MBA in KOREA -- Is it worth it??

I am Korean American finishing up my military service here in Korea. I've decided to stay in Korea for the long term and have been thinking about getting an MBA from KAIST University - pretty much #1 or #2 school here - but all I read about Korean MBAs are pretty negative. They do have a dual degree program with Michigan State allowing me to earn a Masters in Finance as well. I'm wondering if this will improve my chances of getting a job here in Korea.

I want to get into finance here in Korea - which I've also read some negative things about, specifically IBD or S&T. Unfortunately, my Korean is not fluent as a native speaker but definitely good enough for everyday use. I'm also probably on the older side entering the game (31 years old) but thats not stopping me from going back to school and at least trying.

I was thinking about going back to school in the States but I'm not sure if I'll be able to come back to Korea for work since networking here is so important. I'm hoping an MBA here would allow me just that - meet the right people.

If anyone from Korea has experience, whether it be IB, consulting, or any post MBA work or if you or anyone you know has experience with pursuing an MBA here in Korea, I would love to hear your stories.

 
  1. KAIST is a legit school, but more so for the sciences than business. Was going to the military a personal choice so you can retain your dual citizenship? It's going to be viewed on positively that you completed your military service if you're trying to stay in Korea long-term, especially as a Korean American.

  2. I'm pretty sure Korean IBD is all coverage groups, atleast at the bulge brackets. Execution is run out of Hong Kong. Hence not as well-regarded.

  3. Koreans are western-centric as hell and love western education, more specifically name brand western education. 해외파 are definitely more well regarded than SKY or Kaist.

  4. If I were you, I'd come back to the States to get a MBA business schools ">M7 MBA and recruit for Hong Kong IBD. Everyone says Hong Kong IBD is all Mandarin speakers on this forum, but Hong Kong definitely looks for Korean speakers too, just not as much as Mandarin speakers.

Doing well at the Hong Kong branch, you should be able to come into Korea as a lateral transfer, getting a better lifestyle package (expat), and your American MBA/Hong Kong finance experience will give you more credibility.

나이트 and 안마 await you.

PS- I'm not too familiar with the S&T side, but from what I've heard its too small and overregulated. My friend was a trader for Daishin Securities about half a decade ago. He told me markets are so small that he was moving price with his trades and got regulatory complaints on the regular.

 

I am not sure about KAIST, but i took several MBA courses at 고대 when i was studying abroad there, and the courses did not seem to be as worth while as compared to the States. Perhaps it was in part because the curriculum did not seem applicable to real world scenarios (one course was overly academic, while another course was enjoyable, but too simple), or perhaps it was because of the homogeneously korean students in the classes.

Maybe because of the Korean culture of respect for junior and senior status, and also because a lot of the women in the course were soft-spoken, you did not get the energetic debate like you would in a more international business school setting.

Also, I agree with kidflash that Koreans love western education. If you have a chance to get into a top MBA program in the states like Chicago, Stanford, etc., you will gain a lot of credibility.

I also agree with kidflash that a lot of the execution is done out of HK and that there are opportunities in HK for koreans. About a month ago, i met with a headhunter in Hong Kong who asked me if i knew any Korean investment bankers because one of their clients was looking to hire a Korean banker in their HK office.

Go East, Young Man
 
Asia_i_Banker:
I am not sure about KAIST, but i took several MBA courses at 고대 when i was studying abroad there, and the courses did not seem to be as worth while as compared to the States. Perhaps it was in part because the curriculum did not seem applicable to real world scenarios (one course was overly academic, while another course was enjoyable, but too simple), or perhaps it was because of the homogeneously korean students in the classes.

Maybe because of the Korean culture of respect for junior and senior status, and also because a lot of the women in the course were soft-spoken, you did not get the energetic debate like you would in a more international business school setting.

Also, I agree with kidflash that Koreans love western education. If you have a chance to get into a top MBA program in the states like Chicago, Stanford, etc., you will gain a lot of credibility.

I also agree with kidflash that a lot of the execution is done out of HK and that there are opportunities in HK for koreans. About a month ago, i met with a headhunter in Hong Kong who asked me if i knew any Korean investment bankers because one of their clients was looking to hire a Korean banker in their HK office.

I also have to agree with Korea's homogeneity.

I don't know if you've ever worked in a Korean corporate setting, but I definitely did not enjoy the atmosphere as a Korean American. I'm also fluent in Korean, both in terms of langauge and culture, so I knew how to "fit in," but growing up as a Korean American, my value systems were definitely different from the rest of my colleagues.

I interned at a Big 4 Consulting branch, and I could not stand it. I hated the 선/후배 hierarchy, age hierarchy, and the overly respectful/almost subservient atmosphere in general.

People in Korea work too much and aren't compensated enough if you're just a pedestrian salary man.

Edit: Basically, if I had to sum it up, Americans value individuality and drive while Koreans value conformity. There's a reason for the saying 'the nail that sticks out gets hammered.'

 
kidflash:
Asia_i_Banker:
I am not sure about KAIST, but i took several MBA courses at 고대 when i was studying abroad there, and the courses did not seem to be as worth while as compared to the States. Perhaps it was in part because the curriculum did not seem applicable to real world scenarios (one course was overly academic, while another course was enjoyable, but too simple), or perhaps it was because of the homogeneously korean students in the classes.

Maybe because of the Korean culture of respect for junior and senior status, and also because a lot of the women in the course were soft-spoken, you did not get the energetic debate like you would in a more international business school setting.

Also, I agree with kidflash that Koreans love western education. If you have a chance to get into a top MBA program in the states like Chicago, Stanford, etc., you will gain a lot of credibility.

