second logo image
  • Search Jobs
  • TEFL Courses & Resources
    • SALE! View TEFL Courses >
    • SALE! Join the LoveTEFL Learning Hub
    • Perfect your Job Applications
    • Develop your Teaching Skills
    • Lesson Plans & Resources
  • Teach Online
    • Search Online Jobs >
    • How to Teach English Online
    • Teaching Online without a Degree
    • Finding the Best Online Jobs
    • What is Teaching Online like?
    • How to Make Money Teaching Online?
  • Country Guides
    • View our Jobs Market Snapshot >
    • Top 10 Countries
      • Japan
      • China
      • Spain
      • South Korea
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Vietnam
      • France
  • Blog
  • Help
    • Job-Hunting Starter Guide
    • FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
    • Join the Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • Post a Job
  • +44 113 829 3300
  • Sign Up as a Jobseeker

Log in

Continue with Facebook
Continue with Google

or

  • Error:

Forgot password?

No account?

Create account

Employer?  

Post your job vacancies here

Dashboard Profile Log out

Find Your Dream TEFL Job

Posted on February 20, 2020 | By Victoria Taylor

What to expect teaching English in South Korea

So, you’ve got your heart set on TEFLing in South Korea? You’re in for a treat! With a captivating culture, an amazing assortment of food, insane natural beauty and the promise of living rent free, it’s no surprise South Korea is such a sought after TEFL destination. But what can you really expect from your teaching English job there?

Korean TEFL studentsYour students will be super excited to meet you

Students in South Korea tend to get overly excited about new foreign teachers. Expect lots of excitement, giddiness and questions in your first couple of classes. They’ll want to know everything about you, your home country and your culture at home. You can use this time to let them get to know you, as well as you getting to know them too.

Expect lots of bowing

In South Korea, as a sign of respect your students will regularly bow at you when they greet you. It’s also common courtesy for you to bow to your co-workers when you see them too. Don’t worry, you’ll pick it up really quickly.

Parents will be very involved

Like in any country, parents in South Korea want only the best for their children. Expect them to be very involved in the school, events they have on and the education of their children. They’ll probably grab you at any given opportunity to ask you how their children are getting on, you’ll get used to it and will probably become really friendly with all of your students’ parents.

Your students will have varying levels of English

All of your students will have had different exposure to the English language. Be patient with your students and make sure you’re giving them different work to suit their levels of English.

Child yawning in classYou can nap at your desk!

You read that right! In Korean culture, it’s completely acceptable to nap at your desk (when you’re not in class). So, bring your pillow and your blanket and catch up on some well needed Zs.

You’ll generally live rent-free

Most teaching contracts in South Korea include accommodation, flights, paid holiday days, bonuses, health care, visas and free lunches! If that’s not enough to convince you that it’s a great place to TEFL, we’re not sure what will!

It’s easy to get aroundWoman stood at train station

South Korea is one of the most efficient places in the world! With 5 different types of transportation systems it’s easy and super fast to get around. They’ve got bullet trains, regular trains, an extensive metro system, buses and taxis – you’ll never get stranded anywhere here!

You’ll need a degree

To legally teach in South Korea, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree, but it can be in any subject. Along with a degree, you’ll also need a passport from either, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland or South Africa.

You’ll need a TEFL certificate

Although not for visa purposes, you’ll struggle to land a job without a TEFL certificate. To give yourself the best chance of landing a job, we’d suggest taking a Level 5 TEFL Diploma.

–

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like: Dos and dont’s of teaching English in South Korea.

Victoria Taylor

Read more

Comments (32)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More to read

Do’s and don’ts of teaching English in South Korea
In-Country Advice
05th Apr 2019

Do’s and don’ts of teaching English in South Korea

5 ways to improve your ESL teaching confidence
Before You Go
09th Jan 2019

5 ways to improve your ESL teaching confidence

   How are we doing? Give us feedback on our site!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Stay in the TEFL jobs loop

  • Services
  • Search TEFL Jobs
  • Become a Jobseeker
  • View TEFL Courses
  • Join the Learning Hub
  • Post a Job
  • Resources
  • LoveTEFL Blog
  • FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
  • TEFL Destination Guides
  • Job Hunting Guide
  • Useful Links
  • Who in the world are LoveTEFL?
  • Contact Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy

Email Us

[email protected]

+44 113 829 3300

Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm UK Time

Help Centre

All the answers you need in one place

LoveTEFL
© 2021 LoveTEFL. All Rights Reserved.
Website by Sculpt

Thank you

You we're successfully subscribed to our newsletter.

Give us feedback on our site!

Fields marked * are required.

Log in required

You need to log in to continue

Log In Register

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Find out more