International students share experience of working in Korea

Foreigners look at job postings at a job fair for international students in October 2022. [YONHAP]

Borders between nations have become blurred, and more and more international students and migrants are flocking to Korea with unique dreams and goals. As of 2022, more than 2.26 million foreigners are residing in Korea, according to Ministry of Interior and Safety data released in November. International students account for 8.4 percent of them, and their numbers are rising as the total international student population in Korea saw a 5.8 percent jump from 2021 to 2022, the data showed.

More international students means more young adults looking to map out a future in Korea for careers and beyond. To hear some of their experiences and thoughts, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with three international students currently studying and living in Korea.

Billgesu Alkan from Turkey

Alkan is an international student from Turkey at Sookmyung Women’s University, majoring in media communication. Billgesu, a senior, came to Korea her junior year and is currently preparing for graduation. Outside school, she is also working part-time at an interactive art exhibition in Seoul as a customer service assistant. Her primary task is to check the booking status of the visitors and give them instructions.

She looked for the job using well-known part-time job-seeking platforms in Korea, Albamon and Alba Heaven, looking for job postings that said, “We hire foreigners.”

“Use the keyword [we hire foreigners, or waegukin ganeung] when you search for jobs. Many of the workplaces still prefer native Korean workers, so you’ll get more replies if you aim [for] the jobs that specify they hire foreigners,” Alkan said.

She said her Korean skills made her job search easier, as she can talk and write in Korean fluently, as demonstrated by her Test of Proficiency in Korean level 6. This is an advantage as many customer-facing roles require Korean fluency.

However, she said she still takes time to deepen her knowledge of the Korean language and culture.

“Even if you are good at Korean, the culture can also be an obstacle.”

In terms of the working culture, she said Korea’s co-worker relationship is individualistic.

“In Turkey, it is natural to get close with the [people] you work with. But, in Korea, [I think] it is not that common to get close with your co-worker or make a work friend.”

Nouha Benjelloun Andaloussi from Morocco

Andaloussi is a graduate student pursuing a doctorate in international cooperation at Korea University. She did an exchange program back in 2015 and had a part-time job at a major corporation during the winter vacation.

Her main job was working on a tender for an engineering project in her home country, Morocco. She was a specialist because of her language proficiency and nationality.

“As a Moroccan person, I could go over articles in my mother tongue and let them know about any news that was relevant to the project. I also double-checked some information because I know my country better than everyone else on the team. I also did some translations.”, she said.

“In my opinion, the main benefit of working as a foreigner in Korea is the opportunity to bring something new to the table.”

She said “being different” is one of the benefits of working in Korea, adding it means one can bring a different perspective to the team, thought it might sound scary.

Nowadays, she is focusing on job seeking on platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook. She also mentioned that she constantly checks international organizations’ websites and K-campus, the Korea JoongAng Daily’s community and news platform for international students.

Internship Ecem Nur Almurat

Almurat is a graduate student at Sogang University majoring in philosophy and working as a global marketing intern at a skin care company, Jumiso.

She decided to come to Korea because she is interested in K-Culture content such as K-pop and Korean television shows. Her experience of studying in Korea for five months previously also led her to make the decision.

“[Korea] is secure, and people are really nice,” she said. “I have really good memories with Korean people.”

Almurat said she got her current job in a unique way.

As she was interested in Korean beauty brands, she worked for a K-beauty company in Turkey for a year. One day, she went to a beauty fair where many brands participated and got an opportunity to introduce herself to Jumiso’s CEO.

“I was lucky,” she said. “[Jumiso] already knew the company I worked for in Turkey, so I could meet the CEO [and tell them] I am going to Sogang University and gave my business card.”

She added, “After I came to Korea, I emailed my resume and cover letter.”

She noted the importance of networking when looking for a job in Korea and said students should take advantage of many networking events and job fairs provided by their universities or relevant institutions.

Almurat added that foreigners working in Korea should put in effort to know their rights.

“One of my friends was underpaid and also treated badly compared to other workers, but she didn’t even know that she was in an unfair situation because she thought the different work environment and cultural difference were the reasons.”

She added, “[my friend couldn’t really protest against the [low] salary even though she knew [about Korea’s minimum wage] because of her income instability,” noting that discrimination still exists at some workplaces.

The minimum wage for 2024 in Korea is 9,860 won ($7.35), and foreign workers are legally protected to earn the same wage as Korean workers.

“Talking about the salary, you should not forget about the year-end tax settlement.”

The process and schedule of year-end tax settlement of foreign workers are mostly similar to that of Korean workers. However, foreign workers can choose between the general tax or 19 percent flat rate for five years from the day they start to work in Korea.

The tax rate depends on the job, so it is better to look for more information in NTS’s official English website (https://www.nts.go.kr/english/main.do) or call the English-language call center (1588-0560).

BY STUDENT REPORTER GYOUNGMIN KIM [kjd.kcampus@joongang.co.kr]