Korvia vs Teach Away: Which Way to Apply to Teach in Korea?
An honest, sourced comparison for teachers deciding how to apply. Both are free to apply through; the real question is a global job board versus a Korea-only, EPIK-focused recruiter.
Quick Answer
Korvia vs Teach Away — what's the real difference for teaching in Korea?
Korvia vs Teach Away, side by side
| Factor | Korvia | Teach Away |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Korea-only full-service recruiter; you get a coordinator, not a search box. | Global teacher job board + recruiter operating in 50+ countries. |
| Cost to the teacher | Free; paid by the programs and schools, never by applicants. | Free to create a profile and apply; Teach Away says it is “100% committed to providing a free platform for teachers.” |
| Free-tier limits | No application cap; one team handles your whole EPIK case. | The free Standard tier has “limited job applications”; “unlimited job applications” requires Premium. |
| Optional paid upsells | None: no membership, no course upsell. | $49/yr Premium (unlimited applications, badge, course/background-check discounts) and paid TEFL courses. |
| EPIK relationship | EPIK's exclusive international recruiting partner since 2008. | Its Korea page presents EPIK as a program to pursue and makes no official-EPIK-partner claim. |
| GEPIK (Gyeonggi) | Places into GEPIK alongside EPIK, SMOE, GOE, and vetted hagwons. | States it was selected as GEPIK's recruitment partner, but is “not accepting applications … as positions are filled.” |
| How you progress | Hands-on: document review, interview coaching, visa guidance, arrival support. | Largely self-serve browse-and-apply; a coordinator or the school may contact you at the interview stage. |
| Visa & relocation costs | Korvia guides the visa process; it is a recruiter, not a visa agency. | Notes visa fees, flights, and moving costs are the teacher's own expenses, “not charged by Teach Away.” |
| Best fit | You want EPIK (or another Korean public program) and prefer a guided, single-country path. | You're scanning many countries or school types at once and are comfortable driving your own search. |
What it is
Korvia: Korea-only full-service recruiter; you get a coordinator, not a search box.
Teach Away: Global teacher job board + recruiter operating in 50+ countries.
Cost to the teacher
Korvia: Free; paid by the programs and schools, never by applicants.
Teach Away: Free to create a profile and apply; Teach Away says it is “100% committed to providing a free platform for teachers.”
Free-tier limits
Korvia: No application cap; one team handles your whole EPIK case.
Teach Away: The free Standard tier has “limited job applications”; “unlimited job applications” requires Premium.
Optional paid upsells
Korvia: None: no membership, no course upsell.
Teach Away: $49/yr Premium (unlimited applications, badge, course/background-check discounts) and paid TEFL courses.
EPIK relationship
Korvia: EPIK's exclusive international recruiting partner since 2008.
Teach Away: Its Korea page presents EPIK as a program to pursue and makes no official-EPIK-partner claim.
GEPIK (Gyeonggi)
Korvia: Places into GEPIK alongside EPIK, SMOE, GOE, and vetted hagwons.
Teach Away: States it was selected as GEPIK's recruitment partner, but is “not accepting applications … as positions are filled.”
How you progress
Korvia: Hands-on: document review, interview coaching, visa guidance, arrival support.
Teach Away: Largely self-serve browse-and-apply; a coordinator or the school may contact you at the interview stage.
Visa & relocation costs
Korvia: Korvia guides the visa process; it is a recruiter, not a visa agency.
Teach Away: Notes visa fees, flights, and moving costs are the teacher's own expenses, “not charged by Teach Away.”
Best fit
Korvia: You want EPIK (or another Korean public program) and prefer a guided, single-country path.
Teach Away: You're scanning many countries or school types at once and are comfortable driving your own search.
Teach Away facts are sourced from teachaway.com (About, fee FAQ, Premium, and Korea pages), accurate as of June 2026; confirm current terms on their site. Korvia is a recruiter, not a visa agency.
The honest one-line difference
Teach Away is a marketplace; Korvia is a guide. On Teach Away you search across 50+ countries and apply to listings yourself, which is genuinely useful if you haven't decided where to teach. Korvia does one thing: Korea's government programs, EPIK above all, walking one applicant through the whole process. Neither charges you to apply, so the real question is breadth versus depth.
Is Teach Away free? Mostly yes — here's the full picture
Teach Away says it is “100% committed to providing a free platform for teachers,” and creating a profile and applying costs nothing. The free Standard tier caps how many jobs you can apply to; lifting that cap requires the $49/yr Premium membership, which also adds a profile badge, course and background-check discounts, and job-fair access. Teach Away also sells optional TEFL/teacher-certification courses. None of these are placement fees — Teach Away does not charge teachers to be placed.
