"Arbeiten" translated from German means - to work. For some reason, low-skilled work in South Korea called by a similar word - Arbayt.

If we take the Russian language, the most appropriate word is handyman.

A person who came to work in South Korea without an H2 or F4 visa does not have many options for work.

Either go to work at the factory, or arbeit.

In this article, we will analyze what “arbeit” is, how much workers are paid, in what conditions they live and what kind of work they do.

Working on an arbayt means that you come to a certain Korean, he populates you in his housing.

Every day at 7 am you come or you are brought to the office. Further - distribute who and where goes. Work can be different - construction, fields, greenhouses and so on. You may get an easy job and you will be watering the street with a hose all day, or they may send help to the post office or cook kim-chi (a Korean dish), where you will pepper cabbage for 10 hours.

There are an infinite number of types of work on arbite. Here, as never before, the word handyman fits.

At all jobs, they must be fed, from 2 to 4 times a day. As a rule, 2 meals - full lunch and dinner, and 2 small snacks. 10-15 minute breaks for a smoke break are also made.

At 18.00 (almost always) work ends. You are taken home and the rest of the time is at your disposal.

Arbite fees typically range from 60,000 to 120,000 won (3,300-6,600 rubles today).

Basically, payment is made daily, after work.

Foreman/employer - the person with whom you live, to whom you are brought every day to the office that provides you with a job.

An employer is a person who pays your foreman money for the work you have done, for which you, in fact, work at the facility.

The rate is fixed and is paid to you by your employer. The employer has his own % from your work, but this does not affect your earnings. Let's take an example - your Foreman sends you to work picking garlic. His employer pays him 120,000 won per person. He gives you 80,000 and takes 40,000 for himself.

There were cases when a team of 10 people, receiving 80,000 won each, carried out a construction project, for which the foreman received 2,400,000 won. His net daily earnings from you were 2,400,000 - 10 x 80,000 = 1,600,000 won. That is, from each of you, he earned 2 times more than you yourself. This should be taken lightly.

Firstly, he is your employer, and how much profit he earns from you is his business. Secondly, he pays for your housing, solves your problems. Thirdly, there are days when you even lose money for him (for example, there is not enough work on this day, but he still has to pay you, and he sends to the object for which he will be paid 800,000 won, instead of 10 people - 15, because that there is no work. As a result, he pays this difference to you.) or to zero. It also happens that the foreman pays a little extra for a profitable object. It happens when Good work employers pay.
The main key to success in working on arbite is to work productively. There are many examples where employers took good employee work for yourself directly, for more favorable conditions, realizing that it is a lot of sense. There are many examples of when good worker they did a work visa and he completely emigrated to the Republic of Kazakhstan receiving a good salary.

Also, if you are loafing and trying in every possible way to shirk work, they will certainly pay you, but they will definitely complain to the foreman. After several such complaints, the foreman will most likely ask you to move out, and you will either have to return home or pay a commission for finding a job again. And the second job will be much worse than the original one, as a rule, the “fired” are sent to the hardest or the lowest paid job.

Of the advantages of working on Arbyte:

1. Since you work everyday various works, and most often these jobs are temporary, the chances of you being arrested by the police for illegal work are minimal.
2. You get paid daily. Firstly, even taking into account the fact that Korea is a safe country in terms of payment, receiving money in your hands every day is calmer and more reliable for yourself. Secondly, when you get tired at work and want to go home already, having received payment for your work, worthy in Russian payment standards, it becomes easier and there is an incentive to continue.
3. The work does not bother, and it is easier to work through the entire term. You quickly get tired of the same work.
4. The opportunity to gain experience and profession in various fields.

From the minuses of work:

1. The employer is constantly changing. Everyone has their own character, attitude and approach. Everyone needs to build relationships.
2. There is physically very difficult and exhausting work.
3. Even if you come with a friend to work for the same foreman, there is a high chance that you will work in different places, and only live together.

Recently, more and more people have heard or read on the Internet that you can make money in South Korea. A country with a small territory and a powerful economy attracts citizens from all over the world, including from the CIS countries. At the same time, the options for entering Korea, as well as the ways to earn money, are different and diverse. In this article, the author will try to understand this type of earnings, as arbyte "in Korean". Of course, it is impossible to cover all the nuances and details of arbite in one publication, but we will try to reveal some points. To do this, the author decided to get a job Arbayt! All people's names and titles have been changed, any resemblance is coincidental.

... The plane was approaching Incheon (colloquial - Incheon) from the sea, in the window it was clear how the silhouettes of ships and various boats were sailing. The weather was sunny and foreshadowed good mood after St. Petersburg rain and gloomy sky. After collecting my things, I headed to the exit of the aircraft, watching the other passengers along the way. Basically, these were citizens of South Korea who returned to their homeland after a trip to Russia and St. Petersburg.

