Teach in South Korea
8 agencies in this directory say they recruit teachers for schools in South Korea, including Footprints Recruiting, International Teachers Plus and m2r Education.
Recruitment agency · London, United Kingdom
Recruiter for international school teaching roles; candidates create a free account to apply
Recruitment agency
Says it places teachers, professors and trainers in international schools, universities and training academies in 36+ countries
Recruitment agency
Offers an international recruitment service for schools hiring teachers, plus a teaching job board
Recruitment agency · Wakefield, United Kingdom
Offers teacher recruitment in the UK and overseas, including international schools
Recruitment agency · United Kingdom
Matches teachers with roles in schools around the world; says it has helped more than 8,000 teachers into jobs since 2004
Recruitment agency · Ottawa, Canada
Places teachers in schools in the Middle East and Asia, many on British or American curricula
Search firm / recruitment fairs · Cape Town, South Africa
Established 2007; runs recruitment fairs and a recruitment/events department for institutions in the Gulf and Asia
Recruitment agency · Vancouver, Canada
Says it has placed over 10,000 teachers since 2001, across Asia, the Middle East and beyond
South Korea has one clear public-sector route for English teachers and one clear legal trap. The route is the English Program in Korea, known as EPIK, whose site lists the United Kingdom among eligible citizenships. The trap, per GOV.UK, is that it is illegal to be employed in South Korea while visiting visa-free, as a teacher or in any other capacity.
The pages below cover EPIK's published criteria, the GOV.UK warnings that apply to British applicants, and the points I could not confirm from an official source.
EPIK's eligibility page lists citizens of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa. Applicants must have studied English from at least 7th grade through university and hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited university.
A TEFL, TESOL or CELTA certificate of at least 100 hours is needed unless you hold a teaching licence, a B.Ed. or M.Ed., or an education-focused major. Placements are made on request by Provincial and Metropolitan Offices of Education, and the site says you must hold an E-2 visa before arriving in Korea or you cannot attend orientation or work.
GOV.UK says that to get a visa to teach English in South Korea you must have a 3-year university degree, and a TEFL certificate alone is not enough. Visa-free entry allows up to 90 days, and UK visitors are temporarily exempt from needing a K-ETA until 31 December 2026.
Changing employer on a work visa needs Korean Immigration approval. GOV.UK says nothing about criminal record checks, so ask the Korean Embassy in the UK what documents the E-2 application needs.
EPIK's site showed spring 2027 applications open when I read it. The wider recruitment calendar for private academies and international schools is not covered by an official source here.
Seoul, South Korea · COBIS
South Korea · IB
South Korea · IB
South Korea · IB
South Korea · IB
South Korea · IB
South Korea · IB
Seoul, South Korea · FOBISIA, IB
South Korea · IB
South Korea · IB
South Korea · IB
South Korea · IB
See all 25 schools in South Korea
These agencies say they recruit worldwide without naming South Korea specifically: Perrett Laver (Global Schools Practice), Teacher Recruit, Anthony Millard Consulting, ANZUK Education, Atlas Teachers, Edvectus, International Schools Services (ISS), RSAcademics, Schrole, Search Associates, Teach Away, Teacher Horizons, Teaching Abroad Direct, Tes (international jobs), TIC Recruitment, TIE Online (The International Educator), TrueTeaching, WISHlistjobs, Spencer Group, Jackson Hayes Recruitment, RG175.
No. GOV.UK says you must have a 3-year university degree to get a visa to teach English and that a TEFL certificate alone is not enough.
Not necessarily. EPIK asks for a bachelor's degree and a 100-hour certificate unless you hold a teaching licence, a B.Ed., an M.Ed. or an education-focused major.
EPIK says you must hold an E-2 visa before arriving to attend orientation or work, and GOV.UK says working visa-free is illegal.
GOV.UK says UK visitors are temporarily exempt until 31 December 2026. That is for short visits, not a work route.