Life in Korea as a Foreigner -2- Jobs and Life

In this Part 2, I will summarize what was mentioned in Part 1 and continue to provide information about employment, admission to schools, and life in Korea. 

Part 1 Life in korea as a Foreigner - jobs and life 

The following topics were covered in Part 1:: 

1. Jobs for foreign workers in Korea and the income they can expect
2. Racial discrimination occurring in Korea 

This article is written based on feedback from my foreign friends, my own experiences abroad, and researched statistics and news, so it may be subjective and biased. 

In Part 1, I wrote somewhat contradictory information. It was about there being 560,000 foreigners engaged in employment activities in Korea, while also stating that there are no jobs for foreigners. 

To understand this, we should first look at the statistical data.

As of 2024, there are 89,928 professional workers and 477,033 simple job workers.

Source: Ministry of Justice, Korea

 Examples of Professional Personnel

1. IT Professionals: Software developers, data scientists, system administrators, and AI engineers

2. Education Sector: University professors, native English instructors, and international school teachers

3. Medical Experts: Licensed doctors, nurses, clinical researchers, and medical technologists

4. Business Professionals: Financial analysts, business consultants, and marketing managers

5. Researchers: Scientists working in corporate R&D departments or university laboratories

6. Entertainment Industry: Actors, models, TV broadcasters, and performing artists

7. Corporate Executives: CEOs, expatriate managers, and directors of multinational companies

Examples of Simple Skilled Labor 

1. Manufacturing Workers: Employees in factories producing automobile parts, electronics, or machinery

2. Construction Workers: Skilled laborers and general workers at residential and industrial sites

3. Agricultural & Fishery Workers: Seasonal workers in greenhouses, farms, orchards, or fishing ports

4. Restaurant & Food Service Staff: Kitchen assistants, servers, and dishwashers in restaurants

5. Facility & Cleaning Staff: Janitorial workers, building maintenance, and sanitation personnel

6. Care & Support Workers: Caregivers at elderly care homes, nursing assistants

7. Logistics & Packaging Staff: Warehouse workers, delivery personnel, and sorting staff in logistics centers

Incheon International Airport, South Korea.

There are only 89,928 foreigners working in professional jobs in Korea(2024) It seems that a significant number are self-employed or simple job workers. 

As mentioned in Part 1, according to 2020 statistics, the total number of workers in South Korea is 28 million.  

Based on this calculation, roughly one out of every 300 people in Korea is a foreign professional worker, and one out of every 56 people is a foreign simple job worker. 

Of course, this excludes undocumented residents not included in the statistics.  Therefore, unless you come to Korea through a simple labor job or job placement, it doesn't seem easy to get a professional job where you can use your major. 

Let's analyze the reasons for this. 

1. 1. Companies hiring for professional positions lack experience. Generally, E-7 visas (for professional fields such as IT, management/finance, education, trade, research, technology, etc.) are required to hire foreigners. However, most companies still don't have much experience hiring foreigners, so they are skeptical about such hiring, and cases of failure also occur. On the other hand, companies hiring simple job workers often have a shortage of labor, so they have a lot of experience and are very proficient because they are also connected with worker-providing companies that are operated by foreigners. 
2. 1. Preference for Koreans/Korean language ability After surveying domestic public opinion looking at foreigners complaining about the difficulties of finding employment, many Koreans said: "If you have to provide the same ability and the same salary, wouldn't you hire a Korean who speaks Korean well?" "It's the same for me when I'm abroad." Korea is not yet as open to hiring foreigners as Germany, Canada, and the Netherlands. Among these, language seems to be the most concerning part. For example, in Germany, Canada, Australia (which are obviously English-speaking countries), and the Netherlands, there are companies that are satisfied with English communication skills. However, while Korea places a high importance on English, domestic business is not conducted solely in English. That is, to succeed in employment, language ability needs to be at least B2 to C1. For medical schools in Korea, the graduation requirement for foreigners is TOPIK level 5, which corresponds to C1 in European language standards. Other universities have lower requirements, but Korean is still very important for employment. B1 is an intermediate level where limited daily communication is possible B2 is an upper intermediate level where daily communication is possible C1 corresponds to an advanced level where one can understand daily communication, difficult expressions, and social contexts. To acquire this C1 level typically requires more than 2-3 years of intensive study. It's already difficult to study for a profession in Korea, and acquiring the language is also very challenging, which makes it difficult for foreigners to find employment. There is one more issue that makes it difficult for companies to hire foreigners. According to domestic law, generally, in employer requirements, only 20% of Korean employees can be hired as foreigners, meaning a company needs to have 5 Korean employees to hire one foreigner. (Don't misunderstand. This is not for all f ields but for fields covered by the E-7 visa.) In other words, if a company in a field where E-7 visas are permitted has fewer than 5 employees, it is very difficult to hire foreigners, which also makes it difficult for foreigners to find employment.

