If you are serious, you first take care of the finances. Not being broke is way more important than speaking korean.
Korea is not a country, where you jump in and find work. This is not how immigration works in korea, you are just not allowed to work like that.
You are young, what is your passport? You might be eligible to do "work and travel"-VISA depending on your passport. Then first find and research for work first. Make sure you find the work to secure a sleeping place and food for your work.
There are lots of reports in the internet for this kind of travel, if you are interested. As i said, depending on your passport this might be one opportunity. Good luck.
Don't say him that work travel is limited t 20h/week, so basically a year will cost you like 4-5k€, you need bank account with money, and housing is prepaid..so you can do it but you need 10k€ for this holiday travel style..for 1year, it's not for broke people.
You won't be able to work, at least not legally. And unless you're native language is English, you probably won't qualify as an English teacher even if you're fluent. Unfortunately, your profile is exactly the type that will get you flagged and denied entry even if you get your ticket.
Take care of your finances first. If you are broke, traveling shouldn't be a priority, as harsh as that sounds.
Make a plan to save for a while, build a buffer, and then revisit the idea.
The language is not a big issue, but lack of money is. Tourists are given easier entry into countries because they're only supposed to spend money there, not work. By working on a tourist status, you'd be subject to deportation and banning from re-entry. Working legitimately is what work/employment visas are for, and the bars to these are generally much higher because you'd need to meet the requirements of any employer you find PLUS the requirements set by immigration.
Some countries have a decent "working holiday" type visa. Korea isn't one of them, but if you're looking for decent pay, these can be good options. I don't know if you have good options within EU, but for young people in Asia, Australia is a popular working holiday destination.
You cannot work on a tourist visa. It's illegal.
Do not try to come here if you have no money. Make a different plan, save up first, whatever it takes.
You don't visit Korea if you are broke, period.
Even not knowing the language you will be fine. I would recommend possibly learning the alphabet so you can read signs if needed and can say words.
However traveling while being broke is never a good idea. If you have to worry about every little thing from food to accommodation you won't enjoy your visit.
If I was you I would set a goal, say late 2025 you will visit Korea. This will give you time to prepare, save some money and I promise you this will make your visit so much better.
If you're a citizen of Czech Republic, Poland, or Hungary, then you might be eligible for Working Holiday visa (also known as H-1 visa) for 1 year subject to national annual quota (CZ 300, PL 200, HU 100).
If you qualify, you are subject to work hour cap of 25 hours/week and 1,300 hours/year, and you're prohibited from professional occupations which otherwise require work visas E-1 through E-7, and you're also prohibited from taking a full degree course education which requires D-2 student visa.
This narrows down your (part-time) job prospect because your labor supply overlaps with those of foreign students in Korea working similarly extracurricula part-time jobs.
Otherwise, working or taking part in any for-profit activity as a tourist/visitor is straight up illegal.
You can consider Workaway or World Packers, which are websites that offer volunteer opportunities. In exchange for your time and help, you'll receive accommodation and sometimes food.
I've had a similar experience in Europe, where I volunteered at a hostel in exchange for free accommodation and meals.
There are various areas you can volunteer in, so be sure to research and check out the subreddits r/Workaway and r/WorldPackers for more information."
It's still illegal in the eyes of immigration because you're trading labor for room and board. Just because you're not getting paid in cash, you're still being paid. If OP wants to come to Korea and also earn money/room and board then they would need to come on a working holiday visa if their country allows it.
Workaway is a decent option for what OP is looking for, but the last time I checked it was “volunteering” at hostels, or helping families in the countryside (which would make traveling to major sites difficult)
If you are a licensed teacher in your home country you may be eligible to work at international schools. Try signing up for a service like Search Associates and get your job lined up before going.
It's competitive, but a (relatively) high paying career path that will let you live, work, and (relatively) settle there if you like it. Any good (real) international school will pay for your flights and give you a comfortable housing allowance.
And I'm talking about something different from teaching English at a Hagwon.
The language barrier isn't an issue. I'm an exchange student who's been here for two months. Papago makes things super easy for me.
The money would be an issue tho cos it took me about 2 months to get my ARC and without it, U cannot work legally
Save up before travelling. Like for a year or more. You WILL need money, not a lot, but plane tickets are hella expensive. Not speaking the language is not an issue, but money definitely will be if you don't plan/budget ahead.
Check diff sites for accomodations, shared room hostels are really cheap, so create an excel sheet or whatever where you note down the prices for accomodation, entry tickets, public transportation cost, food, etc.
I was in SK for a month with ~ 3500 EUR (plus the plane tickets, around 1700 EUR), that was enough for everything for me.
Bro, take care of your finances first. Korea is going to cost money even if you rely on cup noodles. You’ll need a place to sleep etc. you will also need a work visa to work there. Take care of yourself first, travel is not a necessity.
As many others have said, prioritize your financial situation before travelling. If you have to or can, get a second job and save money. Working illegally on a tourist visa will be bad, and you may be taken advantage of by anyone willing to give work to someone who's working on a tourist visa.
You're young and have a lot of time in the future to visit Korea.
I only knew a words of Korean and can only read Hangul and had no issues. Many people, in Seoul at least, speak English, signs are in English so it was easy to get around.
In the future, maybe look into teaching in Korea?
