TEFL Jobs in Korea

Yes. South Africa is one of the seven countries recognised for the E-2 teaching visa, and South African teachers are a large part of the group we place each year. The catch isn't eligibility, it's timing: apostille and police clearance turnaround through DIRCO can run to several months, so start those documents before anything else.

Not legally. A bachelor's degree is a condition of the E-2 visa and no school can sponsor you without one. Treat any offer that suggests otherwise as a warning sign — it usually means working on the wrong visa, which risks fines and deportation. If you don't hold a degree, speak to our team about destinations where it isn't required.

It's the legal floor rather than the target. Korea sorts teachers onto a pay scale, and your qualifications feed directly into where you land on it — so the certificate does two jobs at once, clearing the visa rule and setting your starting salary. Roles at the no-certificate end of the scale are, in practice, no longer being filled.

Public schools offer standardised contracts, daytime hours, a co-teacher and generous holidays, but you apply months ahead and you don't choose your city. Private academies hire year-round with more say over location and often a higher headline salary, at the cost of evening hours and far more variation between employers. First-time teachers usually find the public school route the safer landing.

Budget six to nine months for a public school intake from first application to landing, and around two to three months for a private academy. Your TEFL course is the quickest part — most people finish in a few weeks. Criminal record checks, apostilles and degree authentication are what set the timeline, so begin them the moment you decide.

No. Lessons are taught in English and schools expect you to arrive with none. Learning some makes daily life considerably easier once you're settled, and public school teachers are often paired with a Korean co-teacher in the classroom, but it's never a hiring requirement.

Yes, and it varies by programme and by office of education rather than being one national figure. Public school programmes publish an upper age limit for new applicants; private academies apply their own. If you're wondering whether you're inside it, ask us before you spend anything on documents.