Working in Korea
Visa & paperwork24
See all 24 →E-2, F-visas, apostille, criminal record check: what to get, in what order.
Apostille tip: Check whether your state or province issues apostilles for your diploma
Your diploma's apostille comes from the office tied to where the school is, not where you live now. Here is exactly which office that is for every US state and Canadian province.
11-03Your Background Check Expires Before Your Visa Interview: How to Time It
Korean immigration treats your national criminal record check as good for six months from the date it was issued, not from the day it gets apostilled, so order it too early and it can go stale before your consulate appointment.
10-27Name mismatches between passport, diploma, and criminal record: how to fix them before they stall your visa
A maiden name on your diploma, a married name on your passport, or a dropped middle name can stop your E-2 file cold. Here's which document bridges which mismatch, and when to fix it.
10-22Your E-2 documents expire before your flight: how to sequence them so nothing goes stale
Your criminal record check has a six month clock that starts the day it's issued, not the day you apply. Order it too early and it dies before your consulate appointment. Here's the order that keeps it alive.
10-18Apostille vs. Hague Convention: why a Korean degree doesn't need the same chain twice
Your diploma only needs an apostille if it was issued outside Korea by a Hague-member country. A Korean degree, or a document already inside Korea's system, follows no such chain at all because it's never leaving the country.
10-15Your E-2 visa issuance number isn't a visa yet
A visa issuance number means Korean immigration approved your E-2 paperwork, but you still don't have a visa. You take that number, your passport, and a consulate application (in person or sometimes by mail) to get the actual visa sticker.
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Contracts & pay20
See all 20 →What a Korean hagwon contract really says, and what lands in your bank account.
Hagwon contract signing bonus and relocation allowance: how the one-time payments are clawed back
Some hagwon contracts let the school take back a signing bonus or relocation payment if you leave early, and some of those clauses are legal under Korean labor law while others are void even if you signed them.
11-02Pension rejoining after a gap: what happens if you return to Korea on a new hagwon contract
Taking your National Pension lump-sum refund when you left does not block you from joining again. Sign a new hagwon contract, and your new school enrolls you as if the first time never happened.
10-28Hagwon contract end date and the notice period: how to exit without losing your deposit
Your employment contract and your housing lease run on two different clocks. Miss either notice window and you can lose weeks of rent or watch your deposit sit with the landlord for months.
10-24Hagwon sick leave and unpaid absence: what the Labor Standards Act actually requires
Korean labor law does not guarantee paid sick days for a common illness. What it actually guarantees is annual leave, and knowing the difference decides whether a fever costs you a vacation day or a chunk of your next paycheck.
10-21Hagwon teacher tax residency and the 183-day rule: when you actually owe Korean income tax
Most hagwon contracts run twelve months, which can make you a Korean tax resident from your first paycheck, not from day 183. Here's how the domicile test actually works, and what changes if your contract is shorter.
10-16Seven Korean pay terms to know before you sign your hagwon contract
Toejikgeum, 4대보험, and 원천징수 aren't decoration on your contract. They're the words that decide severance, deductions, and overtime, and each one comes with a real 2026 number attached to it.
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Living in Korea29
See all 29 →Banking, phones, hospitals, where teachers actually hang out: the first-month list.
Renting a Korean apartment's first utility setup: gas, electricity, water, and who to call
On move-in day you call three different companies, not one. Here's who to call for electricity, gas, and water, and the exact English phrases to get your name on the account.
10-29Reporting a change of address to Immigration within 14 days in Korea
Once you sign a new lease and get your Residence Card, Korean immigration wants your new address on file within 14 days. Here is the HiKorea form, the documents to upload, and why this step saves you trouble at renewal time.
10-26The $5,000 rule that kicks in when you wire money home from Korea
As a foreign resident you can send up to $50,000 a year out of Korea without paperwork, but any single transfer over $5,000 needs a designated bank and proof of where the money came from.
10-25Save 1588-5644 before you need a translator in Korea
Dial 1588-5644 from any phone in Korea and a volunteer interpreter joins your call for free, so you're never stuck mid-sentence at a bank counter, a pharmacy, or your phone store.
10-23Load your ARC onto your phone with Korea's Mobile ID app
Since January 10, 2025, registered foreigners can carry a digital copy of their Alien Registration Card inside a free government app, valid everywhere the plastic card is, from bank counters to hospital check-in desks.
10-20Renting a Korean apartment on jeonse versus wolse: what a new teacher must check
Jeonse means one lump deposit and no monthly rent; wolse means a smaller deposit plus rent each month. Before you sign either one, here is exactly what to check on the contract and at the district office.
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Where to teach14
See all 14 →City by city, with real numbers from our own listings.
Sejong City for English teachers: a planned capital with few hagwons and what the pay looks like
Sejong is Korea's government-built administrative capital, home to civil servants rather than a dense school district, so hagwon postings are harder to find and the ones that exist lean toward adults and younger kids, not exam-prep teens.
10-31Gwangju for English teachers: what the southwest's art-and-university city pays and costs
Gwangju runs lower hagwon salaries than Seoul but much lower rent too, with a slower pace, strong university energy, and a 90-minute KTX ride home for the weekend.
10-25Ansan for English teachers: Seoul-adjacent rent in a port-and-factory city
Ansan sits on Line 4 with rent well under Seoul prices and a hagwon market built around its Danwon-gu factory and port district, smaller than Suwon's but real enough to build a year on.
10-19Yongin for English teachers: Gyeonggi's commuter belt and what the rent buys
Yongin sits between Seoul and Samsung's Pyeongtaek chip campus, and the rent shows it: officetels cost less than Seoul, but your commute depends entirely on which subway line reaches your building.
10-13Gumi for English teachers: Samsung's satellite city and what it pays
Gumi is the Nakdong River city built around Samsung's Galaxy plant, with hagwon pay that trails Ulsan but a short, cheap rail hop to Daegu and a foreign teacher community that's easy to find once you land.
10-07Daegu for English teachers: lower rent, and Seoul 100 minutes away
Daegu pays hagwon salaries close to Seoul's smaller offers, but everyday costs run noticeably lower, the subway is simple to learn in a weekend, and a KTX from Dongdaegu gets you back to Seoul Station in under two hours.
09-30
Weekend trips2
Where to go on a weekend in Korea and exactly how to get there, with places that have good English signs and guides.
Nami Island from Seoul: an easy day trip by train and ferry
Nami Island is one of the most-recommended day trips from Seoul: take the Gyeongchun Line or the faster ITX-Cheongchun to Gapyeong, hop a short taxi to the pier, and the ferry is included in the island ticket.
09-26Gyeongju by KTX: an easy English-friendly weekend in Korea's old royal capital
Gyeongju is about two hours from Seoul by KTX and 30 minutes from Busan, and its main sights have English signs, English information pages and a 24-hour English travel hotline behind them. Here is the station, the plan, and what each stop costs.
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