February 2016
Important Notice for Successful ApplicantsCongratulations on successfully becoming an EPIK teacher. Please read this notice thoroughly and follow the guidelines. Any problems that may arise from a failure to follow the directions on this notice will be the sole responsibility of the applicant.
※ Applicants who withdraw from the program, for any reason, after receiving the news of a successful placement will NOT be eligible to apply for the following two terms. Applicants who withdraw without informing the EPIK office will be prohibited from applying in the future.
※ Applicants who decide to withdraw must return their contract and Notice of Appointment to the EPIK office via mail.
1. Contract Signing & E2 Visa Issuance
(1) Please make sure to sign every page of your contract upon receiving it. (SMOE teachers will receive the signed contract that was submitted with their documentation.) Take the signed contract to the Korean Consulate/Embassy to apply for the E-2 visa. This contract is a temporary contract used for visa purposes only. You will sign two additional contracts upon arrival in Korea. One will be for your record and the other will go to your POE/MOE. You will not be able to sign these final contracts without submitting all missing documents. If you are expecting a pay grade that is different than the pay grade stated on your contract, this discrepancy can be addressed when you sign the final contracts in Korea.
★ It is highly recommended that you apply for your visa in your home country. Trying to obtain a visa in a different country may result in delays and/or other complications.
★ If you plan on receiving your visa outside of your home country, please contact your coordinator or agency as soon as possible.
(2) Please ensure that you are in possession of the E-2 visa prior to arriving in Korea. You cannot attend the EPIK orientation or work in Korea without the E-2 visa (except F4, F5, F6 visa holders or those with Korean passports).
★ Please note that applicants who hold dual citizenship with Korea should enter Korea with their Korean passport and cannot apply for an E-2 visa.
★ Current E2 visa holders can extend their visa status as long as their current Alien Registration Card (ARC) is valid up until the time of renewing their ARC.
(3) To apply for the E-2 visa at the Korean Embassy/Consulate, the following items are required: your signed contract, the Notice of Appointment, your passport, the visa application form, application fee, and 2 recent passport sized photos.
* In some cases, a copy of the criminal record check, sealed transcripts, and/or the original or photocopy of the diploma may be required, so please check with the Korean Embassy/Consulate where you will be applying for your visa. Please inform the Korean Embassy/Consulate that you are a successful EPIK applicant.
* When applying for the visa, you may be asked to include a phone number and address in Korea. Please refer to Appendix 1 located on the last page of this document. Do NOT use EPIK’s address.
2. Arrangement and Notification of Flight Details
(1) When your flight arrangements have been confirmed, please inform your EPIK coordinator or recruiting agency of your flight details with your full name, flight number, departure airport, date and time of departure, and date and time of arrival at Incheon/Gimhae International Airport.
(2) Please arrange your flight based on the following information:
TEAM 1 / TEAM 2 / TEAM 3Arrival Date / Feb. 18th (Thu)
(11:00 am – 7:00 pm) / Feb. 19th (Fri)
(11:00 am – 7:00 pm) / Feb. 22nd (Mon)
(11:00 am – 7:00 pm)
Arrival Airport / Incheon International Airport (ICN) / Gimhae International Airport (PUS) / Incheon International Airport (ICN)
Registration / Arrival floor (1F),
Gate #14, Desk #72, 73 / International Building, Arrival floor (1F) / Arrival floor (1F),
Gate #14, Desk #72, 73
MOE/POE / Gwangju, Dajeon, Ulsan, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Gyeongbuk, Jeju, Jeonbuk, Gangwon,
Sejong, National Schools / Busan, Daegu,
Gyeongnam / Seoul, Gyeonggi
Pick-up
Service for Orientation Site / *The last bus will leave the airport at 8:00 pm. Your flight should arrive no later than 7:00 p.m. If your flight arrives after 7:00 pm., we highly encourage you to fly in the night before. If you arrive a day earlier, please come to the EPIK counter by 11:00 am so that you can take the first shuttle bus. You will be responsible for finding your own accommodation and you are liable for all costs incurred. If you cannot arrive during the pick-up service hours, you are expected to arrange your own transportation to the orientation venue.
