How to immigrate to Korea as an engineer 

Eligibility to immigrate to Korea as an engineer

Not every person can move to Korea. You must be eligible and fulfill the principles to immigrate to Korea as an engineer. This section brings you these principles, but you might have to fulfill a few other items. They are the generally required items to immigrate to Korea as an engineer, but they are needed:

• Have related work experience as an engineer.
• Have language fluency required by the employer.
• Have a job offer with a Korean employer.
• Have a related educational degree or diploma.
• Receive a work permit from Korean officials.

If you want to learn more about the above items, look at the requirements and procedure section. They guide you when, where, and how you must fulfill the above items.

How to immigrate to Korea as an engineer?

The steps you must follow to immigrate to Korea as an engineer. But you might have to pass one or two stages depending on your nationality and conditions. As explained, you might have to get a license from Korean officials to work as an engineer. It depends on the area you want to work in and the type of engineer you are.

Step 1. Determine whether you are eligible

Before you begin the process, you’d better determine whether you are eligible to immigrate to Korea as an engineer. You should read the requirements, eligibility principles, and the steps you must follow to know you can fulfill them.

The process is a bit long and tedious, and you might have to spend 1-2 years on it. So you must determine that you can pass them. You’d better read this section at least once to understand the steps you must pass.

Step 2. Get the required license from the Korean officials

Depending on the area you want to work, you might have to get a license from the Korean government. You might have to pass the recognition process; it’s to send your degree and documents to Korean officials, who determine whether you can work as an engineer in Korea.

It’s your responsibility to find the requirements and process for the area you want to work in. These are some of the sample fields that need a license from the Korean government:

Architectural Engineering 

You need a license from the Korean Institute of Architects (KIA) to practice legally.

Civil Engineering

You need a license from the Korean Professional Engineers Association (KPEA) to work in the field.

Structural Engineering

You might need a Korean Professional Engineers Association (KPEA) license to carry out your professional duties.

Electrical Engineering

You might need a Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers (KIEE) license to work in their field.

Step 3. Get a job offer from a Korean employer

Every foreign person who wants to work in Korea needs a job offer from a Korean employer. You must find a company or employer that needs your skills and is ready to hire you. It’s essential to find a job offer with an employer as you need a work permit, and it’s the employer who can apply for a work permit.

The Korean employer begins the application by applying to the Korean immigration officials. If they agree and approve the work permit, you can apply for a work visa.

Your resume and conditions must be satisfying so the employer is willing to hire you. Having work experience, language fluency, and the required certificate from Korean officials are the items you need to persuade the employer to hire you. You can work on your resume and improve it to increase the chance of getting a job offer.

Step 4. Apply for a work permit and a work visa

Every foreign person who wants to work in Korea needs a work permit. The Korean employer can only apply for a work permit. So you must pass the stage of finding a job offer from a Korean employer.

You must send your documents to the Korean employer; then, he/she applies to the Korean immigration officials; your degree, language fluency certificate, employment contract, work experience proof, and clean record certificate are some of these documents.

After the work permit or Certificate of Confirmation of Visa Issuance is issued, you can apply for a work visa. It’s to enter Korea and apply to the Korean embassy/consulate in your home country.

You can learn more about Korean work visa from the Visa Library article on the top menu pr watch the related video on our YouTube channel.

Is South Korea good for engineering?

The answer is up to your preferences, opinion, mindset, living and working conditions, and the purpose of immigration. But generally, Korea is a good place to live and work for many careers and engineers. It has become a popular immigration destination for many people from around the world. The country has a strong focus on science, technology, and innovation and attracts skilled workers.

Korea enjoys a highly developed infrastructure like modern transportation systems, telecommunications, and energy networks. They provide engineers with an excellent opportunity to work on modern projects and develop themselves.

Korea has also become a leading technology and innovation country in the world. They have made a name in:

• electronics,
• semiconductor manufacturing,
• robotics,
• telecommunications,
• automotive engineering.

You can find so many Korean companies’ products in foreign countries, and they need skilled workers.

