Many people erroneously believe that EPIK is the only way to get a public teaching school position in Korea when that’s not true. Here are some alternatives to EPIK you can consider:
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What You Need to Know Before You Apply
Most of these alternatives to EPIK are best for people already in Korea or candidates who have some knowledge of Korean.
Also, the process may be more streamlined than EPIK but you’ll still need to submit the same documents in the majority of cases i.e. two letters of recommendation, an application form, university transcripts as well as your degree and background check.
If you’re currently in Korea then you may not need to resubmit those last two documents as they will be on file at immigration.
If it turns out that you do need to resubmit them to a recruiter etc. then you can get certified copies of them from your previous Metropolitan or Provincial Office of Education if you worked at a public school, or immigration if you worked at a hagwon.
1.Direct Hires on Job Sites
Some public schools prefer to directly hire people than to open up their school to a programme like EPIK.
You can find these direct hire public school positions by utilizing various online resources such as Dave’s ESL, Craigslist, or even social networking sites like Facebook.
Since Dave’s ESL Cafe is a popular website among English teachers in Korea, offering a lot of job postings, it’s best to start there. I’ve seen a couple of public school jobs posted in Expat Facebook groups too.
Furthermore, Craiglist sometimes advertises public school positions, but a recruiter may be in charge of promoting these jobs.
While a public school job found on Craiglist isn’t as direct a hire as one you’d find on Dave’s ESL Cafe, it’s still more direct than EPIK as you’ll have information about the school straight away.
2. Korvia
Based in Seoul, South Korea, Korvia specializes in placing native English speakers in teaching positions throughout the country and was the sole recruiter for Fall 2022 Intake and is also in charge of the current Fall 2023 intake.
Korvia can be a hit or miss, but the recruiting company does have access to a good number of public school positions in Gyeonggi-do, which is the area surrounding Seoul. So if you want to work at a public school and be close to the capital then Korvia is your best bet.
How to apply
To apply to Korvia teaching positions, the first step is to visit the Korvia website and create an account. Once you have created an account, you can browse through the available job postings and find one that suits your qualifications and interests.
You’ll be able to see what benefits the school offers, such as the position’s salary, a housing allowance or school-provided housing, the working hours, how many students on average are in each class and other information.
You will then need to submit your application, which will typically include your resume, a cover letter, and any relevant documentation such as transcripts or teaching certificates. You can apply here: https://www.korvia.com/job-board-application/
You should pay attention to the type of public school advertised on Korvia as not all of them are the same. For example, there are some public school positions with longer work hours than the standard contracted 8 hours for EPIK teachers.
Some positions even have lower vacation time than the standard 26 days EPIK teachers get or they don’t include both the entrance and exit allowances. So get as much information about schools you find on Korvia as you can.
3. Korean Horizons
Korean Horizons is similar to Korvia but this recruitment agency specializes in placing teachers in schools in the Chungnam and Gyeongnam provinces. They were the sole recruiter for the Spring 2023 intake EPIK.
You can apply here: https://www.koreanhorizons.com/sub02.php
The application process is similar to Korvia’s.
4. MOE/POE Job Boards
If you have a decent understanding of Korean then you can navigate the Korean version of Korea’s Metropolitan or Provincial Offices of Education (MOEs or POEs). You can find a list of all the Offices of Education here.https://english.moe.go.kr/sub/info.do?m=0803&s=english
You may actually be able to rely on your browser’s translator to find the job boards section, but it would be useful to know Korean phrases like “원어민 선생님” (Native English Teacher) so you can narrow down your results.
There will be job ads for other positions like counsellors, other subject teachers, librarians etc. so you’ll save yourself some time by directly searching for your job role’s name.
5. Schools’ Official Websites
Some schools also publish job openings on their official websites. However, you’ll usually also find these jobs through recruiters or on the Offices of Education websites, so it’s best to use the other options on this list.
6. Fullbright US ETA Programme
Fullbright has an English Teacher Assistant Programme, which is similar to EPIK. It’s only open to US citizens, however.
First-year ETAs are also placed outside of Seoul, so if you have your heart set on working at a public school in or near Seoul then this may not be the programme for you.
You can find out more about the programme here.
Conclusion
EPIK isn’t the only way you can get a public school position in Korea. Try out one of these options above to secure your next public school teaching position.
