Hagwon hours leave your mornings free. Public school hours leave your vacations free. Either way the course fits — here is how.
Morning sessions for hagwon teachers, vacation blocks for public school teachers
Need
Valid ARC
Course
~10 days
Practice
09:00–20:00
Class 2
765,000 KRW
Can English teachers get a Korean driver's licence?
Generally yes as a registered resident with a valid Alien Registration Card, and an E-2 visa places no restriction on which licence class you may hold. The practical question is scheduling. Hagwon hours typically start in the early afternoon, which leaves weekday mornings free for practice sessions from 09:00. Public school teachers have the opposite problem and use vacation and desk-warming blocks instead. Only one weekday morning is needed away from work, for the written test at an examination centre.
Ask about your Korean licence as a teacher
Send us your school type and your hours. We will tell you exactly when the course fits.
Check your own status
Can E-2 teachers get a Korean driver's licence?
Generally yes as a registered resident, but there are two timing traps specific to teaching contracts.
What we can and cannot tell you
A valid Alien Registration Card is the practical requirement, and yours arrives some weeks after you land
Do not plan the course for your first month — most new teachers do not yet have the card
If you are between contracts, check your ARC is still valid before applying for anything
Contract renewal and visa transfer periods can leave gaps; sort the licence outside them
Nothing about an E-2 visa restricts which class of Korean licence you may hold
We are a driving academy, not an immigration adviser. Nothing here guarantees that any particular visa status qualifies you for a Korean licence — that is determined by the licensing authority on the day, against your own documents. Confirm your position before you spend money on anything.
Around teaching
Fitting a Korean licence course around a teaching contract
Hagwon hours and public school hours create completely different problems, and the solution differs accordingly.
Hagwon teachers — afternoons and evenings
Your working day typically starts in the early afternoon and runs late, which makes weekday mornings genuinely free. Practice sessions start at 09:00, so a morning block before work is the natural pattern.
Morning practice sessions from 09:00
Written test on a weekday morning — examination centres are Mon to Fri
Saturday theory class, 13:00 to 16:00
Public school teachers — desk-warming and vacation
Your problem is the reverse: weekdays are locked, but you have long vacation periods and desk-warming weeks with little to do. Those blocks are ideal.
Summer and winter vacation blocks
Evening practice up to 20:00 during term
The written test needs one weekday morning off — plan it early
The written test is the only part that requires a weekday. Examination centres run Monday to Friday, and registration closes well before the building does. Ask for the morning off rather than trying to make an afternoon work.
Placement
Why teachers outside Seoul need a Korean licence more
The subway ends sooner than the job postings suggest
A placement in Seoul or a major metro area makes a car look unnecessary. A placement in a smaller city or a rural county is a different life: intercity buses that run a few times a day, a supermarket that is a taxi ride away, and weekends that are difficult to plan without your own transport.
Teachers who renew for a second or third year are the ones who most often come to us. The first year is survivable on buses. The second is when people decide they would rather drive.
Saturday Korean theory class in English for teachers
Three hours on a Saturday afternoon. For hagwon and public school teachers alike, this is the one part of the course that never clashes with work.
Every Saturday, 13:00–16:00
Three hours of mandatory road safety education, in English
Arrive by 12:00 with your Alien Registration Card to register
No booking needed — walk in
Everything else fits around work
Course and road practice run 09:00 to 20:00, and we are open 365 days a year. Book each session at least one hour in advance and complete your hours within three months.
Pricing
Korean licence course prices for English teachers
Class 2 Regular is what almost every teacher takes. The road practice hours apply if you are already licensed and simply need to learn Korean roads.
All prices include 10% VAT. Three-month interest-free card instalments available.
Examination fees are 55,000 KRW each for the skills test and the road test.
Three-month interest-free card instalments split the cost across a contract quarter, which most teachers find easier than a single payment.
Side of the road
Teachers from the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand in Korea
Korea drives on the right
A large share of E-2 teachers come from the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, where traffic runs on the left. Korea drives on the right in left-hand-drive cars, so several deep habits have to be rewired before your first solo drive.
The side of the road itself is manageable within an hour. What catches people is lane placement from a new seating position, the fact that the crossing turn is now the left, reversed indicator stalks, and reversion around week three when concentration drops.
What happens to your Korean licence when you leave
The licence outlives the visa
A Korean licence does not evaporate because your E-2 ends. It remains valid until its renewal date, which matters if you come back to Korea on a later contract — plenty of teachers do.
Watch the renewal date
A Korean licence is renewed every ten years under 65. If you leave and return on a later contract, check the date on the card before assuming you can drive.
Why English teachers choose our Korean driving school
Used to teaching drivers from the left
British, Irish, Australian and New Zealand teachers make this switch with us regularly.
Morning or evening sessions
Practice from 09:00 to 20:00, 365 days, which covers both hagwon and public school patterns.
1,000+ foreigners licensed
Ten years of teachers, among many other professions, from over 50 countries.
FAQ
Korean licence for teachers — frequently asked questions
Can I get a Korean driving licence on an E-2 visa?
Generally yes, as a registered resident holding a valid Alien Registration Card. An E-2 visa places no restriction on the class of licence. Confirm your own status before spending money, since the licensing counter assesses your documents on the day.
How do hagwon teachers fit the course around work?
Hagwon hours typically start in the early afternoon, which leaves weekday mornings free. Practice sessions run from 09:00, so a morning block before work is the natural pattern, with the Saturday theory class at 13:00 to 16:00.
How do public school teachers fit the course around work?
The reverse problem: weekdays are locked but vacation and desk-warming periods are long and quiet. Those blocks are ideal, with evening practice up to 20:00 available during term.
Do I need a weekday off for any part of the course?
Yes, for the written test. Examination centres run Monday to Friday and registration closes well before the building does, so ask for a morning rather than trying to make an afternoon work. Everything else can be done evenings and weekends.
Get started
One message and your Korean licence route is clear
Tell us your school type and your hours. We will build the practical sessions around them and tell you which single weekday morning you need for the written test.
