The Relationship between Teachers’ Turnover Rate and Career Decision in South Korea: A Study of Private Educational Academies

South Korea is one of the most popular destinations for foreign language teachers wanting to start developing a career. Due to the rapid development and demands of foreign language teachers, the human resources department of the educational system is facing challenges. Many schools, including the private educational academies, always recruit language teachers for their afterschool preparational programs. However, the turnover rates for these teachers is significantly high for various reasons. This study employed the lens of the Model of Retention, Turnover, and Attrition for the exploration of 55 foreign language teachers who decided to leave their teaching position after the completion of their first-year contract. The results indicated that all participants had an unpleasant or negative experience in their social atmosphere and school environment stemming from discriminations, negative managerial styles from school administrators, and impolite practices from parents and students. Researchers, school leaders, parents, students, human resource professionals, policymakers, and government agencies should take this opportunity to reform and improve the educational environment and human resource management in South Korea.