This is what I heard over a year ago, so please do not take this literally.
Korretta began in 1995 and was Korea's response to the very successful JET Program in Japan which is sponsored by the Japanese Government. The Korean Government wanted over 1200 native English speakers, all with MA's in TESL or similar field. Korretta got less than 500 applicants and less than 50 had MA's. Because of the low application rate, almost all applicants were accepted.
Korea is getting a very bad reputation for abuses of English teachers and the word is (finally) getting out. Because of Korretta's poor reputation, the name was changed to EPIK, and the reputation of EPIK is not much better.
6/2001 Hi Jon, I taught in the old KORETTA program (1996-7) and the new EPIK program (1997-8) in Korea. The latest contributor's information is quite correct. I would like to add a little. My experience has lead me to the following conclusions: 1) KORETTA/EPIK was a knee-jerk reaction by the Korean government to keep up with the Japanese JET program. Upon initiating the KORETTA/EPIK program the Korean government failed to implement any standards for the success of the program. For example, rather than screen applicants, they hired ANYONE who applied. Additionally, educational credentials were not investigated to determine legitimacy. I knew a number of teachers in the program who had diplomas and transcripts made up on Microsoft Word or bought from degree mills. Also, Korean government officials who ran the program resorted to nepotism in their hiring of ex-pat administrators for the program - the point of contact (and supposed educational expert for the Seoul region) was a 22 year old Korean-American who just happened to be the neice of the KORETTA/EPIK director. 2) The schools at which KORETTA/EPIK teachers taught resented the presence of foreign language "experts." Justly so. All my friends in the program related to me that they were either shuffled off to the side with no duties, or they were used as "gophers" to do the duties the Korean teachers didn't want to do. Additionally, the schools did not make preparations for the housing of foreign teachers, resisted interaction between foreign teachers and students, and did not include the foreign teachers in school or staff activities. 3) Any teacher considering taking a job in the KORETTA/EPIK program should view the program as a stepping stone. Although most foreign teachers involved in the program (including me) did not like it, most Koreans are not aware of the short-comings. Teaching in Korean schools gives a foreign teacher a legitimacy unmatched by any teacher who works for a private institute. It was a snap for me to move into a college-level teaching job upon completion of my KORETTA/EPIK tour. This is the only real "plus" side of the program. I hope this helps. I really enjoy your website. -Ken
Several of us went to Suwon yesterday to re-contract with the EPIK program. When we arrived we were handed copies of the new contract. Much to our dismay many of the benefits which were in the first contract were taken away and two of the benefits which we were guaranteed in the first contract we are not going to be given.
When we were recruited in the U.S. one of the benefits we were given in our original contract was a two week vacation back to our home country. Yesterday, we were told this would be without pay. We were also guaranteed round trip airfare be provided. Yesterday we were told that this would only be reimbursed after we returned to Korea, and then only at the government rate. In other words, if a person purchases a ticket round trip San Francisco -Seoul for W1.4 million won at peak season in August, we would only be reimbursed at the Government Transportation Rate of W550,000. So, in my case I would lose about W900,000. The new contract states that if this is your first time contract with EPIK, the airfare is now a loan from the Korean government.
In last year's contract, it was explicitly guaranteed that if you were fired for any reason the government had to provide you with return airfare. Now, if you do not complete your contract they will not pay for your way home and will deduct your arrival fare from your final pay. Therefore, if you get fired, you are left stranded, so you really have to watch what you say and do. Now, a teacher has no leverage. That's the Korean way of dictatorship in this so called democracy. Many western teachers complained about the severe beatings which we have witnessed on the students, so now it's going to be next to impossible. Also your final pay will now be sent to you after you arrive back in your home country. Now, that is to make sure you pay your telephone bill or electric bill before you depart. If not, it will be deducted from your pay before it gets sent to you (who knows when).
The new contract also states seven reasons why the government can fire you. These reasons include complaining too many times to superiors and giving your managing teacher a dirty look.
About 40 teachers were told the part about the mean or dirty look verbally. But, because there were many teachers asking a lot of questions at the meeting, Mr. Cha decided to use that as an example as to what you could be fired for. Remember, there will be no return airfare if you are fired, and you must repay the loaned airfare cost.
Now it gets even more ridiculous, the new contract is only 10.5 months long. That is so that they do not have to pay severance pay to you. Also, the pay is no longer guarnteed in U.S. but in won only. So in my case instead of being guaranteed $2000. a month exchanged at the current rate, it is now W1.7million. So if the won keeps declining at the current rate, I could end up earning about $1600. per month. The list goes on and on.
