In the second half of last year, I quit my job. (Read the previous post.) Since the money I had saved was very little, I was worried about my immediate livelihood. Here are some things I tried to earn money without going to work.
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Earning Money through Government Support
Like most governments, the South Korean government also provides employment support programs. The Ministry of Labor provides comprehensive job support services and provides allowances to people looking for employment. In Korea, a maximum of 500,000 KRW (about 380 USD) is supported for up to 6 months.
To receive the allowance, you need to engage in activities that align with the employment plan you have set up and submit records. Typically, this involves learning new skills or doing activities like interviews for employment.
Working as a Private Tutor
In Korea, especially in Seoul, there is a great interest in private education. If you have the right background, there are many opportunities to work as a private tutor. Since I graduated from a famous university in Korea and have experience living abroad, I was able to start working as a private tutor without any prior teaching experience.
Especially recently, many apps have been released that connect teachers and students, making it easy to find jobs beyond traditional methods. Previously, people relied on introductions from others, community bulletin boards, or even posting advertisements in front of homes. But now, you can find jobs using platforms. These platforms verify qualifications such as academic background, work experience, and even criminal records, allowing parents to hire people with confidence.
The best part of this activity is that the hourly wage is higher compared to typical short-term jobs. However, the downside is that since most of the activities take place at the student’s home, there is often a lot of traveling involved.
Participating in Surveys and Focus Groups
Companies and customers never fully understand each other. To understand customer opinions even slightly, companies conduct surveys and, if necessary, hold focus groups.
Participating in surveys is as simple as registering with a well-known research company. When you conduct online surveys, you are paid between 500 won and 3,000 won (about 0.5 USD to 2.5 USD) depending on the length and difficulty. However, this is certainly not enough to reach even the minimum wage. However, if you actively participate, research companies may contact you and request your participation in focus groups. Alternatively, companies themselves often seek people to conduct user research, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to announcements about services you use regularly.
The most recent research I participated in was a study on improving the administrator’s page for a shopping platform. You can share your thoughts on how it feels to renew the page, how you would work when you try to perform specific actions, etc. When companies conduct research, they usually give points or products, and when research companies conduct research, they often pay in cash. The compensation is around 30,000 to 70,000 won (about 22~55 USD) per hour.
Providing Freelance Services for earning money
South Korea also has freelance service platforms similar to Fiverr. I provide interview practice and feedback. In a previous job, I worked in the HR department. I have a lot of experience in interviewing interns and employees while working. My experience also includes interviewing for a new job. I have also conducted job interviews to find a new job based on my experience. With this experience, I provide mock interviews and feedback for experienced employees who want to enter the industry where I used to work.
Unfortunately, this category is already saturated, so I don’t get much work as a latecomer. There are many people with numerous customer reviews already. I only had one sale in six months. Also, since the commission fees from platform companies are high, about 20%, the actual amount of money received is low.
I was worried about starving to death after quitting my job, but it didn’t happen. There were many ways to make money in the world. However, there were none that gave me an income I was satisfied with. Moreover, I was disappointed that there were no benefits such as insurance and paid leave provided by the company. These are approaches that can be considered as somewhat preserving income rather than the main means of earning money. In the future, I need to look for more ways to earn money, preferably more and more stable ways.
I’ve discovered various ways to earn money like this. What about you? How do you want to earn money? Do you have similar experiences to share? I’d love to hear your stories. Please feel free to share your thoughts or experiences!
Max