EPIK orientation: the gift that kept on giving

A few weeks ago, I attended the EPIK (English Program in Korea) orientation, a week-long intensive programme for new English teachers, held at Jungwon University, possibly the most beautiful campus I have ever come across. I should have gone through the orientation when I first arrived, but since I came during the ‘late intake’ I missed the February one. So, although I have already been teaching for five months, EPIK’s policy requires everyone to complete the orientation. Nevertheless, it was all good; it meant a week away from school, further training in teaching, and potentially making new friends. 

Definitely the most beautiful university campus I have ever seen.

On the first day, we found that we’d be getting roommates. The last time I had a roommate (not including my parents) was at university in 2011 so I was a bit anxious about whom I might share a room with. However, I realised I could easily make a new friend as well as have someone to chat with. We weren’t allowed to leave our rooms at all on the first day because the new teachers who had just arrived in Korea had to get PCR tests done and would only get their results the next morning. So, this meant much time for bonding! Solin (my roomie) and I immediately hit it off, chatting about our teaching experiences and where we come from. She’s from Wales but was born in Iraq and worked in the bio-medical field before coming to Korea. This made her immediately interesting and being the social scientist I am, I had many questions about her heritage and life. We shared laughs throughout the week, chatting about our days, how best to look after curly hair (especially in Korea’s humidity), the drama of one of our favourite shows, Love Island UK, dating life in Korea and how much we both enjoy teaching our students. Also, never would I have thought that I would get free cultural lessons on the Middle East, Assyrians (a Christian Iraqi ethnic group) and so much more. I could not have asked for a better roommate. 

My roommate Solin...

After a few positive COVID-19 cases and the EPIK team going around to disinfect the floors, they eventually let us out on Saturday afternoon as we prepared to meet with our orientation class as well as attend a welcoming ceremony. There were over 500 teachers; the majority being new. I thought this was a lot but I’ve heard that the Spring intake usually has over 700 teachers! This is a hectic logistical situation. Imagine, having to organise this programme, including lectures, meal times, and so much more. I take my hat off to the EPIK team for doing so. Sure, some things could have been done better but with this amount of people and an ongoing pandemic, they did really well. At the opening ceremony, they mentioned that all of us come from seven countries: Australia Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, and the US. When they asked us to cheer for each country, the biggest groups appeared to be from South Africa and the US. This was surprising but also nice as I’d hear familiar accents wherever I was at orientation. 

Welcoming ceremony...

We were about 535 teachers altogether; both new and those of us who arrived in March/April.

The orientation programme was packed, leaving very little time to dawdle. We had lessons on classroom management, cooperative teaching, lesson planning, English camp and after-school activities, Korean culture, history and language, as well as a wonderful lecture on teaching through storytelling. I loved this lesson and cannot wait to implement what I learned during my next after-school reading class. We also had a very cool Taekwondo lesson, which I reckon was the most exciting class of the week. 

Taekwondo class... this was really fun!

With Siyavuya... we had to write our goals on this board before smashing it later.

One of the major activities/requirements was that we had to give a teaching demonstration at the end of the week with a partner. We'd have to lesson plan and then give the demo in front of our class (fellow teachers) who would act as students. As ‘experienced’ teachers, we were a bit annoyed with this, however, in the end, I found it very rewarding. My partner, Oran (from the UK), and I had to teach a high school lesson on ‘Dreaming about your future.’ Since we both teach middle school, this wasn’t too bad as the third-grade middle school level is probably similar to high school first grade. It was also just fun teaching with another native-English speaker; we could share ideas as well as feed off each other while teaching. In my usual classes, not all of my Korean co-teachers are interactive, therefore it was enjoyable to share the workload as well as engage with your co-teacher during 'class.' With a similar laid-back approach to the demo and well, everything else, Oran and I had a good time working together. It was also really fun observing everyone else's lessons and teaching styles. I thoroughly enjoyed the elementary school lessons; learning through song and dance is very entertaining! 

After (successfully) completing our teaching demo!

One of the most interesting and enjoyable parts of orientation was meeting so many people from different countries and walks of life. I think I spent most of my time in between classes getting to know many people, chatting about what brought them to Korea and just having conversations about what life here has been like so far. Most of these conversations took place outside while exploring the beautiful university grounds, walking around the campus golf course (yes, you read right!), or in front of the most incredible view: picturesque mountains, greenery, light blue skies, white clouds, and a view that just gives a sense of calm and serenity.

