A Quick Description of Korean and Japanese School Years

I do not know if anyone besides me has ever wondered if the starting and ending time for the average school in other countries was different from the United States. I spent a year in South Korea and I have been in Japan for a few months now, and I can tell you that both countries start and finish their school years at different times from the States.

The school year in South Korea starts in March. There is a summer vacation from late July to the end of August. There is a winter vacation during January. Students and teachers come back for two weeks in February with the school officially ending during the third week of that month. There is a ten day Spring Break afterward where teachers plan for the next year.

The Japanese school year starts in April. There is a summer vacation in July and August and a winter vacation in January. The school year finishes in March.

I hope that anyone who is planning on teaching in either South Korea or Japan will find this information helpful.