Before you touch any part-time job site in Korea, there’s one question that matters more than which platform to use: does your visa even allow it? This isn’t a formality — working without the right permission carries real consequences, up to visa cancellation and a re-entry ban. Here’s who can work, how to get permission if you need it, and where to actually find the job once you’re cleared.
Can your visa work part-time at all?
| Visa type | Part-time work status |
|---|---|
| D-2 (degree-seeking student) | Allowed, but only after getting a part-time work permit (시간제취업허가) — see below |
| D-4 (language student) | Similar permit system to D-2, generally with tighter hour caps |
| E-9, E-7 (employment visas) | Generally not allowed to take a second job — you’re tied to your sponsoring employer |
| F-2, F-5, F-6 (residency/marriage/permanent residency) | Full work rights, no separate permit needed |
| B, C-3, H-1 (tourist, short-term, working holiday) | Tourist/short-term visas: no local work rights. Working holiday: check your specific program’s rules — they vary |
If you’re not sure which bucket you’re in, call the Immigration Contact Center at 1345 (and if you don’t have your Residence Card yet, sort that first) or check HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) before you do anything else. This is the one step worth over-verifying.
If you’re a D-2 student: getting your work permit
- Wait out the first 6 months. This applies to every D-2 holder with no exceptions — the clock starts from your entry date, not your program start date.
- Get a Part-Time Employment Recommendation Letter (시간제 취업 추천서) from your school. They’ll check your attendance and grades before signing off.
- Apply at your district immigration office, or online via HiKorea. Processing typically takes 1–2 weeks.
How many hours you can actually work
As of 2026, the hour limits were eased significantly and now scale with your Korean ability:
- TOPIK Level 3 or above: up to 25 hours per week on weekdays, unlimited on weekends.
- TOPIK Level 4+ or KIIP completion: no hourly limit at all during school vacations.
- No TOPIK score, or Level 1 only: capped much lower — around 10 hours a week is the realistic ceiling.
Certain fields are off-limits regardless of your level — construction and gambling-adjacent work are flatly prohibited. One notable exception: TOPIK Level 4+ students can work in manufacturing, which is otherwise restricted.
Take the penalties seriously. Working without a permit, going over your hour cap, or working in a banned field can mean a fine up to ₩20 million, visa cancellation, and in serious cases deportation with a 1–5 year re-entry ban. This isn’t a “everyone does it anyway” situation — enforcement is real.
Where to actually find the job
Once you’re cleared to work, two Korean-language platforms dominate the market:
- Albamon (알바몬) — the largest part-time job platform in Korea. Cafes, restaurant kitchens and floor staff, retail, tutoring, one-off event work. Korean-only, but the layout is simple enough to navigate with a translation app.
- Albachunguk / Alba Cheonguk (알바천국) — the second-biggest platform, similar shape to Albamon, with some listings you won’t find elsewhere, especially outside Seoul.
Neither has a real English interface. If your Korean isn’t there yet, lean on your phone’s camera-translate feature for listings, and don’t skip the basic “알바 용어” (alba vocabulary) — phrases like 시급 (hourly wage), 주휴수당 (weekly holiday pay), and 근로계약서 (employment contract) show up constantly and are worth learning before you start browsing.
The honest gap nobody talks about
Korea eased the hour limits significantly in 2026 to help international students financially — but the job platforms themselves haven’t caught up at all. You now legally can work up to 25 hours a week with decent Korean, but you’re still hunting through two Korean-only sites with no foreigner-specific filtering. The practical bottleneck isn’t the visa rules anymore; it’s whether your Korean is good enough to actually use the tools that connect you to the jobs the rules now allow.
Once you land a job, a few other pieces fall into place fast: you’ll need a Korean bank account to actually get paid, a working Korean phone number to coordinate shifts, and a transit card to get to work.
Starting a job also triggers automatic enrollment in National Health Insurance as a workplace subscriber — worth knowing what that costs before your first paycheck.
Three-line summary
- Whether you can work at all depends entirely on your visa — D-2 students need a specific permit, E-series employment visas generally can’t moonlight, F-series has full rights.
- D-2 holders: wait 6 months, get your school’s recommendation letter, apply via HiKorea — hour limits now scale up to 25/week (or unlimited on vacation) with TOPIK Level 3–4+.
- Once permitted, Albamon and Albachunguk are where the actual listings are — both Korean-only, so bring a translation app.
Frequently asked questions
Can international students on a D-2 visa work part-time in Korea?
Yes, but only after the first 6 months in the country and only once you’ve obtained a Part-Time Employment Recommendation Letter from your school and a permit via HiKorea or your local immigration office.
How many hours can I legally work on a part-time permit in Korea?
It scales with your Korean level: up to 25 hours a week on weekdays (unlimited on weekends) at TOPIK Level 3+, no hourly limit at all during school vacations at TOPIK Level 4+ or after KIIP completion, and around 10 hours a week if you have no TOPIK score or only Level 1.
Can E-9 or E-7 visa holders take a part-time job on the side?
Generally no. E-9 and E-7 employment visas tie you to your sponsoring employer, so taking a second job on the side isn’t allowed under current rules.
What happens if I work in Korea without the correct permit?
Penalties are real: a fine of up to ₩20 million, visa cancellation, and in serious cases deportation with a 1–5 year re-entry ban. Working over your permitted hours or in a banned field carries the same risk.