Academic Credentials Requirements for Teaching in Korea    

In December 2007, the Korean government toughened the academic-credentials check requirements for all categories of foreign teachers in Korea. Then, in September 2010, some of the requirements were amended.

As of 01 September 2010, the Korean government requires that new ESL instructors or those renewing/changing their contract obtain an apostille to confirm the authenticity of their university records. The government has indicated that this need only be done once.

Government announcement: (Click on Notice then on Conversation teacher(E-2) related system improvement notice. (To read the notice, access the government website via Explorer)
Starting from 2010.9.1 applying for the visa issuance number and  sojourn related work(extension, workplace transfer, visa status transfer, activities beyond the limits of current status)should hand in a diploma copy or a obtained degree certificate or a graduation certificate, which has gotten a apostille stamp or a verification from the Korean consulate of the foreigner's own country or a verification from the Korean Council for University Education to the immigration office. The document is required once during the foreigner's Korea sojourn period.

For more details, see the K4E Apostille Requirement page.

Editor's Note: The information above is based on the information K4E has available at the time of writing. Given how difficult it is to obtain clear and complete information in Korea as well as how quickly rules can change, please see this as a guide and do follow-up with the appropriate Korean government bodies to confirm its accuracy and/or to get the most current answers. K4E would appreciate your feedback should you find out that our information is out-of-date.