EPIK vs. Hagwons | Advice from teachers who've worked with both! 

Another thing I would like to throw out there for people to consider is whether you want to feel like an actual teacher or a teacher's assistant. I just switched from EPIK to hagwon and I have to say one of the best things about teaching at a hagwon is I *feel* like a teacher. As an EPIK teacher I felt more like just a person who came and played games with kids for 20 minutes. That's of course all dependent on your school, co-teachers, etc. but its pretty common that you will mostly be making games/activities for your students as an EPIK teacher. As a hagwon teacher I am actually teaching my students and it is a great feeling! It challenges me to think of ways to describe words in a different way if my students don't know what it is. I teach other subjects besides just English as well. If I could teach kindergarten with an EPIK schedule I would. I enjoy teaching kindergarten so much more than elementary.

I’m with EPIK right now but I am switching to a private school next year or Hagwon . I work at 5 schools , 3 elementary and 2 middle schools . I travel to all these schools, I have a total of 7 co teachers and it’s a lot . The Transit time to the schools is between 10-45 minutes depending on the school . I cannot do this again . EPIK Is a great program if you are placed in a great town / city with fewer schools say 2/3 schools . But anything beyond that is really hard to maintain especially if you want to be a good teacher . The government is also doing budget cuts and they are hiring less teachers meaning the remaining teachers get multiple schools . Also the smaller schools also need English teachers but because they are small the government can’t afford to keep one teacher in a small school so we travel to all these tiny schools and have maybe one big school . I really evaluated my life and structure and decided I’d rather leave and find a more stable work environment . Also the element of surprise with EPIK is really risky . You only find out what you have at the final hour . And at that point it’s hard to turn back.

gotta say I wouldn't trade EPIK for Hagwon for anything. the 10 days vacation in the year makes me want to cry

this was so helpful thx you💗enjoy your journey💗

This was super helpful, thank you much for taking the time to help people like me thinking about teaching in Korea 😊 Looks like it's going to be EPIK for me!

Great advice! Cheers :-)

Sadly I'm convinced that ~90% hagwon jobs are crap. Hard to control students (and the ones in the 10-year old range are often flat-out disrespectful), unreasonably demanding parents, nonsensical curricula, long stretches of teaching hours with no break, directors that will throw you under the bus when things aren't going well, etc. Considering that hagwon salaries have gone nowhere over the past 10 years as the cost of living increases, I generally discourage people from taking such a job.

Do you have any school suggestions where you’ve have good experiences?

I’ve heard of issues with budget cuts cutting jobs mid contract through EPIK. Is this bs?

Is there a way to apply for both at same time? For example for placement at epik and a private school?

Just check out Jeju or Busan. Those places are nice.

Feeling very discouraged after learning about Hagwons.. but trying for a year won't hurt! If I don't enjoy it I can always apply for EPIK right? haha

Very informative I want to come for 2020 im from South Africa but im stranded financially plane ticket

I’m going through a MOU/MOA organization that partners with EPIK and have had my eyes set on applying to EPIK but they had warned me because of COVID that a lot of people who passed the interview for fall 2020 did not get a placement because many provinces did not accept new teachers and that this may be the case for Spring 2021. They said I should consider Hagwons but I’m still very hesitant, but I also have already got almost all my documents ready so I don’t want to waste all this time and money for nothing and end up like the teachers for the fall intake that they didn’t have room for. I am so torn on what to do because EPIK just seems to be better 😣

How did you make friends? Is it easier to find people to hang out with by working at a Hagwon versus a public school?

Hello , I'm from India and I am currently pursuing my Bachelor's degree in economics , which will be completed in 2021 . I want to apply for the EPIK program / Hagwon (2021)And as India is not included in those 7 countries but India has a CEPA Agreement with Korea , which allows Indians to work in Korea. I wanted to ask if I have any chances to be selected in the EPIK PROGRAM / Hagwon? Is being non native a disadvantage for teaching in Hagwon?

Do you have any tips for teaching in a Hagwon? I'm starting teaching at a Hagwon in Seoul in Feb. :)

so can you switch after the school year is over from an epik school to a hagwon? or vice versa?

I applied to EPIK twice and was denied without an explanation and I even said I would go to a rural area. I just think it's because of my age but it's okay.

Question, for anyone that has worked with Epik and Hagwons how does it work in terms of the payment, is it enough for you to pay rent and food and stuff like that? Do they give you a place to leave?

Can Chen talk more about her footwear at her jobs?

First!! Lol