If you want to study in Korea, prestigious universities offer high-quality engineering programs. The education standard is high, and they emphasize education and research in engineering, which ensures you are well-prepared for professional roles.

Korean government strongly supports research and development initiatives. They offer incentives and funds to encourage technological innovation. The environment is suitable for you or companies to work and develop.

You can find so many international companies in Korea, like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, SK Hynix, and POSCO. They need and attract skilled engineers worldwide. Companies offer high salaries, benefits, and bonuses to bring the best engineers.

Investment in research and development, international collaboration, and work-life balance are the other benefits to immigrate to Korea as an engineer.

How much do engineers get in Korea?

The engineers’ salaries in Korea are up to various factors;

• Education
• Work experience
• Language fluency
• The area you work in
• The company you work in
• Position
• Tasks and responsibilities
• Etc,

According to Glassdoor, the average salary of an engineer in Korea is about ₩73M per year.

According to Salary Explorer, the average salary is about 3,300,000 KRW. it says while the lowest is about 1,040,000 KRW, the highest is about 6,940,000 KRW.

ERI Economic Research Institute says that the average salary is about KRW 64,400,023.

The type of engineer you are is a determining factor on your salary. Look at this list to know the difference: 

Which engineers are in demand in South Korea?

You’d better know the required engineers in Korea before you decide to immigrate to Korea as an engineer. If there is no demand for your career, you might not be able to immigrate to Korea as an engineer.

But the demand is up to various factors like the country’s economic and industrial trends. You’d better research the market and demand and consult with immigration advisors to get data about the requirements. You can check websites that advertise job positions in Korea to see if your career is needed.

These are some of the most in-demand engineers in Korea, but you can find a job if your career is not on this list:

• Software Engineer
• Data Engineer
• Mechanical Engineer
• Electrical Engineer
• Civil Engineer
• Chemical Engineer
• Aerospace Engineer

How long does it take to immigrate to Korea as an engineer?

The required time to immigrate to Korea as an engineer depends on various factors. You have control over some of these items and not over other ones. First, you should find a job offer with a Korean employer. You must persuade him/her to hire you. You might be able to find a job in one week or spend time for a year to get it.

Then the employer must apply for a work permit. The processing time is about 2 weeks to 2 months or even longer. You must also consider the required time to prepare the required supporting documents.

Then you must apply for a work visa. It takes time to prepare the supporting documents and submit them to the Korean embassy/consulate. The sooner you prepare the documents, the shorter your processing time.

The work visa processing time is about one week to one month or longer. After it is issued, you can immigrate to Korea as an engineer.

You can expect 1-2 years to immigrate to Korea as an engineer. But this is a rough estimated time and could take longer or shorter.

Related jobs for engineers in Korea

There are tens of types of engineers. This is a career that is highly needed worldwide and in Korea. The job you will work in is up to your education, work experience, qualifications, soft and hard skills, etc.

You know better that you can work in various positions and job titles. These are some of the related positions for an engineer in Korea:

• Technical Support Engineer
• Verification Engineer
• Wind Energy Engineer
• Wind Energy Operations Manager
• Wireless Engineer
• Technical Assistant
• Wastewater Engineer
• Work Planner

You should not limit yourself to the above titles. There are so many job positions that you can work in Korea as there is a demand for engineers. You’d better work on your qualifications, skills, soft and hard skill, and language fluency to improve your chance of getting a job offer.

Where to work as an engineer in Korea

There are different places you can work in Korea as an engineer. Employment opportunities vary in different sectors and are up to various factors;

• The demand
• Your qualifications
• Your skills and abilities
• Etc.

You should keep looking and try to improve the possibility of getting the job offer. As you have read in the above section, the first stage is to get a job offer from a Korean employer. So you should put in the grit and hard work to get the job offer.

Look at the section below to learn the ways to find a job in Korea as an engineer. One of the ways is to look at the industries and sectors that hire engineers.

