How To Become an English Teacher in Korea? (E2 visa)

E-2 : Foreign Language Instructor

“A person who meets the qualifications determined by the Minister of Justice, and plans to teach conversational language at a foreign language institute, affiliated- language research institute or educational institute of higher than elementary school, or language training institute affiliated with an enterprise or broadcasting company, or other equivalent organization.” 
(Korean Visa Portal)

*Duration of stay: 1 year

Teaching English in Korea

Obtaining an E-2 visa is one of the ways that people from other countries can get a job in Korea. In fact,
it’s one of the most popular visas among those who wish to get a job in Korea.

With an E-2 visa, you can teach English in Korea. But just because you can speak or teach English doesn’t mean you can get this visa.

There are a few important prerequisites that you must know before getting ready.

Prerequisites for E-2 Visa

*You can’t apply for an E-2 visa if you don’t meet any of these criteria.

1. Be a citizen of one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, or South Africa
2. Must be a native English speaker or have studied from the junior high level (7th grade) and resided for at least 10 years or more in the country
3. Hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with the designated countries
4. Have a clean criminal record
5. Pass a medical examination

If you meet the criteria, you can either work at

1. Public school ????

2. Hagwon ????

(Hagwon is a for-profit private institute that many Korean students attend after school; 학원 in Korean)

Certificate Requirements

You need at least a bachelor’s degree in order to get an E-2 visa (Any degree is fine). That’s the minimum requirement. But, many public schools and hagwons require or highly recommend you to have a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate of at least 120 hours.

– TEFL – Teaching English as a Foreign Language
– TESOL – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
– CELTA – Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

How Can I Apply?

???? For public schools,

the most famous one is EPIK (English Program in Korea), a national English teaching program sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Education. 

EPIK website

???? For hagwons,

there are many good recruiting websites, including Appletree Edu, Teach ESL Korea, etc. It’s best to do thorough research online.

Appletree Edu website
Teach ESL Korea

(Always be careful of scams!)

Benefits of Becoming an English Teacher in Korea

???? Accommodations are provided

✈️ Hagwons will pay for your flight to Korea and public schools will reimburse you 1,300,000 KRW* for the airfare as the Entrance Allowance.

*This is a common rate and may vary depending on regions and schools

???? Severance pay will be given at the end of your contract. It’s equal to approximately one month’s salary.