Advice for new EPIK teachers

Besides all good conduct that goes without saying, (arriving on time or greeting co-workers, being polite, etc.) I’ve put together a bit of advice that I think would be valuable before teaching English in Korea with EPIK.

Read this book

First and foremost, educate yourself about the Korean culture. Learning to think Korean is an excellent resource, and an easy but informative read. Despite western influences over the past decades, Korean culture is still a polar opposite of that of the West. L. Robert Kohls intends to educate westerners on Korean culture, or as the title suggests, on how to think Korean.

The way Koreans think and the way they do things will surprise and possibly aggravate even the most cultured westerners. Reading this book will at least help you bridge that culture gap, and perhaps prevent some problems from arising. After having begun reading this book, I can already think back with guilt about how many times I made friends, co-teachers and other acquaintances feel uncomfortable, simply because I wasn’t educated about the culture.

Korean culture is so different that even in the early stages of their stay, westerners may not be able to relate to the content of the book. Giving the book a good read before your arrival will definitely give you a head start, but I would personally recommend a second read several months into your stay.

Learn to simplify your English

One of the most difficult things for first time teachers in Korea is simplifying spoken English. While Koreans excel in reading, they are much weaker in listening. Some of your students will not be able to understand a single word you say, since they are not used to hearing a foreign speaker. Even with your co-teachers, you must learn to use simple vocabulary and sentence structure, straightforward language and also learn to speak slowly. Most English teachers have not lived in an English speaking country and some haven’t even visited one.

It will take you some time to naturally slow down your English. Ask your co-teacher to let you know when you are speaking too fast, and that should help you learn how to slow down.

Don’t get angry with the students

The worst thing I did during my first days was get angry with the students when they misbehaved. Unless you are placed in a special school for gifted students, you can expect to regularly see students get out of hand. But bottom line, it is not the foreign teacher’s responsibility to control the students.

During the early part of my contract, I found myself getting angry regularly with students for ignoring my “be quiet!” One time I got so angry, it really upset one of my teachers. My co-teacher told me, “Let me try to control the students. If we cannot control the students, then don’t teach. Don’t worry about it. But you must not get angry…” At the time his explanation as to why I shouldn’t get angry didn’t quite make sense, until I had later read Learning to Think Korean.

As a foreign teacher in Korea, you’re not actually here to teach. You are here to motivate students to speak English, and possibly, you might help them learn English. Let’s face it, most EPIK teachers will be working in two or more schools and seeing 600+ students each week. With class sizes averaging above 30 and forty five minutes per class, in an equal world that averages out to a little over a minute per week of one-on-one speaking time.

So the worst thing you can do is get angry. You will destroy what little motivation the students have left. Instead, do the best you can to prepare easy but interesting lessons, preferably interactive games/puzzles geared towards motivating the students. If the students aren’t cooperating, then do the best you can to positively motivate them. Do not get angry.

If the classroom is still in chaos after that, then contact the homeroom teacher. Do the same when serious problems arise with individual students. In middle and high school, there is a teacher in charge of each class of students, the homeroom teacher. (Da-nim seon-saeng-nim; 다님 선생님) At all schools, whenever I had a problem with a class, I would notify the homeroom teacher. The homeroom teachers always apologized and then disciplined the students. Don’t send a student to the principle’s office; this is not practiced in Korea.

In general for moderately noisy classes, I recommend using a bell.

Expect last minute surprises

Koreans don’t seem to plan for anything more than 24 hours in advance. Dates of exams, school ceremonies and other meetings seem to change at the last minute. This is one of the biggest complaints among new foreign teachers since they are often misinformed or notified at the very last minute about such schedule changes. Now reaching the end of my contract, I’m no longer surprised when five minutes before class my co-teacher says, “Excuse me, but you don’t have class today.”

One of the best things you can do to stay informed about special events is ask for an academic calendar. (Hak-sa-il-jeong; 학사일정) Ask your co-teacher to circle the special events on the days you teach as well as the school and national holidays. Also, for those of you in middle and high schools, take a look at the daily class schedule. The class hours are organized on a grid: the rows are the class hours and the columns are the class numbers. In each box are the subjects, represented by single Korean syllable blocks. Look for 영, which is English. Usually when there are changes to the normal schedule, the blocks are written in a different color.

On top of that, ask your co-teacher on a regular basis to keep you updated about any changes. Even after all of that, you will still get surprises, since last minute decisions often come from high up and your co-teacher will be as much in the dark as you.

Don’t expect to leave early

Nearly all EPIK teachers will be expected to stay at school until everyone goes home, usually around 5pm. If your school just happens to let you leave early, then by all means take advantage and enjoy the afternoon. But the contract states clearly that EPIK employees shall work eight hours per day (excluding lunch hour) for five (5) calendar days per week from Monday to Friday. Despite having signed the contract, many foreign teachers still complain about having to stay at school until all the teachers go home. (see forum post.) Others have tried to sneak out of the office and leave early, as if such an act would go unnoticed. If staying at school is a problem, then don’t sign the contract and don’t work for EPIK. Period.

If you prepare good lesson plans, have a good attendance record and most certainly don’t put up a fuss about staying at work, and maybe even go so far as to bring in refreshments for your co-workers, it will not be difficult for you to ask to leave early an afternoon when you really do need to leave early.

Other EPIK teachers, please feel free to offer more advice.