Required Documents

Each of the following documents must be submitted, only after a successful

interview, in order to be recommended to an Office of Education for a teaching
position with EPIK. You will only be requested to send each of these documents if
you have passed your interview. Keep in mind, requirements may vary depending
on which country youre from. In general, all potential applicants must submit the
following:

Application Form

Copy of Passport Information Page

Passport Sized Photo

Apostilled CRC

Apostilled Diploma

Sealed Transcripts

Two Original Recommendation Letters

Proof of Level 2 Pay Grade

Additional Documents (optional)

In-country Applicants

Ethnic Korean Applicants Only

UK/Australian Applicants Only

South African/Quebec Applicants Only

Copies
 Application form:

Successful applicants must submit one hard copy of the full, completed application
form with the required documents. The application form must be filled out entirely
and correctly, with any changes to the application that were discussed during the
interview properly addressed. During the interview, its recommended to have a copy
of the application form in front of you. Your interviewer will go over the application
form with you and inform you if there are any changes that need to be made.

Section 15 of the application requires a hand-signed ink signature where indicated.

Applicants must fill out the application electronically, print the application, and then
sign this section in ink.

Copy of passport information page:

Each applicant must submit a copy of the information page of their passport (photo
page), preferably in color.

Professional photo:

Applicants should submit a separate professional quality photo of the applicants

face and shoulders. This should be attached with a paperclip to the first page of the
application.

Apostilled CRC:

The Criminal Record Check (also known as a Police Certificate) must be issued by
your national police authority. CRCs issued by police authorities below the national
level will not be accepted. The CRC cannot be older than 6 months from when you
plan to apply for your visa (usually one month prior to your contract start date). Any
CRC that is older will not be accepted.

Your national level check must match your primary citizenship. Once you have the
CRC, you must have an apostille affixed to the original by the appropriate
government office and submit the apostilled original with all of your required
documents. Applicants from the United States must submit an FBI background
check. Please be aware that the FBI check can take 14-16 weeks to receive, so we
advise that you apply for it early. Applicants should visit the FBIs website (Federal
Bureau of Investigation) for specific information on how to apply for a CRC. The FBI
does not issue apostilles for the background check; you will have to submit it to the
Department of Authentications in Washington, DC. More information on apostilles
can be found at the bottom of the Apostilled Diploma section.

US applicants often run into a lengthy process when applying for their FBI
background check. As it can be a long process to obtain an FBI CRC and apostille,
we highly recommend applying for it as soon as possible and we also recommend
going through an FBI approved channeler (further information on going through a
channeler is provided below). Here is a guide for US applicants to obtain the FBI
check and apostille:

Apostilled FBI Criminal Record Check (CRC) Information for US Applicants

You must begin applying for this document AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. It can take
anywhere from 14-16 weeks to acquire your CRC and as stated before, timing is
imperative throughout this process. There are a few steps you must take to obtain an
FBI background check. Here is a direct link to the FBI website:

FBI Website: Requesting an FBI Criminal Record Check

First, you must get your fingerprints taken. Fingerprints can be acquired through your
local police station, contact them for further details on requirements and procedures.
You can print the fingerprint form through the FBI link below. You also must print the
CRC Application, fill it out completely and include your form of payment. If you
choose to pay with credit card, you must include a completed credit card payment
form. The FBI website also provides you with a checklist to ensure you don't forget
anything. We recommend you print this and double check that you have everything
before you mail in your application packet.

Standard Fingerprint Form: FD-258

FBI Criminal Record Check Application Form (answer the question to receive the
download link)
Credit Card Payment Form
FBI Criminal Record Request Checklist

Another option would be to apply for an FBI criminal record check through one of
their approved channelers. This option is faster and we highly suggest applicants
use this method when applying for their background check as it may cut down wait
times to as little as a week.

FBI Website: Approved Channelers

Once you receive your CRC, you must then send it to the U.S. Department of State's
Office of Authentications to obtain an apostille on the original FBI CRC. All CRCs
must be apostilled at the national level by the U.S. Department of States Office
of Authentications.

Information on how to obtain an apostille can be found here:

U.S. Department of State: Apostille Requirements

U.S. Department of State: How to Request an Apostille

NOTES when filling the form needed for mail in requests:

Section 1: You can put 'individual' for 'case type'.
Section 2: You will answer 'No' and leave the rest of the section blank.
Section 3: Please list how you want it to be mailed back to you.
Section 4: Be sure to list 'South Korea' for the country and 'FBI Criminal Background
Record' as the document type.