Impromptu pretty photos with fellow South Africans while taking a walk.

The campus golf course... :)

After a few days, I felt like I was on a research trip because of how many people I was meeting and the way I was questioning them about their lives. It wasn’t out of inquisitiveness though, I just genuinely wanted to know people’s stories. My path here is unconventional. I have a PhD in Political Science and I have worked in research and at a university for most of my adult life. Deciding to come and teach English abroad is not the obvious choice with my background. So, I was curious to know other people’s stories and what brought them here. And boy, was it interesting! Also, after the first few days, I realised I had to be intentional about whom I was meeting and the conversations we were having. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend time with amazing people and share experiences. So, I felt it was important to embrace all of it and intentionally learn about others. Plus, sitting in front of a gorgeous view in the evenings made chatting and making connections very easy.

Some of the loveliest friends I met during orientation from SA and the US...

While the details may differ, more often than not people have similar stories as to what it is they are seeking or doing here whilst teaching English. I came to Korea to fulfil my dream of teaching English abroad, however, I also needed a break from my academic career. Applying for research jobs or post-doctoral positions is not easy; each application requires extensive work (basically a research project proposal) and after doing so (unsuccessfully) for most of 2021 I knew I needed to try something different. When speaking to many of the other teachers, I found shared sentiments; some are here to try something different from what they were doing before; some to seek adventure and experience life abroad; others are here because they could not find jobs at home or became disillusioned with their careers; while some are using the opportunity to practice their Korean. 

As a requirement, all EPIK teachers must have a tertiary qualification so there is much diversity in the academic backgrounds of those I met, for instance, linguistics, bioscience, psychology, dentistry, IT, speech therapy, education, public relations and marketing, nursing, HR and business management, and many more. And each person has their reason for coming here. My new friend Chloe, a pediatric nurse from the UK, felt she wanted more from life and to go on an adventure. Siyavuya, from KZN, with degrees in Psychology, decided to come and try teaching English after completing his studies and finding it difficult to get a job back home. Ntokozo, the always-smiling dental hygienist from Joburg, had a great job at home but decided to come to teach English because it’s always been something she wanted to do. Lawrence, also from South Africa, is currently doing a Master’s degree in Psychology and eventually would like to open his own business at home so time here is a stepping stone to achieving that dream.

Kyrah, who is like a little sister to me, is a speech therapist from the Cape but encountered many challenges in the industry and also came to try something different. Cleo, another new good friend, did his Masters in Linguistics and worked as a writer for an E-learning company before coming here; Pedro, who came to teach English in Korea a few years ago, went back home to freelance in IT (his speciality) but then returned as things did not pan out the way he’d hoped. Daevin, from the US, is a recent education graduate who learned Korean through Duolingo (a language app) for the last three years. He says working as a teacher here and getting to practise his Korean skills in Korea is him living his dream. When he told me this, I said ‘I’ve just met you but I am so proud of you for achieving this dream!’ Everyone has a story to tell and I am so happy that I met all of these wonderful people and many others, who shared their experiences with me. 

Making new friends with teachers from all over...

Class 2! Wonderful experience getting to know everyone and learning together.

While travelling in Korea I have met many South Africans, sometimes in the weirdest places, like at midnight in a hostel bathroom (true story) and in the streets or on the beach in Ulsan with Mbali. Some of us have a similar story about not finding work at home for a long time. All of us have tertiary qualifications; some specialising in education and who were teachers back home. On the one hand, it is lovely to meet everyone and hear their stories, but on the other hand, it makes me sad to think that all of this talent has left our country, for whatever reason. But, with the high unemployment rate and many other problems, it is to be expected that more will leave and seek jobs abroad. 

Also, discovering that so many people have left their previous careers to try something different and to go on an adventure was a good reminder about my choice. Instead of staying home and trying to get a research job because that is what I’m 'supposed to do,' I came here to try something new, to see the world, to grow, to discover new parts of Meryl and (after a whole pandemic) to just live and be happy! So, regardless of the reason for coming here, what an incredible opportunity it is to live in a foreign country, meet people from all over the world and learn and experience new things together. 

And if there is one thing I will never forget about Jungwon University it is this spectacular view and seating area, where I met the most wonderful people and shared the most joyful moments, meaningful conversations and so much laughter!

Till next time!

Meryl Joy Burgess

Ps. Thanks to all my fellow EPIK teachers for allowing me to use their names/stories in this post. :)