Almost 3 years ago, I wrote an article on how to get a job in Korea without speaking Korean. Nearly 3 years later, I am still working in the same law firm in Korea. I often receive messages from non-Koreans that want advice on how to get a job in Korea. So I wanted to provide my updated thoughts on this topic.
I basically stick by everything I wrote in my original article, except the part where I said Koreans aren’t active on LinkedIn. I don’t think that’s true any more.
It is absolutely possible to get a good job and have a thriving career in Korea as a non-Korean. I know many who have done it. But your task will be easier if you approach the task with good self-knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses in the job market.
Here are my suggestions:
1.Korean language ability
Firstly, the elephant in the room – how important is Korean language ability? There are generally a few types of non-Korean that are fully business-level fluent in Korean:
(i)“gyopos” (i.e. ethnic Koreans with a foreign passport, who grew up in a non-Korean speaking country but often spoke Korean as a first language at home with their parents);
(ii)People who have at some point been a full time student of the Korean language for 1-2 years;
(iii)Diplomats who have undergone intensive full time Korean language training (similar to number ii);
(iv)Non-English speaking immigrants from countries such as China and Vietnam. These people are a bit different from English-speaking immigrants as they often don’t have English as a common language to fall back on, and they are generally in a different situation from the “western” immigrants that I am mainly addressing here.
There are some exceptions, e.g. occasionally I encounter non-Koreans who spent their childhood in Korea (maybe their parents were diplomats, for example). Unusually, I meet people with an incredible level of talent in language learning who have managed to reach a really high level of Korean proficiency despite not being in one of the categories above, but they are rare, and statistically speaking, you are probably not one of them (I certainly am not).
The point I am making here is that Korean is an extremely difficult language for a non-Korean to learn to a high level. Learning Korean can only be a good thing, and the more Korean you can speak, the easier your life in Korea will be. But at the same time, unless you fall into one of the categories above, you need to be realistic about your limitations, and bear this in mind when job-seeking in Korea.
I say this because I often encounter naïvete amongst non-Koreans seeking a job in Korea. They nearly always overestimate their ability to reach business-level fluency in Korean, and underestimate how much time this will really take.
2.Think hard about why a Korean company would want to hire you rather than a Korean – and use this to narrow down appropriate job options
Consider the issue from the Korean hiring company’s perspective. Even if you are one of the rare non-Koreans with excellent Korean, there are other obstacles. As a non-Korean, you are more of a “high risk” hire. You will not be so familiar with Korean business culture and etiquette. You might have native level English, but many Koreans under the age of 40 are practically Korean/English bilingual anyway, so merely being able to speak English is not automatically a huge advantage.
Koreans are generally highly educated, well qualified, and hard working, so there is no shortage of high quality potential Korean hires. Then there might also be visa issues to hiring a non-Korean, which is another hurdle.
So what can a non-Korean in Korea potentially do better than a Korean? Here are my suggestions:
·Business development and marketing to international clients. You probably have more experience and a better cultural understanding of "western" culture than Koreans, and can pick up on subtleties in communication that may be difficult for Koreans to notice.
·Formal / professional English language writing ability. Younger Koreans these days have often studied in the US or the UK. It is very common to meet Koreans with business-level fluency in English. But when it comes to formal or professional English language writing ability, it is very difficult for a “Korean Korean” (i.e. a Korean who was born and raised in Korea, even if they have studied abroad for a few years) to be able to write about difficult concepts in English with complete precision and accuracy, let alone with stylistic flair. If you are a good writer in English, this is a definite advantage you bring to the table.
·You have insights into Korean culture and the Korean business market that Koreans themselves might not have. Sometimes it takes an outside to notice something about a culture that locals would not notice (paradoxically, I sometimes think I have learned more about British culture by living outside the UK, than I learned when I lived there). As a non-Korean you can spot quirks about the way Koreans behave or how Korean businesses operate, which a Korean would never notice, because to them that is just a given and just normal. Concepts such as “jeonse”, the Korean age system, or the practice of brushing your teeth 3 times daily including in the office) are pretty striking and sometimes baffling to people outside Korea; there are countless such examples, and as a fellow "outsider", you can help international clients better understand Korea, because you can recognize these peculiarities.
·A different perspective. You bring a “western approach” that certain western clients might find appealing. Compared with Koreans, Westerners can be more plain speaking, less deferential to authority, and more direct. European / American clients will often appreciate this. (I'm aware I am making generalizations here, but there is some truth in it.)
3.Potential industry sectors where non-Koreans can use their advantages
With those factors in mind, I would suggest the following are possible areas where a non-Korean can have a good career in Korea:*
·“Knowledge economy” jobs where you are advising international clients, e.g. law, accounting, management consulting, journalism, corporate communications.
·Jobs whose fundamental purpose is promoting links between Korea and other countries, e.g. jobs at chambers of commerce, embassies, and other trade promotion organizations.
·Jobs at start-ups – Seoul has a thriving and ever-increasing start-up scene and there are hundreds of openings. However, these jobs will generally be less stable than jobs at well-established companies.
·Teaching jobs at international schools or lecturing jobs at universities – though bear in mind these will normally require specific qualifications and experience in your home country and can be very competitive.
·Working remotely for a company in a different country while living in Korea (though beware the tax / immigration / other legal pitfalls of this).
If you have a specific technical skill or qualification, that will be very helpful, because then there will be a higher entry barrier for your chosen job, and therefore less competition. At least a few years of work experience in your home country is also very beneficial.
A common route into Korea is by a direct transfer from your home country office to the Korean office of your company. But this only works if you are already working for a large multinational with an office in Korea, and also only tends to be available at a more senior level.
So there are my updated thoughts on this topic. Best of luck with your Korean job hunt!
*Of course teaching English is another option, and this is probably the easiest job in Korea to get, if you come from one of the officially designated English speaking countries. But I am not addressing this, because a lot of English teachers in Korea are searching for a job outside of English teaching.
