Teaching English in South Korea is a truly immersive cultural experience. If you're looking for job in a culture vastly different to your own with great benefits and excellent travel opportunities, this could be just what you're after!

All you need to qualify is to have a bachelor's degree in any field of study and be a citizen of one of the following countries: USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa.

When Can I Start?

We place teachers at both public schools and private language centers throughout South Korea, which allows us to offer the best quality placements at carefully vetted school partners throughout the year.

If you want to start your teach abroad adventure in South Korea as soon as possible, our Internationally Accredited online TESOL certification course and Guaranteed Placement Program is the best option for you. It takes at least 4 months to start teaching in Korea as the document collection and visa application process is a rigorous process so it is always best to sign up sooner rather than later to give you enough time to get organized before your departure. We have one online TESOL course running at the beginning of each month throughout 2023.

If you want to take part in our in-class TESOL course and guaranteed placement program, which takes place on the outskirts of Seoul in Korea and includes a full week of cultural orientation in Korea, we have the following upcoming start dates for 2024/2025 open for enrollment:

2024 Intake Dates

• 22 July 2024
• 23 September 2024
• Or you can pick our Online TEFL option (starting every first Monday of the month) and in 4-5 months, you can head to South Korea.

2025 Intake Dates

• 20 January 2025
• 24 March 2025
• 26 May 2025
• 28 July 2025
• 29 September 2025
• 27 October 2025
• Or you can pick our Online TEFL option (starting every first Monday of the month) and in 4-5 months, you can head to South Korea.

Speak to our experienced Enrollments Coordinators about the best option for you.

Highlights

• Guaranteed job placement available at both private and public schools in our trusted and vetted school network throughout South Korea
• Salary of $1600 to $1750 (USD) per month
• Free furnished accommodation
• Reimbursement for the cost of your flight to Korea
• End of contract bonus pay equivalent to one month's salary
• Paid leave
• Thorough pre-departure support and assistance with documentation and interview prep from our experienced team with first-hand experience teaching in Korea - that's right, we've been there and have done it ourselves!
• Internationally accredited TESOL certification course which can be completed online or in-class in Korea, both of which include practical teaching experience, and are tailored specifically to the Korean English language curriculum
• In-depth cultural orientation to ease you into life in Korea, which includes lectures on Korean culture and society, history, politics, geography and 7 hours of Korean language classes
• 24/7 in-country support throughout your teaching placement
• Airport pickup
• Assistance with opening a local bank account
• Friends and couples may be placed together
• Free future placements in new countries: Once you have completed your contract in South Korea, we will happily provide you with a teaching placement in Vietnam, Thailand, and/or Costa Rica, together with a one-week cultural orientation and 24/7 in-country support - free of charge!
• Full access to online teaching resources to help you plan lessons throughout your placement

Why choose TravelBud?

With so many options out there, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what the best program is for you. We have carefully designed a program with everything we believe is needed for the most successful experience possible teaching in South Korea, based on our first-hand experience.

We give you far more than just a job placement

We provide far more than just a job or recruitment service as we believe there's so much more needed for this to be the most successful and life-changing experience possible. From finding the right job at the right school which pays you well and on time, and will treat you fairly, to having an experienced support team for you to lean on throughout your time on the program, to receiving the most in-depth cultural orientation to guarantee a successful cultural immersion, receiving an internationally accredited TESOL/TEFL training which is tailored specifically to Korean schools to ensure you're prepared for the right type of teaching environment, TravelBud's Paid Teaching Program in South Korea is without a doubt the highest quality and most holistic option you can choose.

We manage expectations accurately

We won't promise you what we cannot deliver. For example, we won't promise you a starting salary of 2.4 million Korean Won or $2000 as this is very uncommon - instead, we will be upfront about the starting salaries which schools in Korea offer to beginner teachers, which are seldom higher than 2.1 million Korean Won or $1750. This is all part of our effort to ensure that your expectations are managed accurately and you are given the most honest and accurate information about the experience you're signing up for.

We believe less is more

We only offer Paid Teaching programs in a small number of countries. This is because we believe in quality over quantity, or that less is in fact more. By only focusing on what we love and know like the back of hands, we have managed to focus all our efforts on being able to provide what we truly believe is the best all-round experience anyone can ask for from teaching abroad. We may not offer a wide range of countries to choose from or a wide range of different types of programs, but we can guarantee that the programs we do offer are the best you can find.

We've walked the path before you

We have all taught abroad in the countries we offer. In fact, every TravelBud team member is a program alumni and has experienced first-hand what our programs entail. This ensures that you will receive guidance, advice and the full support from a team who have gone through the same thrilling yet somewhat daunting experience you are considering embarking on, which will ensure you're in the best hands possible throughout this incredible journey of growth and adventure.

Our reviews speak for themselves

"Being able to travel and explore a country while earning money is the ideal situation that any young adult wants to be in. Working through TravelBud was a fantastic experience. The organization offered support throughout the entire experience. They helped me with all documentation I needed, answered all the questions I had about the program and offered emotional and practical support once I had gotten to South Korea. I never felt like I was alone in this ordeal. I was placed at a lovely school near the centre of Seoul. The program considers where you’d like to be placed which makes it truly unique to others.

