Guide
Internships in Korea for International Students
An internship is often the bridge from a degree to a job offer. Here is how internships work on a student visa, how they work after you graduate, and how to find one that is real.
For a lot of international students, the internship is the single most valuable thing they do outside the classroom. It is where a Korean employer sees you work, where you build a reference, and often where a full-time offer begins. The key is to understand which visa rules apply, because an internship while you study is treated differently from one after you graduate.
- During your degree: an internship is generally treated like other part-time work and needs a work permit, unless it is a credited part of your program (field training).
- After graduation: the D-10 job-seeker visa explicitly allows internships while you search for a permanent job.
- Course-linked field training organized by your department may follow its own rules; confirm with your international office.
- The goal is conversion. Treat an internship as an extended interview that can become an E-7 work visa job.
- Find them through your university first, then company programs and reputable job platforms; avoid anything that asks you to work without proper status.
Interning while you are still a student
If you take an internship during your degree, it is normally treated like any other part-time work: you need a part-time work permit, and your weekly hours are limited by your TOPIK level during term (with the cap lifted during official vacations). A paid internship at a company falls squarely under these rules.
There is one common exception: field training or practicum that is a credited, required part of your academic program. These are often arranged and supervised by your department under their own framework. Because the details vary, always confirm with your international office whether a given placement counts as field training or needs a standard work permit.
Interning after you graduate (the D-10)
Once you finish your degree, the D-10 job-seeker visa is built for this phase. It lets you stay in Korea to look for work, and it specifically permits internships as part of that search. An internship on a D-10 is one of the strongest moves you can make: it keeps you in the country, in the market, and in front of employers, while you work toward a full-time offer and the E-7 work visa.
How to find a legitimate internship
- Start with your university. Career centers and departments have employer relationships and run internship programs, often with companies used to hiring internationally.
- Look at company programs. Larger Korean firms and multinationals run structured internship intakes, sometimes in English.
- Use reputable platforms. Korea-focused job sites and your university's job board are safer than informal offers.
- Lean on professors and labs. In research fields, a professor's lab or industry contacts can be the fastest route.
What to do next
- Still studying? Make sure your internship is covered by a part-time work permit or counts as field training.
- Graduating? Plan your move to the D-10 job-seeker visa.
- See how it all connects in the working in Korea after graduation overview.