EPIK Benefits

The following are EPIK benefits offered to each teacher placed in the EPIK program. Some EPIK benefits such as the Entrance Allowance and Settlement Allowance are only available to 1st year teachers. Please inquire with your recruiter as to which EPIK benefits you will be eligible for.

Updated December 2024.

A leased house/apartment/studio-type room provided by your MOE/POE. Utilities and maintenance fees are not provided for and are the responsibility of the EPIK teacher. (Don’t worry, they add up to very little in Korea!) Due to variations in housing costs in different regions of Korea, the size and location of the supplied housing can vary from MOE/POE to MOE/POE.

Worried about how much it will cost to settle down in your new housing? Don’t worry, EPIK has you covered. EPIK provides a one-time 300,000 KRW Settlement Allowance to help you buy things like supplies and other furnishings for your apartment.

All* EPIK teachers will be provided with 1,800,000 KRW as the Entrance Allowance at the end of their first contract month.

• Special Note: Those who are renewing a contract with their current school or transferring to another school within Korea are not eligible for the Entrance Allowance.
• For applicants placed in Busan, Daegu, Jeju, Incheon and Chungbuk the entrance allowance will be provided after the first six months of the contract.
• *Chungbuk entrance allowance is 1,300,000 KRW but the contract completion bonus is higher to compensate.

A contract completion bonus of 1,300,000 KRW is provided at the end of each contract period.

• In Chungbuk, the contract completion bonus is 1,800,000 KRW.

No contract completion bonus is provided for Seoul, Jeju, and Gyeonggi.

• Instead, a 1,300,000 KRW exit allowance will be provided at the end of your final contract.

Those who wish to teach for another year at the same school and renew their contract will receive a Renewal Bonus of 700,000 KRW. This benefit only applies to those who continue at the same school. Those transferring to another school within the EPIK program are not eligible.

• A 2,000,000 KRW renewal bonus will be provided for Gyeonggi, divided into two payments: 1,300,000 KRW at the start of the renewed contract and 700,000 KRW at the end of the renewed contract.
• The Jeju Office of Education pays a flat 1,300,000 KRW renewal bonus at the start of the renewed contract.

All EPIK teachers who successfully complete their contract will be entitled to receive severance pay. Severance pay is equal to approx. one month’s salary.

EPIK teachers are entitled to 26 days of paid vacation per contract (weekends are excluded). Generally, vacation is allowed to be taken during the summer in July/August and in the winter in December/January when the students are on break. Please note that, unlike the West, winter vacation will be longer and summer vacation will be shorter.

EPIK Teachers are allowed to take up to 11 sick days. Missing consecutive days will require a doctor’s note. Sick days are not able to be “rolled over” to a renewing contract.

In accordance with the National Medical Insurance Act, your employer will pay 50% of your medical insurance premiums each month, with the remaining being automatically deducted from your paycheck. Provided medical insurance is full-coverage and includes health, vision, & dental. Teachers do not have to worry about enrolling, as they are automatically enrolled upon the start of their teaching contract.

Newly arriving EPIK teachers will get to enjoy a special and all-expenses-paid ~8 day orientation. There, EPIK will help teachers assimilate into South Korea by offering teaching strategies classes as well as Korean language and cultural classes (like field trips!). Lodging and meals are all paid for.