Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sireno]

I am a bit fed up with teaching ESL. I will return to the States in a few months. My question is how can I return here in the future not by teaching? Anyone know about the defense department or working in the military? I have had thoughts about that though I don't know much real solid information or things that I can do. Any other suggestions please let me know. My Korean ability is around Topik level 3. I will have ~2 years teaching experience here and a BA in Communication. I'm really looking for a goal or something to aim towards because these days I don't have much motivation here in Korea nor for what I will do when I go back home in order to find a path that could allow me to return to Korea and work here in something other than ESL. Thank you for any advice you can give to a lost soul in need of some support.

[alongway]

Marry a Korean or get an F-2 points visa. Both of these visas will give you the freedom to do whatever you want. If you're still here, you should see if you can qualify for the F2 points as you need to be coming from one of several visas, one of which is an E2.
If you can make it, then you'll be set to do whatever you want, including starting a business.
If you've been here a really long time and did it properly you might qualify for the F2-99 long term visa for people who have taught for several years (among other things)

[Skippy]

well you can "Join the Army" but that could end up a crap shoot if you get posted here.

You could try for some sort of military contractor position but with a BA in communications I think is not a needed skill. Most of the ones I know are technical or ex military.

As to other position will the US military. Well my advice is go check out the military sites. Maybe even the Stars and Stripes. Maybe some info can be gleened. But I would guess most people hired would be either - family of members, Korean contractors (sometimes preferred), or professional US contractors, or actual military.

Other options are

1) Marry a Korean citien, get resident visa, find job or open business.
2) Get a D-8 investors visa, if you have 100k dollars lying around.
3) Get a student visa and study something, but limited to no ability to earn money.

[furtakk]

study?

i took a 6 month break and just studied korean. it was the most stress free time ever. i had a nice cushion and no bills to worry about from back home though.

when you're finished, you'll have a higher korean ability and will be in potentially better shape to find different work. even just networking amongst students has been a lot more helpful than hanging around just the esl crowd.

[young_clinton]

You might apply for a job opening at one of the many embassies that are in Seoul.

[Skippy]

[seoulsucker]

Got 5 years of experience in a particular field that you can document? You might qualify for an E-7 visa if a company is willing to sponsor you.

[Yaya]

[Mountain Mama]

You can get at least a bit of work editing for magazines and newspapers. I know, it's a shocker after seeing the level of english in the media here, but some places do get articles proofed. i've had a few jobs as a proof reader. pay is ok but you'd need a lot of work to live off it.

you can also do voice acting or modeling if you have the skills/looks.

Speaking of looks, are you an 8 or higher? Do you have a 6 pack? There are "business rooms" that cater to women. Yes, they exist. I've seen them. (Housewives have taken me there on a few occasions.) I'm sure they're nowhere as common as their male counterparts, but they're out there. If you're tall and blond or if you look like that guy with the hair from Twilight, and can speak Korean, I'm sure there's a job for you out there.

[Yaya]

[youtuber]

My two cents:

It seems like you need to learn more about yourself.

Find out what you like to do. What do you look forward to doing? What do you excel at?

One way to learn about yourself is to read What Color Is My Parachute?

Why do you want to return to Korea? It seems that without stellar language ability, most of us are limited to esl.

[wishfullthinkng]

getting a non-teaching civilian job in korea without perfect korean language skills isn't as hard as people think.

i work in the corporate sector with rudimentary korean skills and have helped 2 of my friends get into it as well.

[Yaya]

The key is to have a skill in demand other than just English fluency. There are loads of native English speakers who have poor grammar and writing skills yet gripe that they cannot get out of ESL.

You have expats who cannot speak Korean but have other skills that they acquired back home, like sales, tech or the like. I have seen a few successful people like that, but it seems it's getting harder to break in without experience or Korean fluency given the bad job market in Korea.

[Mountain Mama]

[fosterman]

there might be a job out there for you. but will it pay more than ESL with a couple privates added on?

money isn't everything they say...