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sck2012
Joined: 04 Jul 2012
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 Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 5:16 pm Post subject: Non Teaching jobs in Korea? |
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Hi everyone. I'm looking for a bit of advice. Thanks in advance for reading, much appreciated!
OK, first a bit of background. I've got a Bachelor and I have worked in SK before as an English teacher. I learnt many things during that time, but most importantly was the fact that teaching wasn't for me. My job wasn't exactly above board and reputable either, but that's another story all together. Another thing I discovered was that I love Korea and I want to return one day, just in a different way. So, here's my aim:
1. I want to work in South Korea, but not as a teacher. I would like to work in some form of career that links in with international relations, i.e: a diplomatic role, working for an NGO etc.
I'm not sure about how exactly to go about this. I have a couple of plans which are as follows:
1. I get a masters in International Relations from here in the UK and go from there. It is quite expensive though and I'm not sure how it would translate into getting my desired job in Korea.
2. Work here in the UK in some form of related internship, assuming I get accepted for 6 months or so. Then I was advised to apply for a scholarship at a Korean University, here I could study IR and do so in Korea, building contacts in the right places.
Of course with both options I intend to improve upon my Korean and learn it well.
So my questions are as follows:
1. What sort of non teaching jobs are common in Korea?
2. Do you have any links or contacts to useful companies / job sites for what I am looking for?
3. Which one of my options, if any do you think would be most effective? Any other ideas?
Thanks again for your time guys, look forward to your responses!
Cheers. |
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Leon
Joined: 31 May 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Are you a kyopo and have connections in Korea? Otherwise it seems like it would be much harder for you. You could consider learning the language and taking the Foreign Service exam and hoping to be placed in Korea, but that is far far far from a sure thing. |
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sck2012
Joined: 04 Jul 2012
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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| No I'm not. As for connections, I have a bunch of Korean friends, but that's about it on that front. I realize it's probably going to be difficult to get my foot in the door, that's why I wanted to try for the scholarship in order to get my masters at a University in Korea. Hopefully I could build the contact base from there. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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Are you a kyopo and have connections in Korea? Otherwise it seems like it would be much harder for you. You could consider learning the language and taking the Foreign Service exam and hoping to be placed in Korea, but that is far far far from a sure
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I was wondering that too - about you being a kyopo. Not being funny but why else would someone from the UK be so keen to work in Korea or, unless there was a love interest involved? I really can't get my head around why someone would want to come back here otherwise. There are so many more interesting places to live |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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Have you ever been to Korea?
Edit: thou shalt not skim...
Last edited by northway on Wed Jul 04, 2012 6:11 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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most foreigners here have no idea how to get ahead because they are from small(er) towns and cities. people who are familiar with metropolitan cities like seoul, nyc, tokyo, london, etc., know that unless you are extremely lucky or born fortunate you have to network, network, network.
a few tips:
get name cards made. absolutely a must. people here (and other major cities) hand them out like candy. are you a teacher? not anymore. you are now an editor or a linguistic savant.
also, stop being a cheapskate and get out on the evening social circuit. another thing many foreigners here don't understand is that you have to spend money to make money, and it's true on a social level. even in a massive city like seoul you start to see the same influential expats at these events all the time. sitting outside the local gs25 drinking casses won't be getting you anywhere.
good luck. |
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Modernist
Joined: 23 Mar 2011
Location: The 90s
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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| but why else would someone from the UK be so keen to work in Korea or, unless there was a love interest involved? |
Yeah, I'm betting on kimchi fever too. Maybe not a specific person, yet, but wants to have access to the in-country choices? The alternative, as I've said before, is a frustrated Japan-lover who wants to be close, at least.
Regardless, OP, you are going to have quite a bit of trouble pursuing your dream. The main reason is that Korea is essentially an ethnically-biased, prejudicial society which retains in many crucial ways its legendary insularity developed over centuries of trying to resist [when not directly copying things, mind you] the influence of larger and more powerful neighbors China and Japan.
In other words, unless they can't get something any other way--hello, E2 visa holders!--Koreans want Koreans to do any job that needs doing. They aren't looking for reasons to import labor, regardless of skill level, education or background. They have never been, and aren't really even today, an immigration-based society or economy, such as America, Canada, Australia, or the UK. Their recent prosperity has brought some working-class inflow, on the D3s and D4s, and foreign students on D2s, and AFAIK even these groups have been somewhat of a challenge for them to manage. Not to mention us.
What you're talking about is just not at all common to find here. It just isn't something you see much. This isn't Shanghai, or Hong Kong, or Singapore. Foreign professionals aren't very common in Korea. There are a few, but not many.
As for Master's degrees, I would advise extreme caution. Once, many years ago, I was a student in a prominent IR program. The reality is those programs don't often open the doors they implicitly promise to; many people with IR degrees aren't working internationally and those with good jobs frequently had them before they got the degree [which are often paid for by their employers, anyway].
