Letters of Recommendation (sometimes referred to as LORs) are letters written by an employer, supervisor, or past teacher to comment about your working ability.

Who Should I Request a LOR From?

To teach in South Korea, two letters of recommendation are required. The EPIK program only accepts letters that are written from direct supervisors from past or current workplaces or from academic professors at colleges and universities. The letter must also have an issuance date from within the past two years from the start of the application period.

What Must My LOR Contain?

Letters of Recommendation must contain certain information and items to be accepted by teaching programs in Korea. Your 2 letters of recommendation must have:

  • Be printed on official company or university letterhead, or include the referrer’s business card attached to the letter

  • The date of its issuance (ex. DD/MM/YYYY)

  • Full name of the referrer including first name and surname (initials not acceptable)

  • The position or title of the referee

  • A mailing address, email, & phone number of the referrer

  • An ink signature by the referee ONLY (Cannot contain a scanned/digital signature)

  • Must clearly state work relationship with you and referrer

What if my School or Workplace Will Not Print on their Official Letterhead?

If your referee is unable to print on official letterhead, they are able to submit their business card as proof of company/institute relationship as well as authorship. Obtain the referee’s business card and submit it with the corresponding letter of recommendation.

Does it have to be ink-signature only?

For the EPIK program, it is okay if the scanned file has a digital signature. However, when submitting the physical letter with your final documentation, the letter must ONLY have an ink signature. Letters will be rejected if they contain both a digital/scanned signature and an ink signature.

Submission of Letters of Recommendation

Letters of Recommendation are submitted twice during the application process. Digital scanned copies are needed during the Initial Documents stage, and then the physical original copies are submitted with your Final Documents package after passing the interview.