Job search
How to find work in Korea: search, apply and compare offers
Search for the work you can do, read the original vacancy and apply with evidence that matches it. Resolve language and application conditions before committing to a move.
Start with a role and a workplace
To find work in Korea, begin with a role you can do and a location you could work in. Use the jobs search to find leads, then open the original employer advert for the full duties and application instructions. Search a job title or an employer name rather than relying only on "jobs for foreigners". For example, searching Coupang gives you an employer-specific starting point; read each result to decide whether its work and requirements fit you. Check the actual workplace, the named employer, the employment basis and any closing date. Save the original URL with the role title so you can return to the same vacancy.
Decide whether to apply now or ask first
Read the duties and essential qualifications before spending time on a cover letter. Next to each important requirement, note the experience or work sample you could use to demonstrate it. Keep preferred qualifications separate from essential ones. Then check for practical conditions: where you must be based, the Korean needed for the work, and whether applicants must already hold work permission. If you are applying from abroad and the advert does not address overseas candidates, send a short enquiry before preparing a lengthy application. If you already live in Korea, state your current situation accurately rather than assuming that residence alone answers the work-permission question.
Ask about this vacancy, not hiring in general
Use the vacancy title or reference in your message: "I am interested in this position and currently live outside South Korea. Do you consider overseas applicants for this role?" Ask separately: "Does the employer support the immigration process for this position, and what permission must the successful applicant already hold?" For language, ask which tasks you must handle in Korean independently from the first day. An English advert does not answer those questions. Keep the reply with the vacancy so you can distinguish a role-specific answer from a recruiter's general policy. For personal immigration questions, the Korea Immigration Service provides counselling through 1345 within Korea.[1]
Follow the right route for programme jobs and student work
If a role belongs to a named programme, read that programme's application procedure before sending an ordinary employer application. The official EPS E-9 procedure describes sending-country institutions, a job-seeker roster, employer selection, a standard labour contract and visa steps.[4] EPIK has its own eligibility guidance and says visa application documents are sent only after a contract from an Office of Education; it directs applicants to their Korean consulate or embassy for other required documents.[5] Students should also use their university's international office. SNU tells its students to start only after the part-time work permit is granted, with final approval resting with the Immigration Office.[3] These are separate routes, not interchangeable eligibility rules.
Build your application around the advertised work
Use the original advert as your application checklist. Follow its instructions for the submission channel and requested documents. Choose evidence that answers the duties rather than sending an identical account of your background to every employer. In the CV or application answers, connect your actual experience to the requirements you have identified; include a work sample when the advert requests one. Describe your location and Korean ability accurately, including any task you would need help with. Keep a copy of what you submitted and the vacancy reference, then record the next step or question. This makes it easier to prepare for an interview about the same work.
Compare the written pay and working conditions
Before accepting, ask for the pay currency and whether the figure is hourly, monthly or annual. Separate base pay from allowances and conditional payments, and ask about working hours, housing or meal charges and deductions. As a dated reference, the Minimum Wage Commission lists the 2026 hourly minimum as KRW 10,320 and the monthly reference as KRW 2,156,880 on a 209-hour basis.[2] That monthly reference is not take-home pay or a promise of the same amount for a part-time role. Check the rate for the year you will work. If pay is not published, ask for the range and pay basis instead of estimating it from the job title.
Keep a shortlist that tells you what to do next
For each serious lead, retain the original URL, workplace, matching experience, language wording, overseas-application answer, stated employer immigration support and pay basis. Label unanswered questions as "not stated" rather than filling the gaps with assumptions. Give each lead a next action: submit the requested application, ask a specific question or set it aside because an essential condition does not fit. Confirm the remaining entry and work-permission conditions before agreeing a start date or paying relocation costs. Return to the jobs search with what you have learned about the roles that fit, rather than restarting with an unfocused search.
Sources
Sources checked on 25 October 2026. Employer examples illustrate advert wording, not continuing vacancy availability. [1] Korea Immigration Service: Immigration Contact Center [2] Minimum Wage Council [3] SNU student part-time work [4] EPS selection and introduction E-9 [5] EPIK eligibility