I'm new here, but I will keep the intro short. My name is Paige, I live in the UK and I'm 16 years old. I hope to move to Korea after I finish university, so I've decided to sign up to this in order to collect as much information as possible before the time comes for me to move. Although I have about another six years before I can realistically do so, but I find that finding the information earlier will help prepare me.

I have researched somewhat about the different programmes that are used for teaching (EPIK, SMOE, GEPIK and one other that I cannot quite remember the name of), so I have a rough idea of which one I think I will use. I'm interested in what the people using the forum used to apply for their job, and what they would reccomend.
Regarding the application process, I have read that for EPIK you need a BA degree (Bachelor of Arts degree) to be eligible, but for university, I plan to study criminology- which is a BS degree. So I'm unsure as to whether it actually matters or to whether I should change my course to another.

For the criminology course I'm signing up for, it has a year abroad option during the third year. I am hoping to go to Yonsei. If anyone on here has attended, I want to know about your experience there and whether you would reccomend it. Also, I'm curious as to whether having a shared room would be better than having a single room. It could be likely that I have someone unpleasant as my roommate, and that doesn't sound too great if I am to share a room for two semesters with them. Additionally, I am curious as to whether I would be allowed to work during my time there, I believe the visa is a D-2 one and even though I have attempted to research this, I am still unsure. I think that if I cannot work, I will not go.

Money wise, I'm unsure how much I will need for both. For Yonsei, you have to pay an application fee and the tuition before you can go, and for housing you have to apply before too- however, I'm not sure if you pay that before or after either. Seeing as I will be going for the year (two semesters), it will be about 7000 for the tuition, plus another 1500 for the fees that come from the university in the UK. I also believe that you have to have a minimum of 5000 in your bank to be able to go. So if someone could offer advice on this part it would be greatly appreciated.
In order to move, I have heard a lot of things- so I'm unsure what to believe anymore. The programmes pay for your housing and flight? So I don't think I will have to worry too much about that?

I have the feeling I have written too much, so I will end it here. I am aware that it may seem unusual for me to be posting this or whatever, but I am set on moving there and I don't think that my plans to move will change any time soon. They've been going strong for over a year now, so I'm not too worried about changing my mind half way through working towards this goal.

Thank you for reading (ignore any typos, I am a little rubbish at spelling).
I hope you're all doing well. Remember to wear your masks :)

also... i hate nachos, that question bothers me

I'm new here, but I will keep the intro short. My name is Paige, I live in the UK and I'm 16 years old. I hope to move to Korea after I finish university, so I've decided to sign up to this in order to collect as much information as possible before the time comes for me to move. Although I have about another six years before I can realistically do so, but I find that finding the information earlier will help prepare me.

I have researched somewhat about the different programmes that are used for teaching (EPIK, SMOE, GEPIK and one other that I cannot quite remember the name of), so I have a rough idea of which one I think I will use. I'm interested in what the people using the forum used to apply for their job, and what they would reccomend.
Regarding the application process, I have read that for EPIK you need a BA degree (Bachelor of Arts degree) to be eligible, but for university, I plan to study criminology- which is a BS degree. So I'm unsure as to whether it actually matters or to whether I should change my course to another.

For the criminology course I'm signing up for, it has a year abroad option during the third year. I am hoping to go to Yonsei. If anyone on here has attended, I want to know about your experience there and whether you would reccomend it. Also, I'm curious as to whether having a shared room would be better than having a single room. It could be likely that I have someone unpleasant as my roommate, and that doesn't sound too great if I am to share a room for two semesters with them. Additionally, I am curious as to whether I would be allowed to work during my time there, I believe the visa is a D-2 one and even though I have attempted to research this, I am still unsure. I think that if I cannot work, I will not go.

