Writing a teaching CV for South Korea
Include a photo. It is expected for South Korea. Nationality is required because it decides visa eligibility, the CV should run to 1 page, and it should be laid out for A4 paper.
The visa
E-2 (Foreign Language Instructor) visa
Bachelor's degree from a university in one of the seven designated countries. The E-2 is nationality-gated — this is the single hardest rule in ESL hiring.
Open to these passports: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. If you hold a different passport, the standard teaching route is closed to you and it is worth confirming an alternative before you spend money on document attestation.
No statutory age cap, but public school programmes (EPIK/GEPIK) apply their own preferences.
What goes on the CV for South Korea
- Photo
- expected
- Nationality
- required
- Date of birth
- expected
- Marital status
- optional
- Length
- 1 page
- Paper size
- A4
Expected. Korean hiring convention includes a photo on the resume, and hagwon recruiters ask for one immediately if it is missing.
Documents you will need
- •Apostilled degree certificate
- •National-level criminal background check (FBI, ACRO, RCMP or equivalent), apostilled
- •Sealed university transcripts
- •Health statement, and a medical check after arrival
Attestation and apostille take weeks and cost money. Confirm the exact list with the employer and the nearest consulate before starting.
What South Korea employers look for
- •Nationality — the E-2 is restricted to seven passports and it is the first thing screened
- •Where your degree was awarded, not just the subject
- •Whether you hold an F-series visa (F-2, F-4, F-5, F-6), which exempts you from E-2 nationality rules entirely
- •Contract dates for previous teaching posts — Korean schools hire in fixed 12-month cycles
Leave out
- •Leaving employment gaps unexplained; a full 12-month contract history is expected
- •Overstating Korean language ability — it is rarely required and easy to test
Tone
Polite, concise, one page. Reliability and finishing your contract matter more than flair.
Build it with the rules applied
The builder applies everything on this page automatically — the A4 layout, the 1-page target, the fields South Korea expects — and checks your passport against the visa before you apply. Free to use, with nothing held back and no watermark.
Open the CV Builder
Other destinations
These are prevailing hiring and document norms, not legal advice, and immigration rules change. Confirm anything that costs you money with the employer and the nearest consulate.