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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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MUOhio82
Joined: 25 Apr 2008
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 Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:00 am Post subject: Non Teaching job |
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Last time I was in Korea, it was to teach. I've since come home, left my underused college degree by the wayside and gotten my hair license.
I just keep remembering the HORRIBLE haircuts I got while living in Korea, and have been thinking for a white girl to be doing hair in Korea might be pretty profitable, and FUN!
Does anyone have any experience working in Korea as anything but a teacher?
I have no idea how to even go about researching this, and haven't pulled anything in Google.
If this question is in any way ridiculous, please be kind, it's been awhile... |
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Kimchifart
Joined: 15 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:22 am Post subject: Re: Non Teaching job |
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| MUOhio82 wrote: |
Last time I was in Korea, it was to teach. I've since come home, left my underused college degree by the wayside and gotten my hair license.
I just keep remembering the HORRIBLE haircuts I got while living in Korea, and have been thinking for a white girl to be doing hair in Korea might be pretty profitable, and FUN!
Does anyone have any experience working in Korea as anything but a teacher?
I have no idea how to even go about researching this, and haven't pulled anything in Google.
If this question is in any way ridiculous, please be kind, it's been awhile... |
You'd need a business visa and would have to put up $50,000 which might go up to 100,000 in the near future. You would struggle to make a solid living I think, but it's possible if you open up a place in Itaewon as there is demand for this type of service amongst ex pats. Also, you might struggle to compete with the very low prices here. I'm sure you could make a living wage from it, but I wouldn't expect big bucks. You would definitely need to be in Itaewon though because everywhere else is too sparsely populated with expats in my opinion.
From Wikipedia:
Corporate Investment (D- 8) visa
The Corporate Investment (D- 8) visa is issued to foreigners who are going to own and manage a small or medium business in South Korea or who are sent as specialists to work at businesses owned by companies outside Korea. Individuals wishing to apply for this visa on their own must invest a minimum of 50 million won.[11][12]
The amount of money required as an investment by foreigners to obtain the visa has risen over the years. In 1991 a foreign investor was required to invest only 25 million won, then in 2001 this was raised to 50 million won. In 2010 the government announced that it was looking to increase this further to 100 million for a number of reasons. Due to inflation, a rise in the cost of living and other costs they felt that 100 million was more representative of what was required as a minimum investment to start a business in Korea. However, there was also concern that some foreigners were taking advantage of the visa and using it to reside permanently in Korea without actually creating any business. Once the visa has been issued the government doesn't keep track of the investment, so some foreigners were using agents who provided the investment money for a fee in order for them to obtain the visa. Concern was raised that the increase would do nothing to deter abuse of the visa and would instead discourage foreign investment in Korea.[13] The regulations surrounding the visa and foreign business ownership have been criticized for requiring a Korean guarantor even though the foreigner has invested a large sum of money and been given permission to open nearly any business they wish.[14] |
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modernseoul
Joined: 11 Sep 2011
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 11:14 am Post subject: |
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The number of non-teaching jobs around for westerners without a F visa are limited. The only roles are generally sponsored by big company's such as Samsung and LG, and I doubt sadly hairdressing is something that they see a requirement for.
I agree with the previous poster unless you have the finances to start up your own business your options are limited unless your Korean.
Information on the different visa types can be found on here: http://www.hikorea.go.kr click on information then immigration guide. Good luck. |
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FDNY
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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I got tired of the teaching thing REALLY fast. I applied for an E-7 and got it. You have to have some training in business, a technical subject or a research related subject. I have a B.Sc. in Economics. I think in my third year I took some cheesy elective about Asian economies. Bang, that was all I needed. You also need a sponsor to put in the paperwork. With a little leg work I found that. You should also be somewhat creative in your CV. In other words, make the CV fit the job. (which you should do when you apply for any job) I had fun working for a Korean company. Lots of travel to trade shows. Munich, Hong Kong, Shanghai, UK... Now I'm married and on an F-2. But I still work for the company...from home. It rocks.
Long story short, MANY Korean companies would die for a foreigner who knows even a minimum amount about business. Like I said, I knew next to nothing. I was basically learning for the first year. |
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alongway
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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| You'd need a business visa and would have to put up $50,000 which might go up to 100,000 in the near future. |
It went up to 100,000 last year or the year before.
Hair dresser is something that would never qualify for an E-7. A better bet is if you can get an F-2 points visa. Come back teach for 1 year, if you have enough points apply for the visa, and save money for a year to help you start your business.
After you get the points visa you'll be able to open a business in your name. I don't think you have to requalify for the points when you renew the F2-points, so you should be okay to keep going on that. |
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Paddycakes
Joined: 05 May 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Hint - You'd probably make a ton more money if you added an extra barber pole outside your store. |
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Paddycakes
Joined: 05 May 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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| FDNY wrote: |
I got tired of the teaching thing REALLY fast. I applied for an E-7 and got it. You have to have some training in business, a technical subject or a research related subject. I have a B.Sc. in Economics. I think in my third year I took some cheesy elective about Asian economies. Bang, that was all I needed. You also need a sponsor to put in the paperwork. With a little leg work I found that. You should also be somewhat creative in your CV. In other words, make the CV fit the job. (which you should do when you apply for any job) I had fun working for a Korean company. Lots of travel to trade shows. Munich, Hong Kong, Shanghai, UK... Now I'm married and on an F-2. But I still work for the company...from home. It rocks.