The EPIK question: exclusive partner vs job board
This is where the two diverge most. Korvia has been EPIK's exclusive international recruiting partner since 2008, a direct and long-standing relationship with the program. Teach Away's own Korea page presents EPIK as a program teachers can pursue and makes no claim to be an official EPIK partner; separately, it states it was selected as GEPIK's recruitment partner for Gyeonggi province, but adds it is “not accepting applications for the GEPIK program as positions are filled” and points applicants to EPIK. If EPIK is your target, that gap matters.
What Teach Away does genuinely well
If you haven't decided where in the world to teach, a global board is the right tool, and Teach Away is one of the largest, established in 2003 with a teacher community it describes as around 710,000 strong. You can compare Korea against the Gulf, China, or online teaching in one place, set job alerts, and move at your own pace. For an experienced teacher who already knows the ropes and wants maximum optionality, that self-serve breadth is a real advantage Korvia doesn't try to match.
What Korvia adds that a marketplace can't
Korvia (founded 2006, 10,000+ teachers placed) is full-service for Korean public-school programs: a coordinator reviews your documents before submission, you get interview coaching for the video review that affects placement, and you have guidance through the visa steps and after you land. Korvia is a recruiter, not a visa agency: the E-2 visa is issued by Korean authorities, and you complete that process yourself with our support, confirming requirements with the consulate or immigration office. The trade-off is scope, since Korvia is Korea-only and primarily the public programs (EPIK, SMOE, GEPIK, GOE) plus vetted hagwons.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Teach Away if you're still comparing countries, want to scan many school types yourself, or value a large self-serve catalog over hand-holding. Choose Korvia if Korea, and especially EPIK, is the goal and you'd rather have one team carry your application from documents to arrival. Many teachers use a board to confirm Korea is right, then apply to EPIK through a specialist. Applying through Korvia is free.
Planning an EPIK application? Confirm current eligibility and the program calendar on the official EPIK site (epik.go.kr), then apply free through Korvia.
Korvia vs Teach Away — FAQ
Is Teach Away free for teachers?
Yes to apply. Teach Away states it is “100% committed to providing a free platform for teachers,” and signing up and applying costs nothing. The free Standard tier limits how many jobs you can apply to; unlimited applications require the $49/yr Premium membership. Teach Away also sells optional TEFL courses, but it does not charge teachers a placement fee.
Is Teach Away legit?
Yes. Teach Away is an established international teacher-recruitment company (founded 2003, Toronto-based) operating in 50+ countries. The honest contrast with Korvia isn't legitimacy; it's the model. Teach Away is a global self-serve job board, while Korvia is a Korea-only, full-service recruiter and EPIK's exclusive partner since 2008.
Does Teach Away place teachers into EPIK?
Teach Away's Korea page treats EPIK as a program to pursue and makes no official-EPIK-partner claim. It does say it was selected as GEPIK's (Gyeonggi province) official recruitment partner, but currently is “not accepting applications for the GEPIK program as positions are filled” and directs applicants to EPIK. Korvia is EPIK's exclusive international recruiting partner.
What's the difference between Korvia and Teach Away for Korea?
Teach Away is a marketplace where you browse and apply across many countries yourself; Korvia is a single-country recruiter that guides one applicant through EPIK and other Korean public programs: document review, interview coaching, visa guidance, and arrival support. Both are free to apply through. Use a board to scan widely; choose Korvia when EPIK is the goal.
Are there Teach Away alternatives for applying to EPIK specifically?
If your goal is EPIK rather than a global search, an EPIK specialist fits better than a general board. Korvia recruits exclusively for EPIK (since 2008) and also places into SMOE, GEPIK, GOE, and vetted hagwons, with hands-on support at no cost to you. You can also apply to EPIK directly; see our direct-vs-Korvia breakdown linked below.
Does Korvia or Teach Away pay my visa and flight costs?
Neither charges you to apply, but moving costs are separate. Teach Away notes that visa fees, flights, and moving costs are the teacher's own expenses, “not charged by Teach Away.” Korvia guides you through the E-2 visa process but is a recruiter, not a visa agency. Issuance is by Korean authorities, and you should confirm requirements with the consulate or immigration office.
Ready to apply to EPIK?
Korvia is EPIK's exclusive recruiting partner since 2008: document review, interview coaching, and arrival support, free to teachers.