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 Working (LEGALLY) in Korea, Anyone else?

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TSthurtin
post Nov 13 2019, 01:08 PM

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QUOTE(windvind @ Nov 12 2019, 04:07 PM)
Yes, i'm supposed to get the E-7-1 Visa, so should be similar.
They told me that i need to get my documents certified from my university then get it notorized after checking with Korean consulate. Not sure if they have specific Notary public's.

I will need to make a trip to the my old uni, i guess. I'm not from KL and my uni is also far away.
Which is kind troublesome. I probably need to call the embassy to make sure, so i dont need to do 2 trips.
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I don't know if you know this already but it seems that getting your documents notarized is not enough now. It has to be apostilled as well. See here

I would suggest you ask your company and embassy clearly on all the documents you need. You would also need to do health check up and TB test. Would save a lot of trips and headache. FYI, it took me about 1 month+ to get the actual visa.
windvind
post Nov 18 2019, 01:12 PM

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QUOTE(thurtin @ Nov 13 2019, 01:08 PM)
I don't know if you know this already but it seems that getting your documents notarized is not enough now. It has to be apostilled as well. See here

I would suggest you ask your company and embassy clearly on all the documents you need. You would also need to do health check up and TB test. Would save a lot of trips and headache. FYI, it took me about 1 month+ to get the actual visa.
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Thanks for the advise. I think the HR at my company gave me the wrong instructions.
How did you get your document apostilled? Did you do it at the Korean embassy or did you do it at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Did you need confirmation from your school?


Also, can i know the cost of living in Korea?
I saw this in Youtube, as in the link. The cost of living in Korea is around 900k to 1 million won, around 3.5k ringgit.
Is it about right?

https://youtu.be/rVnkQhcro_A
TSthurtin
post Nov 18 2019, 01:44 PM

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QUOTE(windvind @ Nov 18 2019, 01:12 PM)
Thanks for the advise. I think the HR at my company gave me the wrong instructions.
How did you get your document apostilled? Did you do it at the Korean embassy or did you do it at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Did you need confirmation from your school?
Also, can i know the cost of living in Korea?
I saw this in Youtube, as in the link. The cost of living in Korea is around 900k to 1 million won, around 3.5k ringgit.
Is it about right?

https://youtu.be/rVnkQhcro_A
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I got mine done in 2017 before the new requirements came into effect, so am not sure how this aspotille process works. Sorry. I just remembered that I had to get my previous workplaces to write me a letter to prove that I used to work there. I then made a 2-week trip to KR to pass all my original docs like school certs, etc to my HR. They then got the lawyer to sort it all out. I think it's best you make a trip to the KR embassy in KL to get detailed instructions on how to get everything in order.

The cost of living in KR varies on location and lifestyle. Incheon is probably a bit less expensive than Seoul, but by not by much. Is your company covering your rent first of all? That is probably the biggest cost. Have you read up about the key deposit money or jeonse/wolse rent system? If your company is not covering the key deposit money and/or monthly rent, that expense will be very high.

I would say the basic expenses alone excluding rent would be about 400k to 500k KRW a month in KR. For me, I think i spend about 500k to 800k KRW a month just on meals and entertainment. I used to live 10 mins away by foot from my office so I don't spend much on travel to the office.


windvind
post Nov 18 2019, 04:52 PM

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QUOTE(thurtin @ Nov 18 2019, 01:44 PM)
I got mine done in 2017 before the new requirements came into effect, so am not sure how this aspotille process works. Sorry. I just remembered that I had to get my previous workplaces to write me a letter to prove that I used to work there. I then made a 2-week trip to KR to pass all my original docs like school certs, etc to my HR. They then got the lawyer to sort it all out. I think it's best you make a trip to the KR embassy in KL to get detailed instructions on how to get everything in order.

The cost of living in KR varies on location and lifestyle. Incheon is probably a bit less expensive than Seoul, but by not by much. Is your company covering your rent first of all? That is probably the biggest cost. Have you read up about the key deposit money or jeonse/wolse rent system? If your company is not covering the key deposit money and/or monthly rent, that expense will be very high. 