Working 'internationally', diplomacy, NGO or whatever is a dog's breakfast. What do you actually want to DO? What CAN you do? What kind of technical skills do you have? 'I want to live in Korea' is not an answer. If that's all you got, it's English teaching for you. You've got to give people a reason to consider hiring you.
If you can manage to learn more-or-less fluent Korean, you have a shot. It's a rare skill, obviously, so there would be people looking for that kind of thing. But it'll be a random exercise and you'd be advised to have something beyond that to work with. More specific details about what you are good at doing, how you can contribute to an organization, what kinds of problems you've solved.
If you want to be a diplomat, I'm sure you know more than I do about the process of applying at the Foreign Office. Fluent Korean will again be crucial. But if Britain is like America, they will assign you where they want, and a lifetime posting in Korea is HIGHLY unlikely. It's the nature of being a diplomat--you go where there's a need.
Your 'plans' are dubious, fuzzy, borderline incoherent, show little understanding of Korea, and display a striking lack of thought about the true nature of work outside mushy thoughts of 'I love Korea' and 'I want to do something IMPORTANT'. This kind of thing will not bring you the outcome you claim to desire. Do better, or change your dream. |
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soomin
Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 8:35 pm Post subject: |
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Have you thought about applying with the government? If you know the language, usually you can get placed in the country you want, at least, in America... I would say learning the language would be the first thing to get you into a diplomatic job. I'd say trying to get a job at the UK embassy would be your best bet, and if you had some UK connections, maybe you could get help getting placed here.
Good luck! |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Modernist wrote: |
| Quote: |
| but why else would someone from the UK be so keen to work in Korea or, unless there was a love interest involved? |
Yeah, I'm betting on kimchi fever too. Maybe not a specific person, yet, but wants to have access to the in-country choices? The alternative, as I've said before, is a frustrated Japan-lover who wants to be close, at least.
Regardless, OP, you are going to have quite a bit of trouble pursuing your dream. The main reason is that Korea is essentially an ethnically-biased, prejudicial society which retains in many crucial ways its legendary insularity developed over centuries of trying to resist [when not directly copying things, mind you] the influence of larger and more powerful neighbors China and Japan.
In other words, unless they can't get something any other way--hello, E2 visa holders!--Koreans want Koreans to do any job that needs doing. They aren't looking for reasons to import labor, regardless of skill level, education or background. They have never been, and aren't really even today, an immigration-based society or economy, such as America, Canada, Australia, or the UK. Their recent prosperity has brought some working-class inflow, on the D3s and D4s, and foreign students on D2s, and AFAIK even these groups have been somewhat of a challenge for them to manage. Not to mention us.
What you're talking about is just not at all common to find here. It just isn't something you see much. This isn't Shanghai, or Hong Kong, or Singapore. Foreign professionals aren't very common in Korea. There are a few, but not many.
As for Master's degrees, I would advise extreme caution. Once, many years ago, I was a student in a prominent IR program. The reality is those programs don't often open the doors they implicitly promise to; many people with IR degrees aren't working internationally and those with good jobs frequently had them before they got the degree [which are often paid for by their employers, anyway].
Working 'internationally', diplomacy, NGO or whatever is a dog's breakfast. What do you actually want to DO? What CAN you do? What kind of technical skills do you have? 'I want to live in Korea' is not an answer. If that's all you got, it's English teaching for you. You've got to give people a reason to consider hiring you.
If you can manage to learn more-or-less fluent Korean, you have a shot. It's a rare skill, obviously, so there would be people looking for that kind of thing. But it'll be a random exercise and you'd be advised to have something beyond that to work with. More specific details about what you are good at doing, how you can contribute to an organization, what kinds of problems you've solved.
If you want to be a diplomat, I'm sure you know more than I do about the process of applying at the Foreign Office. Fluent Korean will again be crucial. But if Britain is like America, they will assign you where they want, and a lifetime posting in Korea is HIGHLY unlikely. It's the nature of being a diplomat--you go where there's a need.
Your 'plans' are dubious, fuzzy, borderline incoherent, show little understanding of Korea, and display a striking lack of thought about the true nature of work outside mushy thoughts of 'I love Korea' and 'I want to do something IMPORTANT'. This kind of thing will not bring you the outcome you claim to desire. Do better, or change your dream. |
while what a lot of what modernist types is true, a lot of it isn't. keep in mind he always laces his post with the most ludicrous disdain for korea and has an extremely negative outlook on life here, so an unbiased response is not what you are getting. it's ironic that he is telling you that you have little understanding of korea when he displays little to no understanding of it in most of his posts.
anyways, i digress.
first, you do not NEED korean to work outside of teaching here. this is just propagated by teachers who want to get out of the teaching world but don't know how. sure it helps, but it is not 100% necessary. i don't have a single close foreigner teacher friend here, yet i have a lot of foreigner friends here. while some were previously teachers, they all now work in the corporate and private sectors and most of them speak little to no korean. as i said before, it's all about networking.
second, foreign professionals ARE very common in korea. seoul just happens to be massive and they are scattered all over. while singapore might give you the impression it's expat heavy (and it is and does) it's because singapore is tiny and they all pretty much hit up clark quay in the evenings.
lastly, your visa type does not matter. if a company hires you on an e2 most of them will send you for a short vacation to japan to switch you over to a working visa sponsored by the company.
do not let people like this discourage you. inexplicably, a good deal of what they say is fallacy and full of spite and unwarranted hatred towards the country they choose to reside in (which is another ridiculous concept).
good luck to you. it's not as hard as you might think.
