Welcome to ESL Job Link.com, Your Local Recruiter for Teaching Jobs in South Korea.

Although you want to travel light, here are some things that you will want to bring to South Korea.

1. Passport/E-2 visa/Flight ticket/Contract/Diploma/Photos : When you go to Korea, please bring your original diploma or graduation certificate to your school. You will be required to submit it to an education board.

2. Copies of your birth certificate, passport, and visa : It’s unlikely, but if you lose your passport, copies can speed up the process to get a new one in Korea.

3. Medicine : You may not find the brand names that you are used to back home.
Bring your everyday medicine, especially your prescription medicine and doctor’s prescription.

4. International driver’s license : If you want to drive in Korea, you can easily get your international driver’s license at your local department of transportation.

5. Toiletries : You can find almost everything in bigger cities, but you may not find the same brand names that you are used to in your country. In other areas of the country, some toiletries are not readily available. Cosmetics for skin tones other than the typical Korean is hard to find and sometimes too expensive. Some deodorants are not available in Korea. If you use certain brand names on a regular basis, it's best to bring some with you until you can find suitable replacements in Korea.

6. Shoes and clothes : A professional and neat appearance is very important in Korea. If you are a larger or taller person, you may have a hard time finding your size and spend more money. Korea has four distinct seasons with a wide variation in temperature and varied clothes are needed. Summer (June - August) is very hot and humid while winter (December - February) is cold and dry.

7. Money : You will get paid by the month, not every two weeks, so it is important to bring enough cash with you to last your first month (See related content about money in Question 12 of FAQ). You will be able to set up a bank account in Korea after you get your alien ID.

Bring coins and bills for kids you will teach. Many of the students you will teach may have never traveled outside of Korea. It can be fun for them to see money from another country.

8. Fitted sheets : If you are a fan of fitted sheets, bring your own. Single size is best. Korean sheets are more like a thin blanket thrown over the bed. Those who enjoy their fitted sheets will find it hard to get a hold of them here.

9. Family pictures and souvenirs from your country : Pictures will remind you of home and may help you deal with loneliness and homesickness. You could also bring your college flags, postcards, sweatshirts or other small souvenirs from your home state or country.

10. Electricity : The standard voltage in Korea is 220 volts (60 Hz). The outlet has two round holes and looks similar to those used in many European countries, where electricity is 230 volts. Because the voltage and frequency are so close, some people tend to use adapters, but it sometimes doesn’t work as you expect. You would be better to bring a converter or a transformer instead.

11. Contact information : Please take phone numbers of your school, an airport pickup person and ESL Job Link and address of school with you. If something unexpected happens, you will need the contact information.