Money wise, I'm unsure how much I will need for both. For Yonsei, you have to pay an application fee and the tuition before you can go, and for housing you have to apply before too- however, I'm not sure if you pay that before or after either. Seeing as I will be going for the year (two semesters), it will be about 7000 for the tuition, plus another 1500 for the fees that come from the university in the UK. I also believe that you have to have a minimum of 5000 in your bank to be able to go. So if someone could offer advice on this part it would be greatly appreciated.
In order to move, I have heard a lot of things- so I'm unsure what to believe anymore. The programmes pay for your housing and flight? So I don't think I will have to worry too much about that?

I have the feeling I have written too much, so I will end it here. I am aware that it may seem unusual for me to be posting this or whatever, but I am set on moving there and I don't think that my plans to move will change any time soon. They've been going strong for over a year now, so I'm not too worried about changing my mind half way through working towards this goal.

Thank you for reading (ignore any typos, I am a little rubbish at spelling).
I hope you're all doing well. Remember to wear your masks :)

also... i hate nachos, that question bothers me

It's cool that you know what you want to do after university and have already begun researching various things about it. I know you say you are steadfast in your plans to come to Korea, but six years is a long time. A lot of things can change between now and then. That said, if you do end up sticking to this plan, your time researching now will benefit you immensely.

You can find droves of knowledge here and elsewhere about living and teaching in Korea. Keep in mind that a lot of opinions and advice you will come across here are specific to the individual writing them. For example, I have only ever taught in public schools through EPIK, so any opinions I have on private academies are strictly from hearsay and what I've read. There will be many things we can agree on, but everyone's experience is different in some way. Some users here can be quite negative and jaded at times, although I hope they can be supportive and helpful to you in this thread.

The first thing I can say is when I was accepted into EPIK, B.S degrees were just fine (I have one in biology) and from a quick search, I don't see any changes to that. I don't have too many complaints about EPIK personally, but I think your mileage may vary. Patience is key when it comes to public schools. There are a lot of factors that can play a role into your overall happiness at any particular school, ranging from your principal and vice principal, to the school's location or facilities, to each individual class, just to name a few. You could also end up changing schools many times or staying at one or a few schools for many years. I've had a bit of both between my travel schools changing, my main school becoming a travel school, etc. While you do have some input into what school(s) you do or don't want to teach at, the final decision is ultimately up to the office of education.

In the end I would recommend EPIK, but I can't speak of the other programs and how they compare. Admittedly I have little to zero knowledge of SMOE or GEPIK.

Another thing I would recommend, especially since you potentially have six years between now and moving to Korea, is to learn a bit of the language. Whether that's by self-study (there are some amazing resources out there for this) or taking a class, having knowledge of the language can help in so many ways for obvious reasons. The alphabet is incredibly easy to learn and many times you'll read something that is actually English, just written in Korean characters with Korean pronunciation.

Anyways I'll leave it at that for now. Unfortunately I don't know a thing about Korean universities, but I'm sure there are users here that do. Hope this helps! :)

It's cool that you're looking into this so early. I was so frantic because I was only planning a year in advance, so it will be really nice to have some time to properly consider everything.

Others have already offered some great advice, especially in terms of not just choosing your major based on whether or not it will help you get into EPIK, GEPIK, etc. I remember when I came I was open to the idea of stay long term but after a year or two I realized that Korea was ultimately not where I wanted to stay, and more importantly teaching was not for me.

As for me, I was accepted to SMOE, and I personally think it was because of my science degree (BS: Communication Sciences and Disorders emphasis in Speech Language Pathology) that I was able to be placed in Seoul. Working for SMOE you will lose out on a couple extra chances to earn extra money, but if you like the city life or want to have more foreign friends, then Seoul might be worth it. I have had a few troubles with my school and SMOE, but if you read your contract carefully and are firm about your rights as an employee, you should be better off than me.

One last thing, I know that many people in my teaching cohort had used recruiters to apply, but I did not. It seems that certain recruiters would have parties for their recruits, so it is a good way to start out with a group of friends. I also heard that some would regularly check on people within the first few months just to make sure everything was going alright.  So recruiters can be a nice to have, but if you are a more independent person and you were wondering about applying without a recruiter, just know that that is a perfectly viable option.