Vocabulary for Work, Part-Time Jobs, and Career

Part-Time Jobs and Working Hours

Part-time work (아르바이트, part-time job) is work done for a set number of hours outside one's main job, in exchange for pay. To read notices and texts accurately, you must know the vocabulary and expressions related to working hours. The key expressions are as follows.

• 출퇴근 기록기 (time clock) — A machine that records the times of arriving at and leaving work. Part-time workers start and finish their work by swiping their card on this machine.
• 근무 시간 변경 (change in working hours) — A change from the set working hours to different hours. A notice announcing changed hours aims to convey the new hours, while a request to adjust a work schedule aims to adjust working hours.
• 대신 맡다 (to take over for someone) — To take responsibility for and carry out another person's task in place of oneself. It often appears in messages asking a coworker to work in one's place when one cannot work.
• 요일과 시간대 (days of the week and time slots) — 평일 (weekdays) are Monday through Friday, and 주말 (weekend) is Saturday and Sunday. When reading work dates, you must check both the day of the week and the time slot, such as 오전 (morning) or 오후 (afternoon).
• 낮과 오전·오후 (daytime and morning/afternoon) — 오전 refers to the time before noon, and 오후 to the time after noon. 낮 broadly refers to the hours of daylight between morning and evening, so it must be distinguished from expressions that state exact times, such as '오전 몇 시부터 오후 몇 시까지' (from a certain time in the morning to a certain time in the afternoon).
• 시급 (hourly wage) — The money earned for each hour worked. Job postings sometimes write it as '시간당 ~원' (~won per hour), and multiplying the hourly wage by the working hours lets you calculate the money earned in one day.
• 주 5일 (five days a week) — Working five days in a week. It is used in the same way to express the number of working days, as in '주 2회' (twice a week) and '주 3일' (three days a week).
• 하지만·그래도 (but / still) — A connecting expression that contrasts a difficulty mentioned earlier with a benefit mentioned later. The writer's judgment appears in the following sentence, so the main idea of the text is usually found in the conclusion at the end.
• 힘들어도 좋은 일 (work one enjoys despite its hardships) — The type of main idea in texts that admit the difficulty of a job while explaining why the writer likes it. In such texts, choose the reasons for liking the job as the main idea rather than the difficulties.
• 느낀 점과 다짐 (feelings and resolutions) — In a text that describes the initial difficulty, later changes, and future determination in order, the feelings and resolutions form the main idea. A choice that quotes only one part of the text cannot be the main idea.
• 일의 교훈 (lesson from work) — In a text that tells of a lesson gained through experience, that lesson is the main idea. If the flow is that joy was discovered after an initial difficulty, then the joy and the lesson become the core.
• 접속 표현으로 보는 문장 순서 (sentence order seen through connecting expressions) — '그래서' (so) introduces the result of the preceding content, and '그런데' (but / however) introduces a situation different from the preceding content. The sentence describing the initial situation comes first, and the sentence stating the result or resolution comes after it.

Occupations and Career Aspirations

Words for occupations and expressions showing career aspirations should be learned together. Occupation names should be memorized while picturing both the work done and the place of work. The main items are as follows.

• -고 싶다 (want to) — Expresses the speaker's wish to do something. Attach '-고' to the verb stem and use '싶다', as in '입학하고 싶다' (want to enter school). Using other endings such as '입학한' or '입학했던' does not express the meaning of wanting.
• 직업 이름과 하는 일 (occupation names and their duties) — 교사 (teacher) gives lessons to students and assigns homework, and is an occupation mainly carried out at school. Since each occupation has different duties, distinguish them by picturing both the content of the work and the place.
• 진로 희망과 이유 (career aspiration and reason) — Career texts usually state both the occupation one hopes for and the reason for choosing it. The major one is currently studying is the present study, while the hoped-for occupation is what one wants after graduation, so the two must be distinguished.
• 전공과 현재 직업 (major and current occupation) — 전공 (major) is the field specially studied at university, and it may differ from one's current work. When the major and occupation differ, read the two facts separately.
• 취업 준비 (job preparation) — Preparing in advance to get into a company after graduation. Some people attend academies to build other skills while preparing for employment.
• 실습과 직접 경험 (practical training and direct experience) — When deciding on a career, hands-on experience such as practical training is more helpful than books. An example is discovering through training which work suits oneself.
• 직업 체험 (job experience) — An activity of actually experiencing an occupation. Through job experience, one can learn what one likes, which helps in deciding a career.
• 봉사활동 (volunteer work) — An activity of helping others without receiving payment. Use it with a place, as in '병원에서 봉사활동을 하다' (to do volunteer work at a hospital).

Salary and Monthly Pay Vocabulary

급여 (salary, pay) refers to the money received for work, and among these, the amount received on a monthly basis is 월급 (monthly salary). 월급 is money a company pays once a month, and it usually goes into a bank account every month. Vocabulary related to pay is distinguished as follows.