So here's the deal. I'm not saying that SK is heaven or anything like that, but the truth is there are opportunities here that you won't find in your home country. This could be a big deal for you if you're someone looking for a New Life Experience, underemployed at home, or just sick of your environment. Also, the jobs listed below are not part time gig, but jobs that you can save money and grow with. Now as a caveat some jobs are also restricted to certain nationalities, which I'll explain later, and this list is by no means exhausted. The jobs listed above are some of the more common ones available/popular. Now you can get hired on as a foreign factory worker, bar girl, farm hand etc. however we're aiming high here.
So in no particular order here you go.
1. Native English Teacher: This is one of the easiest jobs to get here if you have a bachelor's degree and a clean criminal record. You DO NOT need a teaching degree or know how to speak Korean to teach English here. Starting pay is only about $2100 a month in many cases, but you're only working about 25 hours a week, get paid vacations, and free housing, etc. This job along with college professorship (which gives you even more benefits) is not the most high paying job around, but with housing paid for and cheap public transportation it makes saving money very easy. Plus you can teach even more English on the side for extra money. This was my first job in Korea and I did it for many years.
2. Entrepreneur: In places like Seoul and around the U.S. bases you'll see many expat owned restaurants and pubs. Some of these people former English teachers who moved loved it here and decided to start their own business. Korea is relatively immigration friendly so you'll see places operated by Iranians, Turks, Filipinos etc. One Swedish guy even started his own entertainment company called JJang Entertainment. I had my own English Academy here for a few years also.
3. U.S. Contractor : This is only open to Americans, but basically you work for the U.S. Government as a contractor at one of the military bases here. In many cases the money is really good, and with the best part is we don't have to pay INCOME TAXES!! For my foreign friends America is one of those few countries that makes you pay taxes worldwide, no matter where you live or earn money from. This is my current position here.
4. U.S Govt/Military: Technically not a job so much as an assignment, but there are some benefits for serving over here. Government civil servants (GS) get tax payer paid housing here, so no out of pocket spending on their part. Military personell can get incentive pay for coming to Korea or extended their tours here. Also, the U.S. Army Reserve (And maybe National Guard still) is over here for those interested. You can be a GS/Contractor and serve in the Reserves to double dip in the benefits. I'm still in the Army Reserves and it's been a decent source of extra income and benefits over the years.
3. Corporate Job: Global companies such as P&G, Amazon etc. have operations over here so you can get hired directly from the companies here, or be transferred from your home office to here. Again there are tax advantages for working here. Americans don't have to pay Income Taxes, and the income tax here is only about 6% if your paid in Korean Won.
4. Korean Corporate Job: Similar to number 3 except your hired on by a domestic company. Most people hired on in this capacity are English teachers, or some other English related field, but many are trained technicians such as IT technicians. I actually worked in the IT field for a while with a local Korean firm.
5. Spanish/Japanese/Farsi/Any Language Teacher: Pretty much same as an English teacher, except not as many positions available. If you speak Chinese that's a popular alternative language you can teach, especially at the university level.
Finally everything here is for information purposes only. I highly recommend you do your due diligence if you're interested in coming here. I guarantee it will be life changing.
A lot of foreigners I met when I lived in South Korea taught English I think it's a great opportunity to live in different countries. Great post thanks for sharing!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit