Do I have to pay anything to come to Korea?
No! Almost, anyway. You will have to pay the fees for getting documents witnessed at the Korean embassy or consulate, posting them to us, and getting an E-2 Visa stamped in your passport. You will also have to pay for your own travel insurance, although we can arrange it if you like. See What will happen after I apply?

How much is the tax rate?
Between 3.5 to 5% - virtually nothing! See Contracts.

Will I get my severance pay if I finish my contract early?
- No, and you will be legally required to refund half of your travel funds if our boss paid the funds for a return ticket, but not just for a one-way ticket ? you simply won’t get the funds for another ticket home. See Contracts.

Do I have to pay rent?
No, only utilities ?water, gas, electricity and phone if you have a landline. See Contracts.

Will I get beaten up in an anti-American riot?
- No! See the anti-Americanism section. Not only are anti-American protests actually very rare and are very peaceful, no matter what you saw on TV back home, but you’re never likely to come across one unless you deliberately go seeking them out to take a look.
- Koreans are 1000x more likely to annoy you by being too friendly to you. There is a great joke amongst expats here - Why did the Korean cross the road? To come over and annoy me ? which you probably don’t find funny but you will after you’ve been stopped 6 times on the 10-minute walk to work by people wanting to speak to you and shake your hand and marry their daughters simply because you don’t look Korean.

Will I not get a job because of my weird accent?
- No! It is true that Korean employers have a definite preference for Canadian and North American teachers, but not only are there not enough to go around, nobody knows that you have a weird accent until you start the job. Let Koreans know the wonderful variety that is English, and your employer isn’t going to tell anyone that your accent is so thick that you and your students can’t be understood whatsoever by any English speakers other than those from your hometown.

Who will I be teaching?
It completely depends on the job, but the vast majority of ESL institutes in Korea primarily teach elementary and middle school students (ages 6-14), with perhaps one or two classes for kindergarten and high school students (not in the same class!). We will let you know once we have found the job for you. See Teaching Conditions.

Do I need to bring any books and/or teaching materials?
Not really. Apart from those books and things we mention in the Teaching Conditions ?What to Bring? section, if that. Virtually all institutes will have a set curriculum and have all the materials you will need. Most teachers have no experience before they come to Korea and so are not expected to design a syllabus from scratch for the institute.