Start your K-adventure
Work and travel in the South Korea
Soju want something different? A land where you can get kimchi from a vending machine at 2am? Where K-pop karaoke never stops? And cats outnumber humans in cafés? You don’t have to be K-mad to work here, but it helps.
What's on the menu
Why work and travel in South Korea?
From K-Pop to Kimchi, South Korean culture has become a global sensation. However, what you can’t appreciate on your screens or stir-fries, is the millennia-old temples, 24-hour corner store culture and unbelievably clean transport system that never breaks. It’s a dream place to work and travel because, whilst being safe and easy, it’s like nowhere you’ve ever been.
Need to know before you go
When to go
South Korea is a year-round destination. Spring (Mar–May) is popular with travellers as it brings mild temperatures and avenues of ice-cream coloured cherry blossom in the April. Summer (Jun-Aug) can be hot, wet and humid – but this is why mother nature gave us beaches. Autumn (Sep-Nov) is considered peak season due to the dryer weather and magnificent yellow-red leaves - making it a great time to visit South Korea's stunning national parks. Winter (Dec-Feb) is cold – but the ice festivals and skiing especially around Gangwon-do make it worth wrapping up for.
What it pays
Minimum wage in South Korea is 10,030 KRW per hour, but wages will vary depending on your job and location. With JENZA Work South Korea, four weeks of accommodation and language lessons are included at the start. This will not only help you to budget when you arrive, but it's time spent learning a language that will increase your employability and future earning potential for the rest of your visa. It's worth noting that most passport holders can only work for 25 hours a week – so a South Korea working holiday is more about your bucket list than earning the big bucks.
Where to go
South Korea’s working holiday visa (H-1 visa) allows you to work anywhere in the country. Your first four weeks are in a houseshare in Daegu, but after that – our in-country sidekicks will help you find a job in either Seoul, Daegu or Busan. While known for its ultra-modern cities, South Korea surprises travellers with its natural beauty. There's 23 national parks, each criss-crossed with hiking and biking trails. Plus surf beaches in summer, ski resorts in winter, and lush volcanic islands such as Jeju – known as the 'Hawaii of South Korea' for its white beaches and tropical falls.
Work in South Korea
What are my options?
Who you gonna call?
Let's talk South Korea
Get some facetime with our amazing JENZA Support Squad. When they’re not posing for pool pics, they’re making your work aboard adventures happen with their endless enthusiasm and mad traveller skills. These include: parent whispering, visa geekery and the ability to pack a backpack in 30 seconds flat.
BOOK A CALL
Talk the talk
Included language lessons
With four weeks of South Korean language lessons starting when you arrive, you'll learn all the essentials for living, working, travelling and ordering well in South Korea. We're not talking 'the cat plays football on Tuesdays', we're talking actual real life practical language skills, like 'where can I get bottomless kimchi?'
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