These are some of the places you can work as an engineer in Korea: 

• Electronics and Semiconductor Industry
• Automotive Industry
• IT and Software Development
• Construction and Civil Engineering
• Aerospace and Defense
• Chemical and Petrochemical Industry
• Energy and Renewable Energy
• Environmental and Green Technology
• Research and Development
• Consulting and Engineering Services
• Robotics and Automation
• Academic and Research Institutions

You should not limit yourself to the above options as other sections need you. Do your research to know the other market and areas you can work as an engineer in Korea to improve your conditions.

Are engineers in demand in Korea?

Yes, engineers are among the top required and in-demand positions in Korea. Look at this list. They are the most in-demand and popular positions in Korea:

• English Teacher
• Engineering jobs
• Medicine
• Finance sector
• IT professional

As you see, engineering is one of the popular options. Tech and innovative companies need engineers. Korea has 1.811 trillion USD and is one of the greatest post exporters to the US.

Look at these famous large companies in Korea: 

• Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
• SK Hynix, Inc.
• LG Electronics, Inc.
• LG Display Co. Ltd
• Hyundai Autoever Corp

The above items are just samples, and there are so many other large companies that need skilled workers and engineers in Korea.

Best cities to work as an engineer in Korea

Korea has worked hard to develop and improve the country. They have distributed facilities, infrastructure, and welfare amenities around the country. You can live well in different cities and enjoy your life.

The best city to work as an engineer in Korea is up to your preferences, conditions, and the type of job you can find. You are going to immigrate to Korea as an engineer from abroad, so you must persuade an employer to hire you. It might not be possible to find an employer in every city. You’d better do research and try your chance in different cities as the demand is different. You should also know about Korean cities. The more you know, the better you can find a job.

These are the largest cities in Korea that you’d better know. Are you asking why? Because there are always better and more job positions in large cities. So you’d better try your chance. When you are looking for a job offer, try these cities and insert them in your research to narrow it down.

• Seoul
• Busan
• Incheon
• Daejeon
• Daegu
• Gwangju

The other list of cities you’d better know in Korea is the popular cities to live and visit. People like them due to tourist attractions, nature, facilities, or weather conditions.

You might be able to find a job in them or prefer living in them. The decision is with you but you’d better know them to make a wise decision. 

• Seoul
• Busan
• Seogwipo
• Jeju City
• Gangneung
• Incheon
• Jeonju
• Gyeongju
• Daegu
• Geoje

How to find a job in Korea as an engineer?

You can use various ways to find a job in Korea as an engineer. If you are determined to immigrate to Korea as an engineer, the first step is to find a job offer with a Korean employer. As the employer can only apply for a work permit, you must find a job offer and persuade an employer to hire you.

One way you can find a job in Korea is to look for a position through the websites that advertise job positions. This is a sample list of them: 

• Job Korea(잡코리아)
• Saramin (사람인)
• Incruit (인크루트)
• Career (커리어)
• Kotra Job Fair (코트라 글로벌일자리사업단)
• Alba cheonguk (알바천국)
• Seoul Global Center
• Worknet (워크넷)
• Work Plus (교용복지플러스세터)

Do not limit yourself to the above list as you can find other websites that offer job positions in Korea. But the above list is among the most famous ones.

The other way helps you find a job in Korea as an engineer is to ask for help from employment agencies. They connect employees and employees. This is a list of such companies in Korea: 

• Ajeets South Korea
• KOISRA UP
• Bengal Crewing
• UNICO SEARCH INC.
• INITIATIVE CO. Ltd
• WOOIL MARINE CO. Ltd
• ACE NETWORK SERVICES
• AMROP INTERNATIONAL

There are other ways to find a job in Korea. It depends on you to use one or a few ways to find a job in Korea. You can reach companies that need an engineer in Korea or use LinkedIn. See the above section to learn the name of famous companies in Korea that hire engineers.

Language fluency to immigrate and work in Korea as an engineer

Many people want to know about language fluency to immigrate to Korea as an engineer. This requirement is with the Korean employer. He/she might be fine with you speaking English and working as an engineer. If the company is an international company with engineers or skilled workers from different countries, English fluency might be fine.