I also agree with kidflash that a lot of the execution is done out of HK and that there are opportunities in HK for koreans. About a month ago, i met with a headhunter in Hong Kong who asked me if i knew any Korean investment bankers because one of their clients was looking to hire a Korean banker in their HK office.

I also have to agree with Korea's homogeneity.

I don't know if you've ever worked in a Korean corporate setting, but I definitely did not enjoy the atmosphere as a Korean American. I'm also fluent in Korean, both in terms of langauge and culture, so I knew how to "fit in," but growing up as a Korean American, my value systems were definitely different from the rest of my colleagues.

I interned at a Big 4 Consulting branch, and I could not stand it. I hated the 선/후배 hierarchy, age hierarchy, and the overly respectful/almost subservient atmosphere in general.

People in Korea work too much and aren't compensated enough if you're just a pedestrian salary man.

Edit: Basically, if I had to sum it up, Americans value individuality and drive while Koreans value conformity. There's a reason for the saying 'the nail that sticks out gets hammered.'

I cannot agree with you more on the difference in culture and how seniors are supposed to be treated in Korea. Simply put, if you are a Korean American, you will suffer in a Korean corporate setting and detest the Korean people because of their deranged mindsets of expectation from junior people (people younger than you). In the Korean culture, a person year older than you or another person seven years older than you is no different. The fact that a person is older than you, you are EXPECTED to treat them with insane respect. In the Korean language, there are all kinds of formal words you must use when speaking with a senior. In English for example, you would have to end every sentence with a sir or mam when speaking to someone older than you. That is the rule and some people who are not familiar with the Korean culture, especially Korean Americans that are accustomed to the American culture, will oddly have a cultural shock.
 
seville:
I cannot agree with you more on the difference in culture and how seniors are supposed to be treated in Korea. Simply put, if you are a Korean American, you will suffer in a Korean corporate setting and detest the Korean people because of their deranged mindsets of expectation from junior people (people younger than you). In the Korean culture, a person year older than you or another person seven years older than you is no different. The fact that a person is older than you, you are EXPECTED to treat them with insane respect. In the Korean language, there are all kinds of formal words you must use when speaking with a senior. In English for example, you would have to end every sentence with a sir or mam when speaking to someone older than you. That is the rule and some people who are not familiar with the Korean culture, especially Korean Americans that are accustomed to the American culture, will oddly have a cultural shock.

Ya. I know and understand the culture, so it wasn't so much of a shock for me. However, just because you get the culture doesn't mean you'll ever fully accept it. For someone who grew up in America, accepting that you need to grovel cause some guy learned how to wipe his ass a year earlier than you is going to be a bitter pill.

 
kidflash:
seville:
I cannot agree with you more on the difference in culture and how seniors are supposed to be treated in Korea. Simply put, if you are a Korean American, you will suffer in a Korean corporate setting and detest the Korean people because of their deranged mindsets of expectation from junior people (people younger than you). In the Korean culture, a person year older than you or another person seven years older than you is no different. The fact that a person is older than you, you are EXPECTED to treat them with insane respect. In the Korean language, there are all kinds of formal words you must use when speaking with a senior. In English for example, you would have to end every sentence with a sir or mam when speaking to someone older than you. That is the rule and some people who are not familiar with the Korean culture, especially Korean Americans that are accustomed to the American culture, will oddly have a cultural shock.

Ya. I know and understand the culture, so it wasn't so much of a shock for me. However, just because you get the culture doesn't mean you'll ever fully accept it. For someone who grew up in America, accepting that you need to grovel cause some guy learned how to wipe his ass a year earlier than you is going to be a bitter pill.

Don't take Korea's recent "Global" hype at face value: they say that they want people with international backgrounds, they say that they want "global talents(글로벌 인재)", but at the end of the day, if you look like a Korean(Asian), you're expected to fall-in and fully conform to their value system. Do not underestimate how race-conscious these people are. You look like them and sort of talk like them, so they'll think of you as a guy who speaks English, never an American who can speak Korean. You are expected to conform. You are expected to know certain things and hold certain beliefs. It ain't easy.

 
f5edba:
kidflash:
seville:
I cannot agree with you more on the difference in culture and how seniors are supposed to be treated in Korea. Simply put, if you are a Korean American, you will suffer in a Korean corporate setting and detest the Korean people because of their deranged mindsets of expectation from junior people (people younger than you). In the Korean culture, a person year older than you or another person seven years older than you is no different. The fact that a person is older than you, you are EXPECTED to treat them with insane respect. In the Korean language, there are all kinds of formal words you must use when speaking with a senior. In English for example, you would have to end every sentence with a sir or mam when speaking to someone older than you. That is the rule and some people who are not familiar with the Korean culture, especially Korean Americans that are accustomed to the American culture, will oddly have a cultural shock.

Ya. I know and understand the culture, so it wasn't so much of a shock for me. However, just because you get the culture doesn't mean you'll ever fully accept it. For someone who grew up in America, accepting that you need to grovel cause some guy learned how to wipe his ass a year earlier than you is going to be a bitter pill.

Don't take Korea's recent "Global" hype at face value: they say that they want people with international backgrounds, they say that they want "global talents(글로벌 인재)", but at the end of the day, if you look like a Korean(Asian), you're expected to fall-in and fully conform to their value system. Do not underestimate how race-conscious these people are. You look like them and sort of talk like them, so they'll think of you as a guy who speaks English, never an American who can speak Korean. You are expected to conform. You are expected to know certain things and hold certain beliefs. It ain't easy.

I agree with f5edba, it aint easy being asian american in asia. Not sure how long you're been there in korea. But I can tell you it takes some time to see that. Especially once you start working with them. When I first moved to Asia it was all peachy and cream for me. Then I hated it..... Moving to asia was the easy part, the difficult part is getting out of it. Careful. Personally I think the perfect path is to be based in cities like HK or Singapore and also get to work in korea a week or two a month, that's if you REALLY want to stay in Asia.

