Reading a hagwon contract: 12 clauses to check before you sign
Before signing a hagwon contract, check twelve things: teaching hours vs office hours, overtime rate, class size, vacation days, housing terms, the deposit, severance, pension and health insurance, the end date, the probation clause, the release letter, and who pays for the visa. A contract that is vague on any of these is not ready to sign.
Park English · Published 2026-07-21 · 3 min read
A hagwon contract in Korea is usually two to four pages. That is short enough to read twice, and you should. Almost every problem teachers write to us about a year later was visible in the contract on day one.
Here is the list we go through with a teacher before anyone signs anything.
Hours and what counts as work
1. Teaching hours vs. contracted hours. These are different numbers. A contract might say 30 hours a week but only 22 of them are in a classroom. Ask which number the salary is based on, and what you are expected to do in the other eight.
2. The overtime rate, in won. Not "overtime will be compensated." A number per hour, and when it starts. If the contract does not name a rate, overtime is a negotiation you will have every month.
3. Split shifts. A 9am-6pm day and a 9am-1pm plus 4pm-9pm day are both "eight hours." They are not the same life. The schedule belongs in the contract, not in a verbal promise.
4. Class size and age range. A kindergarten class of eight and an elementary class of eighteen need different energy. If the contract says "as assigned," ask for the current timetable in writing.
Money
5. Base salary, and what is separate. Housing, flight, and severance are usually on top of the monthly figure. Confirm which of those are in your contract and which are not.
6. Pension and health insurance. In a standard full-time contract these are shared between employer and employee. Check that the contract says so, and check the split.
7. Severance. Korean labour law provides severance after a full year of service. A contract that is silent on severance, or that ties it to conditions, deserves a question before signing, not after.
8. When you get paid. A pay date, in the contract. "End of month" and "the 10th" are both fine — an unnamed date is not.
Housing
9. What the housing actually is. Single studio, shared apartment, or an allowance. If it is an allowance, is it enough for the neighbourhood? Ask for the address or at least the district before you accept.
10. The deposit and the utilities. Who pays the key money, who gets it back, and which utilities are yours. This is the single most common surprise in a teacher's first month.
Leaving
11. The end date and what happens after. Renewal terms, notice period, and whether unused vacation is paid out.
12. The release letter. If you want to change schools inside Korea later, you will need one. A contract that makes it discretionary is a contract that can trap you for a year.
What a good school does when you ask
The point of these twelve questions is not to catch anyone out. It is to see how the school answers. A school that has done this before will answer in a day, in writing, without irritation. A school that gets defensive about a plain question in August will not get better in February.
Where we come in
Park English reads the contract with the teacher before signing, and we ask the school the awkward questions so the teacher does not have to on day one. It costs the teacher nothing — academies pay the placement fee, never the teacher.
If you are looking at a contract right now and something in it is unclear, you can send it to us and ask.