Listings in International Schools in Seoul

International schools in Korea

Top International Schools in Seoul and Korea (2023) - Tuitions, Reviews, Admission

 
Best international schools in Seoul considered by expats in Korea. Do extensive research and pick a good international school carefully! There are around 40 international schools in Korea. Finding and enrolling your child into one of the best international schools in Seoul is not an easy task. Each Korea's international school has a different focus for their curriculum, educational objectives, mission, diversity and programs. With a variety of British schools in Korea and IB schools in Korea, check out each school's detail page for more in-depth information. Picking the right international school is incredibly important. There are a lot of fantastic international schools in Seoul and Korea, however, so the selection process might be more fun and easier than you think! Check out this No.1 International school website in korea.
 
 
 
Showing 12 of 26 results
33 Globaledu-ro, 145 beon-gil, Daejeong, jejudo, SEOUL & GYEONGGIDO, KOREA

NLCS Jeju is an award winning boarding and day school located on the island of Jeju, South Korea. The School offers a British education, including IGCSE and IBDP for boys and girls aged 4-18. 

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55-1 Yonhi-Dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, SEOUL & GYEONGGIDO, KOREA

SFBS offers the English National Curriculum from Foundation (age 3) to Year 9 (age 14). It offers academic rigour and builds a core set of values to prepare students for the seamless transition to the IB Programme in the SFS High School in Year 10.

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21 Worldcupbuk-ro 62-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, SEOUL & GYEONGGIDO, KOREA

Dwight School Seoul is a fully accredited IB world school offering three IB programs: PYP, MYP and DP. Dwight provides a quality international education for children aged 3 to 18.

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6 Sinbanpo-ro 15-gil, Banpo 2(i)-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, SEOUL & GYEONGGIDO, KOREA

Offering a British and international curriculum. First class British international school in the center of Seoul.

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106 Samsoro, Buk-gu, SEOUL & GYEONGGIDO 61005, KOREA

Kwangju Foreign School is a fully accredited International Foreign School located in Gwangju. Kwangju Foreign School uses an American style curriculum for students in Pre-K through grade 12.

7-16, Nambusunhwan-ro 364-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, SEOUL & GYEONGGIDO, KOREA

Korea Foreign School is an IB World School provides a concept-driven, inquiry-based curriculum that puts the learner at the centre. KFS serves the needs of the Korean and International children from grade 1 through grade 12.

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49-22, Jodong-gil, Sanam-myeon, Sacheon-si, Gyeong, SEOUL & GYEONGGIDO, KOREA

K-12 co-educational institution that offers students and families a truly international educational opportunity. IB Diploma Programme (IBDP)

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What’s The Difference Between Working at Academies and International Schools in Korea

 

Traveling to a foreign country, teaching young children the English language: many university graduates have dreamed of or experienced this during their 20s. Especially here in Korea, teaching English for a year has helped numerous young expats experience a new culture, travel, and even help pay off their school loans. But now with the world becoming more globalized, adults of varying ages are considering moving to Korea to teach. Some will bring their entire family and even pets, making the complete move. Among them are trained professionals with teaching credentials or other expertise. Others have lived in Korea for decades and have started their own families. Regardless of the situation, working at an international school in Korea is probably the best position for those looking for a more professional teaching career that offers security and several more benefits compared to the English academy in Korea. 

 

International Schools in Korea Positions: How to Qualify for Jobs

Because qualifying for the English academy position in Korea is much simpler than an international school, you will likely meet many academy teachers during your stay in Korea. But if you come across an international school teacher and this is a position you would like to have, it’s a good idea to maintain this connection as jobs for international schools are difficult to get.

The below information is for academy positions in Korea. These are private language institutes that open after school and are also known as “hagwons” in Korean. If you are looking to work for a public school in Korea, these are also the basic requirements but there is still more to prepare. Refer to the EPIK website for more information. 

In order to qualify for the proper visa to teach at a hagwon in Korea, the basic requirements are:

  1. Must have a bachelor’s degree in any subject. Your diploma must be apostilled. 

  2. Be a citizen of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa. Note: If you are not a citizen of one of these countries, but your English is native-level, Korean immigration will not recognize you as qualifiable for the English teacher visa. 

  3. Pass a drug test and health test

  4. Have no record of criminal offenses in your home country. National background checks must be apostilled. 

 

To qualify for an international school position in Korea, you must simply see it as qualifying for a real teaching position back in your home country: you will need to have teaching credentials. Getting certified back in your home country is recommended as international schools rarely hire freshly certified teachers; they want at least 2 years of teaching experience either in your home country or at another international school. Click here for a full list of international schools in Korea.

 

Online Teacher Certification Courses 

If you have been living in Korea for several years and going back to your home country to get certification and teaching experience is not an option, you can still live in Korea and get certified online. However, this route still puts you at a disadvantage compared to an applicant who has been certified with teaching experience in their home country. But it’s not unheard of for online certificate teachers to find positions at the bigger international schools -- just tougher. 