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| If you want to be a diplomat, I'm sure you know more than I do about the process of applying at the Foreign Office. Fluent Korean will again be crucial. |
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| Have you thought about applying with the government? If you know the language, usually you can get placed in the country you want, at least, in America... I would say learning the language would be the first thing to get you into a diplomatic job |
You DO NOT NEED languages to get into the foreign office. Read my link below again
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/9194006/One-in-40-UK-diplomats-fluent-in-language-of-country-in-which-they-work.html
| Quote: |
| first, you do not NEED korean to work outside of teaching here. this is just propagated by teachers who want to get out of the teaching world but don't know how. sure it helps, but it is not 100% necessary. i don't have a single close foreigner teacher friend here, yet i have a lot of foreigner friends here. while some were previously teachers, they all now work in the corporate and private sectors and most of them speak little to no korean. as i said before, it's all about networking |
yes it's funny how many posters on here persist with this learning Korean is vital stuff against all the facts. Korean is obviously necessary if you want to work for a KOREAN COMPANY. Otherwise, that's what interpreters are for. |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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| edwardcatflap wrote: |
| Quote: |
| If you want to be a diplomat, I'm sure you know more than I do about the process of applying at the Foreign Office. Fluent Korean will again be crucial. |
| Quote: |
| Have you thought about applying with the government? If you know the language, usually you can get placed in the country you want, at least, in America... I would say learning the language would be the first thing to get you into a diplomatic job |
You DO NOT NEED languages to get into the foreign office. Read my link below again
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/9194006/One-in-40-UK-diplomats-fluent-in-language-of-country-in-which-they-work.html
| Quote: |
| first, you do not NEED korean to work outside of teaching here. this is just propagated by teachers who want to get out of the teaching world but don't know how. sure it helps, but it is not 100% necessary. i don't have a single close foreigner teacher friend here, yet i have a lot of foreigner friends here. while some were previously teachers, they all now work in the corporate and private sectors and most of them speak little to no korean. as i said before, it's all about networking |
yes it's funny how many posters on here persist with this learning Korean is vital stuff against all the facts. Korean is obviously necessary if you want to work for a KOREAN COMPANY. Otherwise, that's what interpreters are for. |
actually ed i know scores of foreign guys who speak nary a lick of korean working at chaebols like samsung, lg, etc., so even korean companies are not out of the question. |
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goreality
Joined: 09 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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Easiest path to get a non ESL job is to learn Korean while making connections. Getting an MA and an F-visa will increase the odds.
Not being able to speak Korean will limit you and lower your odds. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
| actually ed i know scores of foreign guys who speak nary a lick of korean working at chaebols like samsung, lg, etc., so even korean companies are not out of the question. |
While I pretty much agree, if it comes down to you and one other applicant and everything else weighs in the same, and the other applicant speaks Korean and you don't, it plays in the other person's favor.
That said, there are some office jobs that want people who speak Korean. Their advertisements generally pretty clearly state this, and it's up to the applicant whether or not to make an effort. I now see that as a bit of a red flag, because the only reasons they would want someone with Korean language ability is that no one in the office can speak a lick of English (not even assigning tasks), or they want a part-time translator on the side. |
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sck2012
Joined: 04 Jul 2012
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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First of all, thank you for the advice.
I agree with the fact that learning Korean is essential, for myself if nothing else. I have lived in other countries in the past and always made a conscious effort to learn the lingo. Having done so, my time there has always become more enjoyable and more productive. Just because many of the foreigners in Korea get by without making any effort at all, residing in a country that they display a clear animosity towards, doesn't mean that's what I want to do as well.
I love your very negative post modernist.
- I realized that I would be condemned for having a collection of questions, ideas and ambitions that do not meet your standards of coherence.
- I also realized that I would be labelled as a character that loves Korea purely because I want to get off with as many Korean women as possible.
- I knew I would be labelled an idiot on Korean culture when that isn't the case at all. That being said, this isn't about that and that's not the point.
I know it must be difficult to comprehend the notion that an individual would want to come to a country because it made him particularly happy. I'd rather pursue a place that gave me that happiness than sit in a country and stagnate in the fact that I hate it with a passion...
I'm not saying I have to live in South Korea and that it is the be all and end all of my considerations. I like Asia a lot and having lived in certain European countries and Asian countries alike, I've decided that this area of the world is for me.
I'm sorry if my thoughts are too hazy, I didn't come here to lay out a life plan that met the standards of others, just to get a few answers.
Thanks for the help! |
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