Korea guide
Everything we wish we'd known before landing in Korea. Plain answers, checked against official sources.
Getting started
Phone plans and SIM cards in Korea for working holiday makersTourist SIM, eSIM or a monthly plan? What you can get with just a passport, what changes once you have an ARC, and how to save money.
Your first 7 days in KoreaThe order to do things in after you land on a working holiday visa — SIM card, transport card, ARC appointment and bank account.
Visa & work
How to find a job in Korea on a working holidayWhere working holiday makers actually find work in Korea, what employers will ask for, and how much Korean you need.
How to get a Korean working holiday visa (H-1)Who can apply for Korea's H-1 working holiday visa, typical age limits and length of stay, and the steps and documents to expect.
Seasonal jobs in Korea — ski resorts and Jeju tangerine farmsWhen Korea's busiest seasonal work happens, what the jobs involve, and how working holiday makers can find a winter at a ski resort or a harvest on Jeju.
Which jobs can you do on an H-1 working holiday visa?What working holiday makers in Korea can and can't do for work, your basic rights as a worker, and red flags to watch for.
Housing
Goshiwon vs share houseThe two cheapest ways to rent in Korea on a working holiday, compared — rough prices, deposits, what you get, and how to avoid losing money.
Money
How much does a month in Korea cost on a working holiday?A realistic monthly budget for a backpacker or working holiday maker in Seoul — rent, food, transport and phone — plus how much to bring before your first payday.
Transport
Getting around Korea — subway, buses, KTX and intercity busesHow to use T-money, Seoul's monthly Climate Card, city buses, KTX high-speed trains and express buses as a working holiday maker or backpacker.
Naver Map or KakaoMap? Getting around Korea without Google MapsWhy Google Maps falls short in Korea, which map app to use instead, and the tricks that make them work in English.