How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Accepted into EPIK

Our Teach English in South Korea program has become increasingly competitive with each passing round of applications so it’s no wonder that the most frequently asked question is, “What can I do to increase my chances of being accepted into EPIK?”

EPIK (English Program in Korea) offers teachers a comfortable position in a Korean public school with a co-teacher, paid-for apartment, amazing monthly income, tons of vacation days and a chance to be immersed in a unique culture that tourists tend to skip over when deciding to travel to Asia. It’s also a program run by the Korean Ministry of Education who demands a certain dedication from its applicants due to its complicated and time-consuming application process.

As long as you meet the minimum teaching requirements, you have a chance of getting a position. However, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of being accepted into EPIK before you even interview for the job!

Apply Early

The application deadline for the spring 2019 start date will be November 15, but waiting to submit your application (with personal essay and lesson plan) and two letters of recommendation that late is the worst thing you can do.

Teachers are placed on a rolling basis so the first ones to interview are the first ones to get placed. Late applicants will either get placed anywhere there is a spot left (i.e. not your preference) or be put on the wait list.

Get started on your letters of recommendation now before the application is released so you can apply as far in advance as possible.

Background Check

The background check needs to be issued within 6 months of your arrival in Korea. You can’t start on it until September, but waiting to see if you get an interview with EPIK to apply for it could keep you from going to Korea at all.

Getting your background check requires that you:
– get fingerprinted
– send those prints to an FBI-approved channeler
– receive the background check
– send it off to get apostilled
– mail it to Greenheart Travel

This process can take anywhere from 3-8 weeks depending on the time of year. Participants in the past who have waited until after their interview with EPIK to start this process have not been able to go because their background checks didn’t come back in time.

Lesson Plan 

The third, and most important, thing you can do to increase your chances of being accepted into EPIK is to have a well-organized and well-thought out lesson plan which is part of the initial application. When EPIK recommends you to provinces and cities, the biggest deciding factor for them is your lesson plan since that will be your main responsibility as one of their employees.

They want to know that the English teacher they are hiring will be confident in front of the class and be able to make the lessons fun and engaging to really improve their student’s English language abilities. Ninety-five percent of applicants this past round were asked to make multiple changes to their lesson plans which slowed down their applications.

Starting on your TEFL course now will ensure you’re able to put together a comprehensive, fun and engaging lesson plan right off that bat which will allow you walk smoothly through the application process. We have online classes starting every other Monday,  so you find one that fits your schedule!  Look here if you are wondering which TEFL course will be the best fit for your EPIK application!

To be emailed instructions for what EPIK is looking for in lesson plans, please enter your information here.