When is the peak Season for hiring teachers in Korea?
-> Korea is always looking for teachers. There are jobs available all year round. The busiest time however, tends to be in the summer.
What holidays do I get?
-> Basically, you’ll have the statutory Korean Holidays approximately 12-15 days a year. You get only one day off for Christmas, and that would be Christmas Day. Their biggest holidays are Chursok, which is the big Korean harvest festival, like our Thanksgiving. For this holiday, you’ll get 2 days off plus the weekend. You don’t get to pick and choose your holidays or days off. Some Schools will allow extra vacation time. It depends on the school…
How long is the school year?
-> You will be teaching for the entire year. Language schools are private and teach year round. In fact, when universities and grade schools are on their break, the private language schools get very busy. This is when many English teachers pick up overtime wages.
How Large are the classes?
-> Classes in an institute are generally 8-13 students.
How long is each class?
-> The classes are usually 40-50 minutes.
Is there a dress code?
-> Each institute is different, but generally the rule is dress neat. If you’re a female, you don’t need to wear a dress, but you should look semi-professional. For men, a suit and tie may be necessary for some schools, but most just require slacks and a Shirt. Occasionally, there is a school that doesn’t mind jeans. It could be anywhere between casual to formal business attire depending on the school.
What are the classes like?
-> All classes use textbooks that are very similar to the second language books used in school and university. With younger students, more learning activities are incorporated into the class. In adult classes, more free talk time is given to promote conversation.
What are the teaching hours?
-> Generally on a daily basis, you will teach around 5-6 hours. The average work hours are between 25-30 hours a week.
How many hours and days do I have to work per week?
-> It depends on your school policy but generally you will work from Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. But the teaching time will be flexible in consideration of your school.
How can I get medical insurance?
-> Your school employer will pay 50 % of your medical insurance. Once you have a medical insurance card, you will be free to visit all hospitals around Korea.
