What you are about to read is a comprehensive timeline of my EPIK application journey for the Spring 2017 intake. I know when I was going through this crazy-long process, it was always helpful to read timelines from various applicants to help me better prepare for what was ahead and to merely put my mind at ease at certain points of the process. Note that each person’s experience with the EPIK application process is different and this only represents my personal one. However, I have included approximate time spans as well as costs for documents, if applicable, at certain points of the timeline to help you get a more general sense of what to expect. I also applied through a recruiter, so my timeline may vary from someone who applied directly to EPIK around the same time I did. I hope this is helpful!
- Tayler
AUGUST ‘16
08.01 // EPIK started accepting Spring 2017 applications; I officially decided I was going to apply
08.24 // Submitted my EPIK application to Greenheart Travel (recruiter)
08.26 // Ordered 2 sets of my official university transcripts- $20
08.27 // Printed photos for my application- $10; Made copies of my degree and got them notarized at UPS- $6.58 total for 3 notarizations (you only need one copy of your degree notarized, I just made multiples to play it safe in case I needed more since it was cheap to do)
08.29 // Submitted my fingerprints for my Criminal Background Check to Accurate Biometrics (channeler)- $45 + Shipping
SEPTEMBER ‘16
Sometime during the 1st week of September // Received university transcripts
09.10 // Received my Criminal Background Check in the mail- took about 10 business days using a channeler
09.12 // Sent my Criminal Background Check to US Authentication Services (channeler) to get it apostilled- $55 + Shipping
09.14 // Received notification that US Authentication Services received my documents and are going to begin processing them the next day
09.20 // Received notification from US Authentication Services that my documents were complete and would be sent out that day
09.22 // Received apostilled Criminal Background Check back in mail- took about 8 business days using a channeler
09.30 // Went to my state’s Secretary of State office to get my degree apostilled- $5 (I live in the capital city of my state, so all I had to do was drive downtown before work and walk in the office. The whole process took about 5 minutes.)
OCTOBER ‘16
10.10 // Started my TEFL course through International TEFL Academy; Finally got word from Greenheart that I had passed the first stage of the application process and that my EPIK Interview would be on October 14th @ 9:20AM KST- took about 33 business days to hear back
10.13 // Had my EPIK Interview
10.20 // Notified by Greenheart that I had passed the interview and was accepted into EPIK (insert happy dance here!)- took about 5 business days to receive the results from my interview
10.25 // Overnighted my printed application documents to Greenheart through FedEx- $35.50
10.26 // Greenheart notifies me that they have received my documents, everything looks good, and are going to forward them to EPIK - the big wait begins! Read John’s post here about ways to deal with the big wait.
NOVEMBER ‘16
11.08 // Received an email from Greenheart stating that EPIK has added a mandatory document this round, a photo release form, that they need us to print, sign, and send ASAP. Luckily, I already had plans to be in Chicago the next day (where Greenheart’s office is located) and coordinated with them to drop the document off in person.
11.09 // Gave photo release form to Greenheart to send to EPIK
DECEMBER ‘16
12.01 // Submitted the IRS-8802 form to apply for my Residency Certificate, the IRS-6166- $85 (basically proves that you pay taxes and formally reside in your home country, preventing you from being taxed in South Korea for 2 years). Need help filling out the IRS-8802 form? Read Kevin’s in-depth guide here.
12.07 // Received an email from Greenheart notifying me that I’m missing an answer on my application and that EPIK needs me to update and resend that page (insert freakout moment here!). Backstory: I had to reformat my whole application as part of the feedback I received during my interview, so I must have forgotten to mark an answer on my new application document when copying everything over. Thankfully, I was allowed to send back a pdf of that page rather than mail a whole new printed document to Korea, so I got it taken care of same day.
12.14 // EPIK started sending out placements
12.23 // Finished my TEFL course
12.27 // Emailed my digital TEFL certificate to Greenheart to complete my documents with EPIK
JANUARY ‘17
01.05 // GOT MY PLACEMENT - I’ll be teaching in Daegu (my first choice) :) - took about 52 business days since mailing my application to hear back
01.10 // Received an email from Greenheart saying that they have received my contract and Notice of Appointment from EPIK- took about 3 business days after hearing about my placement
01.15 // Received an email from EPIK about the online pre-orientation
01.16 // Received my contract and Notice of Appointment in the mail from Greenheart- took about 4 business days
01.17 // Overnighted my visa application to the Chicago Korean consulate through FedEx- $45 application fee + $57 for shipping
01.18 // Booked my flight to Busan!