★ Current EPIK teachers or former EPIK teachers who have attended the mandatory EPIK orientation do not need to attend the upcoming orientation again. However, those teachers are required to come to the registration office on the designated days for their medical check-up (exact dates will be informed later on our website). All POEs/MOEs expect you to have completed the medical check-up during the EPIK orientation. Even if you have already obtained your ARC card, the medical exam is still required to become an EPIK teacher.
※ For those who do not need to attend the full orientation, you are expected to arrange transportation to the orientation venue at your own cost.
3. General Information of the Spring 2016 Orientation
Period / Venue / MOE/POETEAM 1 / Feb. 18th (Thu) – Feb. 26th (Fri) / Gyeonggi University
(in Suwon) / Gwangju, Dajeon, Ulsan, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Gyeongbuk, Jeju, Jeonbuk, Gangwon,
Sejong, National Schools
TEAM 2 / Feb. 19th (Fri) – Feb. 26th (Fri) / Busan University of Foreign Studies
(in Busan) / Busan, Daegu,
Gyeongnam
TEAM 3 / Feb. 22nd (Mon) – Mar. 1st (Tue) / Kongju University
(in Chungnam) / Seoul, Gyeonggi
★ For further detailed information about the EPIK orientation, please check our website. Updates will be made on our EPIK website around the fourth week of January (www.epik.go.kr).
4. Documents to be Prepared before Entry
(1) Missing documents: Please check the top of the first page of the Important Notice section for any missing required documents. Any missing required documents or additional documents (e.g. copies of Teacher’s/TESOL/TEFL/CELTA Certificates/Apostilled diploma /proof of teaching experience) must arrive at the EPIK office by January 15th (KST).
Please be advised that EPIK will not accept any missing/additional documents at the orientation venue. However, applicants who will complete their contract after January 15th including current EPIK teachers can submit their Proof of Teaching Experience letters (PTE) to their supervisors at the end of the orientation during the POE/MOE supervisor meeting. People who plan to submit a PTE must inform the EPIK office beforehand. (Exception: Seoul Applicants will not be able to submit a proof of teaching experience letter after January 15th. No pay grade changes will happen after this date.)
(2) Original Teacher’s/TESOL/TEFL/CELTA certificates
* Purpose: POE/MOE may want to verify these original certificates, as only copies of the certificates were submitted during the application process. Only show these documents if they are directly requested.
(3) Residency Certification (Official proof of residency) (With the exception of Canadian & Irish applicants)
* Please contact the tax or revenue authority in your home country for more information on how to obtain the appropriate residency/tax certificate.
* Purpose: To qualify for exemption from Korean income taxes.
The document is not required for your application to EPIK, but it is mandatory if you expect to be exempt from Korean income taxes while living in Korea.
* EPIK will NOT assist you in obtaining this document. It is up to the individual applicant to prepare this document. Furthermore, do NOT submit this document during the February orientation, it should be provided only to your school.
Please be aware that you can only be exempt from Korean income taxes for a maximum of 2 years. So, if you have already worked in Korea for 2 years or more and have qualified for tax exemption during that time, you will no longer be eligible for tax exemption.
5. Entrance Allowance
(1) In most cases, within the first month of the contract, all EPIK teachers, regardless of level, will be provided with 1,300,000 KRW as an Entrance Allowance by their POE/MOE except those who change the sojourn period of their existing visas in Korea. The final decision regarding entrance allowance eligibility and when the funds will be disbursed is determined by the POE/MOE. The entrance allowance is intended to assist with initial set-up costs for EPIK teachers including: airfare, transportation to the orientation or school upon arrival, etc. Applicants who were hired by the Busan MOE, will receive their entrance allowance after working for 6 months.
(2) Since you will not receive your entrance allowance until approximately one month after you start teaching, please bring enough money to live off of for about one month (approx. $1,000 USD).
(3) All Applicants: Please be advised that the ATM machines at the Incheon/Gimhae International Airport have, in the past, had issues reading non-North American debit cards and credit cards. We strongly advise that all applicants bring the equivalent of $1,000 USD in cash to the airport for conversion.
