One of the lines of questions you guyz ask a lot is about getting a job in Korea. I totally understand being interested in a country and their culture and feeling drawn to want to go there and live there. Heck, I even understand the frustration of not knowing where to start the process and having a family that may or may not support your decision. The one thing that I will say as a precursor though is this – if you really want to live in Korea, YOU have to be the one to make it happen. That means that not only is there paperwork to be done, filled out and mailed in, but also a lot of research legwork should be done to give you the best possible experience.

The most common jobs of course (and that are the easiest to find) are teaching jobs. But seriously, if there is one thing my graduate school classes have taught me, it’s that not everyone is cut out to be a teacher. Every interaction with kids helps to shape their worldview and as such, if you can’t get excited about it then you probably shouldn’t be doing it. There are plenty of other jobs in Korea though, if you really want it. This is not to say that most people I’ve known with jobs outside of the teaching realm didn’t start at their current job. Almost all of them got their starts as international students or within education. In fact, this is part of why I love Korea! I know a lot of people who came over to Korea and then, used it as an opportunity to network with people from around the world and pursue their interests and hobbies. Some of these individuals later returned to their home countries with new careers and others have even created their own businesses in Korea!

Can you go to Korea in the medical field?
Can you go to Korea and work in Entertainment?
Can you go to Korea and work in Journalism/as a Writer?
Can you go to Korea and work in Sports/Physical Fitness?
Can you go to Korea and work in a Bar/Restaurant?
Can you go to Korea and work in Fashion?
Can you go to Korea and work in Culinary Arts?
Can you go to Korea and work in Engineering?

To all of these and more, YES, YES, YES you can!!!!

To illustrate this point a bit more and just what it can take and what drive you need, I present the story of our friend Marco. He came to Korea after years of studying Taekwondo with hopes of going to the best school in the country and majoring in the sport. At first, they kept telling him it was impossible. So he went out into the countryside and did an extended homestay where he completely immersed himself in the language and culture. Finally they let him into the program. After years of studying and proving himself he moved on to graduate school and became employed by the Korean Taekwondo association. I remember at one time he was pulling 20-hour days. As much as we love the guy, we rarely see him. He’s just too busy.

If you have a dream, you can pursue it in Korea.. but you have to be the one to make it happen!

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