Ski resort jobs in Korea for the 2026–27 winter

When Korean ski resorts hire, the jobs they offer, where each resort posts its openings, and what to check on a working holiday visa before you say yes.

Last checked 4 November 2026. Rules change, so confirm anything important with the official source linked in the article.

A winter at a ski resort is one of the classic working holidays: a few months in the mountains, snow days off, and often a staff room so your rent is low. Korea’s resorts need hundreds of seasonal workers every year, and hiring for the 2026–27 season is happening now.

The short answer

When: the season runs from about late November to mid-March. Resorts post seasonal jobs from September to November, and keep hiring into December if they’re short of people.
Where: most big resorts are in Gangwon-do (Pyeongchang, Jeongseon, Hongcheon), with a few close to Seoul in Gyeonggi-do.
How: check each resort’s own recruitment page, then Korean job sites. Almost all listings are in Korean.
Check first: your visa’s weekly hours limit. Many season jobs are full-time, and most working holiday makers can only work 25 hours a week.

When resorts hire

Time	What happens
September – October	First seasonal job posts go up (often called 시즌인턴, 계절직 or 기간제, “season intern”, “seasonal” or “fixed-term” worker).
November	Most hiring and training. The best jobs and staff rooms go first.
Late November – early December	Resorts open. Last season, Mona Yongpyong and Phoenix opened on 21 November 2025, and High1 on 28 November 2025.
December – January	Late hiring to fill gaps, especially around Christmas and the Lunar New Year holiday.
Early – mid March	Resorts close. Contracts usually end with the season.

Opening dates depend on the cold and the snow, so resorts announce them only a few weeks before. If you want a job for the whole season, start applying in October or early November.

The jobs

Job	Korean needed?	Notes
Equipment rental (skis, boards, boots, clothing)	A little	Busy, physical, and the most common job for foreigners. Handy if you ski or ride.
Lifts and slopes (lift operation, slope crew, snowmaking)	A little	Outdoors in the cold, often early starts.
Food and drink (restaurants, cafés, kitchens)	Some for serving, little for kitchens	Kitchen and dishwashing jobs are easier without Korean.
Hotel and condo (housekeeping, laundry, front desk)	Little for housekeeping, a lot for front desk	Resorts have large condos, so housekeeping is a big team.
Ticketing and guest service	A lot	Customer-facing, so good Korean usually wins.
Ski or snowboard instructor	Depends	Needs a recognised qualification. Check with immigration first (see below).

Small businesses around the resorts hire too: rental shops, guesthouses and pensions, restaurants and cafés near the slopes. They post on the same Korean job sites, and English speakers can be welcome for foreign guests.

Big resorts and where they post jobs

Resort	Area	Roughly from Seoul	Where to look for jobs
Mona Yongpyong	Pyeongchang, Gangwon	2½–3 hours	Recruitment notices on the official site. Winter “season interns” are its part-time seasonal staff; it lists foreign-language skills as a plus.
High1 Resort	Jeongseon, Gangwon	3+ hours	Run by Kangwon Land: job applications. It hires winter fixed-term staff in rounds (two rounds in autumn 2026).
Phoenix Pyeongchang	Pyeongchang, Gangwon	2½ hours	No separate hiring page: seasonal jobs go on Albamon (Phoenix Park).
Vivaldi Park (Sono)	Hongcheon, Gangwon	1½ hours	SONO UP, the recruitment site of Sono Hotels & Resorts.
Welli Hilli Park	Hoengseong, Gangwon	2 hours	Seasonal staff and patrol and instructor pages.
Elysian Gangchon	Chuncheon, Gangwon	1½ hours (near an ITX station)	Job notices on the official site.
Alpensia	Pyeongchang, Gangwon	2½–3 hours	No separate hiring page: search Albamon for Alpensia.
Konjiam Resort	Gwangju, Gyeonggi	about 1 hour	No separate hiring page: search Albamon for Konjiam.

Travel times are rough, by car or bus outside rush hour. Resorts in Gangwon-do are far from shops and nightlife, which is part of the charm, and part of why a staff room matters.

Korean job sites to search

Albamon has a ski resort season section that collects resort and nearby jobs (rental, lifts, patrol, snowmaking, instructors).
Saramin and JobKorea carry the bigger resorts’ recruitment posts.
Useful search words: 스키장 알바 (ski resort part-time), 시즌 알바 (season part-time), 리조트 시즌직 (resort seasonal job), 기숙사 제공 (staff room provided), 외국인 가능 (foreigners OK).

Check this before you say yes

1. Your weekly hours. Most working holiday makers can work up to 25 hours a week, and many resort season jobs are full-time with long shifts. Ask for a part-time contract that fits your limit, or check what applies to your country. Canadians have no weekly cap. See Which jobs can you do on an H-1 visa?

2. Instructor jobs. Teaching skiing or snowboarding isn’t clearly covered by the working holiday rules, and some countries’ agreements exclude sports or licensed work. Call the immigration contact centre 1345 before you accept.

3. A written contract. It should show your hourly pay (at least the ₩10,320 minimum wage in 2026), hours, start and end dates, and what happens if the season ends early. See pay and your rights at work.

4. The staff room and meals. Many resorts and nearby businesses offer a room (기숙사) and staff meals, but not all, and some charge for them. Ask whether it’s free or taken from your pay, how many people share a room, and how you get to work. Free meals or a free room don’t count towards the minimum wage.

5. Your ARC and bank account. You’ll usually need them to be paid. If you’ve just arrived, sort them out first: ARC guide and bank account guide.

Red flags

A “resort job” that turns out to be at a bar or club, or anywhere selling “entertainment”. These are excluded on a working holiday visa.
Pay in cash only, no contract, or pay “after the season”.
Being asked for your passport to keep, or a fee to get the job.
A job offered through someone you met online, not the resort or business itself.

More on staying safe: scams that target foreigners.

Other winter work

If the resorts are full, the Jeju tangerine harvest runs at the same time of year. See seasonal jobs in Korea.