Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are there any service or recruiting fees?
2. How do I apply?
3. Do I need teaching experience or a degree in English?
4. Is training provided?
5. What qualifications do I need?
6. Why do you require a casual and formal picture?
7. Do I need to be able to speak Korean?
8. Can I choose the city that I want to work in?
9. Are contracts shorter than a year available?
10.When can I apply? How long does it take to get a job?
11.Is the salary adequate to live in Korea?
12.Is prep time for classes generally included in the 30-hour teaching week?
13.How will I be paid?
14.Where can I find fun things to do?
15.What taxes do I have to pay?
16.How much does medical insurance cost?
17.How much do utilities usually cost?
18.What appliances and/or furnishings are included with the apartment my school provides?
19.How much money should I bring with me to support myself before my first paycheck?
20.What is the best way to transfer money back home?
21.How soon will I start working after I arrive in Korea?
22.What's the best way to get in touch with home?
23.I have a family. Can I still get a job teaching in Korea?
24.How flexible is the return ticket? What if I want to travel after my contract ends?
25.How does Yongo make its money? This sounds too good to be true!

1. Are there any service or recruiting fees?
No. Yongo does not charge any fees at all, including no application or processing fees. We recommend that you be wary of services that charge you for their services. Please note: there is some cost to get your degree notarized and courier us your paperwork, but these are not fees charged by Yongo.

2. How do I apply?
Applying is easy. Simply click here

3. Do I need teaching experience or a degree in English?
Teaching experience is not required, neither is a degree in English. As long as you are a university graduate, you are welcome. You will be provided training, and all classes use textbooks designated by the school. A friendly and open-minded attitude will go a long way to making you a successful teacher.

4. Is training provided?
Yes, it is. During The first week of class you will get to "shadow" other teachers and learn the techniques you'll need in class. Most people that come to Korea have little or no teaching experience and end up becoming very competent teachers.

5. What qualifications do I need?
While you do not need experience, you do, however, need to have a university degree and be a native English speaker. A 3-year degree is required. In addition, you need to be from a country the Korean government considers as primarily English speaking.

6.Why do you require a casual and formal picture? Can you define the difference?
Because directors cannot meet potential teachers in person, pictures become quite important in the selection phase. It is the only way they can see what you look like before agreeing to hire you. The casual picture can show you in a relaxed environment (camping, hanging out with friends or family, any picture where you can be clearly seen). The formal picture should reflect what you would wear to a job interview, or something you might wear to work.

7. Do I need to be able to speak Korean?
No. You will be working with a Korean partner teacher who will explain the finer points of English grammar to the students. You will be responsible for their pronunciation and practice of the material. Korean school directors actually prefer teachers who cannot speak any Korean as it forces the students to always communicate in English in class.

8. Can I choose the city that I want to work in?
Of course. We place most of our teachers in 3 locations around South Korea: Busan, in the south, Seoul in the North and Daegu, in the centre. This is because based on our experience, metropolitan areas have more to offer foreign teachers in terms of culture and entertainment and are usually comprised of more young English-speaking Koreans with whom it is easy for foreign teachers to connect and communicate. There are also many schools in metropolitan areas, so Yongo can choose the best ones for our teachers.

9. Are contracts shorter than a year available?
In some cases, yes. Some six- and nine-month contract periods are available. If you would like one of these please indicate that on your application. You should be aware the only one-way tickets are offered with less than a full-year contract, and you will not receive a bonus at the end of your contract.

10. When can I apply and how long does it take to get a job?
You can apply as far ahead as one year before you plan to start working in Korea. Because Korean private schools operate on a monthly session basis rather than a yearly basis (meaning there is no official beginning or end to the school year), positions are constantly becoming available. Consequently, you can apply and find a job  any time of year. Your timeframe depends entirely on your documentation (university transcript and original diploma) being ready. Once your documents are ready to submit to the Korean embassy for notarization, you can usually begin working 4-8 weeks later.