There are extra pages in the document for if you have numerous documents you
need authenticated and also an instructions page. You do not need to include these
when you mail in your request.

Additionally, for a quicker turn-around include a stamped, self-addressed return

envelope. Please follow the directions on the U.S. Department of States website.

CRC Information By Country

All applicants should use the links below to find out where to get a National level
background check in their country:

National Background Check Providers By Country

Australia
Australian Federal Police
Canada
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (inquire with your local police station)
Ireland
An Garda Sochna
New Zealand
Ministry of Justice
South Africa
Department of International Relations & Cooperation
The United Kingdom
Disclosure Scotland (apply for the Basic Disclosure)
The United States
Federal Bureau of Investigation (request an authenticated CRC)

Apostilled Diploma:

Successful applicants must submit a notarized and apostilled copy of their

Bachelors degree. For US applicants, all degrees must be apostilled at the state
level by the Secretary of State. First, a copy of the diploma should be made and then
the copy must be notarized. Only then will you be able to get the necessary apostille
attached. The apostille will be affixed to the notarized copy of the diploma by the
government agency issuing the apostille. Apostilles are a form of notarization that
makes a document acceptable internationally. Korean law requires degrees and
background checks to have an apostille attached to any notarized document in order
to prove its authenticity.

NOTE: EPIK cannot return any documents after they have been submitted, so
please do not submit apostilled original diplomas.

Applicants who are currently completing their Bachelors degree MUST submit the
apostilled copy of their degree (and all other missing or incomplete documents)
to the EPIK office 1.5 months prior to the contract start date. For example, if you
will be applying for a position in February, you must submit your apostilled degree by
mid-January. If this is not possible, you must apply for a later start date. If you
planned to have it in time and receive a position with EPIK and then subsequently
fail to get the document by the deadline, your position with EPIK for that term will be
revoked.

Missing or Incomplete Document Deadlines

Preferred Start Date Document submission deadline
February Mid-January
March Mid-February
April Mid-March
August Mid-July
September Mid-August
October Mid-September
These are approximate dates. Exact document deadline dates will be provided during the interview phase.

Apostille information:

The only documents that need to be apostilled are the national level CRC and
notarized copy of your undergraduate degree. If you are submitting a M.A degree as
proof of a level 2 qualification or for a pay level increase, that must also be
apostilled.

NOTE: Canada does not adhere to the Hague Apostille Convention. Therefore,
Canadian applicants must 1) have their documents first notarized by a notary public,
then 2) submit that notarized copy to the nearest Korean embassy or consulate for
final notarization (no apostille).

All documents must have the apostille from the country where the document
originated from. For example, an undergraduate degree issued from an American
university must have the apostille from one of the 50 states. It does not need an
apostille from the specific state.
NOTE: US Citizens must get their diplomas apostilled at their Secretary of State,
as a diploma is considered a state level document (not federal). In regards to the FBI
CRC, US applicants must get the apostille from the national level in Washington,
D.C. (Department of Authentications).

Table Of Apostille Providers By Country On Following Page

Apostille Providers By Country

 Australia
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Canada
Not Applicable. Documents must be notarized by a notary public, and then
authenticated at a Korean Consulate or Embassy.
Ireland
Department of Foreign Affairs
New Zealand
Department of Internal Affairs
South Africa
Department of International Relations & Cooperation
The United Kingdom
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
The United States
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California
Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia
Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa
Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland
Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri
Montana Nebraska Nevada New New Jersey
Hampshire
New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio
Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina
South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont
Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
U.S. Department of State (for FBI CRCs only)

Sealed transcripts:

Successful applicants must submit one sealed set of final transcripts. Transcripts
must reflect all coursework and credits earned that were applied toward the degree.
Your transcripts should also reflect the courses and credits earned at each institution
in which you earned credits toward your degree. If only the total number of credit
hours that were transferred appear on the transcripts from where you earned your
degree, you must supply transcripts from each institution at which credits were
obtained. Transcripts must be sealed. Please DO NOT have the school mail
transcripts to the EPIK office directly. Please submit the sealed transcripts along with
the other required documents.