After walking along the long corridor from the telescopic ladder to the border control point, I stopped in front of the counters, behind which Korean employees processed entry stickers. My turn came quickly, I approached the check-in desk and held out my passport. I had F-4 visa for ethnic Koreans. And having this visa made me happy, somewhere in the depths of my soul, I was grateful for the opportunity that the Korean government provided for overseas ethnic Koreans.

I was asked to leave my fingerprints on a small electronic scanner, and they gave me a sticker, which is also a simple small piece of paper with my entry data. In the passport, as before, entry stamps are no longer put. After checking in, I went to get my luggage and expected that there would be strict customs officers at the exit and check the bags for prohibited items, such as sausages. To my surprise, quickly finding my travel suitcase, I headed for the exit without any check. And he still couldn’t understand why they didn’t check the contents of the suitcase? They didn't even check the luggage tags! Passing by employees who were not up to me, I stopped for a moment and remembered an episode from the movie "The Diamond Arm". Remember when Semyon Semyonovich with his suitcases passed the controller? They put a cross on his suitcase with chalk, he was surprised, erased the cross and again stood in line to be checked. I think that customs officers do not check flights from St. Petersburg and Moscow as strictly as flights from Central Asia.

Within a week, through a friend, he submitted documents to the migration center for the manufacture id cards(ID-card, registration card for all long-term residents of Korea) and started looking for job advertisements. Also, at the migration center I was given a certificate of acceptance of documents for obtaining an ID card. This certificate is important until you have received an ID card. Thanks to my friend, in the building of the migration center, I immediately issued tongian(bank book) and debit card. By myself, I stopped in the city Incheon.

Basically, the source of vacancies for Russian-speaking citizens are social media. Various job postings are posted every day. I was interested in arbite. Many do not want to get a formal job, especially those who do not plan to work in one place for a long time or wait for a salary for a month and a half after starting work. There is such a thing as "out", period and time of salary payment. It happens on the 10th, 15th, 25th. If you got a job in the month of August, then you will receive your first salary for the days worked in the month of August on September 10, 15 or even September 25. Therefore, those who have just arrived in Korea need real money and arbayt is the most acceptable way of earning for them.

Payment in South Korea for guest workers is hourly, the minimum rate for one hour of work is 7530 won(about 6.73 US dollars or 456 Russian rubles). Hours of work are not much different in different enterprises. As a rule, the working day or shift starts at 8:00 and lasts until 17:00. This is a short working day. Anything over this time is already considered processing and is charged at an increased rate of approximately 11,000 won (9.83 US dollars or 666 Russian rubles). Under capitalism, many people try to earn more and are happy when there are overtime. Sometimes there are enterprises where they pay for 1 hour a little higher than the minimum wage.

I called one of the numbers that I managed to find in the process of searching for vacancies. A young man named Larik answered, said that he was working on the road in another city, kimpo. The work is simple and physically easy, just to assemble and pack mattresses. Schedule from 8:30 to 17:30 (short day), leaving Incheon at 7:10. Payment twice, on the 1st-2nd and on the 15th for each two-week period worked. At the same time, they paid 93,000 won (83 US dollars or 5,624 Russian rubles) per day. But, every day we had to pay 10,000 won for the round-trip fare to the driver, the same Larik. As a result, 83,000 won remained net.

Mornings in Korea start "early" in the morning. From 6 o'clock already on the streets there are enough people hurrying to their work. At the appointed time, I stood at the cafe-bakery of the famous trademark In Korea. Other men and women were standing nearby, waiting for their delivery bus. Passing by with sad faces, hastily dressed and with sleepy eyes, migrant workers-compatriots from the CIS countries.

Then another gray-white minibus drove up and my phone rang. Larik called, it was his minibus. When I opened the door, I saw 8 more people inside, along with the driver. Fitting into the middle row of seats, we drove to my first arbeit in Korea. However, after driving a couple of hundred meters, we stopped ... To take one more person. As a result, two girls and 5 guys were sitting in a minibus from two rows of seats, two more guys were sitting in front next to Larik.

It turned out to be uncomfortable for four of us to sit in a row of three seats, the elbow of a neighbor pressed to the side. But we must endure, we are going to the arbeit! The smoke of siageret without menthol from time to time spread throughout the cabin, tk. Larick wanted to smoke. After all, he has the most responsible work— transportation of people to work and back. We drove quickly, moving from one lane to another and overtaking passing cars. Despite the fact that Larik was in a hurry, he drove carefully, without making sudden braking and acceleration. Approximately, after 55 minutes, we reached the area where many factories and plants were located. Our factory produced some of the most branded mattresses in South Korea. Let's call it conditionally FiveStar.

