My first move to South Korea

Hello and welcome !

i would suggest that you provide more infos on your qualifications and the type of job you are looking for ...

Regards

Bhavna

Thank you; that's very helpful

A few things that may help - see if your current qualifications line up with in-demand jobs there. Also look into areas like teaching English if you don't speak Korean yet. As for housing, checking sites like Zigbang and fb groups dedicated to expats can help you get leads. It may take some time to settle in but staying positive and utilizing resources will serve you well. Best of luck with the move!

Sometimes it takes a B.A. from certain "English speaking countries," and the ability to fog up a mirror with your breath in order to prove that you are alive. While other times, they may expect a little more from you depending where the country is at. Enjoy Korea, but be very careful!

@enochcheries0346First thing you need to do is check what visa you need. Can’t get a job or live there without one.You can probably get away with the easy online one if you’re just visiting to look for soemwhere to live or have a job interview but you need a proper work visa to actually accept a job there.This is the online one in case you need that *** Proper work visa I think you have to go to the Korean embassy…?

100% NEVER come to Korea to look for work as a foreigner (unless you are an ex Korean on an F4, even then not advisable).

And basically no degree, 200% no. (Non professional work is for certain nationalities only and hired in home country via agents).

@Nemodot I'm not disagreeing with you at all. I've seen one or two disasters. Thank you for reminding people to keep aware and do their research before rushing into anything. Also, on the flip side, personally I know thousands of foreigners working or who have worked in Korea (and know of hundreds of thousands), all of whom love it. The few bad experiences were something you can experience in all countries and was quickly remedied with appropriate assistance from local government and neighbors (employers who mistreat workers are prosecuted and I've seen several go to prison; Korea doesn't allow employers to mistreat their employees, there are strict laws and they are enforced, if the employees seek government assistance and do everything that would be required in any of the top nations). Korea is just like any of the nations who rank as the top 10 economies of their region, a very good infrastructure, a government that cares, good people thanks to a good education system, and all the amenities you could ever want. And so, while yes there might be one or two people who might be the exception it's not good to prevent the rest of the world from benefiting by traveling to and enjoying all that Korea has to offer, by highlighting the one or two instances where out of tens of millions of foreigners somebody catches the wrong bus and that person has plenty of resources to try and resolve that rare and almost never seen predicament. But yes, there have been a handful of people who were not so lucky, in most places on the planet. We pray it's never our turn! Rare like getting bit by a shark, but it does happen, and when it does it's never fun! For everyone who does have a good and successful experience, we're super thankful! Everyone do your research to ensure you're not entering a bad situation. So that you can hopefully have a great experience! Enjoy life to the fullest! Chat with me anytime if you want to know more about my own experiences. Thank you for your contributions to the world (especially your comments, I've read many of them, very awesome, keep 'em coming)!

@BenArnold4u

a spammer/advertiser/scanner I see...

For others beware othosese types on forums. Terrible service always and false info given.

Thank you for the advice!

Here are a few articles I found discussing various resources for finding jobs in Korea and what to expect in Korea:

F-series Visa

The easiest way to get a non-teaching job as a foreigner is by having an F-series visa. Why is that? Because by having an F-series visa, you no longer need a visa sponsored by the company. This massively broadens your options of companies and job positions to apply to.

Unfortunately, getting that visa isnt easy.

Unless you get married to a Korean person, you usually need to have held onto a job (or several jobs in the same field) for a good while before you can qualify for one. So while it’s the easiest way to get a job in South Korea, it’s not an option for newbies.

Graduate from a Korean University

But while working in South Korea for foreigners can be more complicated without that F-series visa, it’s not impossible! Perhaps the second easiest way for a foreigner to get a job in South Korea is by graduating from a Korean university.

Recent college graduates and past alumni from universities, whether with a bachelor’s or master’s degree, can do this.

Immigration will be more lax on what kind of jobs you are qualified to apply for. In other words, you’re not strictly limited to only getting a job directly in the field of your university degree.

The only main restriction is that the company has to be able to provide you with visa sponsorship.

OTHER OPTIONS:

Apply for jobs in Korea from your home country

Find a company in your own country with branches in South Korea.

WHAT IS NEEDED:

Is speaking Korean necessary for work in Korea?

