There are always job opportunities in South Korea for motivated individuals who speak English and other languages fluently.
Even jobs in Korea requiring technical skills, such as web development, and medical and legal fields have room for non-Koreans to provide value.
You can find and carve out niches in South Korea that are unavailable back home. Here are some interesting options you can explore.
Teaching English
Teaching English is the gateway to establishing a career in Korea. There are employment opportunities year-round for people of all experience levels.
For entry-level English-teaching jobs, you can choose between teaching children or adults.
Teaching English to Children
There are three main types of entities in Korea where you can teach children. They are:
- Public schools
- Private academies
- English camps
Public schools offer more time off but lower pay than private academies. They’re also harder to find positions in.
Private academies are somewhere in the middle in terms of pay and benefits. They hire all the time and have many positions available.
English camps tend to pay more, but require more hours as well as hidden activities that are basically unpaid work, such as field trips.
Teaching English to Adults
Private academies are the main places where you can teach English to adults in Korea. They pay about the same as private academies for children and sometimes require you to teach both children and adults. They often have split shifts that include early morning, lunch time and after dinner for the office worker crowd.
Jobs Related to Teaching English
After you teach English for a while, you may be offered other positions within the school or academy. These can include:
- Trainer
- Manager
- Marketer/recruiter
Being a trainer can be a decent non-teaching job. You can make a good salary while meeting a lot of interesting people.
Being a manager can be stressful given the cultural differences between Korea and western countries.
Being a marketer/recruiter can also be stressful since you have to convince people to leave their homes and travel halfway around the world to teach English.
Jobs in Hospitality
For those who prefer jobs in the service industry, there are opportunities available.
They are:
- Chef
- Hotel manager
- Server
I’ve known people who have worked in all these positions. They require long hours, but can pay well, depending on your skill level.
Jobs in Entertainment and the Arts
You can find work in Korea in all types of artistic fields.
Here are some notable ones:
- Musician
- Model
- Actor
- Dancer
- Artist
You can get a special Culture and Entertainment visa known as the E-6 visa for these positions. Just be sure your job is on the level by getting references and looking for feedback online.
Conclusion
There are many job options in Korea for those willing to take a risk. Thanks for reading and happy job hunting!