Updated October 2025.
A TEFL Certificate or a TESOL certificate is an ESL credential obtained after completing a TEFL/TESOL certification course. TEFL and TESOL are the same thing, and the terms are used interchangeably.
Required?
As of 2025, a TEFL or TESOL certificate is required by the Korean government to teach English at a Korean public school, unless you have a BA/MA in Education, or other equivalent certification (teaching license, CELTA, etc.).
EPIK requires applicants to have a 100+ hour TEFL Certificate (or other teaching credential).
Some hagwons have no TEFL/TESOL requirement as of 2025, but it is still strongly recommended to have one, as most hagwon positions require a TEFL. Even the ones that do not require a TEFL have many applicants with TEFLs, so it is recommended to have one in order to stand out.
Certification Course Methods
TEFL/TESOL certification courses are available in 3 forms: online, offline, and hybrid online-offline.
Online
Certifications that are completed purely online are accepted by EPIK and hagwons. The courses must be 100 hours or more. The digital TEFL certificate you receive must have your first and last names, the number of hours the course was, and the TEFL institution’s information.
Offline (In-class)
Certifications that are completed offline at an accredited institute are accepted by EPIK and hagwons. If the course was done entirely or the majority offline/in-person, EPIK might ask for an “in-class hour confirmation letter.”
Hybrid Online/Offline
Certification courses that are comprised of both online and offline class components are accepted by EPIK and hagwons.
Korvia Recommended TEFL Course
Korvia strongly recommends avoiding free TEFL courses, as the quality of the lessons will be lower than paid courses, and the customer service will be worse as well. We also recommend avoiding courses that are too expensive; these generally don’t have that much better quality than more affordable courses.
The top TEFL providers we currently recommend that don’t break the bank are:
Korvia also has a partnership with the London College of Teachers to give applicants the chance to take a course that is both affordable and flexible for those with limited time schedules. For more information, please visit www.korvia.com/tefl.
Just so you know most so called 100, 120, or 150 hour online courses aren’t accurate. Most of these courses can be completed in 20 hours or less. Think about it. How can you measure these hours online? They are not in a classroom and these are not online courses with set “class times”.
There’s a thread on Reddit that you can read, do a search for:
“Are the hours in a TESOL course accurate?
Hello Korvia,
I have a Bachelor of Education majoring in Primary school teaching. Do I need to undertake a TEFL course?
I am looking over the required documents for applying to specific programs and it states that I need to supply a TEFL certificate; however, I think I have read somewhere that if I have an Education degree I do not need a TEFL certificate.
Thank you for your time.
Kind Regards,
Lizzie
Hello Korvia
I have completed my TEFL online.
I currently have a digital certificate …. can I just print this as my “physical certificate”?
Thanks
Jean One
Does anyone know of a TEFL course that will meet the Busan requirement? I am hoping to do it partially online and do the teaching hours in person.
Thank you
Hello Korvia
I have completed my TEFL online.
I currently have a digital certificate …. can I just print this as my “physical certificate”?
Thanks
Zintle Mtsokoba
Hello Korvia
I have two Bachelors in a field that is not related to education or teaching. I also do not have any teaching experience. However, I have completed my TEFL course online. Will I be eligible to apply or will it be a lot harder? Please let me know.
Kindly,
Christopher Lee
Hi Christopher, as long as you are from one of the seven eligible countries, you are definitely eligible! There is no disadvantage for applicants without teaching-related majors.