There were almost 20 minutes left before the start of the shift. With my eyes, I assessed the upcoming working day. The weather was a little cloudy, but sometimes the sun peeped through. I was asked to give a tongian and a certificate from the migration center on the acceptance of documents for obtaining an ID card. To the question, “what should I do?”, I was answered: “for now, rest, when the shift starts, go with the guys, they will show you what to do.”

The rest of the guys sat comfortably on chairs in a designated smoking area outside. I sat next to him, even though I don't smoke. But it was interesting to meet and talk. Russian-speaking girls also sat down and lit a cigarette. More guys came up and a man of about fifty-five, who greeted everyone and immediately lit a cigarette. The guys respectfully called the man Uncle Misha. A few minutes later, an elderly local Korean appeared, whose name no one knew. Yes, and when asked what his position was, everyone answered, like he is the most important here. No one really knew how his position sounds in Korean.

Russian-speaking visitors name all local Koreans "hanguk". This chief hanguk started giving brief orders to other local Koreans. Ours quickly dispersed to their hangars and workplaces. I went with Uncle Misha to the main hangar, found a corner and changed into Korean pants made of light material. Pants bought for 7,000 won.

8:30 everyone at their jobs.

"What are we going to do today?" I asked Uncle Misha a question.
"Get gloves, come with us." Uncle Misha answered.
Taking new gloves, I followed everyone. There were also factory warehouses in the neighboring yard across the road. There was also a 40-foot sea ​​container with a tractor. We had to unload this container. Inside were latex bases for mattresses in plastic packaging of various sizes and different characteristics. These differences, as it turned out later, delay the work of unloading. Two guys threw packed blanks from the container, the dimensions of which were from 1.1x2m to 1.65x2 m. Heavy and slippery packages were grabbed with all fingers and dragged onto pallets. Ready pallets were cleaned by a young hanguk on "Jackie Chan". So our Russian-speaking guest workers called the forklift, which in Korean (지게차) JiGeCha is consonant with the name "Jackie Chan".

The first day of arbeit, and I remember how Larik said on the phone that the work is simple and easy, began with a warm-up of all muscles and joints. I have not lifted and dragged so many kilograms in all the previous five years combined. It was stuffy outside, my fingers began to ache from tension, and besides, due to the inaccuracy of one of the guys, he crushed the middle finger on his hand. I wanted to drink water, but the water cooler was in the hangar. I had to wait a ten minute break.

10:30

On a break (십분- pluck bun) none of ours spared their lungs, savoring another cigarette. Having quickly gone to the toilet and drank cold water from the cooler, after a couple of minutes we proceeded to the final unloading. It was necessary to have time to unload before lunch, which began at 11:40. After a smoke break, the sky began to tighten with clouds and at times it began to rain. We were in a hurry. The rain was also in a hurry, choosing us as its target. Only ten minutes remained before the end of the unloading of the container. Those were the wettest minutes of my life. conscious life. The faster we tried to finish the job, the harder it rained. An elderly hanguk came to check on us and cheer us up a bit, bringing a couple of umbrellas with him! But where can you put these umbrellas if your hands are busy and there is not enough space around. The container was empty, the rain poured like buckets, his hands worked like car wipers in an accelerated mode, washing the water from his face and wiping it with a soaked T-shirt. Finally, everything was unloaded and we ran under the shed to wring out our clothes. Everything was soaking wet: shorts, T-shirt, socks, sneakers. Having gone into my hangar, I took off my T-shirt, turned on a large floor fan and began to dry it under a stream of air. The time on the arbeit is scheduled by the minute, especially when it comes to smoking breaks, lunches and finishing work.

Arbayt arbayt, and lunch is on schedule!
11:40

Uncle Misha commands: Dinner! Everyone quits their jobs and quickly walks to the minibus, which takes us to the canteen, located 300 meters from our factory. The women traveled to the dining room in the minibus of the main hanguk. The dining room is medium, allowing about 100 visitors to eat at the same time. For lunch, workers and employees of companies from all over the surrounding area come or come, each at its own specific time. Therefore, queues and crushes are not visible. Entering the dining hall, I saw two large porridges with rice and tables with salads and snacks. From traditional salads were kimchi, dressed radish, sprouted soybean sprouts, fried meat, various salads, soup in a bowl, and cold compote. The principle of the buffet, when everyone picks up what he wants to eat. I got a little bit of everything, but the plate was almost full!

Finding an empty seat at the table near the air conditioner, I started tasting my lunch. Accustomed to eating slowly, I was surprised to see how our other guys worked hard with their jaws and chopsticks, food “falling” into their stomachs at the speed of free fall. It felt like they were in a hurry somewhere. Literally, in 8-10 minutes, all the food on their plates disappeared. They got up from their seats, took the dirty dishes to the dishwashers and went out. I became a little uncomfortable and I accelerated the absorption of my food. But, no matter how hard I tried, before 15 minutes I did not finish my first dinner on arbeit.

