Footprints Recruiting

South Korea offers some of the best ESL teaching opportunities in the world. Do you need to save money, pay off student loans or build for the future? If so, Korea is the place for you.

• Korea offers the highest starting teaching salaries
• Korea offers free round-trip airfare
• Korea offers free housing 
• the cost of living in Korea is pretty cheap

Take your time and have a look at the wealth of information we have about teaching and living in South Korea. All Footprints ESL recruiters have been English teachers, many of whom taught and lived in Korea for several years. If you're accepted as a Footprints teacher, you will also receive a comprehensive Korean Orientation after you sign a contract.

We have over 40 teaching positions in private language schools in Korea EVERY MONTH. In these private language schools, also called Hagwons or Hakwons, you can teach all ages of students. We have some private language schools that are focussed on teaching kindergarten aged students and others that only teach adults. Most of these schools cater to elementary to high school aged students and some offer classes to all students K-adult (K being kindergarten). 

If you've got teaching experience or an Education degree, Footprints is the main recruiter for public school positions around Korea. Footprints alumni are able to get coveted public school teaching jobs in South Korea in year 2 ahead of the rest of the pack. Korean public school teaching jobs generally start in August and March each year but due to the incredible demand for teachers for public schools we are placing teachers EVERY month in these positions. These are great programs for teachers to add incredible international teaching experience to their portfolio.

Teaching in Korea with Kids

Exploring Korea with your family. What a great experience! BUT... there are many factors, challenges and contingencies to consider here. Here are a couple considerations:

• for single parents, who takes care of the kids while you are working
• what happens with their education
• what about language barriers
• what about innoculations
• what about socialization factors
• what if they hate it
• what about family back home

Schools are often not too keen to hire teachers who have non-working spouses or children accompanying them because of a number of factors but probably most important to them is the pressure and stress that acclimation and acculturation that can factor into you breaking your contract and heading home - leaving the school without a teacher and in serious chaos.

Other challenges come with the housing that the school supplies for you. Teaching contracts in Korea generally state that the school will provide housing for the teacher. This regularly comes in the form of single housing (either one bedroom or bachelor type apartments) or shared housing (two bedroom apartments shared with another teacher). It is likely that neither of these situations would be suitable for someone living with a child or a spouse who is not working at the school.

OPTION For Teachers Travelling with Families

• Be prepared to pay extra for a larger place - the school can provide the 2 bedroom to you or perhaps get a larger accommodation and you pay the difference from what it would have cost them for the smaller place.
• Ask about getting a stipend for housing and source your own housing once you arrive. This can be more expensive and it can be challenging. If this is angle you wish to pursue you may want to arrive there first to sort this out before your family or spouse join you as it could get expensive to stay in a hotel.

The second difficulty lies in schooling and the adjustment of the child to life in a different country and culture. International schools (i.e. schools that teach in English) are extraordinarily expensive and it likely wouldn’t be feasible based on the salary you will be making. If you were going over with someone else then home schooling would be an option but unfortunately as a single parent this would be a very difficult undertaking.

Aside from schooling there is the issue of childcare. Most schools will not let your son or daughter spend the day at the school with you. This is something that doesn’t only apply to the foreign teachers but to all the teachers at the school. Teachers are not usually allowed to even enroll their children in the same school that they are employed at as teachers.

There is also the issue of getting the appropriate legal documentation for your dependent(s) (i.e. Dependent visa(s) for the child/children). This is something that you would have to research and take care of on your own.

Some schools will offer a pay out instead of a provided apartment thus allowing the teacher to find their own housing. The other option would be schools that offer home stays instead of a provided apartment. It is feasible to bring your family, but can be very complicated.

These and more should be considered when thinking about bringing your kid's with you to teach in Korea.

Where should you teach and live in Korea?

Korea is an amazing country to teach English and literally there are jobs from the most northern tip to the southern reaches of the pennisula. So where should you teach English? Good question. That depends on you.

Rural placements, or rather, placements outside of the major metropolitan centers like Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, or Gwangju have less Western influence and therefore make the teaching placement more uniquely Korean. You don't have TGIFridays or Outback and you often won't have as many foreigners. For those of you looking for a true blue Korean teaching experience, living outside these centers is definitely for you. All that said, Korea is a small country and as a result of this size and the incredible infrastructure, you can get around and get to and from the major centers with relative ease.

