Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Morton]

Here's the scoop.

I've been offered a job at a large Korean Petrochemical company. I will be working in sales/marketing and be in the office long hours. 7-7pm depending on the situation.

What i would like help on is how much is a good salary to ask for? Also how do the bonuses work in Korea. Does everyone get a bonus every 6 months. I have asked for 4,100,000 a month which is what i could earn back home, but the rent for an apartment here is pretty steep. I know they will counter with a lower figure but i'd like to know what is acceptable for someone with a BA and a couple of years experience.

If you can help please reply or send me a PM.

Thanks.

[renzobenzo1]

ah you are a legend! you were looking for a non-teaching job with a company against all the odds and got one.

Good luck. I would be stoked with anything around that figure.

[PRagic]

Just my opinion, but you should be getting more. You are comparing your potential salary to what you might make 'back home'. However, there is a premium associated with working overseas (whether or not we percieve there needing to be one!).

Are you slotted to perform in a job that a Korean wouldn't be able to? This is key. I only know a few westerners here who have made the jump to corporateville, and they are all compensated quite well. The low figure I can give you is around 80K USD/year; the high is around 130K. Both figures include housing. They all have a BA. Not an issue.

It might not hurt to keep the salary and housing separate in your negotiations. If you've already only asked for 4.1, then so be it. Done deal. However, if they counter lower, tell them that you had anticipated getting at least 1.5 million/month for a housing/cost of living adjustment.

And then you have to figure in your bonus. Be careful when you negotiate this point. The bonus is usually not figured in, so if they counter with 3.5, for example, say OK, but then ask how much of a bonus you can expect?

Remember that you can always renegotiate higher when the next contract comes around. In the meantime, though, it's a good idea to start piling up credentials to back up any request for an increase. For example, if you are in finance, you can get certifications or start an on-line MBA. These are flags that scream that you are serious about your career and advancement. Plus, once you are in the system, you'll make more contacts.

It goes without saying that you have to dress, look, and act the part of mean-Joe-corporate guy. That point is often not addressed, but it will score you points in a big way.

Good on you for scoring an opportunity. Hope that things go your way.

[Freakstar]

Dear OP:

Congrats on your job offer. Don't listen to this guy, PRagic...cuz he OBVIOUSLY doesn't know what the *beep* he's talking about. I'm a Senior Manager/Division Head at a major Korean conglomerate who is bilingual and trust me, $80,000 is NOT the low end of the pay scale for someone with just a B.A. and two years' experience.

Didn't they let you know what your salary would be when they gave you the offer? Will you be required to speak, read or write Korean? What is your position/title? One's position and rank is VERY important in the Korean corporate world.

I can give you some advice cuz they will definitely try to lowball you. PM me if you don't want to discuss details here.

p.s. I saw in another thread that you don't speak Korean. Maybe it's not necessary for your job, but I would think that this would be a big drawback for you since you'll be working for a Korean company.

[sojourner1]

I wish corporations and chaebols would hire foreigners to learn Korean and translate it into English for advertising and product info reasons as well as assist with international business deals and translating engineering processes language.

If Korea really wants to learn English, it needs to incorporate it into the everyday life found outside of schools such as in the business world. This is why when a Korean spends time in an English speaking country, they actually learn English. Having the education system and the business world being incongruent means a messy situation. All these school teach English, but very little is to be found in everyday life outside of schools. Something is badly wrong with the picture.

I always dreamed of a business oriented job making thousands of dollars a month where you fly places and fly high in life. OP, go for it if it's there.

[yingwenlaoshi]

[kitekid]

[Tukkong]

Morton, congratulations on the offer. You are very lucky to have received an offer with only a BA and a few years experience. Nevertheless, I hope it works out well. At the very least, it should be a great learning experience.

It is very difficult to advise you without knowing the duties that you will be performing and the position you will assume. If you post some information, you might get some more useful advice (the discussion so far has been

If you are doing sales, commission might be involved. If this is the case, you will have to think about what is involved. I don't know your work background, but sales can be a financial rollercoaster. In my experience, it can take several months to develop the skills, knowledge, and client base to sell successfully.

One thing that should be noted about your salary is that you have been offered the job within Korea. Therefore, you are not classified as an expat and should not expect an expat package - hopefully, you will get some of the benefits.

Finally, don't worry about additional study, at this point. You will be pretty tired from the long days at work and you won't have the energy for MBA studies.

Rather than listen to us, maybe you should contact some of the foreigners with the other petrochemical companies. I know some of them and they are nice guys who would probably give some advice.

Keep us updated with how it goes.

[Sucker]

Firstly, Freakstar has offered some good advice but I do think that you shouldn�t be swearing like that. Also is �Kiss my a** because I am the team leader� a good attitude for middle management?

I work for an IT company here in Korea and there are a number of factors that should be considered here:

1. They are hiring him within Korea. Those huge salaries that PRagic is talking about are usually reserved for people that have been hired outside of Korea. Local hires (people already living in Korea), receive salaries more similar to Koreans.

2. The �status� is important and will be reflected in the salary offered. Most companies here allow for salary negotiations, but they also work off a set pay scale that increases with rank. The rank that a new employee is given will depend mostly on their experience in the industry.

At the company I work for, a new employee (Korean) with no experience and only a BA will receive between 23 and 26 million a year (with bonuses that may reach 3 million a year). People with a Masters and several years experience receive significantly higher salaries and have more room for negotiation.

I would suggest that the OP try for the second rank (dae-ri) and the salary that he is asking for sounds about right for a mid-size Korean company (1,000 employees). But I would not accept any lower � especially for those hours.

What Freakstar said � that the company will probably try to lowball the OP with the salary - is entirely correct. I would ask for more than 4.1 million (maybe 4.5) and then negotiate down to 4.1.

[SuperFly]

[Morton]

Thanks for the replies. Most were very insightful.

I still haven't signed anything so there's a long way to go, but i feel i've asked for a fair amount regarding my salary.

There are bonuses that i can factor into my salary depending on how they give them but i was thinking a 6 month and 12 month bonus of a months wage. These are the kind of things i will discuss with them though.

Thanks again.

I'm going to start a thread about apartment hunting, if you can give me some information about that i would be greatly indebted.

[Cheonmunka]

Freakstar: You have just recently moved to Korea and have only just started your corporate job, before this you spent a few weeks as a hakwon teacher. I'm sure you are a good person for the new job you have but people spend several years in a job before they become conversant and knowledgable within it, and knowledge of the industry at large takes much longer.
You appear to have it all worked out, yet you haven't paid the price of time to gain extensive knowledge about it, yet.
In a few years your posts will be very different, more mallow. I am waiting for that time.

Happy adventures to yah.

Yinglaoshi: Do you remember a post you made about parents forcing their kids to stay out late and study and do activities all the time? I said that there were some good things about kids doing activities like tkd etc. That still stands of course as it's exercise. But, just the last few days my son has developed a nervous rubbing of the hands. He had a fever but he developed a nervousness to go with it. I blame my wife's excessive demands or fussing over his homework. Lately his homework has increased so much. He is expected to perform math tests, and it's graded and reported. He's only six (western age.) I'm pissed off about it. I want him to have a childhood. So what you said then has a definite ring of truth.

[yingwenlaoshi]

[PRagic]

Just for the record, all of the people I know working corporate jobs in Korea were hired from within Korea. There are some great jobs out there.

[Sucker]