Korean Job Discussion Forums

[twoofus]

I am a 26-year-old male recently here from Canada on a working visa.

Although I do have a TESL certificate, I don't have a degree, so I know that teaching it out (yes, I know it's possible to teach illegally, but I have terrible luck and am not interested in testing my karma)...are there any other jobs I can legally get - I'm assuming I would need to get a working visa from an employer.

Thanks a lot for your help.

[Homer]

twoofus,

That depends.

Speak Korean?

What are your professional qualifications?

[twoofus]

I own my own web design business (harperdesigns.ca) and can telecommute from my apartment near Seoul, if necessary. I'm a native English speaker with an artistic background (photography, graphic design, etc.)

I don't speak Korean...yet.

[Litlbul]

What other jobs are available?

[Ya-ta Boy]

For someone who is bi-lingual, think about publishing houses that do English study guides (most are horrible and NEED help desperately), export/import companies for communications, newspapers, air lines...Just be creative in your thinking. You have a majorly valuable skill to sell. If you are good at teaching grammar, you can teach at 50% to 100% more than we get. Maybe more.

Good luck.

(PS: I'll send you my bank account number so you can give me a percentage, if you take my advice. )

[Homer]

If you speak Korean, depending on your background (education or trade and field of work) you can work for various companies here, do some consulting or other types of jobs.

Of course, for all of these you need qualifications in the form of a degree in that field of work or equivalent professional experience.

[mindmetoo]

Not speaking Korean is going to seriously hamper you. Remember there are a load of gyopos in Korea with all kinds of mad talents. Unrelated but probably indicative, I was working with a gyopyo teacher who soon had to do his military service. He had lived in New York for most of his life holding a green card via his parents. So he wasn't an actual American. I was like "but your English is so good you can become a KATUSA, right?" "Actually, no. There are so many Koreans like me back in Korea these days that there are more of us than positions in the KATUSAs..."

Jobs are best sourced getting to know the right people. Connections. Making friends. The best trick is make friends with translators. Translators are always looking for native speaker friends (mostly to hit you up for help in their job, like "Does this sentence make sense?"). Translators are paid piss poor wages and work very short contracts so they're always, always hunting for work. And while hunting for work, they'll find you work.