American MBAs def is the right choice, or MBAs from LBS, LSE..etc. Asians dig those. There's actually a MBA program that put you in nyc, london and bangkok ( 6 months each I think?), if I recall correctly, its an US MBA degree. Not sure if that do much for a career in finance, very few of those MBA kids made it to wall street. LBS is associated with HKU which will allow you to do half of the time in HK- but that was yrs ago. Not sure if they still have those programs.

Pour some sugar on me.
 
yousaygoodbyeandisayhello:
f5edba:
kidflash:
seville:
I cannot agree with you more on the difference in culture and how seniors are supposed to be treated in Korea. Simply put, if you are a Korean American, you will suffer in a Korean corporate setting and detest the Korean people because of their deranged mindsets of expectation from junior people (people younger than you). In the Korean culture, a person year older than you or another person seven years older than you is no different. The fact that a person is older than you, you are EXPECTED to treat them with insane respect. In the Korean language, there are all kinds of formal words you must use when speaking with a senior. In English for example, you would have to end every sentence with a sir or mam when speaking to someone older than you. That is the rule and some people who are not familiar with the Korean culture, especially Korean Americans that are accustomed to the American culture, will oddly have a cultural shock.

Ya. I know and understand the culture, so it wasn't so much of a shock for me. However, just because you get the culture doesn't mean you'll ever fully accept it. For someone who grew up in America, accepting that you need to grovel cause some guy learned how to wipe his ass a year earlier than you is going to be a bitter pill.

Don't take Korea's recent "Global" hype at face value: they say that they want people with international backgrounds, they say that they want "global talents(글로벌 인재)", but at the end of the day, if you look like a Korean(Asian), you're expected to fall-in and fully conform to their value system. Do not underestimate how race-conscious these people are. You look like them and sort of talk like them, so they'll think of you as a guy who speaks English, never an American who can speak Korean. You are expected to conform. You are expected to know certain things and hold certain beliefs. It ain't easy.

I agree with f5edba, it aint easy being asian american in asia. Not sure how long you're been there in korea. But I can tell you it takes some time to see that. Especially once you start working with them. When I first moved to Asia it was all peachy and cream for me. Then I hated it..... Moving to asia was the easy part, the difficult part is getting out of it. Careful. Personally I think the perfect path is to be based in cities like HK or Singapore and also get to work in korea a week or two a month, that's if you REALLY want to stay in Asia.

American MBAs def is the right choice, or MBAs from LBS, LSE..etc. Asians dig those. There's actually a MBA program that put you in nyc, london and bangkok ( 6 months each I think?), if I recall correctly, its an US MBA degree. Not sure if that do much for a career in finance, very few of those MBA kids made it to wall street. LBS is associated with HKU which will allow you to do half of the time in HK- but that was yrs ago. Not sure if they still have those programs.

As I myself have been planning going back to Korea from the US, this thread is very interesting. Just curiosity, are you guys born in the US? If not, what age did you come here? I came to the US at the age of 17 and still feel very comfortable with the culture in Korea. But I've never worked professionally in Korea, and that's something I've been trying to find out.

 
bigfacetime:
yousaygoodbyeandisayhello:
f5edba:
kidflash:
seville:
I cannot agree with you more on the difference in culture and how seniors are supposed to be treated in Korea. Simply put, if you are a Korean American, you will suffer in a Korean corporate setting and detest the Korean people because of their deranged mindsets of expectation from junior people (people younger than you). In the Korean culture, a person year older than you or another person seven years older than you is no different. The fact that a person is older than you, you are EXPECTED to treat them with insane respect. In the Korean language, there are all kinds of formal words you must use when speaking with a senior. In English for example, you would have to end every sentence with a sir or mam when speaking to someone older than you. That is the rule and some people who are not familiar with the Korean culture, especially Korean Americans that are accustomed to the American culture, will oddly have a cultural shock.

Ya. I know and understand the culture, so it wasn't so much of a shock for me. However, just because you get the culture doesn't mean you'll ever fully accept it. For someone who grew up in America, accepting that you need to grovel cause some guy learned how to wipe his ass a year earlier than you is going to be a bitter pill.

Don't take Korea's recent "Global" hype at face value: they say that they want people with international backgrounds, they say that they want "global talents(글로벌 인재)", but at the end of the day, if you look like a Korean(Asian), you're expected to fall-in and fully conform to their value system. Do not underestimate how race-conscious these people are. You look like them and sort of talk like them, so they'll think of you as a guy who speaks English, never an American who can speak Korean. You are expected to conform. You are expected to know certain things and hold certain beliefs. It ain't easy.

I agree with f5edba, it aint easy being asian american in asia. Not sure how long you're been there in korea. But I can tell you it takes some time to see that. Especially once you start working with them. When I first moved to Asia it was all peachy and cream for me. Then I hated it..... Moving to asia was the easy part, the difficult part is getting out of it. Careful. Personally I think the perfect path is to be based in cities like HK or Singapore and also get to work in korea a week or two a month, that's if you REALLY want to stay in Asia.

American MBAs def is the right choice, or MBAs from LBS, LSE..etc. Asians dig those. There's actually a MBA program that put you in nyc, london and bangkok ( 6 months each I think?), if I recall correctly, its an US MBA degree. Not sure if that do much for a career in finance, very few of those MBA kids made it to wall street. LBS is associated with HKU which will allow you to do half of the time in HK- but that was yrs ago. Not sure if they still have those programs.

