Education: Graduation required or atleast a Diploma holder
TEFL Certification: Minimum of 150 Hrs TESOL Foundation
Peak Hiring Months: All round the year
Types of Jobs: Public Schools, Private language schools and some private lessons
Typical Hiring Process: Advance Skype or telephonic interview sessions
Average teaching hours per week: 20-30 hours of classroom & extra prep time
Types of Students: School children and Business professionals
Cost of Living per month: $650 - $900 USD and housing (usually included)
Visas: Work Visa issued by employers mostly
Average Monthly Pay: $2500 - 3500 USD Plus free Housing
Start –up cost: $1,000 - 2,000 USD
Potential to save or break-even: Typical monthly savings range from $1,200 - 1,600 USD/Mo
Accommodation Benefits: Subsidized or Paid housing
Fight Reimbursements: Yes, one way or round trip
Contract completion bonus: 1 month bonus pay at the end of the 12 months contract
Teaching English In Korea
South Korea holds one of the strongest and largest English-teaching job markets in the world at present. Those looking for a teaching opportunity can find jobs in the country all through the year with interviews being conducted in advance either via Skype or over the phone. English teachers usually get a free or reimbursed air travel while the schools typically provide them free housing. On a typical English teaching contract, teachers are offered a free return flight, a month’s salary bonus around $2000 after a year in the job, and paid vacations.
Salaries are generous amounting to around $2500 a month based on qualifications and the ongoing exchange rate. Taxes are nominal at 5%, enabling the English teachers to lead a lifestyle of comfort and providing an opportunity wherein they can save somewhere around $1600 monthly following expenditures. 25 to 30-hour work weeks are the standard apart from the prep time which gives teachers plenty of time for exploring and traveling. Another 10-20 days are given for paid vacation every year along with the 15-18 national holidays.
A bachelor’s degree is necessary for teaching English in South Korea as much as a TEFL/TESOL certification is required. Candidates also need to show a clean chit on their FBI Background Check. As many as ten Korean cities have a population of more than a million. The major cities such as Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, Ulsan, Incheon, Busan, and Seoul are the major English teaching job centers in the country.
Seoul stands out as one of the most cosmopolitan and largest cities in the world having an approximate population of 25 million and more than 1000 English language schools. Estimates suggest as many as 25,000 English teachers work in South Korea every year with no signs of a slowdown in demand. Many of them are associated with major government public school programs such as the likes of EPIK while others are employed with private schools referred to locally as hagwons.
