How To Get An Entry Level Job After You Graduate From A Korean University

Your graduation degree in Korea is almost finished, but the part nobody tells you about is what happens the week after your student visa expires and you still don't know whether you can actually stay and work here?

This is where most foreign students in Korea get stuck. But the government has a specific solution to help bridge that exact gap. Let me show you how the K-Work platform actually works.

What the KWork Platform Actually Does

The platform handling this is K-WORK, where Korean companies post jobs specifically open to foreign graduates. The ministry has recommendation authority over 27 of the 67 job categories (as of 2026 when writing) the E-7-1 visa covers, so the roles you'll see there are the ones that actually lead somewhere.

After you complete working here, the employer can then write a "고용 추천처" (visa recommendation letter) for you. It basically tells immigration that you're a qualified foreign professional a Korean small or medium business wants to hire, which is a major step toward getting the E-7-1 professional visa.

One honest thing to note though, The 고용추천서 helps, but it isn't the visa itself. Final approval is the Ministry of Justice's decision, but a recommendation letter strongly improves your chances at the end.

Do You Qualify?

If you hold a bachelor's degree or higher from a Korean university, you can be recommended for the job eligible categories even when the job isn't specifically related to your major. The usual one-year work experience requirement also gets waived.

If you hold an associate degree (전문학사) from a Korean college, the experience requirement is waived too, but the job needs to relate to what you studied.

Either way, you need to have graduated, or be about to graduate, from a Korean institution on a D-2 or D-10 visa. Understand that this isn't a route for people who got their degree elsewhere. If you're curious about how to figure out a career path abroad, feel free to contact me where we can help you position yourself for the Korean market.

Step By Step To Get The Letter

First, the company applies to the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (중진공) with your documents. Then an external review committee looks it over. If it passes, the ministry issues the recommendation letter. From there, you take that result to the immigration office and apply for the E-7-1 visa.

And all the companies who are willing to do this procedure are posted on the K-Work platform.

Moving Forward

Register on the K-WORK platform and set up your profile while you still have time and a valid D-2. Focus your search on small and medium businesses, because those are the employers this program is designed around. Lining up a willing employer before graduation is the difference between a smooth transition and a hectic one.

If you wait until your visa is already about to expire, you're doing all of this under pressure. You don't have to.