After lunch, everyone got back into the minibus and drove to their factory. First of all, all the diners sat under a canopy and began to smoke. As such, there was no communication among themselves, everyone was busy with their thoughts or the phone. Lunch time lasts exactly one hour, until 12:40. To be honest, after lunch it is difficult to work, I want to relax. But, life in Korea makes people change their habits, way of life and thinking. Although, many more of our guest workers live in Korea with their bad habits without even thinking about changing yourself and your thinking.

Work and work again...

Uncle Misha was short, with a heavy build, with a face that looked a bit like the actor Yevgeny Leonov. So you think that in jest he will say: I'll tear my mouth, I'll gouge out my eyes! But, Uncle Misha worked conscientiously, had a calm character and always tried to do the job well. He became my partner and mentor for two weeks, which I worked out while fulfilling my mission. Together, we took the same latex bases that we unloaded at the warehouse, put thick sheets on them, then tucked them into special sewn mattress covers. The work required synchronicity and attentiveness. Ready-made mattresses were folded several times and placed in special branded bags. Inside the folded mattresses, I put an information sheet, zipped on one side, my partner on the other. I pasted a green round sticker for control, gathered together the fabric handles of the bag and fastened them with strips of Velcro. Uncle Misha fixed the zipper tabs with a plastic clamp and took the finished bags to a temporary storage place. After unloading the container in the pouring rain, this job seemed easier than ever. Every day, we had new tasks and orders. Two young hanguks, sort of senior factory foremen, gave us instructions in Korean on which mattresses to make and pack. Themselves, they famously managed the "Jackie Chans" and were always in business, showing their loyalty and quickness to their superiors.

On the first day of arbeit, I saw how our guys work. Someone slack off, doing the work slowly, someone worked in good faith, doing everything carefully and silently. The old hanguk was constantly coming to the hangar and looking at the work, as well as checking the mattresses himself, sniffing at the spongy latex base. Repeating after him, the guys also poked their noses into the latex and sucked in air: it was a kind of "stink detection sensor" of used mattresses. According to its marketing policy, FiveStar took back used mattresses after a certain time and replaced their covers with sheets. And so, we unpack such a used mattress, remove the cover, then remove the sheet with the remnants of someone's hair and deeply inhale the aroma of spongy latex that has turned yellow in places. True, I never inhaled, because. my nose wouldn't tell anything anyway.

Packing mattresses, I caught myself thinking. Real branded Korean mattresses, some cost up to $1,800, consist of Vietnamese latex bases, material from Thailand, Chinese bags and manual labor Russian-speaking Koreans. All these components are capitalism in action.

At 17:15, cleaning of the workplace and the surrounding area usually begins (청소) jeongso. It so happened that the general cleaning on the first day started early and ended quickly. All the guys went to the toilet, a young guy named Gena remained in the hangar, who was finishing sweeping the floor. After some time, the senior foreman came running and began to scold our guys for leaving the hangar and only Gena remained inside, who was cleaning up. As the young hanguk explained a little later, through the video camera in the hangar, the elderly hanguk saw an empty hangar on the monitor in his office and wondered why everyone had disappeared somewhere. Having called a little to our conscience, the foreman said that next time everyone should be in the hangar by 17:30. Nodding our heads, we went to our minibus, having previously put our signatures on the time sheet. I noticed that none of the guys even change into a change of clothes, although after a working day the whole T-shirt is wet with sweat, and the pants collect all the micro-dust that imperceptibly floats in the air from working fans, mineral wool and materials.

The road back home takes a little longer, because. many are returning from work and there are small traffic jams on the roads. The girls immediately sat in the back row of seats, the rest in empty seats, Larik turned on the music and we all drove to Incheon. Girls, by the way, immediately received the payment, because. they worked temporarily for several days. In a short day, they received 68,000 won in their hands, of which 10,000 won were immediately given to Larik for round-trip transportation. Their work was not very hard, assembling boxes with massage pillows, putting stickers on bags, etc.

Can you make money in South Korea?

Thus, after working ten days within two weeks on this particular arbeit, each received 920,000 won (822 US dollars or 55,710 Russian rubles). Of this salary, Larik had to pay 100,000 won for 10 days of travel. But even this remaining amount is enough for one person in South Korea to pay the rent of an apartment, eat normally and make small purchases.

Accordingly, if you go to arbeit on a regular basis, then you will receive about 1,650,000 won per month (about 1,475 dollars or about 100,000 Russian rubles). By the standards of South Korea, such a salary for guest workers is considered small, but if you compare the working time (only 8 hours) and the schedule (five days), such a salary looks attractive. Working full-time and officially signing a contract, guest workers earn between 2,200,000 and 2,800,000 won per month on average. And this is already a significant income, which allows visitors to make money savings and improve their lives.