01.22 // Started EPIK pre-orientation
01.23 // Completed EPIK pre-orientation; EPIK February 2017 Orientation information officially released in the Facebook group, though most of us had heard this information already through the grape vine
01.25 // Received my passport and visa back from the Chicago Korean consulate- took about 6 business days; Got my IRS-6166 form back in the mail- took about 39 business days
01.30 // Received my TEFL Certificate in the mail (all my documents are set for Korea, yay!)
FEBRUARY ‘17
02.17 // Arrive in Korea
02.19 // Team 1 orientation starts in Busan!
So about $439 and 169 days later I am finally going to Korea! Also, note some fees not mentioned in this timeline include: fingerprinting for the CBC- $30, the second set of passport photos I needed printed for the visa application- $12.99, and other printing fees at FedEx- $33. I hope this timeline helps those of you about to start your EPIK application or are already in the thick of it all! Feel free to comment if you have any questions!
Heeey, I was going through tags about teaching English in Korea and came across your blog. Can I ask, what is it like? Are there things you wish you knew? Things you wish you could’ve prepared more for? What about biggest surprises?( sorry just something in really considering and get kinda nervous)
I mean... there’s a lot, I can give a few pieces of advice, but there’s always more to know and honestly it is the sort of thing you just have to take the plunge with
‘What is it like?’
This one I suggest you wait and see for yourself, I did research but nothing really prepared me to live half way around the world. I just suggest rolling with everything, things are going to be new, different, surprisingly, I wouldn’t dwell on anything too long, just say ‘this is how it is now, cool,’ throw yourself into it
the shortest summary of my time is: really high-highs and low-lows, the best of times and worst of times lol
‘Things you wish you knew?’
Haha, yeah: 1. First download Kakaotalk stuff (kakoatalk, kakaotaxi, kakaometro, everything) but with your email, not your cell phone number, you’re going to get a new cell number and you’ll need to use the email to access this stuff (Kakao stuff is very important)
2. Take time to learn your local public transport system, there’s a lot of apps for this but try taking the subway or buses or anything a few times just to test it out
3. BRING COLD MEDICINE- you’ll be exposed to a lot of new germs and then KID germs when you get here, be prepared to get sick in the first few months, like a lot. Bring some things for your stomach too, it’s going to need some adjustin’
More prepared for:
1. LEARN KOREAN BEFORE YOU COME HERE, honestly I thought I’d have all this time and motivation to learn Korean, but I am constantly tired from work and demotivated to study after teaching all day
You might not be like me, I’m honestly atrocious at other languages and have been since I was young. BUT I do suggest studying as much Korean as you can before you come here, many many people speak English but life is so much more comfortable and easy with at least ‘survival Korean.’ one of my biggest regrets is not coming more armed with language skills
2. TEACHING, I don’t know how I would have prepared for teaching more since I just sort of showed up here with a month long program under my belt. But if you have time try to practice any public speaking, read up on classroom management, make intro ppts about yourself before you come; a book I really liked is called ‘The Smartest Kids in the World and how they Got that Way’ by Amanda Ripley, it has a great section on the Korean school system and understanding it.
Work is going to be a big part of your life and the better you are at it the easier life will be here- plus your coworkers will be more likely to help you with other things and just generally improve your time here
Finally, the best thing I did when I got here:
2. MAKE FRIENDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE- I made a lot of friends (or at least warm acquaintances) as soon as possible, this is probably the best thing I did when I first got here. Everyone is scared and alone and open to meeting you, it is no time to be shy, jump on the horse as quickly as it comes into the station
get numbers, contacts, facebooks, names, emails, anything you can get your hands on, you’ll be tired when you get here, but making friends in the first few weeks is vital for adjustment and pooling your collective knowledge to get through.
some of my friends here had a miserable first few months because they were pretty isolated, it got better but be as open to meeting anyone and everyone as possible. You can be picky about friends later, but friendliness is gonna be an important currency and you never knew who might help you out in a tight spot
I hope some of this helps! Good luck out there, it really is an outstanding experience that has changed my life for the better
You've applied for EPIK and you've passed the first phase. Congratulations! Grab that soju and take a shot! This means the next obstacle: the interview. Cue the nervous breakdown.
