English Teaching Jobs in South Korea: Public vs. Private Schools

South Korea is one of the most popular locations to teach English abroad.  The first thing to know is that there are two distinct types of ESL positions in South Korea: jobs at public schools and jobs at private schools. CIEE’s Teach in South Korea program can help you pursue either type of job, and our experienced staff can advise you while you are deciding which is your top choice.  

We’ll start with a quick introduction, then dive into a detailed comparison below. 

What Is the EPIK Public School Program? 

Teaching positions in South Korea’s public school system are arranged by EPIK, a Korean government program. CIEE is an official EPIK partner and provides candidates with timelines, guidance, and tips for applying to EPIK and navigating the complicated and competitive EPIK application process.

What Are Hagwons?

South Korea also has a system of private, for-profit study academies, called hagwons, hakwons, or cram schools. Many Korean students study English and other subjects at hagwons after their public school day is finished. CIEE has relationships with dozens of trusted hagwons in Korea that recruit foreign teachers, and we can get you ready and arrange hiring interviews for you. 

Which Type of Job Is Better? 

It depends! Both are suitable for first-time teachers. You’ll need to decide which type feels like a better fit based on the factors that are most important to you personally. We put together this page as a guide to help you with that!  

Keep in mind that EPIK public schools are more competitive, especially for Fall start dates, and require extra work to apply.  

Review the comparison below to see the pros and cons of each type and decide which is the best fit for you! 

Public vs Private Schools in Korea – Similarities  

Teaching jobs at public and private schools in Korea share many similarities and both school types are popular with foreign teachers.  The following are some of the common features you can expect from either type of school.

Job Benefits: Flight, Housing, and Insurance

In addition to salary, both types of schools provide: 

• Reimbursement for part or all of a one-way flight to South Korea.
• Rent-free housing with basic furnishings: bed, table, fridge, etc. 
• Enrollment in Korea’s National Health Insurance system.

With either school type, the salary and rent-free apartment make it easy to save money while teaching in South Korea.

Age of Students  

At both types of schools, most of your classes will be with primary school children (6-12 years old). Some private school jobs also have kindergarten ages, and some public-school jobs also have middle school ages, but all applicants should be ready to work with primary school as their main focus.

Contract Duration

Both types of schools require a 12-month contract. Upon successful completion of the contract, both types of schools will pay a completion/severance bonus equal to about one month’s pay.

Public vs Private Schools in Korea - Differences

Despite the similarities outlined above, there are some key differences between teaching at public and private schools in Korea that make the experience of teaching at each school type unique.  Read about the key differences below so you can decide which school type will be a better fit for you depending on your personal preferences. 

Compensation

• For public schools, the salary is 2.1 to 2.4 million won/month, depending on the province.  
• For private schools, salaries range from 2.3 to 3.0 million won/month. Salaries at the high end of the range usually correspond to a slightly heavier workload.
• With any of these salaries, it’s easy to live comfortably and still have money left at the end of the month for travel or savings! 

Schedule and Workload

Jobs at both school types are considered full-time, and take place Monday to Friday. Expect 2-4 mandatory special events per year on Saturdays or Sundays, like a talent show, field trip, or sports day.

For public schools, you can expect daytime hours, i.e. 7-3 or 8-4pm. Within those times, expect a schedule with 20-25 hours of teaching per week (not counting time for commuting, meetings, free periods, assemblies, lesson prep, etc.).

For private schools, most jobs have evening hours like 11-7 or 2-10pm, but a small number of daytime-only kindergarten jobs exist. Expect a schedule with 30-34 hours of teaching per week (not counting time for meetings, free periods, meetings, assemblies, etc.).

Class Size, Co-Teachers, and Colleagues

For public schools, you can expect larger classes with 20-30 students. You’ll have a Korean co-teacher in the room with you most of the time, but you WON’T have other expat teachers at your school, due to EPIK's limited budget. 

For private schools, you can expect smaller classes with 5-12 students. You WON’T have a co-teacher in the room with you, but you will likely have other expat teachers working at your school.

So, if having a co-teacher is important for you, that may steer you toward public schools. But if having other expat teachers around is important, that may steer you toward private schools. 

Friends and Partners

For public schools, siblings and married couples may request placement together, but requests for joint placement with a friend or unmarried partner will likely not be fulfilled. 
For private schools, it’s usually easy to be placed at the same school as a friend, spouse, or unmarried partner if you want!

Locations and Placement Preferences

For public schools:

• You have little to no influence over where you are placed. EPIK only allows you to list one province or metro city as your preference. If they can’t place you there, they will assign you to another province where there is need. 
• Seoul is extremely competitive.
• Successful EPIK candidates receive their province assignment about 6 weeks before departure.
• After arriving, they will be assigned to 2-4 specific schools, and rotate between them on different days of the week. This means more time commuting compared to private schools.

For private schools:

• You will have much more control over location. We’ll gather your preferences, then during the job search you can decline interviews from areas you don’t like. 
• Central Seoul is still competitive, but large numbers of first-time teachers get placed in the greater Seoul area (Gyeonggi Province).
• Private school candidates almost always work at a single school location, close by to their apartment, which keeps commuting to a minimum.

Vacation Time

In addition to paid national holidays, public schools give 24-26 paid vacation days per year, while private schools give 9-10 paid vacation days per year.