Teaching English in Korea on the E-2 visa: what Americans need, step by step

If you have a bachelor's degree, a clean FBI record and a US passport, you qualify for the E-2 on paper. The hard part is the paperwork, and picking an employer who'll treat you right.

The short version

• The E-2 is for native speakers from countries where the language is spoken natively. For English that's seven countries, including the United States [6][7].
• You need a bachelor's degree or higher, an apostilled FBI background check, and a health statement [6][7].
• The FBI check costs USD 18. The State Department apostille costs USD 20 per document, and mailed requests can take up to five weeks [1][2].
• EPIK places teachers in public schools through provincial offices of education. Hagwons are private academies. Both sponsor E-2s [4][7].
• Changing or adding a workplace needs immigration's permission, and private tutoring outside your permitted work can violate your status [7].

USD conversions use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (USD 1 = KRW 1,333.99).

Do you qualify?

The E-2 (foreign language instructor) visa goes to nationals of countries where the language they teach is the native language. For English, that means the US, the UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa [7]. Your US passport takes care of that part.

The core requirements, as described by the Korean embassy's E-2 page and a June 2026 summary from a Korean immigration law firm [6][7]:

• A bachelor's degree or higher from a university in your English-speaking country.
• No criminal record, proven with a national-level background check. For Americans, that's the FBI check, not a state or county one.
• A health statement with your application, and an employment health check that includes a drug test.
• A job offer from an employer willing to sponsor you.

EPIK sets a few extra rules for public schools: you must have studied in an English-speaking country from at least 7th grade, the age limit is 62, and you need "Level 2" status, which most people meet with a TEFL, TESOL or CELTA certificate of at least 100 hours or an education degree or teaching license [4][3].

Gathering documents from home

Start this part early. The apostille line at the State Department is the slowest step, and you can't do it from Seoul.

The FBI check and apostille, step by step

1. Request your Identity History Summary online through the FBI's electronic departmental order system. It costs USD 18 per person [1].
2. Get fingerprinted. The fastest route is electronic fingerprints at a participating US Post Office, which the FBI says gets results within 48 hours of your visit. Mailing a fingerprint card takes about 15 days after it arrives, and an all-paper request can take up to 50 days plus mail time [1].
3. Get a version that can be apostilled. EPIK is explicit: US applicants need an FBI check with a federal apostille from the US Department of State, not a state-level one [3]. The FBI asks you not to send it requests to forward your check to the State Department, so plan to handle the apostille yourself or through a service [1].
4. Send it to the State Department's Office of Authentications with Form DS-4194 and USD 20 per document. Mailed requests are processed within five weeks of receipt. If you're flying in two to three weeks, you can walk in at 600 19th Street NW in Washington, DC, and get it within seven business days [2].
5. Apostille your diploma through the secretary of state in the state where your university is. That's a state-level apostille, which is fine for a diploma.

Watch the calendar. EPIK requires the background check to be dated within six months of your contract start, so an old check you got for a job back home probably won't work [3].

How the visa itself gets issued

E-2 visas are usually issued through a Confirmation of Visa Issuance that your employer applies for in Korea. You then pick up the visa at a Korean embassy or consulate [6][7]. The E-2 isn't eligible for Korea's e-visa system, and if the confirmation is refused, it's generally the employer, not you, who's in a position to push back [7].

The first E-2 can be issued for up to two years, tied to your contract plus a month, and extensions can also run up to two years. You can apply for an extension starting four months before your stay expires [7].

Once you land, you have 90 days to register with immigration and get your alien registration card. For E-2 teachers, that's when the employment health check comes in. The Korean embassy's page says the check includes drug testing (that page dates from 2013 and also lists an HIV test, so confirm the current list with your employer) [6]. The State Department reminds Americans that Korea's drug laws are very strict [8].

Public school or hagwon?

EPIK's entrance allowance (about USD 1,350) is treated as a loan. If your contract ends in the first six months, you pay it back right away [5]. The settlement allowance is about USD 225, the completion bonus about USD 975. Orientation is mandatory, unpaid and not part of the contract term [5]. On the employer side, EPIK covers half your health insurance premiums, as Korean law requires for employees.

Hagwons range from big chains with HR departments to one-room academies run by a single owner. Neither is automatically better. Public school jobs are more standardized; hagwons can pay more, hire year-round and put you in a specific neighborhood of Seoul.

Contract red flags

Treat a Korean teaching contract like any job offer back in the States: get it in writing and read the fine print. Walk away, or at least ask hard questions, if you see:

• No written contract, or an English version that doesn't match the Korean one.
• A request to come in visa-free and "sort out the visa later," or to teach before your E-2 is approved.
• A second campus or "partner school" in the schedule. Teaching at a workplace that isn't on your permit without immigration's approval is a violation [7].
• Private lessons on the side, whether the boss suggests them or a parent does. Private tutoring outside your permitted scope can violate your status [7].
• No mention of health insurance, pension or severance, or a plan to pay you "off the books."
• Recruiting fees charged to you, rather than the school.
• Vague housing terms, especially if you're asked to put down a deposit in your own name. Our jeonse and wolse guide explains why that matters.

Ask to talk to the teacher you're replacing. If the school won't let you, that tells you something too.

The American side

Your teaching paycheck is still on Uncle Sam's radar. You file a US return every year, and most teachers either exclude their Korean pay with the foreign earned income exclusion or use foreign tax credits. The US–Korea tax treaty has a provision for teachers, but whether it applies depends on the school and your situation, so have a US expat tax preparer check. If Korea's national pension takes contributions from your paycheck, our pension guide covers how the US–Korea totalization agreement affects refunds. For honest reviews of schools and recruiters, ask in our community group for Americans in South Korea.

Sources

1. FBI: Identity History Summary Checks
2. US Department of State: Request authentication services
3. EPIK: General required documents guide, Fall 2026 intake (PDF)
4. EPIK: Eligibility
5. EPIK: Salary and benefits
6. Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Switzerland: Foreign language teaching (E-2) (September 26, 2013)
7. KLawGuru: The Korean E-2 (foreign language instructor) visa (June 9, 2026)
8. US Department of State: South Korea travel advisory

Keep reading

• Alien registration card in Korea
• Jeonse and wolse: renting in Seoul
• Korea's national pension and the lump-sum refund
• Foreign earned income exclusion vs foreign tax credit