FOR TEACHERS
Teach in Korea. We'll handle the hard parts.
Placement at a vetted school, full E-2 visa support, housing sorted before you land. Apply in a few minutes — we reply within two business days.
Before you apply — here's what you're signing up for.
Teaching in Korea is one of the most rewarding years of your life for most people who do it. It's also a full year of a real job, not a working holiday. Twelve-month contract, 20–30 teaching hours a week, plus prep and office hours. Kids, homesickness, a new language, a new country.
We tell you this up front because the recruiters who don't tell you this are the ones who end up with broken contracts and angry blog posts six months in. If that sounds worth it to you — read on.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
SALARY
Competitive monthly pay
Ranges by school type and experience. Typical kindergarten/hagwon range: 2.2–2.8 million KRW/month. International schools pay higher.
AIRFARE
Round-trip flight reimbursement
Flight to Korea reimbursed after arrival (or on sign-on). Return flight paid at end of contract in most cases.
BONUS
Severance — one month's pay
Korean law requires a severance bonus of one month's salary for completing a 12-month contract. Standard, not optional.
A standard Korean teaching contract usually includes.
HOUSING
Single apartment, furnished
Usually provided free by the school, near your workplace. Some schools offer a housing allowance instead (~500,000 KRW/month).
INSURANCE
National health + pension
Korea's national health insurance covers you from day one. Pension contributions are refunded at contract end for most nationalities.
LEAVE
Paid vacation + national holidays
10+ days paid vacation (varies by school), plus ~15 Korean national holidays. Sick days are usually separate.
REQUIREMENTS
What you need to qualify.
These aren't our rules — they're the Korean government's rules for the E-2 teaching visa. Nothing here is negotiable, regardless of how well you interview.
Citizenship
Degree
Background
TEFL / TESOL
Experience
Commitment
Native English speaker from seven countries
Passport from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa. This is the legal definition Korean Immigration uses — there are no exceptions, even for fluent non-native speakers.
Bachelor's degree, any major
Any four-year bachelor's from an accredited university in the seven countries listed above. The degree doesn't need to be in education, English, or anything related.
Clean criminal record
National-level background check, apostilled. Minor offenses from years ago are sometimes okay; felonies and recent drug charges generally aren't. If you're unsure, ask us before you apply.
Teaching certificate
A 100-hour TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate. Online programs are fine for most schools. Some international schools require in-person training — we'll tell you upfront if that matters for a placement.
Teaching or tutoring experience
Helpful but not required. Many great teachers start fresh. What matters more is whether you actually like working with kids — we screen for this in the candidate call.
One full school year
Korean contracts are twelve months, not a semester. Breaking a contract mid-year has real consequences — for you (visa cancelled, potential to not be rehired) and the school. Only apply if you can honestly commit to a full year.
STEP 01
Apply to teach with OP Seoul.
This takes about 3–5 minutes. A real person reads every application — usually within two business days.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
After you hit submit, here's the timeline.
Within 2 days
We read your application
A real person, not a scoring algorithm. If something's unclear or we think you'd be a fit, we reply with next steps.
Week 1
A candidate call
20–30 minutes over video. We ask about your background, goals, and what you want out of the year. You ask us anything.
Week 2
School introductions
If we have a good fit, we introduce you to 1–3 schools. You interview each one. No pressure to take the first offer.