In conclusion, I want to note that due to the economic crises in the CIS countries and new sanctions for Russia, the economic stability of South Korea attracts more and more guest workers from both the CIS countries and Russia. Consumer activity in South Korea itself is quite high, which also affects the production of various goods. And, if another world does not break out economic crisis, then guest workers from the CIS can live in Korea for a long time and earn a better life!

Dmitry Tyan
(August-September 2018)

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Arbeit is the most affordable job for a person without a work visa.

"Arbeiten" in German means - to work.

For some reason, low-skill jobs in South Korea are called by a similar word - Arbeit. Working on an arbayt means that you come to a certain Korean and he settles you in his housing.

Every day, as a rule, at 7 am you come or you are brought to the office. Further - distribute who and where goes. Work can be different - construction, fields, greenhouses and so on. You may get an easy job and you will be watering the street with a hose all day, or they may send you to help at the post office or cook kimchi (a Korean dish), where you will pepper cabbage for 10 hours. There are an infinite number of types of work on arbite. Here, more than ever, the word handyman fits. At 18.00 (almost always) work ends. You are driven home and the rest of the time is at your disposal. Basically, payment is made daily, after work. But not always. They can pay every 1-2 weeks.

Foreman/employer- the person with whom you live and to whom you are brought to the office every day.

Employer - a person who pays your foreman money for the work you have done and for whom you work at the facility.

The rate is fixed and is paid to you by your employer. The employer has his own % from your work, but this does not affect your earnings.

Let's take an example - your Foreman sends you to work picking garlic. His employer pays him 120,000 won per person. He gives you 80,000 and takes 40,000 for himself.

There were cases when a team of 10 people, receiving 80,000 each, carried out a construction project for which the foreman received 2,400,000 won. In total, his net daily income from you was 2,400,000 - 10 x 80,000 = 1,600,000 won. That is, from each of you he earned 2 times more than you yourself. This must be taken calmly.

• Firstly, he is your foreman and how much profit he earns from you is his business.
• Secondly, he provides you with housing and solves your problems. By the way, sometimes foremen take less than%, but they deduct from you monthly for housing and public utilities the amount he needs.
• Thirdly, there are days when you go out to him even in the red. It also happens that the foreman pays a little extra for a profitable object. Sometimes employers pay extra for good work.

The main key to success in working on arbite is to work productively. There are many examples when employers took a good employee to work for them directly on more favorable terms, realizing that he was a lot of good.

Also, if you goof around and try to shirk work in every possible way, they will certainly pay you, but they will definitely complain to the foreman. After several such complaints, the foreman will most likely ask you to move out and you will either have to return home or pay a commission for finding a job again. Or they will simply take you very rarely. The disadvantages of working on arbite include unstable work and the psychological complexity of adapting to different employers.

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The life of the main character of this article changed dramatically after the February elections in the Tunkinsky district, the new leadership asked her to leave, saying that the new administration no longer needed her services. Leaving relatives, small homeland, friends and loved one Oksana (name rev.) had to leave the country. For four months of work in Korea, she managed to work both in the field and in an expensive restaurant. Now she is a pulpop (illegal immigrant), in December of this year she will close all loans and pay off her debts

“For 2 weeks, my girlfriend and I bought tickets for a direct flight to South Korea. I think that every second inhabitant of our republic has acquaintances or relatives who have been or stayed there... We also had such a person, our countryman, a guy from Tunka. Through him, we went to an intermediary who was supposed to meet and get a job. Then we didn’t know where we were going yet, frames from Korean dramas were scrolling in our heads, everything was like in a beautiful movie ... But we knew one thing for sure, no one was waiting for us there, no one owed us anything there, we only hope for ourselves and that we ourselves chose this path and it is necessary to go through it with difficulty, then and possibly with "blood".
I remember like yesterday, at the airport, I say goodbye to my young man, hugging me tightly and saying that I will be back soon ...
We have registered and that's it, we are waiting for the bus that will take us to the same plane. I repeat everything in my head according to the instructions, everything should go smoothly ... There was no time for sleep on the plane, 3.5 hours flew and all this time there were a million questions that I was not ready to answer even to myself ... Why? For what? Was it worth it?
South Korea. Almost arrived ... In the window I notice small islands in the middle of the ocean and many land plots, clearly divided into so-called fields.

Inchon. Huge beautiful modern airport, I have not seen anything like it! We have suffered before customs control, because from the communities they knew that they could turn us around before they had time to fly in ... Without notice, we went through all the stages of verification and ... hooray! We are in Korea! Happiness knew no bounds! We were met by Sasha, a pleasant young man, an ethnic Korean, originally from Uzbekistan. There are many like him in Korea, intermediaries are people who get you a job, help with housing and food, work for a certain check, of course. On the way, we met a woman from Vladivostok, her name was Albina, she had been in Korea for a week and managed to get settled and leave work. I was on arbayte - this is not the main place of work. You just come to the Samushil office, early, early in the morning, waiting for employers, they may or may not hire you, it depends on the stars ... just kidding, everything depends on the employer, of course, if you work quickly and efficiently, they will pick you up every day.

