon? or vice versa?
You can switch both ways but with epik you have very specific start dates that are non negotiable so your hagwon contract would have to finish beforehand. You also cant get an epik position if you have ever broken a hagwon contract.
@@ChenFromBklyn gotcha, thanks so much for responding!
Do you have any tips for teaching in a Hagwon? I'm starting teaching at a Hagwon in Seoul in Feb. :)
You sadly probably didn’t teach for long if the timing of your comment is right. I hope you enjoyed Korea even though you started in Feb of 2020.
There has to be a long term solution to fix this problem because no one deserves this. The administration of these South Korean schools have to do a better job and treat their teachers well. The bottom line is that their schools are very poorly run with dumb people managing everything, this creates a massive disparity. There has to be more complaints in this regard to all the employment unions on a massive scale not only in Korea but in many Asian countries. Poor employers are unacceptable and we need to let people know this.
Question, for anyone that has worked with Epik and Hagwons how does it work in terms of the payment, is it enough for you to pay rent and food and stuff like that? Do they give you a place to leave?
they pay for your housing in both cases
Just check out Jeju or Busan. Those places are nice.
Very informative
I want to come for 2020 im from South Africa but im stranded financially plane ticket
Great advice! Cheers :-)
Can Chen talk more about her footwear at her jobs?
First!! Lol