Although EPIK only requires applicants to submit one set of transcripts, some
Korean consulates or embassies may also require sealed transcripts to be submitted
with E-2 visa applications (inquire at the consulate or embassy where you will be
obtaining your visa). Therefore, it would be prudent to order at least two sets of
transcripts.

NOTE: Current or recent students who have not completed their studies by the
time of document submission must submit a current copy of their transcripts when
submitting documents and then another copy of their complete transcripts by the
document deadline.
 Letters of Recommendation:

Applicants are required to submit the original hard copies of both letters of
recommendation that were submitted electronically with the initial application. There
are very specific requirements for the letters contents. Please pay careful attention
to the letter of recommendation requirements outlined below. Each letter of
recommendation must include:

Must be from a supervisor, professor, academic advisor, co-teacher, or other

professional source. The referee cannot be a friend, family member, or co-
worker

Your referees must not be from the same company/organization. The only
exception to this would be for current students. In that case, both LoRs can
come from your current university. In addition, if you are currently in school or
just recently graduated, then we prefer at least one letter from an academic
source.

Must be on letterhead OR the referees business card must be attached. If

neither is possible, you will need to obtain a letter from a different source.

Letters should have the name of the referee and their title. It must also be
signed with ink. Electronic signatures are not acceptable.

The contact information of the referee must be on the LoR. Ideally, both
phone number and email should be on the letter, but only 1 is necessary

The LoR must be dated and can be no older than 2 years from the time of
application

Be in Korean or English

Be 1-2 pages in length

The LoR should be addressed to Whom it May Concern or to the EPIK

Team. LoRs addressed to various recruiters will not be accepted

Include the applicants full first and last name

Clearly state the relationship between the referee and the applicant, including
the length and nature of the relationship

Speak to the applicants strengths and weaknesses relevant to teaching

English in Korea

Include any other relevant information

Current teachers in Korea must provide one LoR from their current school.
 Schools in Korea do not normally have letterhead so the letter must have the
schools stamp along with the ink signature of the referee

We cannot accept LoRs from online TEFL course providers

Please refer to the National EPIK Application Instructions file in the Apply
Now section of our website to find a sample template.

Proof of Level 2 Pay Grade:

Although applicants can be a level 3 to apply to EPIK, the Offices of Education

require all applicants to be at a level 2 or higher before signing the final contract.
There are various ways for an applicant to be considered a level 2 on the pay scale.

One of the following is needed in order to be the required level 2 or higher:

1) TEFL/TESOL/CELTA Certificate/Teaching License

Applicants who have or will be completing one of these certifications must

submit a copy of their completion certificate NO LATER than 1.5 months prior
to their arrival date (see missing document deadline table under Apostilled
Diploma.) If an applicant does not complete their course and provide the
required copy of their completion certificate by the designated date, the
applicants position will be revoked.

Certificates must clearly state the number of hours for the course. If they do
not, the applicant must provide proof of the number of hours (e.g. by
submitting transcripts, a letter from the course director, or a copy of an online
description of the course). Only certificates with 100 or more hours will qualify
applicants for a possible higher pay level.

IMPORTANT NOTE: As the standards of English education in Korea

become higher, each Office of Education is requiring more qualified
teachers. It is highly recommended to complete at least 20 hours of your
TEFL course in-class. Do keep in mind this is not mandatory, however, it
could be helpful in providing you more detailed knowledge of teaching
methodologies and some great practical experience.

****For applicants who wish to teach in Busan, the Busan Metropolitan Office
of Education will only recognize TEFL/TESOL certificates that have at least a
50 hour in-class component. Applicants who are a level 2 because of a
TEFL/TESOL certificate with under a 50 hour in-class component, may either
be recommended to Busan as a level 3 applicant OR to any other location as
a level 2.

If you have a teaching license, submit a photocopy of it and bring the original
with you to Korea. Teaching licenses must be current and valid for the
duration of the EPIK contract in order for applicants to be eligible for a higher
pay level.
2) Bachelors/Masters degree in Education/major in Education

Applicants who have a Bachelors degree in Education or who majored in a

field of Education automatically qualify for a level 2 pay grade. Applicants
who have a Masters in Education meet not only our minimum requirement,
but also qualify for the higher pay level (2+). As such, anyone who has these
qualifications will not have to obtain a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate.

