EPIK - A Gateway into Korea
Jae Kim
Professor
Konkuk University Language Institute
It is believed by some that anybody can become an English teacher in Korea. After all, a piece of paper with a university seal that says you studied for four years will get you an E-2 visa and a teaching job over here; provided that you have never been a drug dealer or a child molester. However, this belief, although true to a certain degree, is deceptive. Anybody can work as a teacher in Korea, but not everybody will last as a teacher in Korea.
The reasons for this could be as diverse as the variety of food that exists in this country; but one very common reason why many English teachers don't last too long over here is because they simply choose the wrong work place. A lot of people come to Korea to teach through any hagwon (private educational institute) that is located in Seoul city, hoping to work and enjoy a good experience living abroad. However, many people are left disappointed in the early stages when they realize that the working hours are long and sporadic, the hagwon supervisor is about as incompetent as they come, the living conditions are cramped, and the paycheck is over two weeks late. If really unfortunate, these people may even find themselves jobless four months into their contract when their hagwon goes out of business.
Fortunately, as a former EPIK teacher, I was spared a lot of the most common inconveniences that many of my friends and associates in the English-speaking community had endured over the years. There was one main reason for this; EPIK connected me to the public school system in Korea, which gave me a lot more benefit in the long run.
As an English teacher in the public school system, I was given a great deal of freedom, stability, and respect that eluded many of my peers in the hagwon system. Here are just a few examples:
I was given a reasonable schedule, in which there were no split-shifts (hagwons are notorious for using such schedules). My work started in the morning, and ended in the afternoon, with only a few extracurricular courses to teach throughout the week. I greatly appreciated the stability of the EPIK program's schedule; without it, I would have probably had a much more negative opinion about living in Korea, especially in its early stages.

I was placed to work alongside professional colleagues, Korean and foreign, who had years of teaching experience under their belt; I benefitted greatly from their wisdom and advices, especially when I started teaching in a Korean high school. Their advices really helped me to understand how much social and educational pressure my students had to deal with, and how I should adjust my English lessons accordingly.
As a public school teacher, the students automatically gave me a degree of respect that teachers in western countries (especially the U.S.) would never get, even in their wildest dreams. Some people may find it awkward and uncomfortable when students bow every time they walk by; for me, it was a constant reminder that I had a responsibility as an educator to do my utmost to teach them.
Now, most of you who are currently working through EPIK, or are planning to work through EPIK, may eventually fall under one of the following three categories of situations. This is by no means an attempt to generalize your experience in Korea; everybody will find their own unique experience, and have their own stories to tell. This is just meant to inform you of situations that have happened before in the past, so that you may benefit from the precedence that others have set before you.
First, there are some people who may find their situation in Korea (location, accommodation, work, social etiquette, food, etc.) so obscure, inconvenient, and unfamiliar that they do not even last in Korea for the first few weeks, despite the best efforts that EPIK makes to provide for their needs. Yes, I have met such people before in the EPIK program. To make it fair, this is probably not entirely EPIK's fault. South Korea is a place that is rooted in a completely different culture, history, and lifestyle that Westerners may never fully understand. This could be an issue of incompatibility between one culture and another, and may not necessarily be about EPIK's inability to cater for all of your needs. With that said, I will also add that there is always room for improvement, especially for a big, government-sponsored program like EPIK.

Second, there are many people who get past the early stages of discomfort, and adjust quite well to life in Korea, and to the EPIK program. If this situation eventually describes you, I'd like to say "Congratulations!" in advance. You would have made it into the group of roughly 70% of the English-speaking community in Korea. This group enjoys their work and lifestyle in Korea; but their time in Korea and EPIK is just a short-term part of their overall plans. They stay here for about two or three years, and move on to other things and places.
Most of you will probably fall under this category. If this is you, I sincerely hope that you will make the most out of the next few years in the EPIK program, and that you will take home with you a rich and diverse experience that would eventually aid your future endeavors as an educator, and as messengers to help the rest of the world to learn a lot more about the wonders that South Korea has to offer.

I saved the best for last. There is also a third category of people that end up staying in Korea for much, much longer than a year or two. Such people are affectionately called, "lifers" in some circles. Lifers are people who initially start their life in Korea with a short-term plan, but for one reason or another, it eventually become long-term. Lifers truly find their calling as an educator and as a resident in Korea. This group ends up staying in the EPIK program for well over four to five years, and really settles in to a routine with work and life.
You may or may not choose to stay in the EPIK program indefinitely as a lifer, but one thing for certain is that EPIK will be the starting point for many years of experience that will define your career as an EFL teacher. Korea will truly become a home away from home for you. Let me put it this way; you know you're a lifer when people (Korean and foreign) ask you for directions around your city, and you can give better directions that the average Korean could.
And yes, as an educator and a resident in Korea for eight years and counting, I can proudly declare myself as a "lifer". *LOL* ^^
In conclusion, I'll say this. EPIK is by far one of the best choices that you can make as a means to come, work, and live in Korea. It will provide you with a much better picture of the Korean education system and society than most other English teaching programs ever will. EPIK will provide you with a sense of stability and reassurance; this will leave you with time and energy to focus on your work, and to properly enjoy your free time by exploring the country and its culture. For all these reasons I'd like to leave you with these final words of encouragement; there are many gateways into Korea, but you have definitely made a good choice by choosing EPIK as your personal gateway into this part of the world.