As I myself have been planning going back to Korea from the US, this thread is very interesting. Just curiosity, are you guys born in the US? If not, what age did you come here? I came to the US at the age of 17 and still feel very comfortable with the culture in Korea. But I've never worked professionally in Korea, and that's something I've been trying to find out.

I moved to Canada when I was 14. I am fluent in both languages, but my cultural mindset is more North American than I've ever imagined. As kidflash mentioned, being familiar/comfortable with a culture doesn't necessarily mean you'll get to the point of internalizing it and truly feel at home. yousaygoodbyeandisayhello brings up interesting point as well: it takes some time to see that. It's a bitter pill that takes time to see its effects. The part I mentioned is the ultimate catch: even though you sometimes feel out of place, feel like a foreigner(an expat) working in a foreign country, everyone around you automatically assumes you're a Korean and expects you to think and act like them. These are the people who would rather learn English from a French guy who picked up English only a couple of years ago, than from Korean-Americans, because he's white. In one of the "global recruiting" initiatives I was involved in, I was given explicit instruction to discount Asian/Indian applicants and prioritize applicants with white-sounding names, because the middle management wanted to show some "visible accomplishments" of their globalization efforts to the executives. I could talk for hours about all the strange, nonsensical, obscene, or even outright offensive thinkings I've encountered during my time here (binge soju drinking, obsessions with age, office politics based on which region you're from, etc.). I won't, coz it's not polite nor productive. Just want to say what yousaygoodbyeandisayhello said is very true: gettingin is the easy part. The difficult part is getting out as you'll be competing with gazillion other Asians trying to move to the states. ADD: Maybe I was too skeptical about the whole thing. People who come here and spend one or two years working and travelling around the country do have great time. I've had pretty good first two years or so myself. It's when you start thinking about the future and about settling down that you realize you want out. Do you want to pay $600~1k a month to send your child to a "English kindergarten"? Okay, I should stop. Thanks for reading.

 
f5edba:
bigfacetime:
yousaygoodbyeandisayhello:
f5edba:
kidflash:
seville:
I cannot agree with you more on the difference in culture and how seniors are supposed to be treated in Korea. Simply put, if you are a Korean American, you will suffer in a Korean corporate setting and detest the Korean people because of their deranged mindsets of expectation from junior people (people younger than you). In the Korean culture, a person year older than you or another person seven years older than you is no different. The fact that a person is older than you, you are EXPECTED to treat them with insane respect. In the Korean language, there are all kinds of formal words you must use when speaking with a senior. In English for example, you would have to end every sentence with a sir or mam when speaking to someone older than you. That is the rule and some people who are not familiar with the Korean culture, especially Korean Americans that are accustomed to the American culture, will oddly have a cultural shock.

Ya. I know and understand the culture, so it wasn't so much of a shock for me. However, just because you get the culture doesn't mean you'll ever fully accept it. For someone who grew up in America, accepting that you need to grovel cause some guy learned how to wipe his ass a year earlier than you is going to be a bitter pill.

Don't take Korea's recent "Global" hype at face value: they say that they want people with international backgrounds, they say that they want "global talents(글로벌 인재)", but at the end of the day, if you look like a Korean(Asian), you're expected to fall-in and fully conform to their value system. Do not underestimate how race-conscious these people are. You look like them and sort of talk like them, so they'll think of you as a guy who speaks English, never an American who can speak Korean. You are expected to conform. You are expected to know certain things and hold certain beliefs. It ain't easy.

I agree with f5edba, it aint easy being asian american in asia. Not sure how long you're been there in korea. But I can tell you it takes some time to see that. Especially once you start working with them. When I first moved to Asia it was all peachy and cream for me. Then I hated it..... Moving to asia was the easy part, the difficult part is getting out of it. Careful. Personally I think the perfect path is to be based in cities like HK or Singapore and also get to work in korea a week or two a month, that's if you REALLY want to stay in Asia.

American MBAs def is the right choice, or MBAs from LBS, LSE..etc. Asians dig those. There's actually a MBA program that put you in nyc, london and bangkok ( 6 months each I think?), if I recall correctly, its an US MBA degree. Not sure if that do much for a career in finance, very few of those MBA kids made it to wall street. LBS is associated with HKU which will allow you to do half of the time in HK- but that was yrs ago. Not sure if they still have those programs.

As I myself have been planning going back to Korea from the US, this thread is very interesting. Just curiosity, are you guys born in the US? If not, what age did you come here? I came to the US at the age of 17 and still feel very comfortable with the culture in Korea. But I've never worked professionally in Korea, and that's something I've been trying to find out.

I moved to Canada when I was 14. I am fluent in both languages, but my cultural mindset is more North American than I've ever imagined. As kidflash mentioned, being familiar/comfortable with a culture doesn't necessarily mean you'll get to the point of internalizing it and truly feel at home. yousaygoodbyeandisayhello brings up interesting point as well: it takes some time to see that. It's a bitter pill that takes time to see its effects. The part I mentioned is the ultimate catch: even though you sometimes feel out of place, feel like a foreigner(an expat) working in a foreign country, everyone around you automatically assumes you're a Korean and expects you to think and act like them. These are the people who would rather learn English from a French guy who picked up English only a couple of years ago, than from Korean-Americans, because he's white. In one of the "global recruiting" initiatives I was involved in, I was given explicit instruction to discount Asian/Indian applicants and prioritize applicants with white-sounding names, because the middle management wanted to show some "visible accomplishments" of their globalization efforts to the executives. I could talk for hours about all the strange, nonsensical, obscene, or even outright offensive thinkings I've encountered during my time here (binge soju drinking, obsessions with age, office politics based on which region you're from, etc.). I won't, coz it's not polite nor productive. Just want to say what yousaygoodbyeandisayhello said is very true: gettingin is the easy part. The difficult part is getting out as you'll be competing with gazillion other Asians trying to move to the states. ADD: Maybe I was too skeptical about the whole thing. People who come here and spend one or two years working and travelling around the country do have great time. I've had pretty good first two years or so myself. It's when you start thinking about the future and about settling down that you realize you want out. Do you want to pay $600~1k a month to send your child to a "English kindergarten"? Okay, I should stop. Thanks for reading.

