Guidebook for Living in Korea

Employment opportunities for foreign residents vary according to type of visa. Married immigrants who have entered Korea under marriage migrant visa (F-6) are allowed to seek employment in Korea.

Your first step before seeking employment should be to discuss the need for employment, type of work desired and usage of salary with your immediate family members.

You can obtain information on employment for foreigners (including married immigrants, etc.) by visiting the nearest local Employment Center, New Job Center for Women, or Support Center for Multicultural Families.

Married immigrants can use the Internet to aid in their search for employment. Most organizations operating employment services for married immigrants manage websites, so users can search for jobs from home via the Internet.

This website is operated by the City of Seoul and provides information related to fairs and job seeking, and employment support to foreigners in Korea, in English and Chinese.

This employment portal site is run by the Ministry of Employment and Labor via the Korea Employment Information Service. It provides employment information as well as other job information such as career paths and occupational training. It uses big data analysis on an individual’s experience, education and training, license information, etc., to recommend the best job for the job seeker. The job seeker can apply to the recommended posting directly online. Other services provided on the website include the online occupational psychology test, job information, educational information, and career counseling to help job seekers to make the correct career decision.

The Employment & Welfare Plus Center runs various career guidance programs such as short-term group counseling programs, special lectures on employment, and a 'career guidance program for married immigrant women (WiCi)’ to encourage their employment, improve their job seeking skills, and provide welfare and financial services. It also provides companion service where a staff member accompanies a marriage immigrant who finds it difficult to visit a company for an interview.

This center provides various job training programs, vocational training, and counseling for working women, and serves as a comprehensive job placement support institution for women.

This center operates free job brokerage organizations. Please refer to the websites of local governments for more information.

Vocational training is a system that helps people who hope to open a business or work at a company to acquire technologies and skills. Foreigners can apply if they have a history of insured qualification, but married immigrants can receive support without this history.

The system provides support such as training expenses for citizens to receive proper vocational competency development training.

Any citizen can apply, except people who are eligible for support*

• Public officials, private school faculty, self-employed people with annual sales of more than KRW 400 million, workers hired at large corporations (over 45 years old) with monthly average earnings of more than KRW 3 million, special-type workers with monthly average earnings of more than KRW 5 million, college students with more than 2 years of classes remaining until graduation, etc.