Between 2014 and 2017, dozens of complaints have been filed, with over half of them concerning cancellation fees and contract revocation. (Image: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — A number of job search consulting services in South Korea have been found to be ‘overpriced’, and few issue refunds for their services.
Job search consulting services have gained popularity among job seekers recently amid an employment crisis, but complaints are growing, according to the Korea Consumer Agency.
Between 2014 and 2017, dozens of complaints have been filed, with over half of them concerning cancellation fees and contract revocation.
Job search consulting services are also facing criticism over their high prices.
In a survey conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency, over 4 in 10 job seekers in their 20s and 30s who had used a consulting service in the last year said that consulting fees were prohibitively expensive.
Resume and job interview consulting services on average cost 100,000 won per session, while a career aptitude test and a package program cost 38,000 won and 42,000 on average, the Korea Consumer Agency learned after looking into 10 career coaching agencies in Seoul.
At many of the agencies, information on lesson fees was hard to come by.
Among the 30 online and offline career consulting service providers, seven institutions didn’t indicate lesson fees or their refund policy out in the open, a practiced required by law.
Other career consulting agencies were found to have excessive cancellation fees.
“We are requesting stricter monitoring and administrative efforts from the related government branches to hold accountable job consulting service providers, and ask the businesses to provide information in a more transparent manner to consumers,” the Korea Consumer Agency said.
The growing popularity of career coaching services reflect the lack of job opportunities for young job seekers in the country.
According to data released by Statistics Korea last November, 1 in 5 South Korean PhD graduates was jobless despite their efforts to find a job.
The figures were the highest since records began at Statistics Korea, indicating that not even PhD holders are immune to the high unemployment rate in South Korea.
A total of 284,000 South Korean 20-somethings were outside the labor force and were not seeking employment as of last November, according to Statistics Korea.
M.H.Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
