Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kumbaja]

hello,

i want to go to asia and more specifically to south korea (seoul) before the end of april.
i'm a german citizen in my early twenties, with good german skills (obviously) and also good english skills, that enable me to talk with native english speakers at their normal level with no problems at all. viewing movies, reading, anything, also not a problem, i understand everything. this got me also an A in my final exam in school.

i have also quite some korean friends.

from my research, it doesn't look so good, to find an english teaching job in seoul; as non-native speaker with and no university degree.
german doesn't seem to be wanted so much, which is understandable.
do you folks have any advice for me, where i could find some work?
barkeeping? i don't need much money but something more than korean minimum wage would be good.
i'm also good with technology, computers, hardware and people, other cultures.
i would also just go to seoul, with tourist visa and check for work there, if i know i'd have a (better) chance, then do the visa run thing.

if south korea doesn't work, i would go to another country in asia, china for example, have some chinese friends t andoo. from my research, it could be easier for me, with my or rather lack of "proper" qualifications.

i'm so ready to leave and would really, really appreciate some guidance, help tipps.

thank you so much for taking the time,
K

[Ginormousaurus]

I'm sorry to say it, but you have absolutely no chance of getting a job teaching English in Korea. A university degree is required and it must be from one of a short list of countries (Germany is not on the list).

China would be your best bet at finding work. You may even be able to teach German there. Good luck to you!

[kumbaja]

thank you.

too bad. not so devastating though, i'm already looking into china with a chinese friend.
would have preferred korea first, but at least they're close...

[wanderkind]

If your high school grades are high enough, you might be able to get a scholarship for undergraduate study in Korea. On a student visa you could find part time work bar-tending or something, though some schools don't allow it. Might be worth looking into for you.

http://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/sub/overseas_info/korea_edu/edu_scholarship.do

Edit: There are opportunities to teach German. Also at least one German international school. However, I don't see any way you can get those positions without a degree.

Isn't post-secondary education free in Germany? If I were you and I hadn't already, I'd definitely avail myself of that, and come over here a few years down the road. There are scholarships for study in Korea at the graduate level too. Really good scholarships.

[CentralCali]

I don't buy the OP has such hot English skills. For those of you who may wonder why I don't buy that, please take another gander at the very first post in this thread.

Putting that aside for the moment, the plan to teach in China now is likely a non-starter as foreign EFL teachers in this country (yes, I'm in Beijing) are supposed to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree and at least two years experience. That's for a full-paying job. There are differences between provinces, though, so one may take the chance of getting hired without such qualifications. There are also intern positions at some schools, said positions paying far less than full-time pay but the intern positions are still full-time work

[nate1983]

[Troglodyte]

It's not possible for you to legally get a job teaching English.

There are other possibilities though. Koreans hire a lot of foreigners (legally) to do construction work and factory work. There are a lot of East Europeans (especially Russians) in and around Seoul doing manual labor. A lot of them are making good money doing it as well. The ones that are legal (work visa) are making just as much as a Korean would make doing the same job. The problem is that Koreans don't want to do that kind of work. I've met plenty of recent graduates who would prefer to work in a convenience store or deliver pizzas, making half the money to avoid manual labor. There's a stigma attached to it. So they hire foreigners to do it. In Japan it's the same. They like to hire foreigners to do construction work, and it pays well.

I've also met foreigners doing other jobs here. I used to know a computer programmer from eastern Europe. I've met lots of entertainers (who were legit, not prostitutes). At the English Villages, most of the non-teachers are non-English speaking Europeans (often east Europeans). They work in the service industry jobs (restaurants, shops) or even as entertainers. They usually get paid a lot less than the teachers but they still get accommodation and a visa.

Other than details on work at an English village, you probably won't find much useful information on this forum. You should consider looking through website for expats of other nationalities in Korea (e.g. Russians). I've seen forums for Russians working in Asia. I've never looked through them other than a quick glance but I think that they'd be a good place to start asking around or making contacts.

[young_clinton]

As a non-native speaker you would be facing arrest, fines and deportation assuming that you could find a hogwan that employs non-native speakers.
You can't teach in Korea. If you can teach ESL and don't mind a somewhat substandard pay of almost $1000 US monthly, then go to Thailand. You will have to take alternating bi-monthly trips to Vientienne, Laos and Tachilek, Burma, which will drop your savings, about $45 US a month, but at least you will get to see those areas. If you want as somebody else posted you can go to China. My opinion, spend a year in Thailand. Go to the Thailand, China and possibly Vietnam forums to check those areas out.

[CentralCali]

[nate1983]

[mithridates]

[nate1983]

[kumbaja]

oh wow, thank you for your replies, i appreciate it.

you're free to judge my language skills from my posts, even if they're written in a sleep deprivated state withouth any proof reading, i don't mind.

thanks for the other ideas.
i might try china or thailand, will ask my chinese friends and my contact in thailand to advise me.
i don't need much money, i live a fairly minimalistic life.

this should just be a period of getting to know other cultures and earning a little bit of money. i just want decent work, where i have some free time to think and dive into the local culture. will probably study later, somewhere in this world.

i have a job offer from apple, i might ask them if i could transfer to honk kong or shanghai, not sure if they need me to speak cantonese/mandarin for that, but could be another possibility.

i'm determined to go to asia for a longer period, it's just not clear for me, how and when, so thank your for helping me in that process.

[Lazio]

Germany has a working holiday visa agreement with Korea. Sounds like a perfect fit for you. Once you are in the country and have a visa other than tourist, opportunities might come in your way.

[andrewchon]