I would say the basic expenses alone excluding rent would be about 400k to 500k KRW a month in KR. For me, I think i spend about 500k to 800k KRW a month just on meals and entertainment. I used to live 10 mins away by foot from my office so I don't spend much on travel to the office.
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My company actually has a vacant apartment available atm. When me or my colleagues visit Korea we would stay there a few times a year. They would allow me to use the apartment.
So, the good thing for me is that i don't need to pay rent, but the bad thing is i believed they low balled me on the salary because of that.

From what i know most companies provide lunch and sometimes dinner.
Form your food budget, the 500k to 800k is for eating out or do you also cook?


TSthurtin
post Nov 18 2019, 05:36 PM

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QUOTE(windvind @ Nov 18 2019, 04:52 PM)
My company actually has a vacant apartment available atm. When me or my colleagues visit Korea we would stay there a few times a year. They would allow me to use the apartment.
So, the good thing for me is that i don't need to pay rent, but the bad thing is i believed they low balled me on the salary because of that.

From what i know most companies provide lunch and sometimes dinner.
Form your food budget, the 500k to 800k is for eating out or do you also cook?
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Are they taxing you based on the fixed expat rate or are they putting you on the local tax rate? PM me your salary, position and package. I kinda know the market rate for expats and locals because my colleagues has shared a lot of info with me before. I can help with some intel if you want.

Yes, its good that they are covering your rent and a bit of the food. Those two are probably the biggest cost to your monthly expenses. Subway is considered affordable in KR because most stops are only 1250 KRW. Taxi is not too bad too with most rides under 15k to 20k KRW within Seoul, but rides in and out Seoul will be expensive.

Cost of a normal meal in Seoul is anywhere from 5k to 15k KRW. Three meals a day for 30 days is then about 450k to 1.35mil KRW. You can do your own math for your own food budget. This is all purely eating out.

You can save a bit if you cook mostly Korean food and eat it for days, but you will get sick of it really fast. Imported stuff is expensive and not easy to get. To be honest, I find it cheaper and easier to eat out than to cook for one person.
SUSTheRant
post Feb 28 2020, 12:03 PM

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QUOTE(thurtin @ Nov 18 2019, 05:36 PM)
Are they taxing you based on the fixed expat rate or are they putting you on the local tax rate? PM me your salary, position and package. I kinda know the market rate for expats and locals because my colleagues has shared a lot of info with me before. I can help with some intel if you want.

Yes, its good that they are covering your rent and a bit of the food. Those two are probably the biggest cost to your monthly expenses. Subway is considered affordable in KR because most stops are only 1250 KRW. Taxi is not too bad too with most rides under 15k to 20k KRW within Seoul, but rides in and out Seoul will be expensive.

Cost of a normal meal in Seoul is anywhere from 5k to 15k KRW. Three meals a day for 30 days is then about 450k to 1.35mil KRW. You can do your own math for your own food budget. This is all purely eating out. 

You can save a bit if you cook mostly Korean food and eat it for days, but you will get sick of it really fast. Imported stuff is expensive and not easy to get. To be honest, I find it cheaper and easier to eat out than to cook for one person.
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Just curious. How's the technical industry over there. I am a it developer/ programmer.

Do they have similar companies like Rakuten that promotes a multi cultural environment and are willing to hire non native speakers? I know a little bit of Korean by the way.

Are you working in a Korean company or a multinational company.

TSthurtin
post Mar 23 2020, 04:12 PM

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QUOTE(TheRant @ Feb 28 2020, 12:03 PM)
Just curious.  How's the technical industry over there. I am a it developer/ programmer.

Do they have similar companies like Rakuten that promotes a multi cultural environment and are willing to hire non native speakers?  I know a little bit of Korean by the way.

Are you working in a Korean company or a multinational company.
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Sorry for late reply. From what I know, the tech market is very insular and domesticated. It's hard for foreigners or non-native speakers to get a job with any Korean companies. Things are changing, but I would say the majority of tech companies, even the big chaebols like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, etc, still mostly hire locals.

I know the korean companies targeting the global market and startups do hire more foreigners, but positions are limited. You would need to be either very experienced or offer a specific set of skills that locals do not have. What these skills are I'm not sure but I'm guessing it's the stuff that is trending now right, e.g. AI, machine learning, cloud, fintech, etc.

mitopika P
post Jun 15 2020, 11:15 PM

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QUOTE(thurtin @ Mar 29 2018, 01:23 AM)
What do you do now and what do you plan to do there? Do you speak and write Korean?