6. Official Medical Report (after entry in Korea)
[IMPORTANT] Due to the potential spread of communicable diseases, there are general public health concerns in Korea concerning international travel. We ask that you please observe the following:
If you have any of the following symptoms and have traveled to an at-risk area we ask that you seek medical consultation and inform us before arrival. Communicable disease symptoms may include: fever with chills, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, congestion, etc.
(1) EPIK teachers must complete a medical examination in Korea including a physical examination, a blood test, a chest X-ray examination, etc., and obtain an official medical report issued from a hospital, which has been designated by the Korean Government. You are expected to prepare about 50,000 KRW in cash for your medical examination.
(2) If any EPIK teachers test positive for any illegal substance(s), their contracts will be subsequently terminated. People who test positive for elevated levels of a controlled substance may be tested again. The cost of the additional test will be the responsibility of the EPIK teacher. If a second positive test occurs, the contract will be terminated. In such cases, the EPIK teacher must return to their home country at their own expense as soon as possible and any or all expenses for entry, departure, or stay in Korea, including medical fees, will be borne by the EPIK teacher.
7. Alien Registration Card (ARC)
All teachers will need to register for an ARC once they have arrived at their schools. Co-teachers will usually assist EPIK Teachers in this process by accompanying them to a local immigration office with the documents necessary for applying for the ARC within 2 to 3 weeks of starting at their school. For current E2 visa holders your ARC must be valid up until the time of renewing your ARC.
8. Mandatory Training Requirement
Credits / NotesOnline Pre-Orientation / 15 hours / EPIK teachers should complete the course before arrival at the orientation site & present the certificate during the on-site orientation when asked.
On-site Orientation / 45 hours / Upon completion of all lectures during the orientation, EPIK teachers will receive a certificate of completion of 45 training hours.
Online In-Service Training / 15 hours / After the on-site orientation, EPIK Teachers will take “Online In-Service Training” according to their school setting. Further announcements will be made later by the POEs/MOEs.
★ EPIK Online Pre-Orientation
* All successful EPIK applicants must complete the online pre-orientation course before their arrival at the orientation site. Once you complete the course, please print out the certificate and pack it with your belongings to present to your homeroom teacher during the orientation. Your completion status will be reported to your POE or MOE.
* You will be invited by EPIK through email and can access the Pre-Orientation Course at http://www.epik.go.kr -> Online Pre-orientation-> Log in-> Register or
http://epik-pre.englishunt.com.
-ID: Your Email Address (as indicated on your EPIK application) -PW: 1111 (preset)
*If you do not receive an invitation from EPIK’s partner company, Englishunt, please contact them at or by phone at +82-70-7596-4867.
★ EPIK On-Site Orientation
Although the orientation will take place while the EPIK teacher is not under contract, the orientation is extremely important and completely mandatory. As stated in Section 15 (question 10) in your application form, if any applicant breaks orientation rules such as bringing or drinking alcohol inside the dorms, unauthorized absences from lectures, or general conduct unbecoming of an EPIK teacher, their contract and visa will be cancelled. The cost of returning home will be the responsibility of the EPIK teacher.
[IMPORTANT] The meals are usually buffet style with many options and choices but cannot be tailored to everyone's special needs or specifications. Please note that there will be NO dedicated vegetarian option during the orientation.
★ EPIK Online In-Service Training
The EPIK In-Service Training online courses are designed to assist EPIK Teachers by improving their teaching skills through various teaching strategies and examples. EPIK Teachers will be introduced to classroom management strategies and exposed to co-teaching models that help to better understand the Korean teaching, learning and classroom environment. You will find more information in the orientation manual which will be distributed at the time of registration.
※Please check our website regularly for important updates or feel free to connect with us on any of the following sites. There you will find instant updates, places to connect with other EPIK teachers, videos on the orientation, teaching techniques, EPIK life and more!
[Appendix 1]
When applying for your visa, you may be asked to include an address and phone number in Korea on the visa application form. If requested to do so, you must list your Office of Education's address and phone number as listed below. Please do not use EPIK’s address.