Any advice on good or bad recruitment companies in South Korea for English teachers?

I suggest going through EPIK, the public schools programme, as they are very reputable. But competition is quite steep so do your homework and make sure you fill in the forms properly and get all your paperwork in order. Have a look at their website for more info - www.epik.go.kr

Hi Jenny

Where are you from? If you are interested in the EPIK programme, note that there are some recruitment agencies which are directly affiliated with th EPIK programme and these are a great middle man to go through. I can personally attest to Teach Korea in South Africa - when I went through them they were very helpful. There are six other recruitment companies worldwide which are directly affiliated with EPIK.

The agency depends on where you are - the thing is most recruitment agencies will have both good and bad schools on their books, so the most important thing is to research THE SCHOOL when you get offered a contract. Do some googling and find other English spekaing teachers who are at the school who can tell you what it's like.

For some on the difference between public schools in South Korea and hagwons (private cram schools), read our pages on Teaching English in South Korea and Education and Schools in South Korea.

For more on the difference between schools in the city and schools in the country, read one expat's account of Teaching in Rural South Korea.

If there is a specific area you would like to go to, and you want to know what good schools are in that area, try finding bloggers who are in the area and ask them directly. You can start with the folks listed on our Expat Experiences in South Korea page.

how much do different companies vary in their payment levels?