South Korea's March 2027 Intake: Apply by December

Current as of August 2026. Intake dates, salary figures, and tax exemption details are pulled from CEP's live South Korea program page. Confirm specifics with your CEP coordinator before you submit documents.

You graduated in May. Or you're finishing up a job you don't love, and you keep opening the same tab, then closing it again.

There is a real deadline, and it isn't today. It's December 1, 2026, for the March 2027 public school intake. Three and a half months out. Not urgent yet. Not far off, either.

Most people who miss it don't miss it because they weren't qualified. They miss it because they started the document process six weeks before the deadline instead of six months.

The Deadline That's Important

South Korea runs two tracks, and they don't work the same way.

Public school (ALT). Two intakes a year. Apply by December 1, 2026, for the March 2027 intake. Apply by June 1, 2027, for September 2027. These are government schools, a Korean co-teacher, regular 8:30–4:30 hours, and the strongest vacation package on the program — 21 to 26 paid days a year.

Private hagwon. No fixed dates. Rolling admissions, year-round. Apply now, and you can generally start within three to four months. Smaller classes (five to fifteen students) with one teacher instead of a co-teaching setup.

If March 2027 is the one you want, write down December 1. Everything else on this page works backward from it.

What the Process Actually Looks Like

CEP has run this process hundreds of times. It breaks into five stages:

1. Apply and enroll. Eligibility gets confirmed, usually within a few days.
2. Document collection. Degree apostille, background check, health forms, passport photos. This is the stage that eats time — and the one people underestimate.
3. School matching and interview. CEP places you with a vetted partner school and sets up the interview.
4. Visa guidance. Once you're matched, your program walks you through the E-2 visa application from start to finish.
5. Fly to Seoul. Airport pickup, a cultural orientation weekend, and a Korean language course you'll have already started before you land.

Plan on four to six months from sign-up to arrival. That's the real timeline for a program that comes with free housing, flight reimbursement, and national health insurance.

What You Need Before You Apply

A bachelor's degree from a university in one of seven eligible countries: the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa. You'll also need a 120-hour accredited TEFL certification before you start teaching.

If you don't have that certification yet, CEP bundles TEFL Plus directly into the program, and you can try the first three modules free before committing to anything.

What You're Actually Signing Up For

The salary ranges from $1,600 to $1,900 per month, taxed at 4% to 7%. Citizens of the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa can claim a two-year exemption from that Korean income tax with a Residency Certificate on file. Canadian and Irish citizens don't qualify for the exemption.

Housing is free—rent-free, semi-furnished, with a bed, fridge, and washer included. Flights get reimbursed up to $1,000. Finish your contract, and you get a severance payment worth roughly a month's salary. With rent at zero and daily living costs running around $20, most teachers save real money even in their first year.

None of that happens today. It happens because of what you start today.

Talk to us about the March 2027 Korea intake.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do I need to apply to teach in South Korea?

It depends on the track. Public school (ALT) positions run two intakes a year: apply by December 1, 2026, for the March 2027 intake, or by June 1, 2027, for September 2027. Private hagwon positions have rolling admissions with no fixed deadline — you can apply anytime and typically start within three to four months.

Do I need a college degree to teach English in South Korea?

Yes. A bachelor's degree is required, and it must be from a university in one of seven eligible countries: the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa.

How much can I expect to save by teaching in Korea?

Salaries range from $1,600 to $1,900 per month, with housing provided rent-free and daily living costs around $20. Between the free housing, low taxes (4 to 7 percent, with a two-year exemption available for several nationalities), and a severance payment at the end of the contract, many teachers save more in Korea than they would in an equivalent entry-level job at home.

Do I need a TEFL certificate before I apply?

You'll need a 120-hour accredited TEFL certification before you start teaching, though not necessarily before you apply. CEP bundles TEFL Plus into the program, and you can try the first three modules for free before deciding.

Which countries does CEP place teachers in besides South Korea?

CEP runs paid teaching programs in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Costa Rica, Cambodia, Spain, and Vietnam. South Korea tends to attract applicants seeking the strongest salary and benefits package on the list — it's also the most document-intensive, which is exactly why the timeline matters here more than it does for some of the others.

The Cultural Exchange Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has placed native English speakers in paid teaching positions abroad for decades. Programs in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Costa Rica, Cambodia, Spain, and Vietnam.

Randy LeGrant, CEP's Executive Director, writes these blog posts. If you like his writing, he also writes The Crossing — a weekly letter drawn from fifty years of watching people change their lives and their location. One story, one step, one question. Three minutes, every Friday. Subscribe for free here.