Horrible GPA - should I be concerned with applying to GEPIK?

Hey everyone, this is my first post on here. I am currently in the process of getting all my paperwork together as I would like to apply to GEPIK. I contacted a recruiter from Say Kimchi who deals directly with GEPIK because I am concerned about my GPA which is embarrassingly low (I partied too hard my junior year and it ended up killing my GPA). She told me that applicants have been rejected for having under a 2.5. Basically I have a 2.1, I barely passed college but I do have my degree. Yes I do regret it but that's what I have to deal with now.
Should I not even bother applying to GEPIK and just focus on hagwons? Or maybe just try a different recruiter? The idea of teaching for a hagwon makes me a little nervous and I would feel much more comfortable having job security if I am going to be living abroad. If I do teach at a hagwon, will I have a better shot at getting a GEPIK position after a year experience?
Any advice is much appreciated.

Even if you do get a job in GEPIK, you wouldn't necessarily have job security as they are still cutting jobs in this program. I would find another recruiter and rather apply to EPIK which fills positions around the country rather than just one province. You should be able to apply directly through EPIK's website.  I don't think your GPA will matter much but you may have to be more flexible with your choice of location.

Honestly, the Koreans I know don't care that much about GPA.  The ones I know care way, WAY more about:

(in no particular order)

1 ) What university you went to (if they've heard of it at all, this is a hugely good thing)
2 ) What you look like
3 ) Where you're from
4 ) How well you dress
5 ) What your major was
6 ) Your hairstyle
7 ) Your experience
8 ) How much you seem to like Korea
9 ) How easygoing you seem to be
10 ) If you have any references they can read or even better, call (so simple English or in Korean is preferred)

I've never heard of someone who had most of the above going for them being rejected for something stupid like GPA.  Honestly, the GPA-rejected people your recruiter mentioned were probably rejected for being crap at many of the 10 things above, and the GPA was probably used as an easy excuse.  Or, if your recruiter is warning you about GPA, they could be readying THEIR excuse because they actually think you look terrible in some other way.


That being said, and this is the important bit:
GEPIK is a bad choice right now, even for people who are awesome in every way.  There are tons of good people being laid off  from GEPIK (well, contracts not renewed due to budget, but it's effectively the same thing from your perspective) as we speak, and they all have experience in GEPIK, and you don't.  And they all have good KOREAN references, and you don't.  And you'd be competing with them for like the few dozen open GEPIK jobs left.  In short, you're better off applying anywhere but GEPIK right now.

That being said, and this is the important bit:
GEPIK is a bad choice right now, even for people who are awesome in every way.  There are tons of good people being laid off  from GEPIK (well, contracts not renewed due to budget, but it's effectively the same thing from your perspective) as we speak, and they all have experience in GEPIK, and you don't.  And they all have good KOREAN references, and you don't.  And you'd be competing with them for like the few dozen open GEPIK jobs left.  In short, you're better off applying anywhere but GEPIK right now.

That's very helpful, thanks. So should I apply to EPIK instead? Because I heard that EPIK has been making a lot of cuts as well. If this is the case, I'm probably better off applying to hagwons anyway.

Yah public schools all across Korea are taking huge cuts. But Gepik and SMOE are taking the biggest hit. Even though Epik is also taking cuts, you have a better chance with Epik since Epik serves a wider area. You just have to be very very flexible on location. You could be working in a rural area where you are the only fluent English speaker. And also for the above poster, I agree that gpa might not matter much just a year or two ago. But now since the cuts, it's an employer's market as it gets more competitive to get a job. So gpa would slightly be weighted more these days. If you could get an interview, however, charisma always wins out gpa.

Also, I just checked out the EPIK website and was reading over their required documents page. Here's what it says about transcripts:

You must submit one (1) copy of transcripts for each degree that determines your pay level (you must submit a minimum of at least Bachelor’s degree transcripts).

Uh....what exactly determines your pay? I'm guessing they are looking for teaching or english relevant courses on your transcripts if they don't care about GPA?

