Finishing your hagwon contract? Make year two somewhere new
When your first hagwon contract ends, you can take everything you learned into a new city, a different age group or a schedule that suits you better. Tell your placement coordinator a couple of months before you finish, and we line up the next school.
Park English2026-09-263 min read
A year in, you know things you did not know on day one. How to read a Korean pay slip. Which kids need a joke before they will talk. Where the good kimbap place is. That knowledge travels with you, and the easiest way to get more out of it is to use it somewhere new.
What a second placement can change
Your first school was the one that said yes while you were still at home, working from photos and a video call. Your second one you choose with a year of real experience behind you.
| What you can change | Year one | Year two |
|---|---|---|
| City | Wherever the offer was | Seoul, Busan, a smaller city near the coast, closer to friends you made |
| Age group | Whatever the school needed | Kindergarten, elementary or middle school, the age you turned out to enjoy |
| Schedule | Morning kindergarten hours or afternoon and evening classes | The rhythm that fits the life you now have here |
| School type | Big franchise or small local school | The other one, so you know both |
And each school adds a line to your resume. A teacher who has taught two age groups in two cities walks into the next interview with better answers than someone who has done one year twice.
Timing: finish strong, start talking early
Finish your current contract as agreed. The last months matter to your school, your students and your references, and in Korea severance pay comes after a full year of work, so leaving early costs you too.
So start the conversation with us a couple of months before your end date. That gives us time to look at open positions, set up interviews on your days off, and plan your start date so the gap between schools is as short as you want it to be. Some teachers like a week off to travel. Some want to start the following Monday.
How it works with us
- Tell your placement coordinator three things: the city or region, the ages you want to teach, and your ideal start date.
- We send you positions that match, with the details you now know to ask about (hours, class size, housing).
- You interview with the schools you like, usually by video.
- We walk you through the visa step for the new school. It depends on whether you stay in Korea between contracts or go home first, so ask us rather than a forum.
You can also browse the open positions yourself at any time.
Going home first?
That works too. Plenty of teachers go home for a while and come back for a second year. Keep your profile up to date so we can reach you, and when you are ready, the process is the same.
And if a friend back home asks what teaching in Korea is really like, you know the answer now. Give them your referral number from your profile when they sign up.