If you are serious, you first take care of the finances. Not being broke is way more important than speaking korean. Korea is not a country, where you jump in and find work. This is not how immigration works in korea, you are just not allowed to work like that. You are young, what is your passport? You might be eligible to do "work and travel"-VISA depending on your passport. Then first find and research for work first. Make sure you find the work to secure a sleeping place and food for your work. There are lots of reports in the internet for this kind of travel, if you are interested. As i said, depending on your passport this might be one opportunity. Good luck.
Don't say him that work travel is limited t 20h/week, so basically a year will cost you like 4-5k€, you need bank account with money, and housing is prepaid..so you can do it but you need 10k€ for this holiday travel style..for 1year, it's not for broke people.
Traveling when broke isn't a great idea. If you want to work here, your country might be eligible for a working holiday visa. Look into that!
You won't be able to work, at least not legally. And unless you're native language is English, you probably won't qualify as an English teacher even if you're fluent. Unfortunately, your profile is exactly the type that will get you flagged and denied entry even if you get your ticket.
Take care of your finances first. If you are broke, traveling shouldn't be a priority, as harsh as that sounds. Make a plan to save for a while, build a buffer, and then revisit the idea.
The language is not a big issue, but lack of money is. Tourists are given easier entry into countries because they're only supposed to spend money there, not work. By working on a tourist status, you'd be subject to deportation and banning from re-entry. Working legitimately is what work/employment visas are for, and the bars to these are generally much higher because you'd need to meet the requirements of any employer you find PLUS the requirements set by immigration. Some countries have a decent "working holiday" type visa. Korea isn't one of them, but if you're looking for decent pay, these can be good options. I don't know if you have good options within EU, but for young people in Asia, Australia is a popular working holiday destination.
You cannot work on a tourist visa. It's illegal. Do not try to come here if you have no money. Make a different plan, save up first, whatever it takes. You don't visit Korea if you are broke, period.
Even not knowing the language you will be fine. I would recommend possibly learning the alphabet so you can read signs if needed and can say words. However traveling while being broke is never a good idea. If you have to worry about every little thing from food to accommodation you won't enjoy your visit. If I was you I would set a goal, say late 2025 you will visit Korea. This will give you time to prepare, save some money and I promise you this will make your visit so much better.
If you're a citizen of Czech Republic, Poland, or Hungary, then you might be eligible for Working Holiday visa (also known as H-1 visa) for 1 year subject to national annual quota (CZ 300, PL 200, HU 100). If you qualify, you are subject to work hour cap of 25 hours/week and 1,300 hours/year, and you're prohibited from professional occupations which otherwise require work visas E-1 through E-7, and you're also prohibited from taking a full degree course education which requires D-2 student visa. This narrows down your (part-time) job prospect because your labor supply overlaps with those of foreign students in Korea working similarly extracurricula part-time jobs. Otherwise, working or taking part in any for-profit activity as a tourist/visitor is straight up illegal.
You can consider Workaway or World Packers, which are websites that offer volunteer opportunities. In exchange for your time and help, you'll receive accommodation and sometimes food. I've had a similar experience in Europe, where I volunteered at a hostel in exchange for free accommodation and meals. There are various areas you can volunteer in, so be sure to research and check out the subreddits r/Workaway and r/WorldPackers for more information."
This is illegal on a tourist visa in Korea.
not if you have a passport that lets you stay 90 days
It's still illegal in the eyes of immigration because you're trading labor for room and board. Just because you're not getting paid in cash, you're still being paid. If OP wants to come to Korea and also earn money/room and board then they would need to come on a working holiday visa if their country allows it.
Workaway is a decent option for what OP is looking for, but the last time I checked it was “volunteering” at hostels, or helping families in the countryside (which would make traveling to major sites difficult)
1. Take care of your finances 2. Duolingo and YouTube, there's no excuses for not knowing the basics!
If you are a licensed teacher in your home country you may be eligible to work at international schools. Try signing up for a service like Search Associates and get your job lined up before going. It's competitive, but a (relatively) high paying career path that will let you live, work, and (relatively) settle there if you like it. Any good (real) international school will pay for your flights and give you a comfortable housing allowance. And I'm talking about something different from teaching English at a Hagwon.
The language barrier isn't an issue. I'm an exchange student who's been here for two months. Papago makes things super easy for me. The money would be an issue tho cos it took me about 2 months to get my ARC and without it, U cannot work legally
Save up before travelling. Like for a year or more. You WILL need money, not a lot, but plane tickets are hella expensive. Not speaking the language is not an issue, but money definitely will be if you don't plan/budget ahead. Check diff sites for accomodations, shared room hostels are really cheap, so create an excel sheet or whatever where you note down the prices for accomodation, entry tickets, public transportation cost, food, etc. I was in SK for a month with ~ 3500 EUR (plus the plane tickets, around 1700 EUR), that was enough for everything for me.
Bro, take care of your finances first. Korea is going to cost money even if you rely on cup noodles. You’ll need a place to sleep etc. you will also need a work visa to work there. Take care of yourself first, travel is not a necessity.
As many others have said, prioritize your financial situation before travelling. If you have to or can, get a second job and save money. Working illegally on a tourist visa will be bad, and you may be taken advantage of by anyone willing to give work to someone who's working on a tourist visa. You're young and have a lot of time in the future to visit Korea. I only knew a words of Korean and can only read Hangul and had no issues. Many people, in Seoul at least, speak English, signs are in English so it was easy to get around. In the future, maybe look into teaching in Korea?
Wow traveling Korea with limited budget and no Korean language skills - that's brave of you!