• If acquiring Korean language is your goal - think rural - the more rural the better.
• If you want to surround yourself in Korean culture - think rural.
• If you want more foreigners and you want more of the locals to speak English (or at least a little more English) - think more urban.

Whatever you choose, teaching in Korea is an awesome experience and it is what you make of it. There is something for everyone. If you walk with your head up and your eyes open, opportunities abound. Soak up life! Teach English in Korea.

There are loads of things you can do in Korea beyond teaching.  This page is meant to provide information for expat teachers who are joining a sports club, hockey team, ultimate frisbee league or even a social club that could be expat or Korean in nature.

Joining and becoming part of the local community is an important step in enhancing your life abroad and beating culture shock and homesickness.

We are always looking to expand our list of clubs, volunteer opportunities and social groups of all description.  If you know of other clubs or would like to add a club to this list please login and add an article about that club or opportunity.  Also, if you know more information about a club or if the club stops functioning please let us know.

At Footprints Recruiting our prime parameter when considering schools in Korea to work with is that they offer a positive working environment and a fair market salary. We will do our best to place you in a good school in the area where you want to teach - an extra hundred dollars a month isn’t much when you loathe going to work every day. Over 95% of Footprints teachers have completed, or are in the process of completing their one year contracts.

All teaching contracts in Korea for Footprints Teachers will include the following:

• FREE HOUSING: single or shared or a housing allowance stipend
• SALARY: 1,900,000 Won (1.9 is the MINIMUM for 30 hours)
• FREE AIRFARE: reimbursed on arrival or paid up front by school
• ONE MONTH SEVERANCE: you will receive 1 month salary for each year of teaching service - this is mandated by Korean law

You can save THOUSANDS

The cost of living in Korea is generally reasonable. It is certainly a lot less than if you were living in Japan! General costs such as transport are low. The big costs for Koreans are housing and education.

The cost of living varies from cities to country sides. Your monthly expenses will largely depend on how you choose to spend your money. Korean food is a lot cheaper than eating at western restaurants such as 'Tony Romas', 'T.G.I.F.', 'The Outback' or 'Skylarks'. There are plenty of McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and pizza outlets all around Korea.

You can get a full meal for less than 5000 Won and you can have a night out for around 20,000 Won. Shopping at the store is cheap but if you're on your own, going out to eat is cheaper and less mess. There are a million ways to blow your money over here so keep track and have some kind of financial budget.

Korea is oft dubbed "The Land of the Morning Calm"... maybe in years past... Present day Korea is a country that never sleeps, though the morning is generally one of the calmest parts of the day. You can always find somewhere to go or something to do at any hour of the day.

Oddly enough, despite the chaos and cacophony there are places you can go even in the heart of Seoul where you can escape the fast-paced life and revel in the culture of Korea.

Korean people are generally a friendly playful lot. Moreso when alcohol is involved. They take great pride in their country and culture and are thrilled by any effort we demonstrate to learn more about them and their language. Any time I spoke Korean I was constantly befriended and given hugs and arms around my shoulder like that Korean person was my proud long lost brother. They would show incredible pride in ME for learning their language and they would take me under their wing and (because they were often older than me) I would be dubbed "dongsaeng" (little brother). This could occur at a bus stop, in a pub, on the top of a mountain, in a fishing boat, on a bus, literally wherever I was.

Koreans are often looking for a place to unwind and let loose. It's a fun, funny experience. Be open to this.

South Koreans are under intense pressure to excel academically.  This pressure begins in elementary and consistently becomes more apparent up through high school.  Oddly, once a student is accepted to university, more often than not, the intense cramming evaporates and social life becomes paramount.

This section of the Korean Information pages is dedicated to providing information for foreigners who need emergency contact information.  Whether you're looking for a dentist, alcoholics anonymous or the fire department or police, this section should provide the information you are looking for.

Please contact our webmaster immediately if any information needs to be changed.  You are also welcome to add information about other emergency services or support groups that you think might be applicable to English teachers in South Korea.

The one thing we hear most from our alumni after they leave Korea is how much they miss Korean food and the one thing we hear most of our new teachers say is how much they think Korean food stinks.

Korean food is cheap, healthy and for most teachers, delicious. There is a great variety as well for those willing to try different things.

