How to get a non teaching job in korea or japan

Hello Theresa,

Although I am a little late answering your inquiry I would like to let you know that it is very much possible for you to acquire a non-teaching job in South Korea and Japan.

As a native English speaker, teaching opportunities are indeed abundant however, jobs in fields such as Media (written, digital, television) , big corporations (Both Korean and foreign) as well as Tourism are available if you know where to look.

I lived in Korea both as a student and an employee back in 2013, and had American friends who held non-teaching full-time jobs who had attended college either in Korea or the U.S.

The only point I would like to highlight is that mastery of some level (medium to high proficiency) of the Korean is highly recommended as it would prove to be quite difficult to get a non-teaching jobs without it.

The best plan of action would be to start looking for opportunities online. There are quite a few webpages that offer listings for available Jobs in Seoul and other major cities such as:

Craigslist: seoul.craigslist.co.kr
Worknplay: http://www.worknplay.co.kr
Kopra: https://www.kopra.org/

Another great approach would be to look into academic exchange opportunities if you are currently enrolled in school, and/or the various cultural and language programs offered by educational institutions in Korea => for more info https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/

Visiting Korea in such a context before settling down and job hunting will provide you with a much clearer perspective vis-a-vis the working culture and employment opportunities.

Best of luck!

Chaimaa

Hi Theresa!

Great question! There are definitely many opportunities beyond teaching in Japan or Korea.
I would say the next step is to define what you are interested in doing, and then start to research companies that have global offices in those locations of interest.

For example, I used to work at a large consulting firm, Accenture, and they had a few offices in Tokyo and others internationally. Although I personally did not work abroad, there were opportunities to join a team or a project that was located in those countries. I was, however, able to connect with a coworker in Tokyo for an "English/Japanese Language Buddy Program". I met with the coworker virtually to practice my Japanese and help him practice his English. It was a great way to get connected and learn more about the culture.

Another idea, if you are still in school you could try to find study abroad or global internship programs that could fit your interests. I was able to study abroad in Kyoto Japan during my undergraduate degree, and that experience also connected me to an internship in Tokyo for that summer.

Overall, don't give up! You can find something that fits your interests that is also in the country of your choice. I left some suggestions below, and good luck!

I would check with local embassies to see what information they have. There are opportunities in many countries to teach English as a second language. Not all have the same requirements.
Best of luck,
Marilyn Lowry