The Korean school year for foreign English teachers: March starts, vacations, camps and Suneung

By law, the Korean school year runs from 1 March to the last day of February of the next year (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Art. 24). It's split into two semesters: the first runs from 1 March to a date the principal sets, and the second runs from the day after that to the end of February (Enforcement Decree, Art. 44). In practice that means:

• Semester 1: from 1 March until summer vacation.
• Summer vacation: about one month, from the end of July to the end of August.
• Semester 2: from the end of summer vacation to the end of February, including winter vacation.
• Winter vacation: from the end of December to the end of January or early February.

The summer and winter vacation dates above come from EPIK, the government programme that places English teachers in public schools, which notes that each school sets its own vacation dates (EPIK: Duties & Contract).

One detail for 2027: 1 March is Independence Movement Day, a public holiday, and in 2027 it falls on a Monday, so 27 February to 1 March is a three-day weekend (KASA 2027 calendar). Your school will tell you its first teaching day.

Because the year starts in March, schools fill most English-teacher posts in the autumn and winter before. Public school programmes such as EPIK hire twice a year (EPIK calls these intakes), and EPIK asks teachers to commit to the full one-year contract because an early exit leaves students without a teacher until the next intake (EPIK: Duties & Contract). EPIK's orientation takes place before the contract start date, is mandatory and is unpaid (EPIK: Salary & Benefits).

Hagwons hire throughout the year, and their start dates are spread more widely. In the South Korea pack we checked in October 2026, start dates included:

• November and December 2026, some timed to a hagwon's winter term, some with a week of training first.
• January 2027, some with a week of training in late December.
• February to April 2027: 20 of the 41 listings offer a spring 2027 start, most on or around 1 March, some with paid training in late February.

Start dates are set by each employer and can change. If you're applying from abroad, remember the E-2 visa process takes time after you accept an offer: criminal record check, apostilled degree, the school's paperwork and your consulate appointment. Our South Korea overview covers those steps.

Winter camp jobs

Universities and other organisers hire extra teachers for short winter camps. The two university winter camps in our South Korea pack run in January and February 2027 (one from 11 to 27 January, the other in two blocks, 7 to 23 January and 15 to 20 February, with training days in late December and early January). One pays KRW 42,000 an hour, about KRW 4.0 million for the camp; the other pays about KRW 3.3 to 4.8 million per camp, before tax, depending on pay level and length. Both ask for applicants who already hold a suitable Korean visa (one does not accept the E-2), so camps are mainly an option for people already living in Korea, not a way in from abroad.

The College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), known as Suneung, is the national university entrance exam. The 2027 exam takes place on Thursday 19 November 2026, from 8:40 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., for 551,864 test-takers at 1,312 test centres (Yonhap, 20 Oct 2026). If you're in Korea that day:

• Government offices and businesses are asked to start work after 10 a.m., and Seoul-area subways run more often between 6 and 8:10 a.m.
• Planes can't take off or land during the English listening section, 1:10 to 1:35 p.m., so check your flight if you travel that day.
• Your school's schedule may change that day, so ask what's planned.

Scores are released on 11 December 2026 (KICE CSAT schedule).

From the official 2027 calendar published by the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA):

• 1 January 2027 (Friday): New Year's Day, a three-day weekend.
• 6 to 9 February 2027: Seollal (Lunar New Year) holiday. Seollal itself is Sunday 7 February, so Tuesday 9 February is a substitute holiday. If you're flying in for late-February training, plan around it.
• 27 February to 1 March 2027: weekend plus Independence Movement Day (Monday 1 March).

• Apply early: our South Korea overview explains why the autumn is the main hiring season for March starts.
• Start your criminal record check and degree apostille early; they're the slowest documents.
• Ask the school for the exact start date, any training dates (and whether training is paid), and the date of your flight and housing move-in.
• Ask how vacation days work and whether you'll teach camps or intensive classes in summer and winter.
• Check the contract against the ad. Our interview guide has questions to ask, and our fake job offer guide covers red flags.

Our South Korea pack currently has 41 checked listings (verified as of 2026-10-22), of which 20 offer a February to April 2027 start. There is no job or visa guarantee: you apply directly to each employer. Want to see what's in the packs first? Get 12 free verified openings (3 per country), or get the South Korea pack.