A typical meal in a Korean restaurant will cost about $5.00 USD, throw in an beer and you're looking at about $10 USD. Not too shabby.

If you're planning on doing anything during the vacation periods or national holidays in South Korea you better plan ahead.  The two biggies, Solal and Chussock are absolutely nuts.  The highway from Busan to Seoul is like a parking lot.  That being said, plan ahead, be prepared for masses of people, and you'll have an amazing time.

Expect to live in an apartment, a fairly small apartment. Since Korea is one of the most densely populated countries on earth only the extremely wealthy or those in rural areas can afford to live in houses.

Korean apartments tend to be around 30% smaller than apartments in the USA or Canada. Because Korea was rebuilt rapidly after the Korean war and the government wished to alleviate the chronic shortage of housing, rows of identical apartment buildings march across the country side. It's actually quite surreal how each city has exactly the same apartments... everywhere... Newer developments and housing areas are developed with green space in mind and offer a lot more in terms of local ammenities as a result of urban planning efforts. What's most remarkable is how quickly Korea has changed. If you left 5 years ago, you would hardly recognize some areas that used to be your favorite haunts.

Internet in Korea has one of the highest rates of usage in the world.

Due to strong government support, Korea has one of the highest rates of broadband connectivity, with most households being able to choose ISDN, ADSL, cable, or satellite internet for connectivity. All new apartments in Korea come hardwired with broadband. The average cost of a broadband connection with unlimited bandwidth and incredible up and download speeds (ranging from 10MB-30MB) is $28 USD per month, while an internet connection with unlimited access but slightly slower speeds is only $8 USD per month.

If your apartment doesn’t come with a computer, you will surely have internet access at your school. Outside of school, internet cafés are ubiquitous on the streets of Korea, and time is dirt cheap, most charge as little as a dollar per hour. These places are known as PC Bangs (computer rooms). You will usually see these rooms filled with teens chain smoking and playing on-line games such as Starcraft. A Korean teenager died after spending four days straight in a computer room without food or sleep.

As daunting as it seems, living and working in Korea without former knowledge of Korean is not THAT difficult.

In your classroom you are not supposed to use ANY Korean so students are forced to communicate with you exclusively in English. For all intents and purposes this seems to work quite well. There are times when you need more moves than a mime at the circus but you are still able to communicate quite effectively without any skills in Korean.

The beauty of the matter is that if you are interested in learning Korean, getting the basics is really quite easy.

Life as an English Teacher in South Korea

Whether you've been abroad or whether you're just getting ready for your first trip, nothing can completely prepare you for life in Korea. Seoul is one of the most wired cities in the world yet in the suburbs just outside this metropolis people are still burying their food in the ground to preserve it for the winter. Truly amazing!

Getting access to an English speaking doctor is Korea is really important when you are sick and looking for some comfort or when you have an issue and you need to understand what the heck is going on. The Foreign or Internetional Medical Clinics listed below will all have English speaking doctors ready for you AND the cost should be covered by your national medical insurance.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COVERAGE

First things first - your contract says you will have coverage so that means you have coverage and you don't need to worry about it.

DON'T ASSUME YOU HAVE COVERAGE

Your coverage will not start until you are legally registered in the country. With the visa regulations and medical tests now in place for teaching visas in Korea this could take 30 days to 3 months. YOU ARE NOT COVERED AT THIS TIME.

We strongly encourage ALL teachers to get extended medical coverage for expatriots. click here to learn more about extended medical in Korea.

In 2008 sadly a foreign teacher and his girlfriend died in an apartment fire. The young man's medical bill reached 77,000,000 Won (about $88,000USD at the time). Footprints Head Office and many Footprints Teachers and other teachers and friends supported the donation initiative and last we heard approximately $60,000 was raised. Please be responsible. Please get extended medical insurance BEFORE you go. The minimum duration for sign up is 90 days, you can sign up before you go or even after you arrive. Get the coverage.

Also, your school may not actually get the coverage for you. You should actually receive a card to show you are registered. Once you have your national residency card or your alien identification card (both the same thing just different names), ask your director or head teacher to tell you more about the national medical plan and make sure you have some proof that you are on the plan.

