An English Language teacher in Korea can make an excellent living if they have the right skills. Find out more information on salary, visa requirements and more. Considering English as a second language is growing in demand, especially in Korea, the salary of a teacher may be very promising. The average earning salary ranges from 1 to 3 million won per month. But this also depends on factors like specialization and working experience.
It’s hard to determine an exact salary for English teachers in Korea.
There are a lot of factors that go into calculating a salary, including the size of the school, whether it’s public or private, and the number of hours you work per week.
In general, though, the average salary for an English teacher in Korea is about $2,000 USD per month. That amount can vary depending on where you live and how much experience you have as an educator.
Salary for english teacher in korea
A person working as an English Teacher in Korea (South) typically earns around 3,150,000 KRW per month. Salaries range from 1,450,000 KRW (lowest) to 5,010,000 KRW (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. English Teacher salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
English Teacher Salary Distribution in Korea (South)
The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range
- Salary RangeEnglish Teacher salaries in Korea (South) range from 1,450,000 KRW per month (minimum salary) to 5,010,000 KRW per month (maximum salary).
- Median SalaryThe median salary is 3,400,000 KRW per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as English Teacher(s) are earning less than 3,400,000 KRW while the other half are earning more than 3,400,000 KRW. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
- PercentilesClosely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of English Teacher(s) are earning less than 2,180,000 KRW while 75% of them are earning more than 2,180,000 KRW. Also from the diagram, 75% of English Teacher(s) are earning less than 4,540,000 KRW while 25% are earning more than 4,540,000 KRW.
English Teacher Salary Comparison by Years of Experience
How does experience and age affect your pay?
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down English Teacher salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
An English Teacher with less than two years of experience makes approximately 1,640,000 KRW per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 2,200,000 KRW per month, 34% more than someone with less than two year’s experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 3,250,000 KRW per month, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, English Teacher(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 3,960,000 KRW per month, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 4,310,000 KRW per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 4,670,000 KRW per month, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
English Teacher average salary change by experience in Korea (South)
| 0 – 2 Years | 1,640,000 KRW | |
| 2 – 5 Years | +34% | 2,200,000 KRW |
| 5 – 10 Years | +48% | 3,250,000 KRW |
| 10 – 15 Years | +22% | 3,960,000 KRW |
| 15 – 20 Years | +9% | 4,310,000 KRW |
| 20+ Years | +8% | 4,670,000 KRW |
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
English Teacher Salary Comparison By Education
How do education levels affect salaries?
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down English Teacher salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is Bachelor’s Degree, the average salary of an English Teacher is 1,880,000 KRW per month.
While someone with a Master’s Degree gets a salary of 2,940,000 KRW per month, 57% more than someone having a Bachelor’s Degree degree.
A PhD gets its holder an average salary of 4,940,000 KRW per month, 68% more than someone with a Master’s Degree.
English Teacher average salary difference by education level in Korea (South)
| Bachelor’s Degree | 1,880,000 KRW | |
| Master’s Degree | +57% | 2,940,000 KRW |
| PhD | +68% | 4,940,000 KRW |
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
