5 requirements For teaching English in South Korea

getting a task in one more country is always a challenging process. however the requirements for teaching English in South Korea aren’t as substantial or tough as you may think.

Fortunately, for many jobs, such as teaching at academies called hagwons, the requirements to teach English in South Korea don’t include prior experience or even a teaching certificate.

You can land one of these jobs with little more than a bachelor’s degree in any type of subject.

That was my situation when I discovered my very first teaching job. I had recently graduated from university as well as had never taught before, so I only met the minimum requirements for teaching English in Korea.

My newly acquired bachelor’s degree was sufficient to get hired, however. I discovered a task at a great hagwon as well as began what [turned out to be] a lasting occupation in teaching English abroad.

Requirements for teaching English in South Korea have changed somewhat since then, as well as other types of schools, such as universities, require more qualifications as well as certifications from potential teachers than hagwons.

In this article, I’ll review these teaching English in Korea requirements.

Table of Contents
Teaching English in Korea Requirements: The Basics
Types of schools in South Korea
Requirements for teaching English in Korea
Required documents for teaching English in South Korea
Summary of English in Korea Requirements
Now You understand What’s needed to teach in Korea

Teaching English in Korea Requirements: The Basics

Besides consulting articles like this one, the best way to discover out the requirements for teaching English in South Korea is to search online for English teaching jobs.

Their task descriptions typically listing the requirements for each specific job, with extra crucial info such as the salary, number of working hours, as well as location.

A typical website for discovering teaching jobs all over the world is Dave’s ESL Cafe. You should spend some time browsing through task descriptions to get an concept of what the requirements for teaching English in South Korea are.

Another great website that is specific to Korea is the KOTESOL association website. It’s particularly great for discovering university jobs. Finally, have a look at the EPIK Program, which was initiated by the Korean Ministry of Education.  

Once you discover a school that you like, a recruiter or school representative will assist you through the hiring as well as visa application process.

They’ll provide you a listing of the documents you need for the particular job, as well as exactly how to get them certified with apostilles or notarizations, if necessary.

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Types of schools in South Korea

Different schools have different requirements for teaching English in South Korea. some of these include the teacher’s nationality, qualifications, as well as experience.

The main types of schools where you can teach English in Korea are hagwons, public as well as private grade schools (elementary, middle, as well as high schools), as well as universities.

Requirements for teaching English in South Korean Hagwons

Hagwons are small, private academies commonly attended by kindergarten students as well as older children. There are hagwons for math, tae kwon do, musical instruments, as well as practically any type of other subject you can imagine.

English hagwons are one of the most prevalent types. They usually have kindergarten classes during the morning as well as early afternoon, as well as then shorter classes in the afternoon for students in elementary through high school.

Hagwons for children have the fewest requirements for teaching English in South Korea. Usually, only a bachelor’s degree is necessary, as well as it doesn’t matter which subject it’s in.

There are likewise hagwons for adults in South Korea. The requirements for these schools can be slightly stricter than at hagwons for children. along with a bachelor’s degree, they may likewise require a TESL/TEFL certificate as well as previous teaching experience.

If you’d rather teach adults than children however don’t have the experience or other requirements to do so, a great long-term plan is to begin teaching at a hagwon for children as well as later discover a task at a school for adults.

Hagwon contracts are nearly always for one full year. along with a monthly salary, they usually provide housing, airfare reimbursement, as well as two one-week paid vacations.

Requirements to teach English in South Korean Public as well as private grade Schools

Somegrade schools (elementary, middle, as well as high school) in South Korea will hire any individual with a bachelor’s degree, like at hagwons.

Most, however, have somewhat tougher requirements, preferring teachers with experience as well as a degree in education or at least English. A TEFL certificate of at least 100 hours is typically required. Click right here for a listing of the best TEFL certificates.

It may be possible to teach other school subjects, in the English language, of course. For example, if you have a bachelor’s degree in history, you may get hired as a history teacher.

As with any type of job, it’s a great concept to browse through many task descriptions to get an concept of what their teaching English in Korea requirements are. have a look at the 

Requirements to teach English in South Korean Universities

University jobs are some of the best teaching jobs in South Korea. They likewise have the most stringent requirements.

Many universities require two or three years of previous teaching experience, often however not always at the university level.

Many people who teach in South Korea for long periods of time are able to work their way up to universities. Experience teaching at hagwons or grade schools, along with a much better understanding of the country as well as exactly how it works, allows them to ultimately get an in-demand university teaching job.

Having a master’s degree as well as a TESL/TEFL certificate is one more typical requirement at universities. even if it isn’t a formal requirement, if you have either of these qualifications you’ll definitely be paid more.

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Requirements for teaching English in Korea

The complying with requirements are necessary for discovering a teaching task in South Korea.

1. Passport

Your passport must remain valid for the duration of your contract, so at least a year from the day when you show up in South Korea.

If you choose to stay for a second year however your passport will expire during that time, don’t worry. You can apply for a new passport at your house country’s consulate. once you get your new passport, you can use it to apply for your second visa.