That being said, and this is the important bit:
GEPIK is a bad choice right now, even for people who are awesome in every way.  There are tons of good people being laid off  from GEPIK (well, contracts not renewed due to budget, but it's effectively the same thing from your perspective) as we speak, and they all have experience in GEPIK, and you don't.  And they all have good KOREAN references, and you don't.  And you'd be competing with them for like the few dozen open GEPIK jobs left.  In short, you're better off applying anywhere but GEPIK right now.

That's very helpful, thanks. So should I apply to EPIK instead? Because I heard that EPIK has been making a lot of cuts as well. If this is the case, I'm probably better off applying to hagwons anyway.

EPIK is making cuts too (all of the Offices of Education are doing so) but most of the cuts affect high school contracts (you'll probably be placed in an elementary or middle school) and large cities.  SMOE has made major cuts, GEPIK has been making cuts for the past year, Busan will probably follow - basically most of the major cities.  If you're more flexible about where you want to go, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. 

For example, my province is classed as a rural province (Jeollabuk-do) and the capital city of Jeonju has made a few cuts.  Since so many people want to live in Jeonju, it is quite tough (even for current NETs) to get jobs in this city.  My city, Gunsan, is 45 minutes west of Jeonju and has a population of 300,000 but approximately 80% of the public school NETs in my city are going home at the end of their contracts.   For the sake of clarity, most of the people going home have been here for at least two years and we have a fairly high renewal rate.

I agree with Davox's 10 points of what is considered more important here.

Also, I just checked out the EPIK website and was reading over their required documents page. Here's what it says about transcripts:

You must submit one (1) copy of transcripts for each degree that determines your pay level (you must submit a minimum of at least Bachelor’s degree transcripts).

Uh....what exactly determines your pay? I'm guessing they are looking for teaching or english relevant courses on your transcripts if they don't care about GPA?

http://www.teachaway.com/teach-english-korea/epik-english-program-korea-public-school-jobs-korea/
scrol down you'll see salary of Epik Teachers and requirements for each pay scale

That's very helpful, thanks. So should I apply to EPIK instead? Because I heard that EPIK has been making a lot of cuts as well. If this is the case, I'm probably better off applying to hagwons anyway.

Don't apply to EPIK, they do care about GPA and have a minimum required GPA

For GEPIK it's not a factor and I don't even think they ask, though you will have to send sealed transcripts for the MOE (after you have been accepted).

Your recruiter must have got them mixed up....or just doesn't know.

Some teachers have been let go but not all schools are funded the same way so there will be some looking for teachers. My friend and I were both unsure if we would be renewed even though both our schools wanted us. Renewell came a little later than normal but still happened.

The one thing with GEPIK is you will need at least a 100 hr plus TESOL if you don't have a degree in Education. You should have at least that anyway wether you are applying for GEPIK or EPIK but for GEPIK it's a requirement so get cracking if you don't (applying while still doing the course is ok).

That's very helpful, thanks. So should I apply to EPIK instead? Because I heard that EPIK has been making a lot of cuts as well. If this is the case, I'm probably better off applying to hagwons anyway.

Don't apply to EPIK, they do care about GPA and have a minimum required GPA

For GEPIK it's not a factor and I don't even think they ask, though you will have to send sealed transcripts for the MOE (after you have been accepted).

Your recruiter must have got them mixed up....or just doesn't know.

Some teachers have been let go but not all schools are funded the same way so there will be some looking for teachers. My friend and I were both unsure if we would be renewed even though both our schools wanted us. Renewell came a little later than normal but still happened.

The one thing with GEPIK is you will need at least a 100 hr plus TESOL if you don't have a degree in Education. You should have at least that anyway wether you are applying for GEPIK or EPIK but for GEPIK it's a requirement so get cracking if you don't (applying while still doing the course is ok).

Ok....so now I'm confused about what exactly to apply to. Maybe just all of them (via Korvia) and see what happens? Although I'm probably better off going the hogwan route at this point, at least I'll be able to pick a city to live in.

Applying to as many places as you can is never a bad plan. It may be an employer's market, but there are still plenty of jobs here, and the more recruiters you talk to, the more likely it is you connect with a job that suits you. Also, more recruiters = more potential job offers = less likelihood that you panic and take the first (crappy) offer that comes along. Just be aware that you're only supposed to apply to each EPIK, GEPIK, and SMOE once (ie, don't apply for GEPIK through fifteen different recruiters), so only fill out and submit the big long application form once if you can help it. Also make sure you know the requirements for each of the programs (whether GPA matters, whether you need a TESOL certificate, etc.) so you don't waste your time on something you won't even be considered for.

