International students are eager to land opportunities to intern at Korean companies or nongovernmental organizations while here studying at Korean universities, but many do not know where to begin.
The easiest way would be to search for job postings on each university’s office of international affairs websites or on popular job searching apps like LinkedIn, Wanted or Saramin, but internship opportunities may be hard to come by for non-Koreans staying in the country on student visas.
International student visas, officially known as either a study abroad D-2 or D-4 visa, limit the scope of available internships. Most internships offer full-time hours, and while Korean students can take a leave of absence to intern, the study abroad visa requires international students to be enrolled at school for the entirety of their stay. If they take a leave, their visa is annulled, leaving them with a month before they have to leave the country.
Even for jobs open to student visa holders, international students are often rejected due to language barriers, unfeasible work hours or employers’ preferences.
The internship search is a challenge for everyone, but international students in Korea have a few extra hurdles to jump. However, finding an internship is not completely impossible, and the key lies in broadening the search. There are a few handy apps and websites that foreign students can utilize, and some of them have multiple language interfaces.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a professional networking and employment website and app. Much like a social media platform, users can set up their profiles, marking their professional interests and career experience. Internship opportunities are often posted, and the platform recommends those that might suit you based on your profile. The site provides multiple language platforms and houses local and international companies.
Saramin: Saramin is a Korean online recruitment website and app with active internship listings. The site offers information from salary reports to company reviews and groups listings by occupation, region, company size and educational background. While a wide variety of listings are available, the platform operates exclusively in Korean.
Wanted: Wanted is a recruitment site and app functioning across Asia that offers job listings, career talks and employment guidance. Their Beta Artificial Intelligence is said to match your profile with jobs likely to call you for an interview. The platforms support English, Korean and Japanese, with job listings based in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and more.
Study in Korea: Study in Korea is a website run by the National Institute For International Education (NIIED) under Korea’s Education Ministry that aims to help international students planning on studying in Korea. The site is packed with information on scholarships, exams and programs, and language support. The website also offers job listings for international students and often organizes career and education fairs.
Office of International Affairs websites: Seoul National University, Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, and other universities offer updated internship and job listings on their office of international affairs websites. Opportunities posted are typically in English and target international students.
If you are curious whether you are eligible for certain job postings or internship opportunities you should consult with university advisors or staff at the NIIED. NIIED offers consulting via phone and offline in different languages including Vietnamese, Indonesian, Russian and Spanish.
Legal Disclaimer: This article is provided for information purposes only.
Read all the Latest News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Add comment