Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jack_b57]

For foreigners on both E and F visas, are there any nonteaching jobs in this country? If there are, is the percentage extremely low? Like, under 10% of foreigners doing nonteaching type work?

I mean, I'm sure there are some, but it seems all the job boards list mostly teaching or teaching related jobs. Does anyone know how to go about finding these nonteaching jobs, if they exist?

[misher]

I have met many foreigners here from Europe and North America doing jobs that have nothing related to English teaching. They do however have specific skills (engineering etc) and were recruited out of their home countries.They are on expatriate contracts and are not economic migrants like the most of us ESLers

I've met a few ESL teachers that broke into a company but their work revolves around, yes, English teaching, training editing etc.

Like myself you are trying to break into one of the hardest job markets in the world as a foreigner without any specific skills other than your ability to speak English as a native speaker. Finding anything else in country that has nothing to do with English is possible but ridiculously tough.

[youtuber]

Is there any skill besides teaching English that you can do and Koreans cannot?

The answer for most people is no, which is why most of us are English monkeys.

[Otherside]

[kumoh]

A lot
Come to R&D centers, semiconductor and electronic companies you can meet them very easily, unfortunately this forum users are mostly English teachers.

[hogwonguy1979]

sometimes the big esl publishers like oxford and cambridge will advertise here looking for foreigners to work full time for them. thing is you have to be very qualified (ma tesol++) and have some sort of publishing experience.

people i know with those jobs tend to like them and they can lead to promotions to other offices in other countries

[CPJ]

more like under 1%

[jack_b57]

Oh wells. I was hoping to explore some different types of fields while I'm here, but it ain't looking too promising.

It'd be cool if there was a temp agency that put people in random non-teaching jobs out here. A man can dream, can't he?

Heck, just for the cultural immersion and language learning, I'd be happy cleaning toilets in a restaurant for a little while.

[youtuber]

I remember a while ago, I saw a white guy driving a garbage truck and picking up the garbage at my officetel.

I thought...WTF? Maybe he was Russian? I have never seen that ever again in Korea....I wonder what his story was. Why would you go to Korea to work as a garbageman?

Maybe it's an awesome job...what do I know? Maybe he is raking in the cash and women! The hidden job market!

[youtuber]

OP, why not volunteer somewhere? That could be neat...everybody likes free labour.

[LL Moonmanhead]

I don't work in teaching.

There are non-teaching jobs out there, but in my experience you need strong Korean skills, a skill that Koreans need and a lot of contacts.

[kprrok]

[cert43]

Russian? I doubt it

Most of them work in diplomacy.

[IlIlNine]

[AsiaESLbound]

I'm exploring what sort of certification I might be able to get next year, but not seeing much opportunity popping for newbies in any field of work due to a lack of growth in all areas. Lots of stuff is popping for those well established and licensed in a specialized role. In any economy and country, you have to be specialized into a career track to be qualified to get a job. To be one of those engineers you meet in Korea, you'd have to be established in a career specializing in working with some specific technical process. Ideally, you'd be hired for entry level after applying and taking an aptitude test, get hired, and then develop during the first 3 years of employment, but with how the contracting job market is, entry level employment of this sort is a thing of the past. I met some engineers and business professionals and they weren't a day younger than 49 years old so that goes to show they started back in the mid to late 1980's or even 90's when it was possible to just get a job and then specialize after being hired in such an expansionary economy environment. They really don't plan on these careers, it's a good accident they have after college graduation where a company brings them on and develops them as needed by the company during times of growth so they become specialized, developed, and valuable in the job market.