And so, late in the evening we got off the bus and ended up in the city of Mokpo, in another part of Korea. There were 4 of us on the bus from Russia (Roshshcha), three from Buryatia and Albina. We were met by the owner (sajanim), treated with chicken legs. He was the owner of several fields. We went to the Buryat hostel, and they said to live there. We got to know everyone, there were a lot of them. They greeted us good-naturedly, and even with vodka (soju) ... There we were also instructed, as everything is arranged in Korea, they warned us about raids by the immigration service.

On the first and last day we worked in the field of peppers (a bunch). It was a hell of a hell!

We arrived home barely alive, hungry and wet with sweat. The heat was unbearable, stuffiness ... 70% humidity is just a nightmare. By the way, it is very stuffy in Korea, the humidity is high and you are constantly wet, because of this, allergies appear, “prickly heat”, the whole body just itches.

This was our first work experience. After that, we decided not to step on the field!
We ended up leaving there. We got a job at a jellyfish factory. The work is also not a fountain, but they should have paid well ... The plant was closed on the second day ... On the third job, we ended up at a jeans factory, we were arranged by another intermediary.

Denim factory... We worked there for 12 full days. Everything about salary is transparent and clean. There I learned that garbage is clearly sorted in Korea. Paper, plastic, glass, iron, food waste - everything is separate! This is very important for them, it will not be difficult for them to delve into the garbage, to separate one from the other in different bags. So, what am I talking about, the plant ... I remember not a painful and exhausting 15-hour working day, constant adjustments from the guards who follow your every move, stuffiness in the hangar and millions of liters of cold water drunk. One minus, the salary is small at the factory. More precisely, two minuses - the salary and the crazy pace of work, which is why we decided to leave this place.
Immediately the next day, we got a job building chicken coops. A team of 25 people, Buryats. The guard is Korean, who communicated with us more or less humanly. After working for a month, I decided to leave, because, frankly, the management was infuriating. They kept our wages, they didn’t give us money for processing, because. the object was not delivered on time and the money went into someone's Korean pocket. Our warden threw us three times and all these three times, allegedly because of poor leadership, they say, “I stood up for you” ... they didn’t “hear” me ... “I defended you” ... “I love Russians ... the Korean system” ... Don't know. Whether he spoke the truth or not, it doesn’t matter to me anymore, it’s on his conscience. I left.

Through intermediaries, she got a job in Shiktan - in a cafe-restaurant. I work here 50 days and nights. The staff is mostly female. One Nepalese, two Koreans, me and a Buryat guy. Our hostess is a daredevil! Every morning we are waiting for recharging from the hostess, with whom I live in the same house.
In our cafe, people often sit in large groups, order a lot of meat and soju. Meat is very expensive, especially beef. Almost all food is spicy. Appetizers and salads are included with each hot dish. At least 9 plates of snacks for 1 person, which are gradually spread over the plates, and what kind of snacks, this is the desire of the hostess and the cook. But kimchi (sauerkraut) is always present on the table.

Koreans like to eat in such establishments, they don’t eat much at home. Our cafe is considered expensive and the quality of service is correspondingly the same for all visitors. For the fact that we ate well and expensively in a cafe, we order a taxi at our own expense, serve additional snacks - this is a must for paksadzhanim (respected guests), regular customers discounts, nuts, sweets and all that from the institution in the form of a bonus. Quite so, everything looks tempting. In Korea, it is not customary to give a tip, but again, in our cafe, this is not the case. 10,000 won for being from Russia, please.

While working in a cafe, I noticed many different little things about hanguks (Koreans), they like to drink. Not just to drink directly until you lose consciousness, but to drink after a hard day's work and the next day, go to work again, and then drink again. It's not alcoholism. People just relax, relax in this way. Here I have never seen a real alcoholic, or homeless people, or hooligans, or bandits. There are no stray dogs here! Cats are all wild and afraid of people. It is interesting, but the fact is that the geography of the hanguks is not very good. Earning so much money, only a few travel around the world. Going to relax on your own sea, on your Busan beach is normal. I learned that hanguks are constantly learning, constantly in some kind of search for new knowledge, and this is supported by the state as a whole. Also, there is no pension. How do people live? Simply put, they work until the very end. I saw grannies and grandfathers looking like the letter "G" - these are the people who put the whole of Korea on its feet. Once the president said that the strength of South Korea is in people, and the people went to the fields, factories and factories. Made Korea the way we see it today. But time goes by, and who will plow the fields and hump behind the machines ??? Really fragile Korean girls and sugary, painted guys? Of course not, there is nothing to lure them onto the field. This is the problem in all of Korea. All progressive youth leave the country for the number one Asian country - Japan. And today's youth has already forgotten about the fuss in small towns, where the basis of bread on the table is painstaking work in the field. I was surprised when I saw a flower pot and noticed that it was not a flower growing in it, but several peppers. This is fine. The earth is tiny, each square is worth a fortune. Why am I writing all this, but to the fact that there will be illegal immigrants and guest workers in Korea! Who but us? The generation of grandparents who are now working in the fields is leaving, and there is no replacement for them, but there are people like us. The employer himself is interested in us, because we can pay half as much as hanguk, but we get enough for our money, we don’t have to pay for medical insurance and other paperwork ... We are criminals, lawbreakers, but at the same time, Korea needs labor, besides or inexpensive.

