My EPIK interview process

   Let me start by saying that if you want to get to South Korea in a timely fashion, then the EPIK interview process is not for you. It's super long and tedious (about 4 months total), and sometimes you'll want to pull your hair out due to all the hoops you're forced to jump through. And the money! Yeesh, the amount of money you spend just applying is crazy. But for me, it was all worth it. I wanted a secure job with an office of education in South Korea, so I decided to buckle down and literally pay the price to teach English in South Korea.

   As I write this, I'm still 2 weeks out from flying to Korea. I was placed in Jeollabuk-do, a small province located in the South-West of Korea, and much to my chagrin, far away from Seoul or any major city.

Jeollabuk-do in all it's glory.

   I figured that while I still remembered some details, I would document my application and interview process so others would know what my personal experience was. Trust me, no one experiences it the same way. Here is a chronological listing of how it all went down:

December 2015

   Okay, so this is when I decided I wanted to teach abroad. I was about 4 months out from finishing my Bachelor's Degree in Honours Biology in Canada, and I really did not want to follow the #UniversityScript and apply to do a Master's degree. However, that meant that I would have to start paying back my government student loan... about $15,000 Canadian. Teaching abroad seemed like a good way to develop professionally, satisfy my wanderlust, and pay off loans!

   I really had no idea what or where I would teach. Then, lo and behold, my university had a career fair, and a few Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) schools would be there. I approached a TESOL representative at one of the career fairs to inquire about class pricing and general advice. After about a half hour of conversation, she pretty much convinced me that South Korea is the way to go. After all, there's decent pay, decent teaching hours, I wouldn't have to pay rent, and I could pay off my student loans in Canada! I signed up for the course.

Now, I decided to do a TESOL certification with a 40 hour in class option, with a total of 100h combined with online modules.. This set me back about $1000. However, if you don't care about the in class, there are wayyyy cheaper options that are solely online. Warning: some offices of education REQUIRE an in class portion. This is why I thought it was a decent reason to shell out so much money.

February 2015

   This is when I took my TESOL course. It was an intensive, 1 week cram session over the Reading Week break. I met lots of cool people and added some of them on Facebook. Everyone in that class wanted to travel abroad to teach, so it would be interesting to see their experiences in different countries.

   After the 40h in class portion was done, I had to do an additional 30h grammar for English teachers online module, and a 30h Business English online module. This brought my total hours up to 100.

  Now I realize at this point I could have been applying for the EPIK September 2015 intake, but I decided to wait a little and do the September 2016 intake. Reasons? Well, I didn't have an income, and you need to bring some money with you to get started. As well, I was just finishing up my honours thesis, and couldn't really focus on a job application at the time.

March 2016

   I decided to use a recruiter and applied to EPIK with Korvia Consulting. You don't have to do this. You can apply directly on the EPIK website. I however, wanted to correspond with someone knowledgeable about the whole process. A lot of the vlogs and blogs about teaching with EPIK referenced Korvia, so I thought they were a safe bet. 

   I applied to Korvia directly on their website. I had to fill out their application form, plus attach a photo of myself, a resume, cover letter, and two letters of recommendation (LoRs). I waited about a week, and then boom! I had a Skype interview with one of the recruiters, Jessie. 

   The interview was easy. I think they just use it to make sure you're a real, sincere person who has an interest in South Korea and can speak English fluently. Immediately afterwards I got an email saying I was in and that I had to email them my EPIK application (my city of choice was Daejeon) and the LoRs. After that it was time to play the waiting game. 

May 2016

   I finally received an email from Korvia saying that I had an interview scheduled with an EPIK interviewer on May 12th. QUEUE PANIC MODE!!!!!111!1!one

   I started compiling a list of possible questions and my answers based on what others posted online. Dang, it really seemed like the EPIK interviewers asked hard questions. I was afraid I wouldn't make it in and would have to apply to a hagwon, a private school. (Nothing against hagwons, but I just really wanted a public school job.)

   Dudes... I was asked exactly zero of those tough questions. What the hell? There seems to be a hugeeee inconsistency in the kind of interview you'll have. The most memorable question I was asked was "Are you okay with taking the stairs?" ...How... what... Of course I am?! -_-"

  Anyways, if you have to take away anything from my personal experience, I would say that you still prep the hard questions. that way, you're totally prepared for ANYTHING. And when they start asking you if you can take the stairs, you'll breathe a sigh of relief.

   On May 16th, I got the message that I passed the EPIK interview. Now I had to submit all my documents. I won't list them because this information is everywhere. Also, I might do a separate post about specific document requirements in Canada and the cost associated with them. I used FedEx to ship my entire application to South Korea. Korvia received it in about 3-4 business days and immediately forwarded them to the EPIK office. Now it was time to play another waiting game.

June 2016

   On June 15th, I got the email that I was accepted by an office of education. Was it for Daejeon? Nope! Not even close. I was accepted to teach in Jeollabuk-do province. After a flurry of google searches about the area, I decided to accept the offer. Even though it was for a province and not for a city like I wanted, I still wanted the experience of immersing myself in the culture of Korea. Seoul is probably only a couple hours away by high speed rail, so the entire country is still accessible for weekend trips. Also, Jeollabuk-do is the home of bibimbap, which is a traditional Korean dish. What's not to love, right?

This is the photo from Wikipedia I used to convince myself to go. Yummmmm *drool*

July 2016

   This was the month that it all came together. July 6th is when Korvia notified me that they shipped my contract and notice of appointment (NOA) via DHL. These documents are essential to getting a Korean E2 visa. I received the documents from the courier on July 8th. .July 13th, I went to the Korean Embassy in Ottawa (not everyone can do this... only residents of Ottawa and Gatineau can use the Korean Embassy for consulate services) and dropped off my contract, NOA, passport, and $72 Canadian. On July 20th, I picked up my passport with it's fresh new E2 visa sticker. 

  July 21st, I contacted a travel agent and booked my one way ticket to South Korea. For teachers in Jeollabuk-do, our EPIK orientation week is in Busan, not Seoul. I used Orange Travel, as they were recommended through Korvia. I ended up paying approximately $1135 Canadian. I depart August 16th, with 3 layovers. Ottawa to Montreal, Montreal to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Seoul, and Seoul to Busan. 

And that was a brief (I tried, okay?) post about the timeline of how my application process went. About 4-5 months total.

If you have any questions, or if I left anything out, feel free to comment and I'll respond as soon as I can. ^^