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. Details have been updated for 2024 intake.

EPIK Teachers are entitled to rent-free single housing furnished with basic furniture and appliances. If your school cannot provide housing, they will provide a housing stipend of 400,000 KRW a month. Utilities, maintenance fees, and key money, however, will not be provided.

EPIK provides an entrance allowance for the cost of your flight to Korea as a set bonus. The 1,800,000 KRW entrance allowance is given in the first few months after you have arrived in Korea. The specific month you get the bonus will vary from school to school.

• 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.
• Depending on location, you will not get the entrance allowance until after 6 months of employment.

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.

For those that wish to teach for another year at the same school will receive a Renewal Allowance 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. Renewal bonuses will vary from school to school.
* A 2 Mil KRW renewal bonus will be provided for Gyeonngi and Daejeon, split into two payments
** Jeju will provide a 1.3 Mil KRW renewal bonus at the start of the renewed contract.

Anytime you complete a 1-year contract you are entitled to an additional full month of extra salary pay as a bonus for completing a contract. The amount is cumulative depending on how many contracts you complete while in Korea, and will be paid to you upon your exit of your school. Severance payment can vary from school to school.

EPIK teachers will receive 1,300,000 KRW to cover the costs of their plane ticket back to their home country. The payment will be provided in the form of reimbursement after leaving South Korea and sending a scan of their flight itinerary and boarding pass to their school. These bonuses can vary from school to school.

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 August and in the winter in 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.