3) 1 Year of TaLK Scholar Experience

Proof of TaLK experience can be obtained from your schools administrative

office.

Additional documents:

Depending on a variety of factors, applicants may need to submit one of the

following additional documents. Your EPIK Coordinator or recruiter will notify you if
you need to submit one of the following:

1) Copy of citizenship and a copy of legal residence certificate (for Korean

citizens only)

If you are a Korean citizen and have legal residency in one of the seven
designated countries where English is the primary language, you must
provide a copy of your Citizenship/Legal Residence Certificate.

2) Proof of English Education (for Korean citizens)

If you are a Korean citizen and have legal residency in one of the seven
designated countries where English is the primary language, you must
provide documentation to prove that you have studied in one of the seven
designated countries beginning from middle school (7th grade). Applicants
must submit sealed transcripts of their complete academic record from every
institution they attended beginning from their 7th grade year.

If you are unable to obtain transcripts, consult with the EPIK office to
determine the appropriate documentation to prove your English education.

3) Region Specific Documents

Depending on where you wish to be recommended to, that specific Office of

Education may ask for additional documentation. Your EPIK Coordinator or
recruiter will give you the necessary documents to fill out.

4) Education Completed at International Schools

If any of your education was completed outside of your home-country, then

proof of your schooling must be submitted in order to prove the schools
 accreditation and English curriculum.

In-country applicants

In-country applicants have a number of additional requirements they must complete.

In addition to each of the general, required documents, in-country applicants should
submit each of the following:

1) Copy of Alien Registration Card

2) Copy of Korean visa
3) Scan of the page of the current contract that shows the contract period (if
currently employed)
4) Letter of recommendation from current school (if currently employed)

Diploma, Transcripts and Background Checks for In-Country Applicants

Applicants who are currently teaching at a public school with EPIK may be able to
get an official copy of their national background check, transcripts and diploma they
submitted for their current teaching position. If you are currently working for the EPIK
program you should visit your Office of Education and request an official copy of your
national level background check, transcripts and diploma. If they are able to give you
an official copy, you must be sure they copy every page of the documents (make
sure if there is something on the back, it also gets copied). Then, the provider must
include a specific stamp (), signature and note of where exactly you are
getting the copy from (ex. Gyeongbuk Office of Education, Busan Office of Education
etc.) on every page of the copies. If you can get this, then you do NOT need to get a
new background check or copy of the apostilled diploma.

TaLK scholars can also get these copies, however, TaLK scholars are unable to
receive these copies themselves. Therefore, a formal request must be made to your
Office of Education. After requesting them from your MOE/POE, the Office of
Education will send them directly to your EPIK Coordinator.

Ethnic Korean Applicants Only

If youre ethnically Korean and your father was a Korean citizen at the time of your
birth, the Korean government may consider you a dual citizen (even if youve never
been to Korea). It is important that all ethnic Koreans contact the nearest Korean
embassy or consulate to determine if they are a dual citizen. Additionally, there is a
helpful document with more information located at the bottom of the Apply Now
section of our website.

UK/Australian Applicants Only

Keeping Korean children safe is of the utmost importance to the Ministry of

Education and the EPIK program. As such, EPIK requires all British and Australian
applicants to provide an apostilled copy of their birth certificate, in addition to the
other required documents. This is strictly for identity verification purposes in
accordance to name change regulations in the respected countries. If you
immigrated to either country, you must provide immigration or naturalization papers.
Birth certificates that are apostilled with any other document, such as a university
degree, will not be accepted. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

South African / Quebec Applicants Only

Due to the fact that some schools in South Africa and Quebec do not use English as
the primary language of instruction, some applicants are not eligible for our program.
Our policy is that an applicants schooling from at least 7th grade and through
university must have been conducted in English. As such, all South Africans and
Quebecois applicants must provide proof that their education was in English. This
proof can come in the form of a letter from your schools administrative office. You
must submit this proof along with your initial application in order to be considered.

Copies:

You must also submit a photocopy of ALL the documents/apostilles you submit to
EPIK, along with the actual originals/apostilles. The only document you will not
submit a copy of is your transcripts, which must remain sealed.

Important Note: When copying apostilled documents, you may fold the document,
but DO NOT remove the staple or detach the apostille after it has been affixed by the
government office. If an apostille appears to have been removed and reattached to
the document, it is considered invalid.