Too many schools do not enroll you to save a bit of extra Won. Not wise. Your salary should be taxed a fixed percentage for the national coverage and then you should be set should anything go wrong.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we still strongly encourage you to get the extended medical coverage recommended by Footprints. We've been at this since 1995, we have a pretty good sense of what's best for teachers by now.

In Korean, the money is called Won, Korean Won.  If you are just arriving in Korea, change a couple hundred dollars on the way in and if you are just leaving, be sure to get rid of all your Won because this will be your last chance.

Korean Won comes in four notes: 1000, 5000 and 10000 the brand new 50,000 Won note.  You can also get checks for 100,000 or 1,000,000.  Find out more about Money in Korea in our articles.

There are loads of things you need to include in your backpack when you're about to transplant yourself in another country for a year. There is also something called OVERPACKING!

You would be amazed how many teachers pack irons only to find that there is a different power source over in Korea and they could have bought an iron over there for less than $20.00 or they could have all their dirty clothes laundered for less than $10 per week!

Shampoo is another one... it's heavy, it could explode and destroy all your clothing and think about it, do you think they don't wash their hair in Korea?

Since you will probably be working with kids, don’t worry about bringing formal clothes, the rule of thumb is comfortable casual- as long as you aren’t wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and your clothes aren’t dirty or wrinkled, you will be fine. It is important to note, however, that Koreans are image conscious, and you will be treated with far more respect if you dress nicely.

Korea is going to be your home so even though we are telling you to minimize, we also want you to make it feel like your home rather than seeing your apartment as somewhere to crash for awhile. One teacher says of the things she misses most, "I miss the personal items that I didn’t bring." (Alexandra Wood - Footprints teacher in Korea).

Never fear a phone is always near! Korea is the land of cell phone and mobile messaging gadgets. Phones in Korea are often 2 or 3 years ahead of the stuff we get and they are often available at 1/4 the price!

Often you can purchase a phone from one of the teachers that is leaving which would run around 20,000 Won. New phones can also be purchased with the help of your school (acting as a guarantor). The can range from 60,000 Won to 250,000 Won or more but they will have a wide variety of phones and cool features to choose from. Monthly fees will range from 10,000 Won to 40,000 Won. If you're calling long distance be sure to use a CALLING CARD. These can be purchased at corner stores and will save you a fortune.

Land lines are not too badly priced, you do pay a small fee each time you dial out, however it is not too expensive.

Korea employs many English language teachers, and generally does not require that you have any special qualifications for teaching English other than having a Bachelor's degree (in anything!) and being a native speaker of English.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree of any field or higher
• Passport from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, or the USA
• English must be your first language
• Enthusiasm about teaching
• Teaching experience is preferred. If you have teaching experience, you will be offered better salary and benefits.

Is North Korea a threat?  Are the communities in Seoul safe?  What should I be aware of and how can I stay safe?

These are all really good questions.  Safety and security is often overlooked by teachers, the only people that really seem genuinely interested are often your parents.  Well, if you're a parent, a concerned teacher, or a teacher looking for information to tell your parents, check out these articles and links about safety and security concerns in Korea.

Public transportation in Korea is cheap and efficient and you really will be selling yourself short if you don’t make an effort to get out and see the country.

The subway system in Seoul is one of the finest in the world and is simple enough that a small town boy from a town with one traffic light could navigate it on his own from day one (that's me by the way).

There are several different types of teaching jobs in South Korea and each one offers slightly different benefits and has slight different requirements.  Here is a list of the types of teaching jobs currently available in South Korea.

1. Hagwon/Hakwon - private language schools - the most common
2. Public schools
3. Private schools
4. International schools
5. Universities and colleges and vocational training programs
6. Corporate in-house language programs
7. Government / private research centers
8. Editing, public relations, advertising companies
9. Private teaching

Korea, as you will hear over and over again during your sojourn in South Korea, has four seasons. Why, you may ask, do Koreans insist on telling you about the virtues of their four seasons, when chances are your country of origin also has a spring, summer, winter and fall- as do most countries on either side of the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn? This mystery has yet to be solved- I suspect that Korean school children are taught that the phenomenon of four seasons is unique to Korea. When you are told this amazing fact, the best response is to nod knowingly and express your amazement that Korea has four distinct seasons.

Check out the follow articles about the various season in Korea, what to expect and what you can get up to.