Working in South Korea [2022] 

For the past few months we've received tons of questions from our Indian audience regarding working in Korea. So here we are with all the information you need to know before applying for a job in Korea. 

You may skip to the part you're interested in or follow us from the beginning to have the proper understanding of what all skills you need to have in order to get a job in the Korean market. 

Let's address the biggest question, the elephant in the room, is getting a job easy in South Korea ? 

Nothing is easy in South Korea, including Jobs. But is it impossible to get a job? The answer is No !!

You can find the right type of job complementing the right skills you have. 

The job market doesn't run on the university scores alone. You have to have the right set skills required by the specific company or a few years of experience.

Let's dig into the info marathon, shall we ?

1. Things to keep in mind 

" I just have 90% marks in my undergraduate. " Sorry to break the bubble. You're in the 90% of the people holding the same score. 

You have to ask this question ' WHAT DO I HAVE TO OFFER ? '

Is there language skills I can help with ? Or do I have experience with working in the required field. ? Or is there something you can offer in Marketing or overseas trade and commerce. 

You always and I mean always have to think outside the box. 

2. Requirements for Job  

1. You are required to know Korean but it's not essential for you to be fluent in it.  If you're able to hold a conversation in Korean and English. Then you'll be fine.
2. TOPIK score is not asked in job settings until and unless you are applying for the full time job in translation and interpretation.
3. If you have completed your bachelors or masters from any Korean university, getting a E7 visa for job purposes is easier.
4. If you have any outstanding skills required by the company. You'll be provided with a sponsored visa by the company for your work and stay in Korea. 

Other than the ones we've mentioned each and every company has it's own set of requirement criteria. You can look up in the Job sites or the individual company's website.

Regarding the Indian documents recognition 

A university degree is the basic requirement for many job opportunities for foreigners in South Korea. You will need to have your Indian degrees and documents apostilled by the Legalisation Office for it to be recognised in South Korea.

You can find out more about this process from the Indian Embassy Seoul guidance on living in South Korea .

3. Skills required  

I'll simply mention the skills and depending on the level you're good with you can expect the positions you can apply in. 

1. Fluency in Korean, English and your native language.
2. Working experience for 6 months or 1 year.
3. Excel and PowerPoint skills.
4. Typing in English and Korean.

Other than the ones we've mentioned each and every company has it's own set of requirement for skill sets. You can look up in the Job sites or the individual company's website.

4. Fields to apply  

1. If you have done your studies in commerce. You'll be able to receive a job related to Marketing or international trade where you have to manage the company's work between the countries. 
2. If you've done your studies in science or computer applications. You'll be able to receive jobs related to the Engineering and IT sector related to machine language etc.
3. Postdoctoral research after doing PhD can get you handsome opportunities in Korea keeping in mind Korea is the top country among all the OECD countries spending Trillions of KRW in Research & development. 
4. Having Language skills up till native level will get you a job in Korea or might be helpful for starting your own. 
5. Entrepreneurs can work on the areas looking at the Indian product or service used by Koreans and make use of the open market to earn bucks.
6. Tourism and hospitality is a growing sector which requires huge investment and capital but you can definitely try your hands on.
7. Yoga/Ayurveda can also be a sector where your skills can be useful keeping in mind you have good communication and marketing skills.

5. Korean Job applying sites  

There are many different job applying sites available in Korean as well as English where you can register and upload your resume and application. 

• Job Korea
• Saramin
• Global Korea center
• People N Job
• LinkedIn

The above mentioned links are available in Korean for both Koreans and foreigners to apply. 

• Job Pass Korea provides vacancies for ONLY  foreigners. 
• Craigslist is also another site widely used to apply for jobs.

6. Internship for students 

Maybe you're looking for jobs while studying in any Korean university. You can apply for the internship at Global Seoul center  or look out for the notice in different company's websites for vacancies. 

You can also apply for the part time jobs at Albamon and Alba Korea

You can also look up jobs in the various Facebook groups made for foreigners and expats in Korea. 

7. Salary 

It depends on how big and resourceful the company you're applying in, the post you're applying for, the skills you have and which location you're staying in.  You can expect anything from between 1700 USD to 4000 USD in a month.

The skills like language fluency, work experience, technical skills and marketing skills will denote the salary you'll be receiving. 

8. Working culture 

The working culture of Korea was deemed to be very workaholic but there have been many reforms in the past few years by the government. Now the working hour is 9 hours every day.

The timings can be 9-6 or 8-5 depending on the company. You are expected to work overtime and weekends. Basically the objective of the company should be above personal benefits. 

Frequent eating out with the office members is expected for a healthier working relationship.

Those were some important things you need to keep in mind before applying for jobs in Korea. I hope the information was helpful and will help you to make better judgments in the future. 

Let us know which job position you are looking forward to working in Korea. 

Thank you and all the best !!

To understand how to read and write the Korean alphabet and join our online certificate course in order to fulfill your dream to work in Korea or appear for the TOPIK exam.

Please check these pages :

1. Learn Korean Script Hangeul in 1 Hour
2. Join our Level 1 online certificate course
3. TOPIK - The complete guide

If you are going to appear for the TOPIK test or just need a boost in Korean language we would strongly advise you to join our online certificate course. One reason is that this course is developed and taught by people who are not only top level experts in Korean language but also are passionate about teaching Korean and helping learners like you achieve their dreams.

If you're new to Korean language we would advise you to buy our KOREAN LANGUAGE FOR INDIAN LEARNERS book available on Amazon and Flipkart. Also available on Kindle.

Thank you.