11. Is the salary adequate to live in Korea?
Yes, it's more than adequate. You'll earn enough money to have a lot of fun in Korea, as well as be able to save a significant portion. Saving $1,000 USD a month is common.

12. Is prep time for classes generally included in the 30-hour teaching week?
The short answer is no. Although preparation time varies from school to school, it is usually fairly minimal - 30 minutes or so per day. This is because teachers follow a textbook provided by the school. So your prep time will essentially be dedicated to previewing what you will be doing in your classes that day and assembling any material necessary for the day's lesson.

13. How will I be paid?
You will be paid in Korean Won either monthly or bi-weekly. Your school director and you will set up a bank account where your salary will be deposited. You will have a debit card and a Korean bank account.

14. Where can I find fun things to do?
Check out the city guides in our Korea Web Guide. Your co-workers will also have plenty of recommendations, and of course Yongo will be there in Korea to help you with anything including entertainment.

15. What taxes do I have to pay?
Korean income taxes are quite small and limited to around 5% of your salary. Those from the US are exempt from paying taxes on a certain portion of their overseas salary. Canadians do not have to pay any income taxes for income earned abroad. It is recommended you check on the current tax policies of your home country.

16. How much does medical insurance cost?
Medical Insurance usually costs around 250,000 ~ 300,000 Won (~ $300 CAD) on a yearly basis. It is paid monthly and shared by the employer and employee. It usually represents about $10 a month for the teacher.

17. How much do utilities usually cost?
Utilities that you will be responsible to pay for are heating, gas, phone and electricity, and any cable TV or internet services. The total cost is usually anywhere from 40,000 ~ 80,000 Won ($40 ~ $80), depending on your usage.

18. What appliances and/or furnishings are included with the apartment my school provides?
Apartments are fully furnished so they usually include a bed, bedding, kitchen table and chairs, cutlery, pots and pans, a fridge, gas stove, television and microwave.

19. How much money should I bring with me to support myself before my first paycheck?
Obviously, this depends on how much you intend to spend. Generally, we recommend our teachers bring $800-1,000 with them to cover their first month (before they receive their first paycheck). Or $400-500 if you receive a bi-weekly paycheck from your school.

20. What is the best way to transfer money back home?
The easiest and best way to transfer money back home is through a wire transfer. We recommend that our teachers regularly check exchange rates and send money home when the rate is favorable (i.e when the Korean Won is higher than usual, or the dollar is lower than usual).

21. How soon will I start working after I arrive in Korea?
Usually immediately. There is always a certain initiation period, which varies in length according to the school. The initiation period can very between a day to a week. This is something we can address with your school director prior to accepting the position.

22. What's the best way to get in touch with home?
Computer rooms are cheap and plentiful in Korea. An hour of Internet ranges from 1,000 ~ 1,500 Won. This makes email a great way to keep in touch. If you want to talk on the phone international phone calls are unfortunately a little pricey. There is another option. Buy a pair of headsets with a microphone, and make Internet phone calls. See Go2Call.com for the service I use.

23. I have a family. Can I still get a job teaching in Korea?
We can help teachers with families find jobs in Korea, but it is sometimes more difficult. If both parents in the family are looking for teaching positions, then it is much easier for Yongo to find a school that will offer an apartment or house large enough to accommodate a family. In cases involving a family, Yongo will make arrangements for more direct contract negotiations between both parties (the teacher and the school director) in order to establish the lodging situation.

24. How flexible is the return ticket? What if I want to travel after my contract ends?
This is very common and can easily be arranged with your school director. You don't have to fly right back home after the end of your contract.

25. How does Yongo make its money? This sounds too good to be true!
South Korean schools pay Yongo a finder’s fee for each position we help them fill. You do not pay us anything. The schools employ us as their placement agency. We are in the business of helping you find great contracts in great schools. And we are very good at what we do!

As part of our commitment to you, Yongo itself guarantees the "Basic Necessities" in any ESL contract we arrange for our teachers. These include: