John Morgan Recruiting

If teachers want to quit their job, they are required to give a minimum of 30 days notice to the employer. However, we do recommend that before considering quitting, always give yourself time to adjust to the situation. If the teacher quits before the six month way in their contract, they will be required to reimburse the school for their airfare to Korea. Also, should teachers quit, schools are not obligated to pay their severance bonus.

If you wish to find other employment in Korea, you will need to obtain a letter of release from your employer so that your E-2 visa can be cancelled. Without this Letter of Release, you will not be able to get another E-2 visa until the old one expires.

Absolutely. At this stage the school has already prepared your housing, bought your air ticket and scheduled your classes. Cancelling at the last minute will cost the school a lot of money and lose them students because if a teacher backs out at the last minute, the school has no possibility to find a replacement on such short notice thus the classes will have to be cancelled.

Teaching in Korea is a serious commitment and we only want dedicated applicants. It looks bad on us if the teacher cancels at the last minute and it hurts the school. Therefore, we ask all applicants, if you are considering teaching in Korea, to think about the commitment that you are making and stick to your decision after you sign your contract. Do not sign the contract until you are fully committed to coming.

Yes. If you know someone who would be a great candidate, refer them to us. At Morgan Recruiting we are always looking for quality applicants to place in our schools. We offer top commissions for teacher referrals. You can refer a teacher here and also check the conditions that apply.

Yes. When you find a school that you are interested in working for, before signing the contract we will always put you in touch with one of the teachers working there so you can ask questions.

The 12 month contracts are renewable if agreed upon by both the teacher and the school. Should you renew with the same school or apply to work at another school, the application process is much easier the second time around.

Yes, it may be possible to place you and your friend at the same school if the school has more than one opening and wants to hire the both of you. This may require you to be more patient and flexible in your location as it can be harder to place two teachers at the same place at the same time. It might be possible to work at the same school but to start at different times, so one might start in March and the other in April.

We can also place teachers in the same area, so even if they are not at the same school you will still be close to your friend.

Some schools like to hire couples as they may have two openings at the same time and it may save the school on accommodations. Couple positions are less frequent than single positions and couples who want to be placed together will have to be patient in their job search.

We have openings in our schools starting every month. February and August are peak hiring months but there are positions available every month. Apply as early as you like.

That largely depends on the applicant. If you are somewhat flexible with regard to your teaching location, placement in a school can be done much faster. If you want a particular location with certain conditions, it may take longer for a job that meets those conditions to become available. In short, the more flexible you are with your preferences, the less time it takes to be placed in a school.

Yes, you can. However, if you are more flexible with regard to location it will be easier to place you in a school. If you are more determined to be placed in a certain area because you have friends there, you may have to be more patient and wait for openings. We will do our best to place you in the location that meets your preferences.

The earlier the better. With the recently changed and tougher visa laws in place, it is more difficult to place teachers in schools and the process takes longer than it used to. Even if you have all of your documents prepared, it can still take between 4-6 weeks to obtain the E-2 visa stamp in your passport. If you do not have the necessary documentation ready, it can add 2-4 weeks to the time it takes to complete the entire process as the criminal background checks can take around 4 weeks in some countries. Also, by applying well in advance you allow yourself the flexibility to choose the job you want. I recommend that applicants look to apply about three months before arriving to teach in Korea as this is when schools begin looking for replacement teachers.

We accept applications as far in advance as you like. Even if you have not graduated yet, but believe you would like to work in Korea, you are welcome to apply and we will keep your information on file. We have an excellent organizational system and as your graduation date approaches we will begin to present you with job opportunities. This will present you with more job opportunities as your graduation approaches.

It is required in Korea to submit a photo with your resume (Koreans have to do it as well). The photo that you submit should be a head and shoulders shot and should be professional (not a casual photo).

No. As mentioned, teaching experience is an asset but is not necessary for obtaining a job. Most applicants have little to no teaching experience. Teaching experience can help negotiate a slightly higher salary.

No. Under Korean law you must have a Bachelor’s degree (3 or 4 years) to be eligible for the E-2 visa.

Yes, it does. Under Korean law only certain nationalities qualify for the E-2 teaching visa that is necessary to legally teach in Korea. Those countries which qualify are: Canada, the U.S., the U.K, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa. Other nationalities cannot legally receive the E-2 visa to teach in Korea.

Yes, under revised Korean law criminal background checks are a required step of applying for the E-2 visa. These laws came into effect on Dec. 15th, 2007 and were largely a response to a teacher who had taught in Korea and was later arrested in Thailand. E-2 visas cannot be processed without this background check as teachers will be working with minors under 18 years of age.

Please read through the process of getting a criminal background check in your country on the page for obtaining the E-2 visa. Here we have included all of the contact information and details you will need to obtain a criminal background check in your home country. If you still have any questions or notice any information that has changed, please contact us right away and we will update our files. Also, you can contact the Korean consulate that serves your region and ask questions about the criminal background check.

There have been reported cases of teachers teaching in Korea with fake degrees obtained through degree mills. As a result, Korean immigration has made it so that all degrees must be authenticated before visas can be processed.

No, but it is a lot easier to send the original and you will get it back upon arrival to Korea. If you choose not to send your original degree you will need to have your degree notarized or apostilled. You will do this by making a photocopy and then either taking the copy to the Korean consulate or to the Apostille Office. (Photocopies will not be accepted unless they have one of these authentications on them.) Canadian citizens will have to have the copy of their degree notarized by the Korean consulate which serves their region. Other nationalities, if they choose not to send the original degree, will have to have the copy of their degree apostille authenticated before it can be accepted internationally. This is inexpensive (usually only a couple of dollars) but it does add time to the process. You should also note that the apostille/notary seal from the consulate will not mark your original degree (the marks go on the photocopy).

Check our detailed pages here about the documents you need and the process for obtaining your visa. Please make sure to click on the page for your home country as there are some slight differences in the procedure among the different countries. Also, please get these documents together right away if you want to come to Korea. It can really make the process much smoother and easier if you have all of your documents prepared before accepting a job.

If you have all of your documents prepared, it should take between 4-6 weeks to process your visa and arrive in Korea. To learn more about process from your initial application to arriving in Korea, check out our section here which completely details the entire process.

Fill in an online application here. Once we receive your application, we will contact you for a short interview.

Interviews will usually take place over the phone at a time that is convenient for both parties. The initial interview with Morgan Recruiting will be to discuss your background and job preferences and will last between 15-30 minutes. We will then use the information we get from your phone interview to provide you with positions that meet what you are looking for. It is also a good idea for you to think of any questions that you have and ask them at this time. A sample of the questions that we will ask include:

• Why have you decided to teach abroad?
• Have you spent any time abroad before?
• Why did you choose Korea?
• How would you describe yourself?
• What do you think your strong points as a teacher would be?
• Do you have any teaching experience? (it is not necessary for the job but it is an asset)
• Have you worked with children before?
• Do you have a preference over the location (where you would like to teach)?
• Any other preferences?
• Do you have any questions for us?

The questions asked by the school director might be very similar in focus, asking about yourself and your background. This interview will probably be short, around 15-20 minutes. The interview is a good chance for you to ask questions as well, so please ask whatever questions you have.