The Best Job Sites for Teaching English in Korea

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For people who first start teaching English abroad, South Korea is a popular destination. The salary for teaching English in Korea is higher than other countries in East Asia and there are lots of job opportunities. You can find work at numerous private language academies, kindergartens, public schools, universities, and other institutions.

With a Bachelor’s degree from an English speaking country, you can get a teaching job in language academies and after-school English programs at public schools. Recently, the government has been closing down the after-school programs in Seoul. However, there are still opportunities available to teach at after-school programs in other areas.

If you have a teaching degree, you can work as an EPIK teacher a public school. It is also possible to work as an EPIK teacher if you have a degree in another field along with a TEFL, TESOL or CELTA certificate. Plus, having a few years of teaching experience in Korea will make you more employable.

With a Master’s degree and the right connections, you can get hired at universities.

Of course, wherever you choose to work, it helps to network. Having connections in Korea will open the door to better teaching jobs, especially after your complete your first contract and gain more experience.

Now, here is our updated list of the 5 best job sites for teaching English in Korea.

Updated: April 2019

1. Dave’s ESL Cafe

Dave Sperling’s site has been online since 1995 and it is still the first choice for finding a teaching job in Korea. There are teaching positions in other countries on his site as well, but there are always daily job postings listed for all cities in Korea.

When you scroll down the list, there are several jobs for teaching kids and adults. There are plenty of recruiters who post on the board that will set you up with a language academy or school. They receive commission from the employer if you decide to sign a contract. Other jobs are posted by the institutions themselves.

There are a few tips to make your job search easier on the site. On the job board, you can use your browser’s “find” function to search for the type of position that you are looking for. For instance, type in “adults” if you are looking for adult teaching jobs and all instances of “adults” in the link text will be highlighted throughout the entire page.

On Dave’s site, there is no requirement to register to gain access to their contact details. The individual job posts will include contact information, so you can email the employers directly.

In addition, there is a section where you can post your resume. It also features resources for English teachers, including lesson plans, activities, discussion forums, and other helpful content for ESL students.

2. Hi Expat

Hi Expat, formerly known as English Spectrum, is another useful job site for English teachers in South Korea. The site itself has been updated over the years and is very user-friendly.

Compared to the other websites, the layout of Hi Expat is much cleaner. It isn’t cluttered with advertisements and it is easy to search for jobs. You can search by city location and by job category. You can also do a custom search for different job types, such as freelance, full-time, part-time, internships, temporary work, and work exchanges.

When searching for full-time English teaching jobs, you will see that most of the posts are by recruiting services. There are usually up to five full-time jobs posted daily. On the other hand, for part-time or freelance work, the postings are less frequent.

The site also gives you the option to upload your resume for employers to view.

There are other useful resources for expats living in Korea on their blog section. On the blog, you can read about Korean culture, travel, food, entertainment, and other articles about living in the country.

3. WorknPlay

WorknPlay, now entitled “The WorknPlay”, is another job site that has been around for a while.

Like the Hi Korea website, it also lets you customize your job search by location and job category. By the search field, click the arrow next to the search button and it will display all of the custom search options.

Alternatively, you can simply browse the jobs by scrolling down the page. There is a decent selection of full-time and part-time teaching jobs available. It can be a great place to find after-school teaching positions if that’s what you’re looking for.

Sometimes there are other posts for academic directors, test evaluators, corporate teaching positions, and jobs for teaching other subjects besides English.

WorknPlay also lets you post your resume online so employers can get in touch with you.

Other sections on the site include featured events, hot spots, and news topics relating Korea.

4. Koreabridge

Koreabridge is much more than just a job site. The website has a large classifieds section, resources for living in Korea, a discussion forum, and an events calendar.

Compared to the other sites in this review, there tends to be content catered towards people living in Busan. Hence, if you are looking to find work in areas other than Seoul, Koreabridge’s website could be a better resource for you.

On the main page, there are direct links to all major cities in Korea, including Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju, Jeju, and other locations across the peninsula.

Despite looking a bit dated, Koreabridge certainly provides plenty of useful information for teachers and expats living in South Korea.

5. EPIK

EPIK stands for “English Program in Korea”. If you want to teach at a public school in Korea, then you can apply through the EPIK site directly.

People who are hired as an EPIK teacher work in elementary, middle, and high schools. They collaborate with a Korean co-teacher and work a set number of hours determined by the MOE (Metropolitan Office of Education) or POE (Provincial Office of Education).

EPIK teachers are hired bi-annually and should commit to contract length of at least one year.

This is probably the route to go if you don’t want to risk working for a shady language academy and would prefer to work under a more structured program set by the Korean government.

Click here to view the specific requirements for becoming an EPIK teacher.

Honorable Mention: We Teach Korea, Craigslist, Facebook Groups

That sums up the list for where to find a job teaching in South Korea. Stay tuned for future updates and changes to the list in the next review.

Do you have tips for finding jobs in Korea?

Please leave your comments at the bottom of the page.

More Teaching Jobs in Korea:

Click here to visit our job board.

More Blog Articles About Teaching English in South Korea:

• Teaching English in South Korea: Y.O.K.O. (You Only Korea Once)
• The Real Story About Teaching English in South Korea

More Job Site Reviews for Other Teaching Destinations:

• The Best Job Sites for Teaching English in Southeast Asia
• The Best Job Sites for Teaching English in Taiwan
• The Best Job Sites for Teaching English in China
• The Best Job Sites for Teaching English in Japan