I thought working abroad would be easier than finding a job here

Browsing through KMOVE and the endless lists

I remember sitting on my sofa last winter, mindlessly scrolling through KMOVE listings. Everything looked so polished—photos of clean, modern offices in Singapore or sketches of construction sites in Mexico. It felt like I was looking at a catalog rather than actual job openings. You see these flashy banners promising global careers, and for a second, it feels like the solution to all my frustration with the domestic job market is just one click away. But after refreshing the page for the third time in an hour, the excitement kind of fades into a dull headache. It’s not just about finding a job anymore; it’s about figuring out if the person on the other end of the screen is even real or just another placeholder for a government-sponsored initiative.

The reality of the application process

I eventually applied for a cook position in a mid-sized hotel group in Southeast Asia. I remember thinking, ‘Well, if I get this, I’m gone by summer.’ I spent nearly three days fixing my resume, trying to translate my kitchen experience into something that sounds impressive in English. I’m not a professional writer, so I just ended up sounding like I was describing a military operation rather than cooking dinner. I spent around 50,000 won just for some decent headshots at a studio nearby, trying to look like a globally competent candidate. When I finally hit submit, I didn’t get a confirmation email for three days. That silence is the most annoying part of the whole thing. You start wondering if you typed your email address wrong or if the company just closed shop overnight.

Waiting for a response that never comes

Two weeks went by. I kept checking my inbox, even the junk folder. Nothing. It’s funny how, in Korea, we’re used to ‘recruitment fairs’ where you show up, walk past some booths, get a stamp on your paper, and maybe get a free pen. I went to one of those middle-aged job fairs in Seoul back in August, hoping for some ‘overseas consultation.’ I sat through a talk about AI and technical consulting, which felt like a massive waste of time because none of it applied to someone just trying to get a visa for a kitchen job. I felt like a ghost walking through the venue, listening to recruiters talk about ‘global expansion’ while I was just trying to figure out if I needed a work permit or a holiday visa to even start the conversation.

The hidden costs and the paperwork hurdle

Then there’s the money side that nobody really warns you about. You don’t just pay for photos. There are certification fees, notarization costs for documents, and the dreaded medical check-ups. I looked into the costs for a visa application to Taiwan, and it’s not exactly cheap once you factor in all the middlemen who promise to handle the ‘legal side’ for you. I was looking at an upfront cost of about 800,000 to 1,000,000 won just to get the paperwork moving before even landing the job. It’s a huge gamble. What if I pay all this and the company just stalls? I found some forums where people talk about their experiences, and it’s mostly just people complaining about how the actual salary ends up being way lower than what was advertised on the job platforms like FoodJob24 or other niche sites.

Why I’m still just browsing

I still haven’t moved. Every time I get a spark of motivation, I look at the legal requirements again and realize that the bureaucratic wall is much higher than I thought. It’s not like moving to another city. It’s dealing with immigration laws, language barriers, and the terrifying prospect of having no legal fallback if things go wrong. I keep checking those sites every few weeks, mostly out of habit, but I haven’t clicked ‘apply’ in months. Maybe it’s better to just keep my steady job here, even if it’s boring, rather than ending up stranded somewhere with a suitcase and a visa that’s about to expire. I still don’t know if I’m being smart or just plain scared.