I've got a CS degree and 1 and a half years experience at a large news organisation. In my team we manage a web service written in elixir including all associated CI and aws infrastructure. I've been coding in python since I was 16 and java at uni. I've been learning Korean for the past year but its not business ready yet.
So my main question is, given my situation, how difficult would it be for me to get a job in Korea?
Other questions: How common are English speaking software jobs there? Could I get a remote job for a company outside of Korea while still living there? Does anyone here have insight into Korean job visa or marriage visas on here, that could point me in the right direction?
Sorry if this isn't concise or the questions are easily googleable, I'm still reeling from the news. I just thought this is the most likely place to get the best advice!
Thank you in advanced, your advice is greatly appreciated!
Another option is language study through a University, which if you think you will be in Korea for a few years, I would recommend. I tried working FT in China and studying language in my spare time, and in retrospect I would have been better off taking a year (or better, two) to study language, as I never progressed beyond survival+, and that's about the point where the built-in need to learn peters out. This would work well with remote work, especially if you take a light class schedule.
I think that frequently the non-work visas only require that you do not work at a local company paying you in local currency. If you work remotely for a foreign company, being paid in foreign currency to a foreign bank account, I believe that is not a problem. (How would that be functionally different from having your rich parents pay your living expenses? Or living of the dividends of your trust fund?) As far as I can tell when I researched it, even the US is okay with that (and have known several foreign students in the US doing that), but I would advise doing your own research.
I'm leading a machine learning data platform team at Naver (which is basically a South Korean version of Google), and we are actively looking for software engineers of all seniority levels. We build services like data catalog, ETL platform, consolidated data exchange terminal, and so on. To put this in a different perspective, our mission is to provide a highly-efficient, self-serviceable data platform for machine learning engineers and researchers.
If you have strong experience in backend engineering (web service, distributed systems, scalability problems, MSA, SRE, etc.), we'd love to reach out to talk to you. Data engineering experience is also welcomed.
Although I need to do some research on my end, but I'm pretty confident that we can work something out for your visa needs. I occasionally come across with some foreign/English-speaking engineers working at Naver.
Here's the job posting (in Korean): https://naver-career.gitbook.io/kr/service/clova/data-platfo...
If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, let's talk. (This is my first time posting on Hacker News, and I'm not sure what's the best way to share my contact. Any advice would be appreciated.)
Let me know how I can reach out.
I arranged my setup with my company before I moved to Korea, and made an arrangement where we'd overlap during the Pacific Coast Afternoon (lines up with Korean Morning pretty well). For tax purposes, I changed my work status with the company from Full-Time employee to Contractor.
I'd say here are your concerns in no order:
1) Visa. This one is pretty easy if you and your fiancee marry. I am pretty sure you'd be eligible for a F-1 visa quite quickly. 2) Work. This one is trickier but still doable. I think your options are a) working out a more remote/time flexible arrangement with your current job, b) finding a remote-first job at a company that could support your hours and your residency concerns, c) becoming more of a freelancer that takes on work as it comes. If you are making a UK wage, Korea is not an expensive place to live.
Sorry that this comes at such a bad time for you. I hope this helps.
AFAIK, UK may not be restricted, USA still is not restricted just mandatory 14 day quarantine with only 30 day visa waiver being issued.
You're not going to be able to find a software job in Korea easily, and if you did, you probably wouldn't like the work culture. Just work remote or teach English if you need cash. If you want more info, just add me on Kakaotalk.
When you get there assess the situation, and can go talk to companies that you apply to. Then if you get a job, can leave to get the new visa and come back.
Of course these was easier pre-covid as can take cheap flight to Japan or other country after 90 days, but probably still doable.
I believe you can also get a remote job from a company outside of Korea as others have mentioned the currency and work is not involved with Korea so it should be okay.
Jumping in and out with tourist visa is a bit more difficult now with most countries on lockdown. I also think Korea has a mandatory 10-day Quarantine at home or government facility for anyone entering the country, regardless of their vaccine / visa status.
For the last point, if you enter on a tourist visa (B-1,B-2) if it's applicable to you, that visa can be changed within Korea. But if it's the other type tourist visa (C-1,C-2) you can't change the visa within Korea. This is a rule I recall vaguely, so don't quote me exactly.