Korea is not an easy place to find a job if you are not Korean. Period. The easiest and most popular job for non-Koreans is to be an English teacher but you have to be from the list of approved countries with English as the first language. Malaysia is not one of them. I heard and read that there is a demand for programming and engineering jobs for non-Koreans but I dont have the details. You are also unlikely to get a work visa without a sponsor.

As for me, I am in the communications field. I quit my old job in an international agency in KL and while on a break, I was asked to join my Korean branch. I don't need to write or speak Korean in my current job which is not very common in Korea.

Average salary in Korea for professionals is about 2k to 5k usd per month. Living expenses in Korea is probably medium-high, somewhere between Singapore and Hong Kong. Monthly expenses are from 500 usd to 1.5k usd per person excluding rent.

The rental system here is kinda complicated. You may need anywhere from 1k to 30k usd as rent deposit with monthly rent payments from 500 usd to 1.5k usd on average for a room or small studio.
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you re exactly right
I also saw the news that many programmers are hired in Korea.
Edward0116 P
post Jun 30 2020, 08:55 PM

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Hey, I'm just a student currently i just wanted to understand more about working in KR i had a dream of working in KR but first do i need a degree to get a job in KR or they also hire non-degree holder and if i graduate from Malaysia with a degree will they hire me in KR? and second if i graduate from KR university is it more easier to get a job in KR if you graduate from a KR university.
Edward0116 P
post Jul 1 2020, 01:05 AM

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The subject i'm taking i'm taking IT if i graduate from KR/MYR university is it easy to find IT job in KR
TSthurtin
post Jul 1 2020, 10:29 AM

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QUOTE(Edward0116 @ Jun 30 2020, 08:55 PM)
Hey, I'm just a student currently i just wanted to understand more about working in KR i had a dream of working in KR but first do i need a degree to get a job in KR or they also hire non-degree holder and if i graduate from Malaysia with a degree will they hire me in KR? and second if i graduate from KR university is it more easier to get a job in KR if you graduate from a KR university.
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Good to have dreams, but here is the reality in KR as far as I know from my observations and conversations with former colleagues.

The job market in KR is very competitive because they prioritize locals first and which university that you graduated from matters a lot. The good (tier 1) jobs first go to those that graduated from the SKY universities. Then the tier 2 jobs usually go to next Big 8 universities graduates. If you didn't graduate from a top local university, employers then usually will only consider those from the Ivy League schools. I heard that they might consider graduates from top UK schools, but they prefer US schools more than anything because KR is very US-centric.

A degree is pretty much a basic requirement because a lot of KR graduates have more than that, e.g. double majors, double degrees, masters, etc.

For foreign graduates, you pretty much will be judged on the same standards. If you didn't graduate from a top local or US school, your chances will be super slim - almost zero. I would say 80%/90% of companies do not hire foreign graduates unless you are super smart or what you studied is very specialized. The tech/startup sector is booming in Korea, so those guys may hire foreign graduates for technical talent like programmers, data analysts, AI specialists, etc.

On top of the "right" qualifications, you need to also know how to write and speak Korean because 80% to 90% of the time, everything will be in Korean only. If you don't come from the right school and can't speak Korean, your chances is guaranteed to be zero.

There are also other factors like visa stuff, understanding of Korean work culture, work experience, employer background/size, industry, etc that also matters, but I think the two requirements above are the two most important ones that you have to get past first.

Is it impossible for you to get a job in KR? No, but it will be extremely hard.
Edward0116 P
post Jul 1 2020, 05:16 PM

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Is it even harder to find a job in KR if i graduate from MYR university, and my goal is majoring IT in secondary school and if i major in IT and graduate in MYR university can i easily well not that easy to get a IT related job?
TSthurtin
post Jul 3 2020, 04:29 PM

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QUOTE(Edward0116 @ Jul 1 2020, 05:16 PM)
Is it even harder to find a job in KR if i graduate from MYR university, and my goal is majoring IT in secondary school and if i major in IT and graduate in MYR university can i easily well not that easy to get a IT related job?
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If you didn't get what I tried to say in the previous post, I think should you try to look for a job in Malaysia first when you graduate.
windvind
post Oct 2 2020, 11:15 AM

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I know this is a long shot and this forum is kind of dead.
But any one in Korea wants to met up?

