The number of young Korean interns coming to United States for employment is growing rapidly. This seems to be a reflection of the worsening economic situation in Korea. Among those greatly affected by this trend are young Korean workers who face the same old question: How can I get work experience in order to get a good job? Most of these young Koreans seem to have found an answer by seeking employment in the United States. They come to the country to gain business experience and to learn and improve their English skills. Korean job-seekers generally go to either New York or Los Angeles – the two U.S. cities with the largest Korean populations and historic areas of settlement for Korean immigrants.

According to a Korean manpower agency, about 700 potential Korean interns come to the United States annually. While that might not seem significant in the overall job market, that number is increasing by 10 percent each year. Korean companies in New York and Los Angeles are responding by hiring more Korean interns who may have the chance to become full-time workers. So, while the employment rate in Korea itself might be level, it is increasing among Korean companies in America.

Korean manpower agencies place professional interns with Korean-American businesses, including accounting firms, law firms, and IT companies. Many interns find themselves being hired for administrative office work. Preference is given to those who have a good command of the English language, which enables them to work without difficulty. An intern’s ability to speak English can even trump a lack of expertise in their selected industry.

The prospective Korean interns come in many varieties – some are still in college, others are post-secondary graduates, and some have already had real work experience. Many of them approach professional foreign intern agencies, university exchange programs, and other international exchange centers in Korea for information on and assistance with the U.S. job market. This includes procuring the necessary J1 visa given to interns by a U.S. embassy.

Recently, the New York Korean Chamber of Commerce announced three prized internships. Three lucky interns were selected from 15 applicants by competitive examination.

“Before I graduate, I want to make sure I have some great work experience on my record. I’ll need that to secure a good job in the future. That’s why I applied for an internship in the United States,” Said Ms. Ye-jee Kim, who is a senior at Duk-song Women’s University in Seoul. “Even though the salary is not great, I feel that I can learn something here, gain workplace experience, and also improve and practice my English. For these reasons, the internship is a very attractive proposal.”

Korean companies in the United States that hire young Korean interns are happy given that the majority of the interns are university-trained. That means they are among the brightest, most competent applicants. The companies may be happy for other reasons – they do not offer the interns high salaries, do not pay high taxes for them, and even get tax benefits for hiring them.

Sung-soo Kim, the president of HR Caps, a Korean manpower consulting agency said, “The satisfaction rate among Korean companies in the United States who employ interns is very high because the companies are able to carefully select the best interns from a large pool of applicants. Companies use a verification process that includes the testing of interns in Korea, ensuring the company that the best person has been selected. U.S.-based Korean companies – especially in New York – are really getting on board with the hiring of Korean interns. The word is spreading so much that companies that had previously shunned interns are now inquiring about the hiring process. We are getting requests from everywhere.”

In addition, according to the Korean business world, 20 to 30 percent of all Korean interns in the United States have been offered permanent positions with companies in Korea following completion of their internships in the United States. Therefore, the internships are also helping to solve the employment problems in Korea.