EPIK Korea Interview Questions and Tips

If you’ve applied to EPIK (English Program in Korea) then you’re already aware that you have to pass an interview to get accepted. The EPIK interview is indeed nerve-wracking as it determines whether or not you can live out your teaching abroad dreams in Korea. Having gone through it myself, this a run-through of my EPIK interview and the list of questions I was asked. I also share my personal tips on here. Hopefully this helps alleviate some stress and enables you to better prepare for your EPIK interview.

Overview

My EPIK interview was conducted via a video call on Skype. It was scheduled for Thursday October 29th 12:50-1:20 PM KST which was nearly 11pm in Chicago where I was.

My interviewer was about 5 minutes late. My anxiety level was at an all-time high and it felt like the longest 5 minutes of my life.

My interviewer was friendly but it was difficult to read her reaction. She definitely had her poker face on.

The first thing she did was go over my application with me. To my surprise she never asked me about my lesson plan. I had read how a lot of people stressed the importance of being ready to elaborate on the lesson plan so I was shocked.

EPIK Interview Questions + My Tips

1. How would your friends describe you?

This is basically for them to get to know you better. It’s a good time to show off your personality. Highlight traits that would also be ideal in a teacher.

I made sure to mention things like being friendly, organized, punctual, and so on.

2. Why Korea?

As easy as it is to go on a tangent about K-pop and K-dramas, although it’s ok to mention it don’t make it sound like that’s the main reason for you coming to Korea.

Trust me, I could have went on and on about Junho from 2PM but I resisted.

I talked about how Korea kept popping up during my research on teaching English abroad programs and all the great reviews.

I mentioned how I had always loved traveling and since Korea was on my list anyway, I thought EPIK would be a good opportunity for me to immerse myself in the culture.

3. What do you know about Korea?

Showcase that you’ve done some research on Korea so that you sound more serious about wanting to spend your next year there.

I shared little facts I knew about the country and the traditions.

4. What have you learned from your travels aboard?

They essentially just want to confirm that you’re open to change and new cultures.

I talked about all the countries I’ve visited and shared one of my personal travel stories.

5. If you and your co-teacher have disagreements how would you handle the situation?

They want to ensure that you can handle any conflicts that may arise professionally.

I assured her that I was a team player and that at the end of the day it’s all about the students so we’d have to put our differences aside and focus on what’s best for the students.

6. In your class your students will all be at different levels. What would you do in order to enhance their learning?

Often times there will be a gap in the students’ levels so they want to ensure that you’ll have a plan in place.

I talked about having certain assignments that would vary depending on different student levels.

7. How would you deal with disruptive students in your class?

This question is pretty straightforward. Provide examples of the discipline system that you’ll have in place for your classes.

8. Why did you choose Seoul?

Seoul is extremely competitive so this is your chance to really sell yourself and SHINE.

I listed all the great things about Seoul and the reasons why it would be a perfect fit for me.

I was actually flexible with location placement. Of course Seoul was my top choice but I honestly would have been happy with anywhere in Korea. All I cared about at that point was getting into the program so I made sure to emphasize that part.

9. Any questions?

As with any job interview always ask at least one question. You typically come off more engaging that way.

Results

The whole interview lasted a total of 23 minutes. My interviewer informed me that I would hear back from them in approximately 2-3 business days.

I actually got my results via email the very next day and I passed!

I taught in Seoul from March 2016- February 2018 and had such a fantastic experience. I highly recommend EPIK to anyone interested in teaching English abroad in Korea.

I hope you found this post useful and that it helps you better prepare for your EPIK interview.

Please keep in mind that not everyone gets asked the same questions. This is just to give you a general idea of what types of questions to expect during the EPIK interview.

GOOD LUCK! Fighting~~~

For additional content on EPIK, check out my list of 14 Benefits of Teaching English Abroad in Korea Through EPIK. Read my breakdown of the entire EPIK application process.

Learn about how I came to the decision to drop everything in America and move to Korea.