Through this program I made life long friends, traveled across South Korea and found myself immersing into their stunning culture. South Korea is a perfect blend of the modern wave and traditional customs and will suit almost anybody’s personality."
- Megan-Paige, October 2019

What's the job like?

• We offer placements at both public schools and private language centers throughout South Korea where you will be teaching children of various ages.
• Public school working hours are during the day, Monday to Friday.
• Private language centre working hours are 5 days per week working during afternoons, evenings and weekends.
• The positions are full time and are for 12 month contracts and are renewable if you are interested in making Korea your home for longer

What's required?

• A bachelor's degree in any field
• No teaching experience is required - we provide all training if you don't have already
• A clean criminal record
• Be in good health
• Be a first language English speaker with an excellent command of the English language (both written and spoken)
• Hold a 120 hour+ TESOL (or TEFL or CELTA) certificate. Our program also offers an excellent 120 hour online, or in-country (done in Korea) TESOL course with internationally accredited certification tailored to teaching in South Korean classrooms with an experienced instructor.
• Our job placements are only open to citizens of the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa.

Interview Coaching and Guaranteed Placement

We also include step-by-step one-on-one walkthroughs to help you with your job and visa applications and to coach you with any interviews you'll need to have with your prospective employers. This raises the acceptance rate from under 40% of applicants (for those who use other channels) to 95% who come through TravelBud. Job placement is guaranteed once you're accepted onto our program, so if you're not successful in your first interview, we'll have plenty of alternative positions for you to interview for.

Cultural Orientation

We believe in responsible travel and in the context of teaching abroad, that means being culturally sensitive, respectful travelers. Our Korean cultural orientation is run by a mix of local and foreign/expat staff and is set up in a way that ensures you understand Korean culture deeply even before you set foot in a classroom. You'll start teaching feeling much more prepared for your new life abroad, ready to engage with the community you'll be living in and have a rewarding and immersive cultural experience.

Some of what's included on the week-long orientation:

• Learn the basics of speaking Korean with 7 hours of Korean language classes
• Attend lectures on Korean culture, religion, history, geography and politics by experts in their field
• Attend workshops on working in Korean organizations, working in Korean schools and on being a teacher in the country
• Take part in enriching cultural excursions which includes visits to the famous Gyeongbok Palace, a traditional South Korean broadway show, and Namsan Park
• Attend fun tea tastings and Korean cooking classes
• Try your hand (and foot) at Taekwondo- traditional Korean martial art - in a group lesson

Training: Internationally Accredited TESOL Certification

If you don't have a recognized TESOL, TEFL or CELTA certificate yet, it's not a problem. Our program comes with a highly acclaimed 120-hour in-class TESOL course conducted in the town of Incheon, on the outskirts of Seoul, which is tailored to the specific requirements of teaching English in South Korea. You'll learn everything from classroom management to creating lesson plans and the specific issues Korean students battle with when tackling English. Not only that but you'll be able to try out your skills in front of a live class at a local Korean school before you head out to your placement school so that you can be sure you'll be ready for whatever South Korea throws at you. However, while this course is specific to Korean classrooms, the certification is not limited or exclusive to Korea and can be used anywhere around the globe.

Our TESOL Certification Course includes the following:

• 120 hours of in-class TESOL theory and instruction
• Overview of the history and theory of teaching English as a foreign/second language
• Practical training on how to teach speaking, listening, writing, and reading in the Korean classroom
• Attend workshops on working in Korean organizations, working in local schools and on being a teacher in the country
• Extensive training on lesson plan development and presentation
• Multiple opportunities to receive and offer feedback with your peers and instructor throughout the course
• Tons of tips and examples on how to teach English to every age group in Korea
• Extensive training on effective classroom management, being mindful of cultural sensitivities in Korean classrooms
• Two full days of practical teaching at a local Korean school (if you complete our in-class TESOL course) to gain real experience of what it's like to teach in South Korea - practical teaching is done via Skype presentations if you opt for our online TESOL course

Got a TEFL/TESOL certificate already?

Chat with our enrollments team, it may well be accepted by our school network! Then all you'll need is our orientation and placement option!

What our participants say they love most about TravelBud:

• Fast turnaround time
• Guaranteed job placement
• Great reviews by past teachers
• Our helpful, friendly enrolments agents all have teach abroad experience
• Simple to understand and informative website full of photos, videos, and blog articles to help you fully prepare for what to expect

"Everyone I worked with was amazing and they guided me to accomplishing my dream of teaching abroad. Saskia and Sabrina answered all my questions so quickly, and really helped me through the entire trip. They are always willing to help me and they give great advice."
- Patrick, April 2018

The TravelBud Team

Grace - With first-hand experience teaching English in South Korea, Grace provides valuable insight into the daily life of an English teacher. She's now the fearless Enrollments Director but still loves helping would-be teachers attain their travel dreams.

James - Having started from a young age, all alone in the big wide world, James has experienced all the colours of travel emotions and asserts that if he can, anyone can and everyone should!

Kim - You're in great hands with Kim as your Support Manager! She taught in Korea herself for years, and is the go-to gal for walking you through the document collection and visa process. Her friendly demeanor will have you confident and ready for your arrival in Korea.

Adam - Aside from Costa Rica, Adam has traveled to Guatemala, Peru, The United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Portugal, and Morocco. Next up on his travel bucket list includes Ecuador, Spain, and Turkey!