Why People Teach English In Korea

Korea is a popular place for teaching English. And the reason why is because of the tasty looking carrot there.

K-Pop, Kim-chi and Taekwondo are all cool, but the real reason people choose to teach English in Korea comes down to the cash.

I get it. That was pretty much the reason why I went there. Those benefits are enticing especially when you are fresh out of college or have debt.

What are the benefits?

Well for starters…

If you are qualified with a degree and a passport from a native English speaking country (for starters) then you can get…

Free airfare

Many schools in Korea will actually pay teachers to fly there upfront. It’s part of the contract. You do have to sign a contract for one year. But keep in mind if you quit (usually within 6 months) you’ll have to pay it back.

Free rent

Most schools will provide teachers with a studio apartment. Or in some cases shared housing with another foreign teacher. You usually don’t have to pay for rent, but you will be responsible for utilities like: water, electric, gas, internet, etc.

Salary

Most first time teachers make about 1.9–2.1 million Korean Won a month which is about $1700–2000 or so a month.

See this post for more details on the salaries for teachers in Korea.

Severance pay

When you complete your contract in Korea then you are entitled to an additional one months pay.

Pension

When you leave Korea you can also collect your pension. 4.5% is taken out of your salary every month and then your employer has to pay in 4.5% every month.

When you leave you can get it back. That’s maybe equal to another month of pay.

Not all foreign teachers get this though. It depends on where you are from. As a US citizen you should get it as long as the school pays into it.

All those benefits can make for a pretty good situation. You can save some money or pay off your debt. Just don’t spend it all on Soju^^.

Here’s a course that includes a lot of information on teaching in Korea as well as how-to videos that were shot in both public schools and hagwons in Korea.