Monthly salaries for teachers with non-education degrees and no previous teaching experience currently range from 2,000,000 - 2,200,000 KRW.

Teachers who do have an education degree can usually make about 100,000 KRW more per month, and teachers with previous ESL teaching experience can negotiate for a higher salary, though just how much they can get will vary with each school.

TEFL / TESOL certification does not usually earn more money in private schools, but it definately makes applicants more desired, and thus those with certification generally find jobs faster than those without. However, when it comes to public school and government positions, TEFL, TESOL, CELTA or any other kind of formal teacher education is almost always a requirement, and unless teachers have a significant number of years of experience teaching ESL in South Korea, they will not even be considered.

At PlanetESL, we strongly encourage all of our applicants to undertake some form of teacher training before they come out, though this is not a legal requirement in Korea. See our TEFL / TESOL Courses section for a list of schools and courses endorsed by PlanetESL.

Overtime pay ranges from about 13,000 to 23,000 won per hour. Teachers need to be aware that many schools do not consider working overtime to be the teacher's decision; a teacher is not always consulted as to whether or not he or she wants overtime...it is just given. Teachers should check the terms of their contract before signing as many times this is negotiable.