The Low Down
There are, generally, two ways to apply for ESL jobs in Korea. First, you can apply for a job directly with the school or program, which I would recommend for those who either have jobs already in Korea or have gone through the application process before. Second, you can apply through a recruiter, which is what I would recommend for first-time applicants because not only do they help you with the mountain-size paper work you need to complete for things like your work visa, but they have a selection of jobs to offer you.
The second step to applying for ESL jobs in Korea is to decide if you want to work in the public sector or private one. Public schools are funded through the gov't and so generally you'll have more support and stability, but typically the pay will be slightly less. Private schools, or Academies, offer their teachers more money, generally, but there can be complications in working at these academies (sudden school closure, for example).
Recruiters
- Teach ESL KoreaWhen I first made the decision to apply to teach in Korea, I knew I wanted to use a recruiter simply because I felt that I needed the support to figure out how to do things in this foreign country that I would soon call home. Dan & Aggie, who run Teach ESL Korea, were the nicest, most helpful, and dependable people to help me through the process. I chose Dan & Aggie because they had a proven track record of not only getting teachers to Korea, but also placing them. Not only were they systematic and transparent throughout the whole application process, they were patient with my questions and supportive even after I landed in Korea. I'll never forget how, a few weeks after I started working in Korea, I found an email from Aggie in my inbox, who just wanted to check in with me to see if I was adjusting alright. I meant, and still means, so much to me that both Dan & Aggie were so wonderful in assisting in the biggest life decision I'd made at that point.
- Job Teach Consulting
My experience with Job Teach Consulting is limited, in full disclosure. For my second year, I wanted to apply for a university job but they university wasn't taking direct applications--only applications through Job Teach Consulting. They were, again, helpful in the application process, especially in haggling my work visa at immigration, but since I didn't need so much guidance this time around, I didn't need to rely on them as much.
Applying
If you decide you do want to apply directly for public school positions, you have some options in the kind of program you may be placed.
- EPIK (English Program in Korea) & TaLK (Teach & Learn in Korea)
These are the major gov't run programs through the Korean Ministry of Education and offer a professional teaching placement in elementary, middle and high schools (EPIK) or an educational teaching scholarship (TaLK). Generally speaking, if you have a 4-year degree, you're eligible for EPIK positions in a variety of cities in Korea, whereas if you don't, you may be eligible for the afterschool TaLK positions.
Job Board
If you decide you do want to apply directly for private school positions, you can find many open positions using job boards.
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