Needless to say, Americans are never shown the contract before arriving in Korea. Oh! by the way, the working hours were changed from twenty five hours teaching per week to working eight hours per day, which could include cleaning class rooms. And, the vacation was reduced from four weeks to two weeks. So, the two week break which is normal for winter now becomes your vacation. In essence, you now have no vacation of your own.
There you have it. I don't know how to get this info out, but I do have copies of last years contract and this years contract. What a contrast!
Regards,
Charley
P.S. let me know if you get this
The following was taken from permission from: http://soback.kornet.nm.kr/~wiegand/3black.htm This story is very very typical to many stories I have heard about the Koretta Program (and for that matter, TESL in Korea).
WARNING for people considering applying to the KORETTA/EPIK teaching program now being promoted in the USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, IRELAND and the UK.
This program is being run through the Korean Ministry of Education and seeks to recruit native speakers to teach English conversation in Korean public middle and high schools. Contracts are for one year, pay abou US$24,000 and promise housing, medical coverage, one month's vacation and the chance to extend for a second year.
The program would seem to be an ideal alternative to working in Hagwon Hell, and Korea has persuaded the diplomatic corps of some of the above-mentioned countries to promote it among their citizens interested in overseas teaching work. Obviously, the program has ambitions of emulating the successful JET program in Japan.
However, there are BIG problems at this point. Anyone thinking of applying to KORETTA/EPIK should read the following and consider very carefully whether they want to deal with these hassles.
* Lack of Clear Management Structure/Lack of Support: No one is quite sure who the hell is running this program and it's a maddening ordeal trying to find out. The people you apply to are very nice, as are the folks who run the two-week training program in the central city of Cheongju. But once you leave training and get assigned to a particular education district (which could be anywhere in the country) you become the responsibility of the local authorities. KORETTA/EPIK, as such, basically cuts its ties to you and they can't offer much in the way of help when things go wrong. And things will DEFINITELY go wrong. (See below.)
The local authorities are in most cases unequipped and ill-prepared to deal with you and your problems. In many cases even making yourself understood will be a problem because of a lack of translation capacity. If you feel that the terms of your contract are not being met, you have no recourse to any central authority. Your contract may, or may not, be considered worth the paper it's written on. The local folks set the terms and if you don't like them, your only choices are to suck it up and cope or else head for the airport.
* Housing: Nine out of ten times teachers have arrived at their sites to find that no housing has been arranged for them. Though a shared apartment with other KORETTA teachers is promised in the contract, in many cases teachers have been pressured to accept "homestays" with Korean families, usually a Korean public school teacher, which is uncomfortable and an inconvenience to say the least. Often, when housing has eventually been arranged, it has been less than satisfactory. Teachers who get placed in major cities (i.e. Seoul, Pusan) can definitely expect to face problems getting good housing due to high property values. (Some teachers in Seoul, for example, have been living in sleazy "love hotels" for months, waiting for a proper apartment to come through for them.)
* VISA and Travel Arrangement Problems: In many cases people have had their visas approved just days before they were supposed to be leaving for Korea, creating unnecessary stress and strain. Also, travel arrangements have been less than satisfactory; people have been told just days before the fact when they were supposed to be leaving, and many didn't have their tickets in hand until they went to the airport.
And if you're planning to come over here with your wife and/or kids, you'd better forget it. The folks at the education ministry may say bringing dependents over is no problem, but they aren't communicating very well with the ministry of justice folks, who have the power to grant -- and deny -- visas. (This is not even mentioning the housing problems you'll have if you want to have a place for your family to enjoy alone.)
* Lack of Translation Capacity/Cross-cultural Miscommunication Sure, the folks who hire and train you are great; they've had experience dealing with westerners and most of them speak pretty good English. But once you get to your work site, expect to confront a different world. This is Korea, and none of the rules that govern western-style employer-employee relations seem to apply. It's amazing how many problems the language barrier alone can lead to. But more troublesome is the fact that rarely does anyone think your complaints are valid, and no one wants you to talk to the person in charge, who might have the power to help. Complaining about unmet contract conditions is in most cases like talking to a brick wall. Again, be prepared to face the choice of putting up with stupid bullshit or else just leaving the country.
In conclusion, it suffices to say that despite Korea's amibitions of taking its part on the world stage as a developed country, foreigners who come here through KORETTA/EPIK can expect to confront some Third than two years old -- and SOME of the folks running it seem eager to make it better and are listening to complaints like these listed above. But considering how slow this Confucian-influenced bureacracy seems to work, you can expect that it will at least be a few years before the kinks get worked out.
This warning has been written by someone who has stuck it out and who, despite all the problems, still thinks it has been a good opportunity. No doubt -- if you get passed all the crap and take some responsibility for making your situation here comfortable (e.g. look for your own house) this can turn into a sweet job. But at this point, only the hale and hearty need apply.
- Anonymous