Seoul, Incheon or Gyeonggi.
flokhay P
post Jun 9 2022, 10:03 AM

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QUOTE(thurtin @ Mar 15 2018, 04:28 PM)
Anyone here working in Korea? Just starting a thread to share info and experience, organize meet ups, etc.

I'm just into my 2nd month working in Seoul. I can share my limited experience/knowledge thus far if anyone is curious.
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Hi Thurtin, I understand that this thread is from 2018 but would like to try my luck to understand better on how I can land on a job in Korea. I am a Mass Communication graduate and have been working for 7 years now.
TSthurtin
post Jun 9 2022, 11:27 AM

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QUOTE(flokhay @ Jun 9 2022, 10:03 AM)
Hi Thurtin, I understand that this thread is from 2018 but would like to try my luck to understand better on how I can land on a job in Korea. I am a Mass Communication graduate and have been working for 7 years now.
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Wow, didn't realise that this was quite a while ago. Anyways, without knowing your exact details, I would say the most realistic pathway to getting a job in Korea is to work in a Korean MNC where you can potentially transfer there. Finding a job directly in Korea at your level will be very difficult for various reasons I've shared before. What would help you improve your chances are the criteria below.

1. Read and write business-level Korean

2. Understand and know how to apply the formal/informal customs and work culture

3. Have a lot of experience. tbh 7 years is not much. It's just their daeri (assistant manager) or gwajang (manager) level.

4. Have a specific skillset that no Koreans have. While mass comm is not a unique skillset that Koreans lack, it can be something specific within the space that gives you an advantage, e.g. experience in marketing/selling Korean brands to a global or specific market, experience in a niche industry, etc

5. Worked in large recognisable global or Korean MNCs

6. High level command of English. I know its weird, but Koreans do have a thing for "native English speakers" or foreigners who speak it very well. Also, if you can speak other languages like Mandarin, Indonesian, French, etc, that can also help in certain cases.


To be very frank, it will be probably easier for you to find a job in Singapore compared to Korea. But hey, never say never. Try looking online for jobs in Korea and apply from there. I'm sure you will get feedback or at least a sense of what you need to do to improve your chances. Good luck.

flokhay P
post Jun 9 2022, 03:24 PM

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QUOTE(thurtin @ Jun 9 2022, 11:27 AM)
Wow, didn't realise that this was quite a while ago. Anyways, without knowing your exact details, I would say the most realistic pathway to getting a job in Korea is to work in a Korean MNC where you can potentially transfer there. Finding a job directly in Korea at your level will be very difficult for various reasons I've shared before. What would help you improve your chances are the criteria below.

1. Read and write business-level Korean

2. Understand and know how to apply the formal/informal customs and work culture

3. Have a lot of experience. tbh 7 years is not much. It's just their daeri (assistant manager) or gwajang (manager) level.

4. Have a specific skillset that no Koreans have. While mass comm is not a unique skillset that Koreans lack, it can be something specific within the space that gives you an advantage, e.g. experience in marketing/selling Korean brands to a global or specific market, experience in a niche industry, etc 

5. Worked in large recognisable global or Korean MNCs

6. High level command of English. I know its weird, but Koreans do have a thing for "native English speakers" or foreigners who speak it very well. Also, if you can speak other languages like Mandarin, Indonesian, French, etc, that can also help in certain cases.
To be very frank, it will be probably easier for you to find a job in Singapore compared to Korea. But hey, never say never. Try looking online for jobs in Korea and apply from there. I'm sure you will get feedback or at least a sense of what you need to do to improve your chances. Good luck.
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I appreciate the prompt response. Will definitely look into those pointers you've shared. All the best to you too!
SUSDennisMay
post Sep 5 2022, 08:25 PM

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I also decided to work in Asia, not in Korea, but in Singapore. For a long time, I wanted to open a new business but didn't know where, so I ended up with an article on company registration in Singapore and decided that I would open one there. It's a city of opportunities, especially if you work in IT, there are many different companies associated with the development of different programs.

This post has been edited by DennisMay: Sep 5 2022, 08:27 PM

 

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