D-2 (study) and D-4 (language training) statuses are granted so you can study, not so you can earn wages. To take a part-time job, a student therefore needs a part-time work permit, which is a form of permission for activities outside one's status under the Immigration Act, and it must be issued before the work starts. The same café job can be perfectly legal or a violation depending on whether you had a permit and stayed within your hours, so go through the steps below in order.
Key points
- Part-time work is limited to the kind of simple work students usually do, and it needs a confirmation from your university's international student officer and a permit in advance.
- Degree students can apply right away; language trainees must wait six months from their status change (or entry date for visa holders).
- Allowed hours range from 10 a week to 35 on weekdays, depending on your program and Korean level.
- If your employer changes, you need a new permit before working at the new place.
1. Why a permit is needed
Each status comes with a defined set of activities. To do something that belongs to a different status alongside your own, you need prior permission from the Minister of Justice, and a student's part-time job is exactly that case. Once approved, a permit sticker is attached to your passport or you can print an online permit.
Activities paid with occasional honoraria, prizes or similar everyday rewards are outside the permit system. Research or internships at your own university that are linked to your studies and paid by the university or its industry-academic cooperation foundation are exempt, as are standard field-practice semesters that form part of the regular curriculum. On the other hand, on-campus research unrelated to your studies, study-linked research funded by an outside institution, and voluntary field practice do require a part-time work permit.
2. Who can apply
Eligible students have a certain level of Korean, concentrate on their studies, and have a confirmation from the university's international student officer.
- D-2 study: holders of D-2-1 to D-2-4, D-2-6 and D-2-7 may apply immediately, regardless of how long they have been in Korea.
- D-4-1, D-4-7 language training and D-2-8 visiting students: six months must pass from the status change date (or entry date for visa holders).
- Not eligible: students who finished a two-year associate or four-year bachelor's course but could not graduate, for example for lack of credits, and stay on an exceptional permit. Master's or doctoral students who have completed coursework and are preparing a thesis may be allowed, but only up to 30 hours a week, and the unlimited weekend and vacation rule does not apply.
Applications are also restricted if your average grade in the previous semester was below C (2.0) and combining work and study is judged difficult; for language courses, if average attendance over all completed terms is below 90%. A record of being punished within the last three months for working without a permit or breaching permit conditions also leads to restriction.
3. Allowed hours by program and Korean level
The Korean requirement is shown through TOPIK, the Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP) or King Sejong Institute courses.
- Associate degree and bachelor's years 1-2: TOPIK level 3; KIIP level 3 completed or a pre-assessment score of 61 or more; King Sejong Intermediate 1 completed
- Bachelor's years 3-4, master's and doctoral: TOPIK level 4; KIIP level 4 completed or a pre-assessment score of 81 or more; King Sejong Intermediate 2 completed
| Program | Requirement not met | Met (weekdays) | Met (weekends, vacations) | Certified university, excellent grades or Korean (weekdays) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate, bachelor's | 10 hours a week | 25 hours | No limit | 30 hours |
| Master's, doctoral | 15 hours a week | 30 hours | No limit | 35 hours |
For English-track programs, regardless of year, TOEFL 530 (CBT 197, iBT 71), IELTS 5.5, CEFR B2 or TEPS 601 (NEW TEPS 327) or higher is accepted, and nationals of English-speaking countries are exempt from submitting a certificate. Hours for language trainees are set separately from the degree table, so confirm them with the school officer when you get your confirmation form.
4. Jobs you can and cannot take
Work related to your major or compatible with your studies, and within what a student would normally do, is allowed. The following are restricted:
- Work at entertainment venues or other places contrary to good morals or social order
- Professional (E-1 to E-7) activities such as conversation teaching at foreign-language facilities for minors
- Manufacturing, construction and seafarer work (manufacturing is allowed with Korean level 4 or higher)
- Special-type work such as courier driving, delivery agency riding, designated driving, insurance sales, learning-material tutoring and door-to-door sales
- Employment through dispatch, subcontracting or brokerage, and remote-location work
- Work at businesses whose visa sponsorship is restricted because of past illegal hiring penalties
Private tutoring is strictly limited as well. By contrast, safety or play assistant work at English kids' cafés and camps, seasonal work, assistant roles and work-study internships in professional fields, and professional internships for degree students during vacations are allowed as exceptions.
5. How to apply and what to do when you change jobs
- Sign a contract: sign a standard employment contract directly with the business owner named on the business registration certificate. It must state the hourly wage, duties and working hours. Contracts that separate employer and user, such as through staffing agencies, are not accepted.
- Get the university form: the international student officer fills in the part-time work confirmation. If the business registration includes manufacturing or construction, the employer also signs a compliance confirmation.
- Apply: submit the application, passport, residence card, transcript or attendance certificate (skipped if visible in the international student information system), proof of Korean (or English) ability, and copies of the business registration and the employer's ID, online or in person. There is no fee.
- Check the permit period: D-4 trainees get up to six months within their period of stay, for one workplace. D-2 students get up to one year within their period of stay, for up to two workplaces at once within their hour limit.
When you change workplaces because the employer changes, you must obtain a new permit beforehand. Working a few "trial" days at the new shop before applying is unauthorized work too.
6. If you worked without a permit
On a first detection for working without a permit, a minor case may end with a fine notice and permission to stay, but illegal work in construction always leads to a departure order, and a second detection leads to deportation. Even with a permit, breaching its conditions escalates from a warning to a ban on part-time work and then cancellation of student status. For penalties and how to respond, see the foreigner illegal employment penalty guide and dispositions for unauthorized activity. If your main activity itself changes, such as taking a job after graduation, check the change of status permit steps first.
7. What an administrative scrivener can do
We check whether you qualify and how many hours apply, organize the document list, prepare reapplication papers when you change workplaces, draft statements explaining the circumstances if a violation has become an issue, and translate foreign documents. Criminal defense and litigation representation are outside the scope of an administrative scrivener and we do not handle them.
If you have found a job, get the permit before your first shift. Residence services and how to apply are explained on HiKorea: https://www.hikorea.go.kr