But if the employer asks for a Korean language fluency certificate, you should work on it and learn the language. You’d better check it while looking for a job to know what the employer demand in general.

Is it hard to immigrate to Korea as an engineer?

The answer is up to your skills, abilities, and resume. As explained, the first step to immigrating to Korea as an employer is to find a job offer from a Korean employer. You must persuade an employer to hire you and apply for a work permit. If your resume is excellent and you can convince the employer to hire you easily, you can say it’s easy to immigrate to Korea as an engineer. It will become easier if you know the Korean language and have a certificate for it.

However, if your resume is not that good and you find it difficult to find a job, it becomes hard to immigrate to Korea as an engineer.

You should also consider the work permit and work visa application. Read the Visa Library articles or watch the related videos to know how easy or hard it is for you to apply for them. Determine the supporting documents and the procedure you must follow to know the difficulty level.

All in all, if you are a qualified engineer with a good resume and Korean language fluency, and there is a demand for your career in Korea, it is easy to immigrate to Korea as an engineer.

Korea visa options for engineers

There are different visa options that help you in the process to immigrate to Korea as an engineer.

The first visa you need to immigrate to Korea as an engineer is a Korean work visa. It lets you enter and work legally. Every foreign person who wants to work in Korea needs a work visa and a work permit.

After you find the job, the employer applies for the Certificate of Confirmation of Visa Issuance. After it is issued, you can apply for a work visa. You can visit the Visa Library article about Korean work visa or watch the video we have prepared on our YouTube channel.

The other visa that can help you to immigrate to Korea as an engineer is a Korean tourist visa. You might have to visit Korea during the process to pass an exam, submit documents or pass an interview to get your license to work as an engineer in Korea. If you are not among the visa waiver countries whose nationals can enter Korea with their passport, you need a tourist or visitor visa. It lets you enter Korea and stay for some time. It is enough to pass an interview or take the required exams.

You can learn more about the Korean visitor visa from the Visa Library article or watch its video on our YouTube channel.

Is it worth getting a job in Korea as an engineer?

Your journey to immigrate to Korea as an engineer can be long, tedious, and filled with potential and challenges. You should compare the pros and cons and then decide whether it’s worth it. If you set a clear purpose for your way, you can answer the question better. These are some of the potential advantages of immigrating to Korea as an engineer: 

• Advanced Technology and Innovation
• High and good career opportunities
• Competitive high salaries
• A unique cultural-international experience
• Opportunity for professional growth
• A stable, strong economy
• Etc.

There are some challenges and problems with the process that you’d better know; 

• Korean language is difficult to learn
• Long hard working hours
• Demanding expectations
• Difficulty of adapting to a different culture and lifestyle may take time.
• Trouble in getting a work visa or job offer
• Brining family to new country considerations
• Etc.

The decision to immigrate to Korea as an engineer is with you, and you are the best person to say it’s worth it. You can consult with people who have done it or get perspective from individuals you know.

How to become an engineer in Korea?

You have two ways to become an engineer in Korea. It depends on your conditions and situation to pick the one that is appropriate for your conditions.

The first one is to study for a university degree in Korea. You should find a university that offers the course you want. Then, you must fulfill the requirements and get admission. After you receive the admission letter, you should apply for a Korean student visa. After that, you must complete your studies and complete the steps to get your license if needed. The final stage is to find a job offer and apply for a work permit.

The second way is that you have studied in a foreign country. In this case, you must look for a job offer and persuade an employer to hire you. Then you must sign an employment contract with the employer, and he/she applies for a work permit. After the work permit is issued, you can apply for a work visa and move to Korea.

It’s up to you to use one of the above ways to become an engineer in Korea.

Let’s sum up immigration to Korea as an engineer

This Visa Library article explains how to immigrate to Korea as an engineer. You learned about the process, requirements, salary, and eligibility and got answers to almost all of your questions. This is your guideline to immigrate and work in Korea as an engineer.

If you have other questions, write them down in the comment section. The Visa Library team will answer them.

Frequently asked questions about immigration to Korea as an engineer