Getting a job teaching English in Korea used to be a lot like falling off a log. You uploaded your resume to a job site, had a phone interview, and a week later you could be on a plane.  But with more and more people seeking shelter from the recession overseas, and and increasing government restrictions on ESL teachers, those days are certainly gone. The good news is that as the number of teachers and regulations has increased, contracts have become more standardized and working environments have become more foreigner friendly. The bad news is that we are now looking at a very competitive job market. To find a great job, it’s not enough to merely upload your resume anymore.  You need to know all of the ways schools are hiring teachers and use them to your advantage.

That being said, let’s look at the three main ways people find jobs teaching English in South Korea:

By applying directly to schools

By working with a recruiter

By posting your resume on a job forum

Be Your Own Recruiter: Applying directly

By far, the best way to begin your job hunt is by contacting schools directly. Simply take a look at our list of schools that take direct applications, and start sending our your resume! A good first contact email will include a short note introducing yourself, a picture, and your resume. Although going through recruiters and posting your resume can certainly bring you good job offers, I highly recommend putting in the lion’s share of your job-hunting work contacting schools directly. Only you can make sure you find the best job possible.

Working With a Recruiter

Most Korean schools simply don’t have their own international HR departments, so they outsource the finding and choosing of teachers to recruiters. Recruiters get their fee from the schools, so you will never have to pay one. But keep in mind that, ultimately, they do work for the school and not for you. While there are certainly many honest recruiters out there who will level with you on the details of your contract, remember that it is their job to fill a position, not to get you the best job possible! There is nothing wrong with working with multiple recruiters–just make sure you let all of them know if you have taken a position.

Posting Your Resume

The sites listed here have services for you to post your resume so it can be viewed recruiters and employers. Personally, I would advise staying away from these sites until you have tried every other avenue. It will certainly flood your inbox with many job offers of dubious quality and you will probably be subscribed to a couple of pesky mailing lists. Nevertheless, if you feel like you aren’t getting results from the other two methods, posting your resume can open some more doors for you.

For better or worse, the days of posting your resume and jumping on a plane are gone, but getting a good teaching job in Korea is still completely within reach if you are qualified and put your mind to it.

Do you know other ways to find employers in Korea?
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