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but there was some information provided here that was of interest to my situation. Unfortunately, location is important to me. I want to be in either Seoul or Gyeonggi-do. From what I've heard, SMOE's cuts seem to be much more drastic than GEPIK's (correct me if I'm wrong), so I was planning on only applying to GEPIK. Am I making the right choice?

I would go with GEPIK if you are going the public school route since it deals strictly within Gyeonggi-do. I have heard that its damn near impossible to get a public school position in Seoul but you may want to look into applying to hogwans if you'd like to choose where you want to live. That's what I'm doing if I get rejected from GEPIK.

Also next to positive your average matters to get into Seoul with EPIK - I believe you need at least 70%

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but there was some information provided here that was of interest to my situation. Unfortunately, location is important to me. I want to be in either Seoul or Gyeonggi-do. From what I've heard, SMOE's cuts seem to be much more drastic than GEPIK's (correct me if I'm wrong), so I was planning on only applying to GEPIK. Am I making the right choice?

It really depends on where in Gyeonggi you're willing to be.  I believe that the provincial government here decided to no longer fund any foreign teachers, and that all of the funding is now coming from individual cities.  So there are quite a few cities/municipalities in Gyeonggi where there are now precisely 0 open GEPIK positions, and there are a few places (like where I am, for instance) that have a few of them.  But the open ones may not be in the places you want to go.

I guess what I'm saying is, feel free to apply, but don't bet everything on GEPIK or SMOE having anything for you.  Decide whether location or job predictability is more important to you, and if location is the winner, keep an eye out for hagwon jobs too.  If job quality is more important, consider EPIK or other rural public school positions.

Hey everyone, this is my first post on here. I am currently in the process of getting all my paperwork together as I would like to apply to GEPIK. I contacted a recruiter from Say Kimchi who deals directly with GEPIK because I am concerned about my GPA which is embarrassingly low (I partied too hard my junior year and it ended up killing my GPA). She told me that applicants have been rejected for having under a 2.5. Basically I have a 2.1, I barely passed college but I do have my degree. Yes I do regret it but that's what I have to deal with now.
Should I not even bother applying to GEPIK and just focus on hagwons? Or maybe just try a different recruiter? The idea of teaching for a hagwon makes me a little nervous and I would feel much more comfortable having job security if I am going to be living abroad. If I do teach at a hagwon, will I have a better shot at getting a GEPIK position after a year experience?
Any advice is much appreciated.

Re: Should I be concerned with applying to GEPIK?

No.

MC

You're coming to a country where a North American GPA couldn't matter less.

For public schools, I read that transcripts are requested for immigration. It's to see if your degree is the real deal.

On the other hand, I was accepted by a hagwon but things didn't work out, so they sent me my docs back and my transcript envelope was ripped open.  ::)

Hmmm! I was applying for a public school job in Incheon with Canconx, 2 months into the process they say my GPA is too low they need 60% I have 58% only my UK degree does not easily convert to US grading.  I was disappointed as they could have put this in their literature, I now have to start the process again and will 100% be in a hagwon which could be positive or could be awful.

So whilst I would not initially worry about having a lower grade do ask the question or you could waste 2 months.  I think the GPA thing may have been the recruiters preference rather than Incheon education board.

Good luck, as it is taking me forever.

Hmmm! I was applying for a public school job in Incheon with Canconx, 2 months into the process they say my GPA is too low they need 60% I have 58% only my UK degree does not easily convert to US grading.  I was disappointed as they could have put this in their literature, I now have to start the process again and will 100% be in a hagwon which could be positive or could be awful.

So whilst I would not initially worry about having a lower grade do ask the question or you could waste 2 months.  I think the GPA thing may have been the recruiters preference rather than Incheon education board.

Good luck, as it is taking me forever.

Who was the recruiter you used?

Oops, nevermind.  lol  Use another recruiter.