The Korean term for private school is Hagwon, sometimes spelled as Hakwon. The translation essentially means private school, however, westerners also refer to them as language schools, English schools, English academies or English institutes. To the surprise of many, private schools are the largest employers of foreign teachers in Korea, by far! There are more than 10,000 western teachers working within Korea’s sprawling private school sector.
Primarily in Feb, May, Aug and Nov
Typically 10-15 students per class
Set curriculum provided by the school
Country-wide, teachers can make requests
2-20 foreign teachers per school (usually 4-8)
8-9 at school hours per day (4-6 teaching hours)
There are many lucrative opportunities in South Korea’s vast Hagwon industry. Most of these schools operate as part of a franchise, some small with 5-6 campuses in select cities, others are massive with hundreds of campuses in every corner of the country. Typically, private schools are managed independently, although some branches and campus locations are owned and operated by the franchise head office, typically referred to as corporate schools.
Kindergarten & elementary education is a huge deal in Korea! Many private schools – hagwons – cater specifically to these two age groups. As such, a large portion of jobs, which are available to western teachers, are at the K1 and elementary age level.
Schools that cater to middle school and junior high aged students are also pretty common. Many private schools will offer classes to these age groups only, others combine upper elementary students with the middle and junior high students.
Unfortunately, the private sector doesn’t have much to offer at the high school level. Korean parents tend to take their children out of private English schools once they reach high school; anticipating they’ll study harder and get accepted into the better universities. Most students will resume their English education studies when they enter college and university.
Private schools that cater to adults are typically found in the big metropolitan cities. Generally speaking, adult language schools gravitate towards candidates who have previous TEFL teaching experience.
Every school will have a set curriculum and an accompanying syllabus. Additionally, all of the schools Gone2Korea works with also provide a broad range of resources for teachers to utilize. Most schools have very modern facilities coupled with an extensive array of books, games, activities, puzzles and flashcards to use in your classes. The teachers office will also be equipped with pcs and printers, photocopy machines, and other crucial tools necessary for teachers. Some facilities even have auditoriums, gymnasiums, indoor play rooms and mini libraries.
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Gone2Korea is your connection to full-time teaching jobs in South Korea. Western graduates, primarily from the US, Canada, UK, and Australia, use our services to secure jobs with trusted Korean schools, and schools use our services to find and hire enthusiastic teachers from the West.
Worth noting: We’re not a job ‘sourcing’ agency or recruiter that finds new schools on the fly. On the contrary, we work with a select group of schools and programs that we know and trust.
In addition to helping you land a job, we’ll also be helping you with your work visa, departure, arrival, and offering support for the entirety of your contracted term.
Prior teaching experience and related degrees are NOT prerequisites for teaching in Korea. Here’s what you’ll need in order to qualify.
Korean schools and programs offer western English teachers highly competitive benefits packages which includes:
