Private English Schools in Korea – Reach To Teach

Private English Schools in Korea

UPDATED OCTOBER 2024

Confused by your options between Korean private schools (hagwons)? You aren’t alone! It is important to think carefully about which type of position is most suited to your goals as an ESL teacher.

Private schools, known in Korea as hagwons, have an afternoon/evening schedule. Most Korean students attend public school in the morning and then attend private English schools in the evening.

Class sizes, arrival dates, vacation time and the number of western co-teachers at schools can differ between each option.

Teach English in Korean Private Schools

At Reach To Teach, our goal is to ensure that you know everything you need to know before you make a decision about where to teach in Korea.

Korea Private Schools

Qualifications: 4-year Bachelor degree. Most Korean private schools now require a 120-hour TEFL certification as well if you are an inexperienced teacher with less than one year of formal teaching experience. Check out our TEFL Directory to find out which programs come most highly rated by our teachers. Our TEFL Directory explains the various types of TEFL courses you can take. We’ve also compiled a list of our teacher recommendations for TEFL courses. Best of all, grab a discount code from our TEFL page when you’re ready!

Location: We have positions in major cities as well as rural areas.

Salary Range: You can expect to earn between 2.1 and 2.5 million Won per month.

Number of foreign teachers at your school: Most Korean private schools have between 2 and 15 foreign teachers on staff.

Class Size: 15 students or less per class

Working Hours: 40 hours per week including office hours. (30 teaching hours per week.) The teaching hours are afternoons and evenings, five days a week.

Accommodation: Free single furnishing apartment provided.

Airfare: Round trip airfare provided reimbursed with your first paycheck. Your ticket to Korea is reimbursed with your first paycheck. Your ticket home is reimbursed at the end of your contract.

Benefits: The school will cover 50% of your health insurance. You’ll also receive a contract completion bonus that’s equal to one month’s pay.

Vacation: 7-10 days per year, plus national holidays.

Start dates: Monthly and year-round. You can start teaching at any time during the year.

Teaching at a Korean private school is one of our most popular options with Reach To Teach teachers

Our most popular teaching destinations are Seoul, Jeonju, and Gwangju, and we typically see the most vacancies happening during the summer and again at the start of the new year. That said, submit your application at any point during the year as we often have ASAP positions popping up throughout the year.