Korean Job Discussion Forums

[plato's republic]

Well, the goal would be to pursue an academic career teaching at a university, although not necessarily back in my own country. I'd be happy to continue living in some other part of Asia, such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia.

I know that others have mentioned that it also depends on what you make of your Ph.D and what you put into it, plus the quality of work/research that you undertake.

[Francis-Pax]

[pikachun1]

reviving old thread, sorry!

i don't think this was asked, but how is the job outlook for foreigners who graduate from Korean Master's programs? Which degrees place you in a good position for employment? Are business-related M.A.'s worth it in Korea?

[coralreefer_1]

[Wangta01]

Subscribed - great topic and insight guys.

Would be curious to hear how an MA from SKY uni has translated into jobs in Korea or abroad (many discussions have been focused on MA ---> PHD).

[subutai]

This may not be the most coherent posting ever since I have a lot of things to say on the topic, and don�t really know in which end to start or to finish. I�ll give it a try though, here goes:

About me:

I have a master�s degree (business related) from a SKY university and recently got hired by one of the major Korean conglomerates for an entry level position. I am from a European country (not a native English speaker) and multilingual. No previous professional experience (except for a few internships), and no business background (social science undergraduate). I have intermediate Korean language skills (TOPIK level 4 on a good day), and financed my studies through the KGSP-scholarship. My plan now is to work in Korea for at least 2 years, and then look for a job in the same field back home.

About the program:

Personally I am satisfied with the academic level of the program I attended, although it was definitely geared towards pursuing a career in the academia (a majority of my peers are currently going through interview processes for prestigious PHD-programs abroad). Professors overall treated me nicely, all papers and most classes were in English. Compared with the Korean students, I was confronted with less politics and drama in the department (conflicts between professors et c), and my advisor was very competent, and through his help I have submitted some of my research work to hopefully be published in an international scientific journal in our field.

General thoughts on getting a corporate job in Korea (keep in mind that I�m speaking from a business major background):

You have probably heard it from a million people before, but networking is really important. Be proactive and do research about the field and company you want to work for, what they look for, and take steps to let people know who you are and what you can do. Professors (at least at most business schools) often have good connections with the industry, and might set you up with something if you are lucky.

Except for the obvious advantage of speaking Korean, it is also quite apparent that most major Korean companies are more interested in certain regions and countries, and thus more interested in foreigners who can speak these languages. If you speak Russian, Chinese, Portuguese et c. you are in a good position.

Practically all Korean companies recruit the bulk of their staff through their biannual general recruitment procedure. With a few notable exceptions, this is just a tedious and time consuming (endless pages online in Korean where you list everything from your parents� occupation to your blood group, it takes hours, seriously) with a low likelihood of passing. Even if you were to pass the document screening, you nevertheless have to write a standardized aptitude test that will be in Korean. However, Samsung is a notable exception, and overall has a very foreigner friendly recruitment process. Also LG runs what seems to be a well administered recruiting process for foreigners, but they mostly seem to select applicants from a selected number of countries. For most other companies, don�t bother trying this route.

Other general suggestions and advice on getting a corporate job in Korea:

If possible, make sure you pick a school that offers active career counseling for their international students. I was pretty much left on my own in this aspect before and after graduation, which naturally made things tougher. If you want to go for the business studies route and can get in to one of the top Global MBA programs, they are generally very good at this since they have a vested interest in getting their graduates employed (more so than any other �generic� university).

Be patient. What I love and hate about this country is that things can change in an instant. This also applies to getting a decent job.

Look for job postings that are specifically targeted towards foreigners. Don�t bother applying to anything else; it is just a waste of time for both you and the company.

Interact with the business community from your country of origin. This might be especially important if you are from a smaller country with a more tight-knit network. I attended one of these networking events with representatives from companies from my country and after just one evening I had the business card of three different CEO�s from major companies.

[PRagic]

I've met a few people over the years who did their Ph.D.s in Korea and went on to hold great jobs here. One guy is a bonafide scientist (physics? chemistry? bio?) who did his Ph.D. at one of the tech-oriented universities here. He's now a professor. The other guy did his Ph.D. in N. Korean Studies and now has a position working for a think tank here in Seoul. Way back when I knew a guy who knocked out his Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies here in Korea. Think he's also a professor here somewhere, but can't tell you that for sure. Nice guys, all of them.

I've met a TON of people with Ph.D.s earned in N. American and Europe over here working as tenure track professors at all levels (assistant, associate, and full prof).

[PRagic]

Just curious as to how all the people on the thread have progressed in their quest for a degree. Been long enough that everyone should have graduated by now!

[coralreefer_1]

[tob55]

[naturegirl321]

Are there any other requirements to get the F5 if you complete a PhD in Korea?