The E-2 is the work status that lets nationals of certain English-speaking countries teach in Korea, in private academies and in public schools alike. Demand for the jobs exists. What people actually get stuck on is rarely the job offer and almost always the documents, and knowing the order in advance removes weeks from the process.
Who can apply
It is open to nationals of countries where English is the native language, including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. The core requirement is a four-year bachelor's degree, and the subject does not matter. Alongside it you must evidence that you received at least twelve years of education in English in one of those countries. A TEFL or TESOL certificate is not universally required, though individual academies ask for one or treat it as a strong preference.
The two documents that take the longest
Preparation time is dominated by the criminal record check and the medical examination. A criminal history can lead to refusal, and the medical covers tuberculosis, drug screening and communicable disease. Both usually have to be translated and notarised before submission to the embassy, so budget separately for the gap between issuance and notarisation. If the issuing authority in your home country is slow, several weeks disappear here, which is why this is the part to begin first rather than last.
The employer comes before the visa
You cannot apply for an E-2 on your own: the process starts from a signed employment contract. Public schools recruit through English teaching assistant programmes, while private academies hire through job boards and agencies. Once a contract is agreed, your employer obtains a certificate of visa issuance number from the immigration office and passes it to you. You submit that number together with your own documents to the Korean embassy in your home country, and the visa is issued into your passport. Processing typically takes one to two weeks, and an additional interview is sometimes requested.
After you arrive
You must complete alien registration within ninety days of entry. One feature of the E-2 that catches people later is that it is tied to a specific workplace, so moving to a different academy requires a separate procedure rather than simply resigning and starting elsewhere. If changing employer becomes likely before your contract ends, check the requirements before you commit to anything. Requirements and document lists are revised periodically, so confirm the current standard through HiKorea or the 1345 immigration contact centre.
Document formats and the contract terms worth examining before signing with an academy are in the E-2 visa guide on the WeBring blog.