Hey, thanks. I agree with you. It's really ridiculous to hear paying a lot of money to send kids to learn english even before they can speak korean. Anyway, that's for another discussion. So, you mentioned you worked for 2 years in Korea. What did you do (banking or consulting)? and have you moved back to Canada? I have a few friends working in IB and consulting in Korea and their experiences are not bad. Of course, you won't make much money in Korea compare with the US, but they seem to be doing fine.

 
f5edba:
ADD: Maybe I was too skeptical about the whole thing. People who come here and spend one or two years working and travelling around the country do have great time. I've had pretty good first two years or so myself. It's when you start thinking about the future and about settling down that you realize you want out. Do you want to pay $600~1k a month to send your child to a "English kindergarten"? Okay, I should stop. Thanks for reading.
Oh and english teachers in Korea are the biggest scam ever. No where else in the world can you get a top 100 US education and end up being teachers are places like 대원 or 민사고. White guys with shit school diplomas who couldn't find employment anywhere else head over to Korea to teach english cause they have mad yellow fever, and they think they run shit because Koreans are obsessed with white people.
 
Best Response
kidflash:
Oh and english teachers in Korea are the biggest scam ever. No where else in the world can you get a top 100 US education and end up being teachers are places like 대원 or 민사고. White guys with shit school diplomas who couldn't find employment anywhere else head over to Korea to teach english cause they have mad yellow fever, and they think they run shit because Koreans are obsessed with white people.

When i was studying in Korea Uni., i actually taught English to earn some extra money. It is absolutely a scam and it is unfortunate that so many white guys end up in Korae, basically getting drunk every night and sleeping around and disrespecting the local people.

However, the US armymen who are based in Korea are FAR worse than the wandering english teachers. There were times in Korea that I was ashamed to be white when i saw how the US soldiers were acting. they were usually drunk and often with prostitutes or very low-class korean girls. they think that just because they out outside of their own country, they are not subject to any rules.

The US army people are very shameful, while the english teachers are often dissapointing and unfortunate, but tend to be better than the soldiers.

Go East, Young Man
 

Thanks for all your comments. It seems to me now that I must start applying for MBA school in the States. Kinda sucks I have to leave Korea but hey... my goal is to come back hopefully as an investment banker or consultant.

My next question would be then...

Which path should I take to come back to Korea? How many state side MBA holders come to Korea and what do they usually do here?

I'm not sure if I'll able to able to get into an MBA business schools ">M7 program. I feel like my undergrad school and gpa are not to par. But possibly a Top 25?

kidflash - seems like you've worked in Korea before. Are you still here and what kind of work did you do if you dont mind me asking. Did you graduate from an MBA business schools ">M7 program?

 

Nah. I'm still in college. I just interned in Korea, and I have a lot of Korean International friends so I have a pretty close insight on how the Korean firms since most of their daddies and daddies' friends are plugged into the industry.

I have no clue about MBA admissions so I can't help you there. But if you want to end up in Korea, start out in Hong Kong, work there for two 2-3 years then ask for a transfer to Korea.

However, if you want to work in consulting, you can try to go straight to Korea, there isn't as much of a HK bias for consulting. Korean consultants work directly out of Korea.

 

I assume you have a personal reason for wanting to work in Korea, but at least for consulting, have you considered getting a job in the states for a practice that has projects in Korea?

The whole consulting industry in Korea will be very different from that of the U.S. More than anything, insane hours are expected, mainly due to clients' expectations that are somewhat linked to descriptions of the Korean cultures from various posts above.

 

damn kidflash,

seems like you had a bad personal experience or something....anyways...to add to this discussion, I would say, it depends on your personality as well...

American firms are more of "work, chit chat about small shit (sports, girls, happy hour here and there) and then home to your private life and family.

korea is more of work together, then share in the more "private" moments,,, etc (if you get married, your whole office comes to the wedding, if you family member passes, they come to the funeral, have a child, buy rice cakes for the office etc)

so in my experience there is a bit more "brotherhood" type of feeling...of course if your more of a private person (work is work / private is private) type of person, then korea might not be the best fit...

having worked in both korea and currently in the states, my opinions are:

pros of working in korea are - although the 선배 후배 respect can totally lead to a ego trip, the fact is that they do take care of you (buy you drink, dinner, etc "little bro / big bro" thing "international" experience (although not on par with hk or singapore of tokyo), when your young and dumb, take some chances and see where you land

cons: pay, pay, pay, pay and pay banking/finace hours will be the same anywhere, but damn the pay is really depressing IB is not "truly" IB if you know what I mean...experience is def not the same even at places like GS/MS korea vs GS/MS nyc or london

anyways getting back to the point, if you have an opportunity to go to an US MBA, don't think twice, you'll always have an opportunity to go from M7 to korea, but not the same from SNU/Yonsei/Kaist to GS/MS or any BB (it's not impossible but I'm just saying its easier the other way)...

one big thing (imo) is that everyone thinks, korea has come a long ways in the English area...most ppl working at BB or foreign banks are able to speak decent english...true, but this is one way to distinguish yourself from the "normal" SNU/Kaist grad...holding all else equal, if one graduated say (UCLA or NYU) with perfect or near perfect bilingual and the other is a SNU/Kaist grad with "decent' english, chances are the UCLA/NYU will get that spot b/c like ppl mentioned, Korean are foreign whores (everything in america must be bigger and better)

just my two cent (btw i'm guessing most of the ppl posting are korean-americans)? where are you guys located? if your in nyc, would love to maybe meet up sometime for a beer or something...networking never hurts right...