For me, that nervous breakdown was intense. Coming straight out from college, maintaining my job for the past 3 and a half years, and not actively job-hunting, I completely forgot how to do an interview. I immediately took to the internet to find anything and everything about the EPIK interview. I found questions, questions about EPIK, regular interview questions, random questions (and I mean random…I prepared myself in answering, "If you were a tree, what tree would you be and why?"). I wrote them down on post cards, then rewrote them on post-its. I practiced interviews with friends. One was informal, the other formal, and another through Skype. I did everything past EPIK teachers talked about doing. I was still kind of a nervous wreck.
So, to boost my confidence, I decided to browse through TED Talks because they're the best at teaching people "ideas worth sharing" and I found Amy Cuddy's Your body language shapes who you are. It intensely helped me and gave me some confidence. But, I was still stressed and it showed physically with a large pimple manifesting on my nose.
The day of the interview came around, scheduled for October 28th, 13:20 KST (October 27th, 8:20 PM Seattle time). I worked my usual 10:30-4:30 shift and returned home to prepare. To make it more interesting, my family decided to schedule our family portrait at 6:30 PM that same day. We literally rushed through the family portraits and I got home at 7:00. I took a shower and prepared myself in my good luck blue suit.
Various vlogs say good lighting is highly important, so I prepared my webcam and lamps in the 3-point lighting method (key, fill, and back lighting). I looked at myself and realized I looked oily and my nose pimple shone bright like Rudolph. In a desperate frenzy, I took baby powder and powdered myself heavily, matting my face and concealing the crimson mountain on my nose. I tested Skype, connecting the Ethernet port to my laptop for better quality. I did a practice interview before show time and used the bathroom.
15 minutes before the interview, I got an invite from the EPIK coordinator and added them as a contact. Everything was going to plan. I reviewed my notes one last time. Then I took out my phone, played some Tinashe while doing my Wonder Woman pose that I learned from Amy Cuddy.
9:20 PM hit. I took my place in front of my webcam. No call. 9:21, 9:22, 9:23…nothing! I was about to stress. So right when I get up to resume my Wonder Woman pose, Skype begins ringing. I rush to sit down, take a deep breath, and answer.
A black screen with the EPIK logo. That's all I saw. You know how nerve-racking it is to stare into the webcam while speaking to a black screen? No? Well I do. It's scary. You can't analyze their reactions. You don't know if they see your baby powdered face and make the look, "Wow…he looks like a vampire from a cheap budget film!" You possibly don't know because all you see on the other end is a black screen with the EPIK logo.
Now keep in mind, my experience is totally different from others. My coordinator told me that he was late because his webcam had technical difficulties. Whether this is true, it happened and I wasn't prepared for it. But I played it cool, continued to stare into the webcam, while smiling like a buffoon.
Turns out the interview was easier than it seemed. The interview began with reviewing my application. Then it shifted, to the Q&A portions. To my surprise, my coordinator asked only two questions, both questions that were totally and utterly expected. But what’s hilarious about this was I threw the script out the window. Instead of answering the way I prepared, I answered how I felt. In the end, I believe it helped me shine through so much more because it allowed me to be my authentic self. And even more unpredicted, he told me that I had a strong application! It gave me pride and confidence. It was good validation. After 23 minutes, the interview ended and it all felt like a dream.
INTERVIEW TIPS
1. Prepare, but don’t over prepare. The EPIK process is a balancing act. And life is a balancing act in of itself. Just like how you shouldn’t overdo it on the fiber, don’t overdo it with preparing for the interview. Just find the basic questions and create your own unique answers. Feel confident in what you’ve done and own up to it.
2. Create the best set-up that fits with you. I’m not saying that you should follow the 3-point lighting technique (although I am bias towards it). Just make sure you’re well-lit and in a presentable space. The space doesn’t need to be bare. I had a rug hanging on the wall that looked like a painting.
3. Dress to impress. This includes pants.
4. On a side note to preparing, print out your application. Read through it a couple of times and highlight key parts. Keep that in front of you during the process.
5. Have a notebook and pencil (or write on the back of your printed-out application). It’s good to take notes and displays you’re taking in knowledge!
6. Remember your coordinator’s name and use their name. Don’t be creepy about it. But saying “Hello, Jeffrey. How are you?” is a nice way to start. Mine was Jeffrey, by the way!
7. Be authentically you. Remember that many people apply, but don’t get the chance of an interview. And if what you said in your application is true, they like you. The interview is to see if you’re alive, engaged, and healthy.
8. Don’t refresh your email immediately after interviewing. Just take the time to stop and breathe (and maybe take a shot of soju).
