Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rabidcake]

My question is, how did you do it? What type of role in a Korean company would need a westerner? Is it mostly engineering jobs? Buisness related jobs?

Overall, how was the experience?

I ask because maybe someday I may be interested in working for an Asian company. On a more personal level, there is someone I'm personally involved with and would like to spend an extensive amount of time with her in her own country.

I want to get an idea of some of the experiences you have all had, and what was required to get in the first place.

[Drew10]

I work at a phone retail store. My main role is Sales but i also do a bit of managerial tasks (inventory, sales records... ETC.) I have a Korean counterpart to handle the Korean-speaking part of business.

The job itself is perfect for me, I'm ex-military finishing up my degree through distance learning at my University back home in the states (no..not university of phoenix). My store is located near a military base so i get the perks of having a selection of restaurants that aren't chicken, or jjajangmyun. My wife found the job posting on a Korean website, she initially responded on her own behalf, but i kind of sniped myself into a job as well.

Overall, the experience so far is good. The store is owned by 2 brothers, one is a corporate manager at KT so that helps us out when a situation comes up that we don't know how to handle. They treat me fair, pay me on time, and even gave me a corporate account to try and draw in new business. I can't complain, especially when i read nightmare stories about nasty hagwons with shady owners doing bad business.

[conbon78]

I worked for a Korean company. It was interesting, which is the best I can say about it. You are completely immersed in the Korean culture, which can be good/bad depending on you. I also found the job to be very boring. On a regular basis I had nothing to do and you aren't supposed to ask for more work, so I sat there and played on Facebook. I worked a lot of hours and taught very little (so more like I sat there and did nothing from 8:30-5:30 - taught maybe 10 hours a week). So if you are considering a position, look at the amount of time you will actually be spending doing something. I received a lot of perks with my job, which was nice, but I wouldn't give up having time off and working few hours (uni jobs). It left me with a bitter taste in my mouth about Korea, which was not how I felt before I had that job.

[rkc76sf]

Funny, I felt the same way about my job at a public foreign language high school- boring, taught a little more (22 hours a week), worked from 0830 to 1630 and surfed the internet alot, except I did get two months vacation a year. Just felt little sense of accomplishment and going forward.

[Lionman]

I've been working at a Korean company for about 3 years now as an in-house instructor. I teach 25 hours a week and am also responsible for additional admin related tasks.

In the beginning it was okay. I would come in, do my hours and leave. It felt great to be paid so well for so few hours.

After a while students stopped coming. So for at least an hour a day I have 'nothing' to do.

I plan ahead by scheduling other work I have to do in this 'dead zone.'

They offered my 'regular employee' status which would be more secure, and have some benefits thrown in, but would have to be their from 8:30am - 7pm - for the same pay I get now.

Don't know if I could take it being there all day.

But, as conbon78 said you are immersed in the Korean culture with all its irregularities and complexities. And then there are things I plain just don't understand.

I'll give you a few examples:

Rather than a workplace the office reminds me more of public school in the states complete with 'assemblies' and special 'events' that everyone has to attend. And like public school back home, when these events come up I usually ditch and no one says anything. There are also cliques, the in-group and the outcasts whom everyone likes to make fun of behind his back.

I'll continue this public school metophor. Productivity, like work done in class does not seem to be assessed, but an attempt to ensure it is done through giving everyone long hours to work (busy work).

You see people goofing off, having a chat, sleeping on the job, and who knows what they're looking at on those computer screens! Half the time it's probably internet surfing. Korea has one of the fastest connections in the world you know.

Some of the employees told me they would play online games with co-workers after 'working late.' Save money on PC bangs I guess. No one checking up on them.

Things started to get weird when some of my students suggested playing 'dirty movies' as study material for English class.

I told them I felt it was morally wrong and I could get fired if I pulled such a stunt.

They all seemed puzzled and very confidently said that I wouldn't.

I figured they weren't just messing with me because they tend not to play the 'sarcasm' card here.

I also have one perverted student. I wrote up his behavior in the yearly evaluation report and have not heard back from anyone about a repremand. No one bothered to read the report I assume.



All in all. If you're just looking into the money or something more stable, long term than a hakwon this might be for you.

If you are looking for a place to grow, or develop your career the K-company might ruin you.

Working there has made me lazy, and got me into this habit of cutting corners. Some days it's pretty depressing.

[Vagabundo]

You'd have to be made of far sterner stuff than I am, or simply into sadomasochism to work in a Korean company.

I assume you'd have to "fit in", into Korean cultural and hierarchical norms.

Which means you'd be whale shit on the bottom of the ocean. Kissing a lot of adjosshi ass, far more than back home and if you're unlucky, unable to go home until your boss does. (Korean work culture).

Hope you like "group bonding" nonsense, like climbing mountain and getting drunk on a regular basis.

[redaxe]

[rabidcake]

[redaxe]

Yeah i wish i could say there was some trick to it but i just applied through the website.

Knowing Chinese helped me because they wanted people with experience in Asia to send as expats. There was also the possibility that i would get sent to China since we have a regional HQ in Shanghai. But i heard that the Shanghai office is much worse than Seoul because the Korean managers stationed in China behave very badly, drinking and womanizing and treating the locals like their slaves.

[rabidcake]

Thanks Redaxe，

I'm currently working for a company that has sent me to their Shanghai office. I'm glad to know that such an experience may be valuable for something in Korea.

我也会说中文。

[Lionman]

[Lionman]

[Vagabundo]

[Lionman]

From what I've heard from others who have 'real jobs' at K-corps. was that they were either the company proofreader, or the foreign figurehead. They weren't really given any decision-making ability.

Even one American lawyer friend I know spends his days in front of a computer all day proofreading contracts and what not.

I guess the dream job in Korea might exist, but from what I've heard from others there's alway something missing, whether it's the job satisfaction, the pay is not so great, no future in it, boring, etc.

English teacher is one of those dull but lucrative jobs in Korea. If you know what you're doing and work hard you can end up making close to six figures after taxes.

That's comparable to a lawyer's take home pay back home.

Nonetheless, perhaps there are a few cool jobs to be had.

[redaxe]