I have been living in Korea for almost 2 years now, and since the month’s core theme is related to work life, I would like to share my part time job search here in Korea. For all my time in Korea, I had a study visa, so this article will be relevant only to those who have the same type of visa and are looking for a part-time job while studying.
Part Time Job Search: Waiter
In March 2018, I came to study on an exchange in Korea in the city of Yongin. In December, my studies ended and I decided to stay in the country until February, until the expiration of the ID card. I had a lot of free time and decided to look for a place to earn money for daily expenses.
At that time, I did not know Korean well, I probably had TOPIK level 1. Because I didn’t know Korean, my study program was in English. Consequently, the number of possible jobs was sharply reduced due to my lack of language skills.
Therefore, I decided to try to go to a restaurant or canteen, where I only had to clean up and wash the dishes. A roommate said that it was not difficult there and the workload was not too much in the place where he worked. My Korean friend called for details. However, he was told that they would not hire white people. We called another place, they first said that they could hire me. But then they called back and said that they would only hire a girl.
Trying to get into a modeling agency
Simultaneously, I checked posts from modeling agencies on some sites. Despite not speaking Korean, and being under 180 cm tall, I was able to find some offers. There were several offers on the site where there were no strict requirements for appearance, height, portfolio, and so on. They simply needed a white man, and I fit the bill.
Previously, I had no such experience, and I also did not have a portfolio. So, I sent some of my high-quality photos to their emails and received a response from one of the agencies. I went to their office.We discussed all the details of the work, took a few photos, and added them to their database.
They said they would contact me if someone was interested in my profile. But because I was supposed to leave Korea in a month, I was directly told that due to the limited time, it is unlikely that I will have time to wait for invitations for a photoshoot.
Conclusion and Solution
I had a bad experience with my part time job search here in Korea. Among the problems that I encountered, one can single out the limited time spent in the country, as well as discrimination based on gender and race. Finding work abroad, especially for holders of study visas, is very problematic. Therefore, one of the ways out of this situation for me was remote work.
What are the advantages of this method? First, getting a remote job in a company from your home country can be much easier and faster due to the absence of a language barrier. Secondly, the process is simplified due to the absence of the need to comply with visa requirements. Therefore, I chose this path, since it is not too difficult, and also completely legal.
Want to start working part-time in Korea as a student? Click Here for a guide on how to legally register to work.