Long story short, MANY Korean companies would die for a foreigner who knows even a minimum amount about business. Like I said, I knew next to nothing. I was basically learning for the first year. |
Are you Korean American? Can you speak Korean perfectly? |
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FDNY
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Paddycakes wrote: |
| FDNY wrote: |
I got tired of the teaching thing REALLY fast. I applied for an E-7 and got it. You have to have some training in business, a technical subject or a research related subject. I have a B.Sc. in Economics. I think in my third year I took some cheesy elective about Asian economies. Bang, that was all I needed. You also need a sponsor to put in the paperwork. With a little leg work I found that. You should also be somewhat creative in your CV. In other words, make the CV fit the job. (which you should do when you apply for any job) I had fun working for a Korean company. Lots of travel to trade shows. Munich, Hong Kong, Shanghai, UK... Now I'm married and on an F-2. But I still work for the company...from home. It rocks.
Long story short, MANY Korean companies would die for a foreigner who knows even a minimum amount about business. Like I said, I knew next to nothing. I was basically learning for the first year. |
Are you Korean American? Can you speak Korean perfectly? |
Short answer: No and no.
Long answer: Why would I need to be fluent in Korean? I am an overseas marketing manager. My job is to speak to foreign buyers and distributors. Also to represent the company in foreign trade shows. The other managers at my company are all bilingual, as is the president. The other managers wouldn't have gotten their jobs if they didn't have English proficiency. It is a basic prerequisite for business. However, that being said, I can read, write and speak some Korean. That pesky grammar is the problem. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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What I find odd is that you make it sound like you applied for the E-7 separately from the job - or, more specifically, you decided you wanted to get the visa and then found a company that would hire you and process the paperwork.
I've had several E-7s and have never looked at the process that way. I'm also surprised you found a company willing to trudge through the E-7's firey hoops. I'm trying to transfer an E-7 and the new job's HR department is dragging their feet about some of the paperwork.
Perhaps it's easier to get with business and technical skills? I've been doing editing work on E-7s and it's a touch complicated for the employer. |
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furtakk
Joined: 02 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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You can probably come over on a working holiday visa. Finding a salon for someone who doesn't speak any Korean (I'm assuming...) might be a different story. Also, you probably wouldn't end up making much considering you would be paying for your own flight and rent...
I had a Japanese friend who worked in a salon here for a few months. He spoke decent Korean though. |
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pegasus64128
Joined: 20 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:19 pm Post subject: Re: Non Teaching job |
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| MUOhio82 wrote: |
Last time I was in Korea, it was to teach. I've since come home, left my underused college degree by the wayside and gotten my hair license.
I just keep remembering the HORRIBLE haircuts I got while living in Korea, and have been thinking for a white girl to be doing hair in Korea might be pretty profitable, and FUN!
Does anyone have any experience working in Korea as anything but a teacher?
I have no idea how to even go about researching this, and haven't pulled anything in Google.
If this question is in any way ridiculous, please be kind, it's been awhile... |
You won't find many foreigners doing other jobs on an ESL site. There are quite a lot of foreigners in Ulsan involved in ship building and the automotive industry. I met an Aussie when I was there who had just finished his contract to help put up an oil rig, working for SK energy presumably, and he's gone now I think. He liked Korea more than he expected, but I think he was expecting the impoverished side of China with dog eating, and daily threats from NK, so his expectations were low. |
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FDNY
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Zyzyfer wrote: |
What I find odd is that you make it sound like you applied for the E-7 separately from the job - or, more specifically, you decided you wanted to get the visa and then found a company that would hire you and process the paperwork.
I've had several E-7s and have never looked at the process that way. I'm also surprised you found a company willing to trudge through the E-7's firey hoops. I'm trying to transfer an E-7 and the new job's HR department is dragging their feet about some of the paperwork.
Perhaps it's easier to get with business and technical skills? I've been doing editing work on E-7s and it's a touch complicated for the employer. |
I actually met the company president while teaching at a hagwon for adults. I had done odd jobs for them like proofreading and making an English language website. These jobs were on the side, but with full knowledge of the hagwon owner. (he was pretty laid back)
As for the E-7 it was my idea and I presented it to the CEO. One of the reasons I said you have to be creative with the CV is the first time I applied immi turned me down. So, I rewrote my CV and reapplied. |
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Skippy
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:54 pm Post subject: |
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Unless you have money to set yourself up or have a super special or in demand skill your are out of luck.
I would try for the work holiday visa, but restrictions with that like age and how long you can work for a place. |
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alongway
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 11:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Skippy wrote: |
Unless you have money to set yourself up or have a super special or in demand skill your are out of luck.
I would try for the work holiday visa, but restrictions with that like age and how long you can work for a place. |
A working holiday doesn't let you open your own business. You could take a 3 month job at a hair shop, but then you'd have to change jobs.
Korea also doesn't have working holiday agreements with every country. They don't have one with the US.
If they truly want to run their own business over here F-2 points is probably the safest, easiest bet, depending on their age and education and Korean ability.
You probably wouldn't want to be a worker in a hair salon here, the pay would make you gag. You might try and use the novelty of being a foreigner and finding some other hair dressers here who trained abroad and set it up as some kind of unique kind of shop. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 1:22 am Post subject: |
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| FDNY wrote: |
| As for the E-7 it was my idea and I presented it to the CEO. One of the reasons I said you have to be creative with the CV is the first time I applied immi turned me down. So, I rewrote my CV and reapplied. |
That makes sense and is an interesting way to go about it. I had just gotten the impression that you received a visa that is attached to you, in other words, you're your own sponsor. I was a bit confused, as the E-7 is attached to your sponsor, but I reckon you can apply for it on your own so long as the employer provides the relevant paperwork. |
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