It is the second month of my work in a cafe, and I know a lot and understand what they want from me: a knife, scissors, water, a glass, etc. But there is more I need to know. Learn Korean after work, repeat words and numbers, names of snacks and dishes, objects and more. Everything is very difficult. It is difficult to overcome laziness and sit down at the table and write hieroglyphs, it's hard. The body wants rest, silence and just inaction, but consciousness says, you need to learn!
We, guest workers from Buryatia, treat each other in a completely different way and support each other in sorrow and joy, in sickness and health ... Well, seriously, this is true, at least I met just such people, now friends. The days flew by quickly, I didn’t even notice how a month had passed, then I officially became a guest worker and pulp pop. The stamp in my passport said that I can arrive in South Korea until September 13, 2016. This day has come, and I didn’t feel anything, I didn’t even twitch my eyes ... I didn’t feel like going home, because. I understood that there was nothing to do there ... There was no work ... There was no money ... But I wanted to live ... Even with a diploma of higher education simple young specialist it’s hard to get a decent job… Everywhere the entrance is only by “white cards” and reserved chairs… I open vacancies in Ulan-Ude, all the time – administrators, cleaners, bartenders, janitors and waitresses. Everything is difficult. I will simply keep silent about work in my native area.
I think that those who want to come and earn money here will always find a job.

There are always vacancies, you just need to take and come. I do not agitate and do not advise becoming violators of the law of a foreign country. To hell with the imaginary crisis! We live here and now!

Moscow student Marcel went to study in China for six months, arrived in South Korea, where in a matter of days he turned from a guest worker into a teacher in English. As part of a series of materials about compatriots who moved abroad, he publishes his story about this country, its citizens and their customs.

In mid-June, my studies in Dalian, China, ended, and I still had a month and a half left before the start of the autumn semester in Baumanka.

I am a rather closed person: it is very difficult for me to make new acquaintances, so I like to put myself in such situations - alone in a foreign country, and in order to live somehow, you need to spend time with strangers, communicate a lot, look for opportunities to earn money. The decision to fly to Korea alone was not easy for me, because I don’t know the language at all, and I didn’t have much money for the first time. On my side were the positive experience of a similar trip of my friend from Sakhalin, a visa-free regime and parents who said: “Try it. If all else fails, take a plane ticket and fly back.” For a while I doubted whether it was worth it, but I realized that if I continue to think about it, then I will definitely not fly anywhere. And I just bought a ticket.

Here is your mat.

I knew there were cases of deportation in big cities like Seoul, so I chose Wando, a small fishing town on the south coast. I did not look for housing for long - I settled in a public sauna. Many guest workers start from this place because it is the cheapest accommodation in all of Korea. For six dollars a day, I had my own sauna and showers; rolled foam (local pillow), rug and bed on the floor in a large room with other guests.

The problem was the lack of work on the arbeit, which is the German way they call a workhouse in Korea (I have no idea why they use German words). Arbayt is a small office where guest workers come from the very morning: Tajiks, Uzbeks, Russians, Buryats, Chinese and Koreans themselves. There we had fun, played cards, drank free coffee from a sadjanin - the owner of an arbayt, until some Korean offered us a job. We agreed to any. I managed to work as an assistant on a ship, a landscape designer who weeded in the field, a loader, but the most interesting was ahead of me. The work was not given very often, for the last month the guys worked for only 15 days.

There was a catastrophic lack of money - he even went to church for a free lunch. And I thought: why shouldn't I teach English? I am relatively good at it. Firstly, this job involves communication, and this is exactly what I needed. Secondly, wiping your pants in the office is pointless, and the teachers in such schools speak English, and maybe one of them will offer me some other hack. I found several English language schools in online maps. In the first four, I was fired right away, and the boss of the fifth, Mr. Kuang, said: “Well ... Come tonight. Let's talk, have a beer." I did not want to go to visit empty-handed, but there was no money for something solid. I bought a couple of bags of peanuts for a snack. Buying nuts, I caught myself thinking that I had never saved so much in my life. It looked very pitiful.