 

ok, so this is my 4th year working in Asia ( still struggling to find a way out) as an asian looking asian american speaking 2 aisan languages fluently, one at native level. please allow me to share some of my thoughts about living/working in Asia.

As a kid in high school and part of college. Like most of the 3rd culture kids, I wanted to move and work in Asia so bad considering it was lots of partying and some "different" stuff when you're back in Asia for vacation. Some of us graduate from college, flew to Asia the first thing after graduation and half of us continue to party hard and half of us can't wait to get back to the states when we actually call home.

Both of my parents are mixed Asians so I was fortunate enough to experience 2 Asian cultures. Needless to say, being Asian, I look Asian but my accent and the wording give me away. I must say that if you consider yourself more American than Asian you could never get used to the office politics and culture here. Also, if you're working for a western company where the official language being English, it is very painful to read internal email from local employee although most would say they speak decent English. It is obviously not quite enough. I experience more culture shocks in my parents home countries than I did in cities like London, Barcelona and such. However, lots of people I know somehow manage to love it here but I think it's mostly because the local asian girls.

It's true that being Asian the local people expect you to "be like them", but you're actually never going to be "one of them". So in some countries, they'd still try to take advantage of you. They also take "being polite" seriously. Starting an email without "Dear" before a name is considered rude and you don't even want to know the stuff they'd say about one while being perfectly friendly and nice in front of the person.

And yes, English teachers in Asia are the biggest scams ever. They make us look real bad as well. That's also the reason why I must say again that HK and Singapore would be better for expats in Asia. They're the NYC of Asia, and you get enough amount of professional expats other than "the English teachers". It's healthy for your social life.

I, sadly don't live in SG nor HK. I currently work in Taipei. ( Where there's not much finance going on. BCG and McKinsey do have offices here though.) So the only time I really feel "connected" to the city is when I get back to NYC for holidays.

Anyway, I did meet lots of great people who gave out great advices (they're all expats), so that's probably the best thing in my Asia experience. But honestly, if you're not learning things that's helpful for your career & life, the job in asia isn't giving you any career advancement in the future ( which they usually don't unless you work for a mega company) and you're not making enough money. I'd say working in Asia is a waste of time. If you just want to experience the lifestyle and culture. A year would be enough.

Pour some sugar on me.
 

All this talks sounds like dealing with my relatives in Asia whenever I go there to see them. What they value is not what I value, and they are very stubborn in seeing the American perspective (can't blame them for that. I find it hard to understand them and I'm 1/3 of their age). It can very very difficult dealing with them. I'm only sane because my brothers come along.

If I spent 1 year there vacationing with relatives, much less 1 year there working with strangers, I'd go crazy.

 
Toronto:
Go to a good american school, apply for recruiting in Korea.

Worst case scenario from what I've researched: A lot of places are supportive about transferring from the main NY/Toronto office to regional asian office after a few years.

agreed. too many people on this blog debating useless topics that have absolutely nothing to do with what was originally asked

 

I promise I don't hate Korea even if it seems like it. I love food back home. I'm craving proper 족발 and 곱창 meals right now. Hongdae's also amazing. I feel like it's the one part of Korea that isn't 100% commercialized. Great date spot.

If you have money to blow, Korean nightlife is unparalleled, and I have many fond memories of doing stupid shit trashed out of my mind with my friends. Seoul has fantastic women and great public transit, and its extremely clean in comparison to NYC.

One of the most tech friendly nations in the world, and Yongsan Electronic Market was like an adult Toys R' Us for me. It has a rich historical background... at least whats left of it after Japan and the Korean War raped us.

There are amazing parts to living in Korea, I'll never deny that. I just don't know if the benefits outweigh the costs.

 

This is an interesting thread.

My two cents:

I've never lived/worked in Korea, though I've visited for a weekend and had an absolute blast. I can see where you guys are coming from re: the extreme localization of the Korean market. The same thing can be said for working in Japan and China to a certain extent as well. I've actually been trying to work in Asia for a long time (grew up in boring suburbia; had a childhood fascination with Asian culture in general), and have in the past interned and or lived in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong (I'm currently working here). I was pretty gung-ho about working in "China" for a while.

I realized that there were two roads I could take:

1) The HK/SG route: Work in a financial center, speak English, and face less outsider discrimination. Keep in mind you aren't really participating in the Korea/Chinese/Taiwan/Japanese economies, just working with blocks and abstractions of them.

2) The Local Route: Grit your teeth and "conform" to the local culture, or try your best. I've met people that have been in China for 20 years- we're talking people that are sincerely interested in the culture, don't overestimate their Chinese speaking ability, go full-blown immersion, etc. They are still struggling. There will always be that localization factor that Westerners will never have.

I enjoy studying foreign languages, immersing myself in the culture, etc. But the antagonistically competitive nature of workplace completely takes the fun out of it, at least for me. I may have to settle for a multicultural girlfriend, or just hanging out with my local relatives. Who knows.

You need to ask yourself how local you really are... or at least how interested in local culture you are. Are you willing to work at a disadvantage? Do you spend every second trying to immerse yourself in that culture? Are you willing to be viewed as a complete dumbass in the short term (read: your 20's)? I asked myself that question, and now I'm in Hong Kong.