Visa issues As of 2023, there are a total of 29,322 E-7 visa holders.  Obtaining such a visa is not easy. 

Although the government says it plans to increase the quota for E-7 visas for foreigners working in Korea, the increase is still very gradual. 

Koreans and Korean companies seeking to invite foreigners must meet the following conditions:

1)It must be one of the 87 occupations eligible for E-7 visa issuance  

2)The applicant must not be subject to certificate of visa issuance restrictions 

3)The company must meet the employment requirements, permitted number of employees, and minimum wage requirements set for each occupation  

4)The company or inviter must have no tax delinquency history  

5)A convincing foreign employment reason statement must be submitted

According to administrative agents, this seems simple, but If the occupation mentioned in this foreign employment reason statement can be sufficiently filled by domestic personnel, the visa may be denied on the grounds that there is no reason to invite a foreigner. 

Therefore, from the company's perspective, a detailed plan and a lot of effort are required.

These prices are based on third-party visa agencies and may vary depending on the services included. This is not a promotional link.

Source: ExampleVisaCenter.com – Screenshot captured for educational purposes

When converted to dollars, these are $688 and $964 respectively

 *This is only for visa application agency services, and these are not companies that will hire you. Of course, prices vary by agency, so please use this just for reference.

 As of 2024, there are 263,000 foreign students. However, only 30,000 have received Korea's E-7 visa that allows them to be employed in professional jobs.

      source:MRTC

 Due to this issue, many foreigners leave after graduating from Korean universities because they cannot find employment

4. How to get a job in Korea?

There's no need to despair. It's just complicated, not impossible. Korea is increasingly accepting foreign employment and immigration, and as statistics show, the influx of foreigners is rising sharply.  

Nevertheless, like Japan, Korea has some closed aspects, but the Korean government's intention is not to exclude foreigners but to prioritize accepting foreigners with suitable qualifications into Korean society.  

If you plan to enter a Korean university, consult and get guidance on how much help the university can provide in job placement after graduation while studying there.  

Many of my Korean friends got jobs through professor recommendations after graduating from university, and some universities are working very hard to increase these employment rates because a good employment rate helps them attract more new students.  

While researching materials and inquiring with universities about my foreign friend's university admission, I found that various Korean universities accept foreigners.  However, there are some universities that could be considered traps. 

While it might be strategic to avoid universities with extremely high competition and difficulty when applying to Korean universities, you should also avoid enrolling in lesser-known universities with insufficient verification materials.  

I've seen news a few years ago where many foreigners, including those of Kazakh descent, were deported because a university did not manage their visas despite receiving tuition. 

 There are also cases where Vietnamese students were defrauded by university study abroad brokers.  

Take sufficient time and get help from reliable university agents. If you need to apply on your own without an agent's help due to financial issues or lack of information, avoid universities that are not well-exposed on Google or the internet or have a short history of accepting foreign students.  

(I won't specifically mention these universities because I don't want to be sued by them) Companies with experience hiring foreigners are better, and if a company lacks experience, consult with a Korean administrative agent.  

As mentioned above, this is important. Korean companies also want to hire foreigners, but they also don't know much information, so there are cases where they fail to hire foreigners due to various mistakes, and there are also companies that do not want to hire foreigners due to trauma or fear from such failures. 

Limited simple consultations with Korean administrative agents are not that expensive.  It's better to inquire with administrative agents who have professional experience in this area, not just any administrative agent. 

Again, it's not impossible or as difficult as threading a needle.  It's just that both you and business owners lack information, and Korea's relatively short history of hiring foreigners also plays a role.  

Avoid overly packaged materials on the internet (excessively positive or negative materials) and prepare objectively. Experience helps with changing jobs. 

If you came to Korea through a simple job or study visa, build experience. Having not only good information but also good people around you will help with your employment. 

Street of International city of Korea

Although the influence of connections in hiring is gradually fading (there's a trend toward blind hiring these days), if you have many good people around you, they will help find workplaces that want to hire you.  

Also, even if your starting salary is somewhat low, building experience is very helpful when changing jobs.  It's obvious, but I'd like to say that gradually building a foundation step by step is surprisingly important. 

This part is too obvious, but I still mentioned it. Language is very important. Living in Korea using only English is not impossible.  

Young people in Korea are so interested in English that even when my foreign friends want to speak Korean, young people sometimes respond to them in English. 

In fact, even with just a B1 level, Koreans can communicate with you in daily conversations and will try to understand you. 

However, Korean communication is very important for employment and deeper human relationships.  

For professional jobs, it's good to study up to at least B2~C1. This will broaden your job opportunities.  

There are cases of failure and negative experiences, but success stories also exist. Of course, there will be cases where lucky people found employment more easily...  

There will also be cases of people getting jobs with just English skills (mainly native language teachers or foreign companies), and people who met good companies and found employment without major issues.  

However, I want to tell you that even for those of you with ordinary opportunities, excluding such luck, Korea is still very much open to you.