Getting an English Teaching Job in South Korea

Getting an English teaching job in South Korea can be fraught with challenges which could include finding a reputable employer, getting the expected remuneration, as well as getting all the documents required for the visa.

In this post, I shall share my personal recommendations for finding and securing an English teaching job in South Korea but feel free to watch the video, from my YouTube Channel, above where I share such insight.

1. Looking For Employment

One of the first things that anyone should consider when getting a job is starting the process by looking for such work. However, where does one look for employment? Unfortunately, the internet can be overwhelming when it comes to all and sundry sharing job posts either on English teaching websites or social media. There are a few recommended websites that I would suggest to those budding English teachers wishing to secure one in the land of morning calm, with these including:

• Dave’s ESL Café: This website has been around for ages, with many job postings for those TEFL teachers that are keen to secure employment at home or abroad. I used this website to secure my University teaching position and there is a wide choice of postings available each day.
• TEFL.com: This website has many reputable job postings from the UK or abroad. The previous language school that I used to work at in Eastbourne, the UK, used this website to promote job openings. At the time of writing this article, there were six jobs available for those that were willing to apply, with one for the Korean public schools, one for private schools, and the rest for private language institutes.
• WorknPlay: WorknPlay has been around for a while now, and my very first teaching job in South Korea was secured with this website. They offer many positions in Korea with most job posts being language institutes.
• BALEAP: This is really an EAP-based website with all job postings being shared either universities in the UK or abroad. To date, I have not seen any job postings for opportunities in South Korea but there could possibly be potential jobs in the future, particularly for those that are keen to work at universities in South Korea.
• Korvia: I was introduced to this company when I first started looking at potential jobs in South Korea, particularly at public school positions. The company places potential English teachers for public schools and private institutes. The organisation has been around for many years now and they also have proficient speakers of English in their company who has a passion for English education, so you cannot go wrong with this company.

2. Getting The Documents Prepared

Once you have found a possible job that you would like to be considered for, the next step is to ensure you have all the necessary documents, and there is certainly quite a bit to prepare before boarding that flight and starting your teaching at your chosen language school or university.

The documents that you would be expected to prepare, for issuance of your teaching visa, could include the following:

• Degree Certificate(s): One of the most important documents that you need to prepare is to get your degree(s) notarised and to have an apostille issued. In the UK, fortunately, there is a company available that provides notarisation and apostille certificates with a very quick turn around, and I would always recommend Hague Apostille for us fellow Brits.
• Criminal Background Check: Another important document that is needed for your visa is a Criminal Background Check. In the UK, you may get a Disclosure and Barring Service which at the time of writing this article was £18. You may apply for this yourself and receive the certificate within a week. Once you have received this, you must have this certificate notarised and receive an apostille for visa application purposes.

The Criminal Background Check must have been issued within the last 3 months, with anything older than 3 months being invalid for your visa application. Once you have a date in mind for when you can start teaching in South Korea, you may then work backwards to ensure that you have all the documents that are valid. The notarised and apostille certificate for degree certificates are valid indefinitely though, so it is always good to get these sorted as soon as possible. You may also wish to update your passport if it is getting close to its expiry.

3. A TEFL Certificate

If you are teaching for a private language institute in South Korea, also called a ‘hagwon’ (학원), you may be required to hold a TEFL Certificate. There is not much recognition towards the type of certificate, but you cannot go wrong with a CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL. You may also wish to top up them with a Young Learner Extension Certificate to get you prepared to teach children or adolescent learners.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of recognition in TEFL qualifications, there is not much distinction between a CELTA or an online TEFL at the private institute level. However, if you hold a CELTA (or equivalent), then perhaps the British Council or Public School beckons which have better holiday entitlement than the comparative private language institute.

4. Contact Current Teachers

If you are successful during the interview process and are offered a teaching position with a private language institute or university, then I would always recommend in getting in contact with current teachers working at the institute in order to get a better idea of the culture of the organisation.

If private language institutes are unwilling or less forthcoming with sharing contact details, then it could possibly be a red flag. However, in this day and age, the sharing of personal information could hinder potential sharing of current employers’ email. Yet, you could always do a little research on LinkedIn to see who is currently working there and send a message. You could ask the following questions:

• What are the benefits of working at …?
• What could be improved at …?
• Tell me about a typical day at …
• How long have you been working at …?

5. Apply For Your Visa

Once you have been offered a position at your chosen institute, then you should be issued all the necessary information to apply for your visa. Fortunately, these days applying for a teaching visa in South Korea (usually an E1 for a univeristy or E2 visa for a private language institute) is relatively straight forward, with it all being online, and my application was accepted within two working days.

The visa is then tied to your passport and you can then apply for all the necessary documents and residence card once you arrive in the country, with it being issued within a week or two. Once you have your residence card, you would then be able to get a mobile phone as well as open a bank account.

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I hope the following post has helped and if you have any questions about my life in South Korea or what to expect, then feel free to comment.