Teaching Jobs in Korea

Teaching Jobs in Korea FAQ

Below are some of the most common questions that we receive about teaching jobs in Korea. If you have any further questions, feel free to get in touch with us!

Where can I teach English in Korea? 

Unlike with the public school programs where you are able to choose your desired city to teach in but are not guaranteed placement in that city, you can choose which city you want to teach in with private schools.

As many teachers usually only know about Seoul and Busan, it’s a good idea to learn more about the various cities where you can find a teaching job in Korea. Our best advice is to be open minded about the many amazing cities outside of the most popular ones – it is there that you will get the true Korean experience.

What are the best cities to teach in Korea? 

This depends on your goals. If you want to save as much money as you can, you should choose a smaller city to teach in. In smaller cities you will also benefit by meeting more Korean people; learning some of the language; diving into the Korean culture and exploring the most unique Korean dishes.

Larger cities like Seoul, Incheon or Daegu are fun and exciting cities to live and teach in. Schools in these larger cities are much more demanding as the competition is higher. You will be working longer hours at your school, but will enjoy the craziness that comes with living in cities with populations in the millions.

What are the teaching hours like in schools in Korea? 

For schools in smaller cities, you will be teaching on average about 2 hours less per day. You will also benefit from  an easier schedule where you will start teaching in the afternoon and finish in the early evening.

Schools in larger cities like Seoul for example, will almost always have morning hours where you will teach kindergarten. You  will then have breaks and lunch and can expect your day to end around 6-7 p.m.

Note that the teaching jobs in Korea that have longer working hours will also pay a higher salary. However, these schools usually require teachers who have teaching experience or degrees in Education.

Do you need TEFL for all teaching jobs in Korea?

As TEFL is a pretty common certification for teaching ESL in Korea, most schools believe that you will benefit from taking a course. However, some teaching jobs in Korea do not require TEFL, especially if you have some teaching experience or some experience with children in general.

If you are interested in a position but are not sure if you qualify because you don’t have a TEFL certification, please contact us and we will let you know about your chances of landing a teaching job in Korea.