The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) held a seminar regarding the concept of “working holidays” on October 31. The term does not simply mean a trip on which one works, as its literal interpretation would imply. Working holidays as defined by MOFAT refer to visas issued by contracted countries to the youth (persons from age 18 to 30) of other contracted countries. Its aim is to give these people the opportunity to live in the country and experience its language and culture while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of tourism, employment, and language exchange.

 

   
▲ MOFAT holding a seminar in KU. Photograph provided by Byun Bo Kyung

As of now, Korea has working holiday contracts with 15 countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, France, Ireland, and Denmark. Of these countries, the English-speaking countries enjoy the highest demand among working holiday aspirants; the application quota of 4,000 people for working holidays in Canada, for example, was met in but 5 minutes. MOFAT is currently putting great effort into increasing the quotas for people admitted through working holiday agreements.

The people who apply for such working holiday visas are from a very diverse group, and thus have divergent interests. Thus naturally, the jobs offered by working holiday contracted countries also range across a surprisingly wide array of fields. People can choose from pizza cooks in Canada to servers in Mongolian village restaurants to cotton farmers in Australia. By endorsing such programs, MOFAT hopes to encourage the branching out of Korean youth abroad so that they can develop into global leaders.

Further information on working holidays and related programs can be found at the MOFAT Working Holiday Information Center near Gyeongbok palace station, or on its internet site. http://www.whic.kr/main/.

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