 

My mentor gave me this analogy: Some Asian grad students from Korea or China that speak pretty decent English, but are not from the States. Now imagine if they had to run the marketing and sales operations for, say, the New York Yankees or the Oakland Raiders. Authentically local American culture. And imagine them having to do a better job of selling those sports franchises than white or black guys that have been raised in the United States their whole lives. To state the obvious, its not immediately apparent how exactly the grad students could develop that sort of intuitive market understanding at all, let alone in a short period of time. Sure, it might be possible, but there's no doubt that there will be a lot of pain and sacrifice involved. The fact of the matter is that America is a land of immigrants; these countries are not.

 

IMO, MBA should be about the network you want to incubate and perpetuate that will best serve your future career. In my situation, I'm eventually pursuing a long-term entrepreneurial route in China, so Shanghai's JT MBA or CEIBS are two of my top choices.

Since it sounds like you want to stay in Korea for the long-haul, I think it makes much more sense to get an MBA there than elsewhere. Don't get me wrong - obtaining an MBA from a top-tier program in the States will definitely help your career down the road, but forming connections with individuals who were not able to go overseas but have achieved success and wealth domestically (Korea) may actually be much more valuable.

At the end of the day, it's all contingent upon your long-term goals.

 
Toshi83:
IMO, MBA should be about the network you want to incubate and perpetuate that will best serve your future career. In my situation, I'm eventually pursuing a long-term entrepreneurial route in China, so Shanghai's JT MBA or CEIBS are two of my top choices.

Since it sounds like you want to stay in Korea for the long-haul, I think it makes much more sense to get an MBA there than elsewhere. Don't get me wrong - obtaining an MBA from a top-tier program in the States will definitely help your career down the road, but forming connections with individuals who were not able to go overseas but have achieved success and wealth domestically (Korea) may actually be much more valuable.

At the end of the day, it's all contingent upon your long-term goals.

Um... you know all the wealthiest and most powerful Korean families all have American educations right? I go to a target school and we have several hundred Korean International students from numerous chaebol/mid-level conglomerate families. The trend definitely continues through MBA as well. You can check linkedin if you don't believe me.
 
kidflash:
Toshi83:
IMO, MBA should be about the network you want to incubate and perpetuate that will best serve your future career. In my situation, I'm eventually pursuing a long-term entrepreneurial route in China, so Shanghai's JT MBA or CEIBS are two of my top choices.

Since it sounds like you want to stay in Korea for the long-haul, I think it makes much more sense to get an MBA there than elsewhere. Don't get me wrong - obtaining an MBA from a top-tier program in the States will definitely help your career down the road, but forming connections with individuals who were not able to go overseas but have achieved success and wealth domestically (Korea) may actually be much more valuable.

At the end of the day, it's all contingent upon your long-term goals.

Um... you know all the wealthiest and most powerful Korean families all have American educations right? I go to a target school and we have several hundred Korean International students from numerous chaebol/mid-level conglomerate families. The trend definitely continues through MBA as well. You can check linkedin if you don't believe me.

That may be true - I'm not Korean nor do I attend a target school so I don't have evidence or numbers to substantiate any observations. However, given that the OP mentioned he wanted to expand his career in Korea and that his language proficiency is social but not professional level, my view was that it's more beneficial for him to get more exposure to the language and business lingo in a domestic environment if that's his long-term choice of stay. I'm also uncertain how nationalistic Koreans are in their work environment, but from my experience working in China and Japan, unless the locals accept you (especially the provincial government officials for China), your progress will be stumped.

 

plenty people here wasting your time...idiots writing BILINGUAL essays and what not..

the korean style hierarchy and all that crap aside:

1) if you are korean/american i am going to assume your korean is no where near proficient enough to be able to do the job. how do you say unleverage beta/hit the bid/leveraged buyout/pitchbook in korean? exactly - why hire a banana if they have plenty of locals to choose from?

2) i've worked on yeouido as an intern - the ivys and other elites are very well represented...more than you think - extremely smart guys that were able to go from a korean uni to do an MBA or a second degree at a target in the U.S. why hire a local when you have guys that are from wharton (or atleast an exchange program of some sort) and equally proficient in korean?

this means that by you getting an MBA in korea you are bulge brackets in korea...

 

I see a lot of people saying that working in Korea seems pretty rough for Asian-Americans, but how is it for non Asian-Americans? I'm currently dating a Korean girl here in the states and she wants us to move to South Korea for a few years. How can I expect my experiences to be working there as an African-American? In something like consulting with a non-Korean company like McKinsey or the sort?

 
WanderlustMD:
I see a lot of people saying that working in Korea seems pretty rough for Asian-Americans, but how is it for non Asian-Americans? I'm currently dating a Korean girl here in the states and she wants us to move to South Korea for a few years. How can I expect my experiences to be working there as an African-American? In something like consulting with a non-Korean company like McKinsey or the sort?

Having spent almost 4 years in Korea, my first reaction was to say run. However, I will tone this down a little bit and tell you to be extremely careful. Korea, and Seoul in particular, is not the international haven that the government tries to advertise it as. In fact, it is rather more unfriendly to ex-pats than its regional neighbors (except North Korea of course). I would always recommend that someone take a job in Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and even many smaller cities in Asia than in Korea. If you talk to ex-pats that have transnational Asian responsibility, you would be surprised at the number who have less than favorable impressions of Korea and its business practices.

Now, for a Korean American that can pull off the language without too much of an accent, maybe it is worth it. But for an African-American such as yourself, you are immediately going to be associated with the large American military presence that is stationed in Korea. Now I know this isn't politically correct, but there is a bit of racism that permeates Korea - and blacks are definitely considered at the bottom. Cabs will pass you by to go pick up a white dude, or better yet a Korean. Go to a place like Dongdaemun market and you might not be allowed to buy anything. I am not trying to scare you, but these are things you should be aware of if you decide to go.

