KRW 12 Million Career Coaching, SK Hynix Prep Classes... Job-Seeking Youths Groan

So-called "employment information companies" charging membership fees of up to KRW 12 million in exchange for one-on-one career coaching, and "SK Hynix preparation classes" running toward employment at the chipmaker.

These are employment consulting trends that have recently become a hot topic among young people.

Amid a growing atmosphere where the entry barrier for new graduates is getting narrower, so-called "employment private education," which promotes current employee coaching or employment guarantees, is preying on the desperation of youths.

Recently, some academies have been starting with membership fees of up to KRW 12 million depending on the course, or running specific large conglomerate employment programs such as Samsung Electronics DS interview consulting and SK Hynix prep classes.

While students pay considerable amounts of money for mock interview opportunities and other support provided in such programs, some point out that the cost levels in parts of the job market are excessively inflated.

According to the "Survey Results on the Actual State of Private Employment Education Costs" conducted by the an education foundation, Education is Spring, and the Youth Foundation targeting 565 youths aged 19 to 39 from June 30 to July 15, 93.7% of respondents reported having received private employment education.

As for the reasons for receiving private education (multiple responses allowed), needing major-related certifications was the highest at 52.1%, followed by language skills at 43.4%.

Employment consulting for help with self-introduction letters, interviews, and portfolios ranked third at 40%.

Students preparing for employment while enrolled in university sometimes engage in fierce competition to click rapidly for campus-run employment prep classes to save on private education costs.

Kim Sun-hee, head of the research and business team at Education is Spring, suggested, "Adult education is a general industry rather than under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education. The government should consider conducting fact-finding surveys on how much youths spend on private employment education and implement management and supervision."

Kim added that raising the quality of government-funded education and having companies demand only job-specific qualifications from applicants are also ways to reduce private education.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.