2. Nationality

Many schools only accept teachers from English-speaking countries.

If you don’t come from one of these countries, tell the recruiter or representative right away, since an early part of the hiring process is when you send a scan or photo of your passport.

Some schools, particularly hagwons, may hire non-native speakers with a high level of English as well as an advanced certification to prove it (such as from Cambridge). It’ll be much more tough to discover schools like this, however they do exist.

Some schools, mostly universities as well as grade schools, specify that they only accept teachers from seven countries: the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, new Zealand, as well as South Africa.

3. teaching Experience

As mentioned above, the vast majority of hagwons for children don’t require previous teaching experience. many hagwons for adults do require experience, though.

Grade schools may or may not require experience, as well as universities always do, although this previous experience doesn’t always have to be at one more university. two or three years at a hagwon might be enough.

4. Language skills

Many people are surprised that proficiency in the Korean language is not a requirement for teaching English in South Korea. 

In fact, the majority of English teachers in South Korea didn’t speak any type of Korean when they very first arrived. as well as once there, many foreigners never bother to discover any type of more than the basics.

Of course, it’s a great concept to discover the native language of the country where you live, however it’s not necessary for teaching. English lessons are more efficient if they’re 100% in English, as well as many schools have English-only policies. 

Regarding English grammar, you can get by with a hagwon for children with only a fundamental understanding of it. For teaching adults, you’ll need a higher level of understanding than simply being a native speaker, as well as you’ll need to be an professional to work at a university.

You can study grammar on your own, or discover it as part of the material of a TESL/TEFL certificate.

Required documents for teaching English in South Korea

In general, much better jobs that require experience (such as universities) require more documents, while schools (like hagwons) that accept people without teaching experience require fewer documents.

You’ll need the originals of all documents. Don’t worry, you’ll get them back after applying for your visa in Korea.

Even so, it’s a great concept to make scans or take digital photos as well as save them somewhere permanent, like a Google Drive or other cloud account.

Once you begin the hiring process, the school will tell you whether you need these documents certified or not. Certifications such as apostilles or notarizations are typical requirements for teaching English in South Korea.

1. Bachelor’s Degree

You can get an English teaching task at a hagwon with a four-year bachelor’s degree in any type of subject, whether it’s English, engineering, music, or anything in between.

For other types of schools, like grade schools, you’ll probably need a bachelor’s degree in education, English, or some other relevant subject. You can figure out what precisely these other relevant subjects are by communicating with private schools.

You’ll probably need your original transcript too. If you’re not sure, ask the person who helps you through the hiring process.

2. Master’s degree or PHD

If you have a master’s degree or PHD, particularly if it’s in education or English, you’ll have a much much better possibility at getting a task at a university or a public or private grade school.

Always use the highest degree you have. It won’t only open up much better positions to you, however will probably get you paid more.

Same as for the bachelor’s degree, you’ll need the original degree as well as likewise the transcript.

3. TESL/TEFL Certificate

Check the requirements for teaching English in South Korea for specific jobs before you sign up for a TESL/TEFL certificate program.

For many schools, this certification isn’t really required, however merely preferred. having said that, it will provide you a much better grasp of lesson planning as well as classroom situations. And, it may provide you a leg up on other candidates for the job.

TESL (Teaching English as a second Language) as well as TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign Language) courses vary greatly in their material as well as quality, particularly among online as well as in-person courses.

You may spend $100 for a affordable online TEFL program that doesn’t really teach you anything, or you may spend $1,000 for a professional program that will enable you to work anywhere in the world, though probably won’t be necessary for teaching at a hagwon.

Whichever program you choose, you still won’t understand if you’re any type of great at teaching or even if you like it until you set foot in a classroom. as well as what you discover in the classroom will be far more useful than whatever you discover in a TESL/TEFL program.

This means that a TESL/TEFL certificate isn’t necessary for teaching in South Korea – not for landing an entry-level hagwon job, nor for the actual teaching – however it is preferred. 

If after a year at a hagwon, you take pleasure in teaching as well as understand you want to continue doing it, you can always do a TESL/TEFL program later.

4. Criminal background Check

Hagwons rarely require a criminal background check, however other types of schools, such as private grade schools, may request one of these certificates. In most cases, you’ll get it at a local police station.

Don’t worry about fulfilling this teaching English in Korea requirement until a school requests it — unless, of course, you have a criminal record.

If it was some minor high-school transgression, then order a criminal background check now, before you begin your task search, to see if it comes up clean or not.

5. Birth Certificate

You probably won’t need your birth certificate to get hired, however it may be necessary once you’re in South Korea. You may need it to open a bank account, to sign up for health and wellness insurance, or for something else that requires you to prove your identity.

As with all other documents, you’ll need the original. If you don’t have it, in most cases you’ll need to request it from the healthcare facility where you were born.

6. Certifications: Apostilles as well as Notarizations

As mentioned earlier, some schools require your university degree (and possi