Finally, getting a job will be tough without knowing Korean. It is possible, and I have some ex-pat friends that have successfully done it. But I would say that it is going to be very difficult. Overall, I would think really hard about the decision. I am sure your girlfriend is feeding you the positive aspects, but hopefully I was able to lay out some of the negatives.

 
HG14:
WanderlustMD:
I see a lot of people saying that working in Korea seems pretty rough for Asian-Americans, but how is it for non Asian-Americans? I'm currently dating a Korean girl here in the states and she wants us to move to South Korea for a few years. How can I expect my experiences to be working there as an African-American? In something like consulting with a non-Korean company like McKinsey or the sort?

Having spent almost 4 years in Korea, my first reaction was to say run. However, I will tone this down a little bit and tell you to be extremely careful. Korea, and Seoul in particular, is not the international haven that the government tries to advertise it as. In fact, it is rather more unfriendly to ex-pats than its regional neighbors (except North Korea of course). I would always recommend that someone take a job in Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and even many smaller cities in Asia than in Korea. If you talk to ex-pats that have transnational Asian responsibility, you would be surprised at the number who have less than favorable impressions of Korea and its business practices.

Now, for a Korean American that can pull off the language without too much of an accent, maybe it is worth it. But for an African-American such as yourself, you are immediately going to be associated with the large American military presence that is stationed in Korea. Now I know this isn't politically correct, but there is a bit of racism that permeates Korea - and blacks are definitely considered at the bottom. Cabs will pass you by to go pick up a white dude, or better yet a Korean. Go to a place like Dongdaemun market and you might not be allowed to buy anything. I am not trying to scare you, but these are things you should be aware of if you decide to go.

Finally, getting a job will be tough without knowing Korean. It is possible, and I have some ex-pat friends that have successfully done it. But I would say that it is going to be very difficult. Overall, I would think really hard about the decision. I am sure your girlfriend is feeding you the positive aspects, but hopefully I was able to lay out some of the negatives.

This is extremely helpful information HG14, thank you. You're absolutely right about my girlfriend telling me mostly the positives :P I have been aware of possible racism in Korea but she's been telling me that it is perpetuated mostly by the older generations. I'm not sure how bad it is in the workplace environment, though.

Currently I can speak a bit of Korean, albeit not fluently, so I'm considering the move to Korea only once it becomes fluent. How do you think this will change things for me in terms of breaking stereotypes and finding job opportunities? By the way, would you mind if I PM'ed you about other questions sometime?

 

I'm aware that I may be replying to this post pretty late, but would like to add some feedback to this matter. As a Korean working in a Hong Kong BB (went to Target College in East Coast), I would like to share some of my insights into the matter.

For the OPs initial post, I think the best way to go back into Korea for work is to get a job in Hong Kong in the financial sector. From my experience networking with the Korean Folks is extremely important in getting a job there as the culture over there is like a obnoxious fraternity of self-aggrandizing men who care little of those outside their coverage. Working in Hong Kong would not only get you exposure to the Korean Deals, but would also help you get networking opportunities with high level company officials (the many heads of Hong Kong Branches of Korean Financial Institutions).

But, I would think that by the time you finish MBA, and have several years in Hong Kong under your belt, you probably wouldn't want to go back to Korea (HK has the lowest income tax, better work environment, and more recognition than those who work in Korea)

As of the language requirements... I personally speak English, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese all fluently (moved around Asia when I was a kid). Although this does impress when conducting interviews, it is not essential for everyday work - most of my work is doing execution work for Korea. Point is, Mandarin on the contrary, is not essential.

You would be surprised by the number of people from Korean universities (mostly S.K.Y) that work in non-Korea Finance Companies in Hong Kong. Some of them lateral after working in the Hong Kong office of a Korean company, others decide to join official graduate student programs. BUT, those who do work in the top-notch companies whether it be PE, HF, or BB IBD tend to be from US Targets, most of who also have M7 MBA experiences.

Hope this helps, any more questions about careers in HK, lateral, life I'd be happy to answer if you PM me

 

I'm aware that I may be replying to this post pretty late, but would like to add some feedback to this matter. As a Korean working in a Hong Kong BB (went to Target College in East Coast), I would like to share some of my insights into the matter.

For the OPs initial post, I think the best way to go back into Korea for work is to get a job in Hong Kong in the financial sector. From my experience networking with the Korean Folks is extremely important in getting a job there as the culture over there is like a obnoxious fraternity of self-aggrandizing men who care little of those outside their coverage. Working in Hong Kong would not only get you exposure to the Korean Deals, but would also help you get networking opportunities with high level company officials (the many heads of Hong Kong Branches of Korean Financial Institutions).

But, I would think that by the time you finish MBA, and have several years in Hong Kong under your belt, you probably wouldn't want to go back to Korea (HK has the lowest income tax, better work environment, and more recognition than those who work in Korea)

As of the language requirements... I personally speak English, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese all fluently (moved around Asia when I was a kid). Although this does impress when conducting interviews, it is not essential for everyday work - most of my work is doing execution work for Korea. Point is, Mandarin on the contrary, is not essential.

You would be surprised by the number of people from Korean universities (mostly S.K.Y) that work in non-Korea Finance Companies in Hong Kong. Some of them lateral after working in the Hong Kong office of a Korean company, others decide to join official graduate student programs. BUT, those who do work in the top-notch companies whether it be PE, HF, or BB IBD tend to be from US Targets, most of who also have M7 MBA experiences.

Hope this helps, any more questions about careers in HK, lateral, life I'd be happy to answer if you PM me

 

there's a relatively large presence of wharton alums in korea, so an mba from wharton would prove to be very valuable if you wanted to go back to korea (especially with the network). of course you can't go wrong with H/S either, but they aren't as well represented as W in korea

 

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