Teach Now and Teacher Ready are a few online teaching certificate programs (which can be completed after a year) provided by the UK and the State of Florida licenses, respectively. Some reputable universities also offer certificates and a Masters in Education Program, such as USC Rossier. It’s best to check the websites of your preferred universities to see if they offer online options. The only time you would need to visit your home country is to take the state license exams towards the end of your studies. Classroom observations and co-teaching practices can be done in Korea as long as you get permission from international school administrators. If you are looking to go the IB route OISE by the University of Toronto is an option to check out. 

 

Alternative International Schools in Korea

Education is a top priority for most Korean families. However, unless students have lived abroad for several years or hold a foreign passport, a native Korean does not qualify to enroll in a legit international school. But some business-savvy people in the education industry have found a way to provide the same type of education for these eager families. Alternative International Schools in Korea are smaller international schools that have a student body of a few dozen to a few hundred. They are registered as academies in Korea, so they are not recognized as “a real school” by the Korean Ministry of Education. However, many of them hold accreditation from reputable international organizations so they are recognized as real schools in countries such as the US, Canada, and the UK. It’s a bit complicated but basically, these students are on a path towards matriculating into a foreign university with many actually going on to prestigious universities. 

Because these Alternative International Schools are registered as “a hagwon,” qualifying for a position here is somewhat easier in terms of credentials: you do not need a teaching certificate. But because hagwon teachers need to meet certain criteria for visa purposes, such as E2 visa holders only being allowed to teach the English language, these schools cannot offer visa sponsorships. Therefore, Korean natives who speak perfect English and F series visa holders (Korean American, a foreigner with a Korean dependent, or permanent resident) can apply. There have been job postings that say they do offer E visa sponsorship, but these are rare and few. Click here for a full list of Alternative International Schools in Korea

 

Workload

Hagwon workload can be easy or intense. This all depends on the academy owner and the location of the school. If your academy is in the cram school capital of Korea -- Daechi or Mokdong -- you can expect the workload to be tough.  One downside (maybe a good side if you’re not a morning person) is that hagwon work hours are after school. So you may start anywhere from 2 PM and end between 10 PM to 11 PM. Hagwon teachers tend to develop a flipped schedule, sleeping all morning, working the rest of daylight, and wide-awake at night. 

For international schools (including alternative international schools), the students tend to be Korea’s affluent. The starting tuition is about 20 thousand dollars per year and only the wealthy can afford to send their children to these schools. Therefore, the parents can be demanding and the curriculum can be intense. But honestly, this really depends on the school’s culture. You can expect the bigger schools to be more demanding and the smaller ones, less so. 

 

Curriculum

For those who like routine, teaching at hagwons may be more ideal. The parents who spend a lot of money sending their child to hagwons expect quick results. So the curriculum tends to be fast-paced, focused on rote-memorization and test-prep practice. Some big franchise hagwons have created their own curriculum and they train their teachers to follow an exact methodology -- literally, every minute of class time is planned and controlled. 

Ironically, international schools are much more expensive compared to hagwons, but teachers have more freedom with their methodology. As long as you are meeting school standards (often following the Common Core Standards), you have the freedom to be as creative as you want. But therein lies the problem, creativity and innate knowledge of teaching methodology are needed: class prep, curriculum design, pacing, handling native English students with ESL students in one classroom, mounds of grading, performance evaluations, parent-teacher conferences, extracurricular activities, school administrators, and many more factors that a real teacher back home may go through is exactly what you will go through at these schools. But the sense of accomplishment one feels teaching at an international school is much more rewarding than the premade curriculums at hagwons. 

 

Pay and Benefits

All schools and academies must provide the 4-types of insurance (national health insurance, national pension contributions, unemployment insurance, long-term care insurance) for all full-time employees. A severance payment of one month salary after each contract year is also mandatory by Korean labor laws. If the school is not providing these, you may want to inquire about it. 

Starting pay for English academy teachers is about 2 million won a month with either free housing or a housing stipend. If you work for the more intense hagwons, the pay can be as high as 4 or 5 million per month; but expect to work 6 days a week. Korean labor law says all employees should have a minimum of 2 weeks of vacation per year. The school may set your vacation days or you may have the freedom to choose your own vacation days. Some intense hagwons will not offer you public holidays as parents want their children to still attend classes even on national holidays -- Korean education is rough. 

International schools and alternative international schools can have huge gaps in pay. If you are a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) teacher, as the supply of these teachers is low but demand is high, the pay can be significantly higher compared to a humanities teacher. Legit international schools also have a higher pay rate compared to alternative international schools. In Korea, the housing stipend and severance are calculated in the annual salary, so approximately, a basic annual salary of 30 million won is considered the base. This may seem quite low, but the vacations are long. 8 weeks of summer vacation and at least 2 weeks of winter vacation are standard at international schools. And you probably get one week of spring break (either paid or unpaid). 

One of the biggest benefits for teachers in international schools is that most schools will offer you a discount or free tuition for your children. This does not apply to hagwons nor alternative international schools. 

 

7 Ways to Find Teaching Jobs in Korea