Mr Kuang liked my English. He himself was busy raising three sons and threw some of his lessons onto me. It didn’t work out very much, only 18 hours a week, but in the remaining days I could earn extra money somewhere else. He asked me to hide my country of origin because there are "stupid stereotypes about KGB". I introduced myself to the children as Marcel from Ireland, and the proof was the red beard and accent.

It was the first time I had close contact with children. I had several groups with students aged 9 to 16. This is very unusual - I have never experienced so many curious looks from Asian children. Most of all I liked working in the most senior group with eight girls. It was the most attentive and calm group. Lessons with them were held in the format of a conversation without any textbooks. We discussed K-pop, interracial marriages, Seoul, the guys of their dreams. When they suddenly spoke Korean, I played an episode of Pulp Fiction when Jules yelled, “English, motherfucker, do you speak it?!” (“In English, you bastard, can you speak?!”). I did not tell Mr. Kuang about my methods.

Science and violence

IN junior groups everything was different. I felt like a toastmaster. I had to keep the attention of the students. If one of them was distracted from the lesson, then he pulled the others along, and the class plunged into chaos. But even at such moments, I was glad to work there, because just a day ago, with the guys from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, we turned a whole field of solar panels into a 30-degree heat.

Four days of teaching at school brought me $180 a week. The remaining three days I went to arbeit, where you can earn up to $ 90 a day. In addition, sometimes a wild freebie fell out: once Ruslan from Buryatia and I unloaded a small van with some plastic things for growing algae and received 5.5 thousand rubles for four hours of work. By agreement, we gave 10 percent of the earnings to the sadjanin.

Usually Arbeit workers are exploited mercilessly. The most terrible for me were those solar panels. It was Saturday morning, when I immediately went to Arbeit, not even having time to leave after the hellish revelry with the guys from Krasnodar and Vladivostok: the calculation was that there was not much work on the weekend and I would be able to lie down. The first thing I had to do was show up in front of the sajanin, because the more often you come to arbait, the more likely you are to get a job. As luck would have it, we were immediately put into a minivan from a taxi and taken to the field, where we had to turn the solar panels in teams of seven. A real hell - heat, the sun at its zenith, not a cloud, and only panels to the very horizon. We were paid well - seven thousand rubles for 10 hours of work.

My weekly income was about $300, but I continued to live in a sauna to save money for a trip to Korea. Some of the students saw me there and, to be honest, it was a bit embarrassing. To their questions “Why do you go to the sauna all the time?” I answered: "Because I like it." In part, this was true.

Same as everyone

Mr. Kuang introduced me to other English teachers - American, Canadian, Irish - who worked in primary and secondary schools. Oddly enough, they, like the guys from Arbait, go to teach in Korea not from a good life. For them, this is also an opportunity to earn money. It turns out that my Canadian friend is the same laborer as my Tajik friend. Working conditions and attitudes on the part of Koreans, of course, are different, but the essence is the same.

One of my teacher friends deserves a special mention. Fabio, 30 years old. Holder of three passports - Italian, Irish and Brazilian. He visited many countries, but one of his journeys was especially wild: he traveled through all of Russia by train - from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad. I visited more Russian cities than I, a Russian citizen.

I made more and more friends: random visitors in the sauna, guest workers from Central Asia, my students at school and my best friend, and part-time boss - Mr. Kuang. He was very imbued with my position, because at my age he also traveled. When he was 25, he worked as a volunteer in one of the Baltic countries.

Before we left Wando, we had a big booze. It was funny and sad at the same time. It's sad because after traveling in Korea, I'm going to study at the university. But there was no time to be sad, I can cry even in Moscow. Ahead of me were waiting for two Korean cities - Daegu and Seoul. My friends live there, whom I met back in China.

Before me, there were thousands of Russian-speaking tourists in Korea who will tell you about Seoul better than me. I will only note that this is a beautiful modern city. It is comfortable for a foreigner to move around it. Hongdae, Gyeongbok Palace, Gangnam, and ordinary streets - walking there is an incredible thrill. Still in Seoul is unreal beautiful girls. I think there is a reason for such a huge number of plastic surgery clinics.

Computer clubs in the Korean capital are more than alive. Huge diagonal monitors, throne chairs, the ability to order food directly to the computer. Adult men come to chop into something, for the wealthy there are even VIP clubs. He limited himself to remembering his youth and beating the Korean in Warcraft III.

From the trip, for myself, I took out the banal “I can”. I'm afraid that my life here in Russia may turn into a routine, work - home, home - work. There will be few new impressions. A communal apartment and renting an apartment will undermine my budget. But at any time I can come to a place unfamiliar to me, where everyone speaks a language that I do not understand, with customs unfamiliar to me. I will still find friends, work, impressions, visit amazing places and after a while I will remember this country with a smile.