ANSWER: Most of the companies open to visa sponsorships for foreign employees are looking specifically for those that are fluent in languages other than Korean.

RESOURCES:

Where to find jobs in South Korea for foreigners?

JOB FAIRS

One of the quickest ways to find many companies at once is by attending a job fair.

There are two main job fairs arranged every fall. One is for foreign residents in South Korea, and the other is specifically for international students in South Korea.

JOB WEBSITES

Besides that, along with networking, there are also several websites out there through which you can find and apply for jobs. Here are a few great examples:

Craigslist Korea

This is a hit-or-miss type of job portal. However, the job advertisements are usually in English, and the employees sought after are foreigners. It may not be where you find your dream job, but it’s likely the least intimidating site to start with.

Saramin

Saramin is a website entirely in Korean, so it may be terrifying to navigate through at first. However, this is one of the main job portals for Koreans themselves to find a job, and there are plenty of jobs from different fields posted where they are looking for foreign language speakers.

JobKorea

Another job portal that is mainly used in Korea is JobKorea. Similar to Saramin, this website is purely in Korean. However, it’s a great site to explore for jobs as there are a lot of job postings, even for foreigners.

PeopleNJob

It is said to be the best job portal to find a job in South Korea for foreigners. It looks overwhelming at first glance, but you’ll be relieved to know that there is also an ample amount of jobs there posted in English.

LinkedIn

Unlike the other portals listed here, this is the main place where you can find all the big foreign companies looking for employees in their Korean branches. Companies have job postings all the time, and you can get notifications right on your phone, too!

Hirediversity

Hirediversity helps international students seeking jobs in Korea.

Incruit

Similarly to Saramin, Incruit offers you a variety of ways to find what you are looking for. You can use the salary calculator, research all the available positions for your interests, and it’s easy to apply for the job. If you have any questions or need information on how to apply and so on, just take a look.

Seoul Global Center (SGC)

This is your savior when it comes to searching for a job, program, or language course as a foreigner in Korea. You can get in touch with other foreigners by clicking the ‘foreign community’ button and looking for a job in the ‘job search’ section all at once in Seoul Global Center.

Worknet

What makes Worknet unique, except the fact that you can look for a job and get more information about the company and the position, is that they can actually help you find the best job for you based on your personality. On their website, you will find a variety of options to make a psychology test or career-orienting test both for adolescents and adults. This is why this website is perfect for any age.

Work Korea

Their website is in English which will make it easier for those of you who still don`t understand Korean that well. You can start your search by clicking on ‘Job Seekers’ and selecting your preferred region/city and job position.

Alba cheonguk

Looking for a part-time job that will fit into your already busy schedule? Alba is the perfect place for you. It allows you to look for an emergency part-time job or a short-term, part-time job. You can choose the option for ‘foreigner’ to make it even more suitable and easier to find what is best for you!

Albamon

Another excellent way to find a job is if you are a student or if you are interested in working for companies such as KFC, Subway, CJ Olive Young, McDonald's, and many more.

__________

Those are just a few of the many articles on this subject found online.

In short, there are many resources. These are only a handful of the thousands available. Also try "Monster Jobs" site for Korea job postings.

Happy job hunting! -Ben Arnold :-D

@enochcheries0346

Well, you don't know what you don't know. Be open to new experiences and hope to be a little more of a type B personality. In Myers-Briggs parlance, I've always found that  ESFPs tend to do well in Korea, whereas INTJs do well in Japan. Just something to consider.

Don't feel like you have to change everything, but approach Korea with a Trekkie's "Prime Directive" and you will likely be happier. Becarefulof drinking and sleep. Both can be major issues when heading to the Land of the Midnight Noise.

If you are in or around Seoul or one of the bigger cities, you might end up fairing well...but being in a tiny hamlet in the mountains can be quite isolating if that's not who you are.

This is all just an opinion of  someone who lived there for 19 1/2 years, so take it as you will. It can feel lonely, yet not getting much privacy, at the same time. The adjustment can be difficult.

I work as a counselor, both face to face and Skype video. If you see it as an adventure  and keep a positive attitude, you will go far. Let goof control and ride the wave.

I envy you! You are about to set off on a great journey! Make wonderful memories! Godspeed.

Yvon