
Korean Cooking Course and Restaurant Internship in South Korea
2 - 12 weeks
English
All year
16+
690 EUR
Skill Development Course & Internship
Korean Cuisine Cooking Course
The Korean culinary tradition uses fresh vegetables, fermented ingredients, meat, seafood, and bold spices in diverse ways of preparations. Iconic dishes like Kimchi, a fermented cabbage side dish, and Bibimbap, a rice bowl with various toppings, highlight the importance of seasonal ingredients. Korean meals are often accompanied by an array of Banchan (side dishes), emphasizing the communal nature of dining.
The cooking course includes 8 lessons that you can complete in 2–4 weeks. You can specify the time available to you, and a schedule with precise dates and lesson content will be prepared.
Each lesson lasts approximately 1.5 hours, followed by an hour for dining. Instruction is in English, in either group or private sessions. Group classes may also include Korean culinary students. Lessons are held in a professional cooking academy with qualified instructors. All ingredients are provided, and you can enjoy the dishes you prepare after each session.
Typical Korean dishes you can learn as part of the cooking course include:
- Kimchi – Fermented vegetables, typically cabbage and radish, seasoned with chili powder, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce.
- Bibimbap – Mixed rice topped with assorted vegetables, a fried egg, and gochujang (spicy red pepper paste).
- Kimchi – Fermented vegetables, typically cabbage and radish, seasoned with chili powder, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce.
- Bulgogi – Thinly sliced marinated beef grilled or stir-fried.
- Japchae – Stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables and sometimes beef or seafood.
- Tteokbokki – Chewy rice cakes in a spicy, sweet, and savory gochujang-based sauce.
- Samgyeopsal – Grilled pork belly served with dipping sauces and lettuce wraps.
- Kimchi Jjigae – Spicy kimchi stew with pork, tofu, and vegetables.
- Sundubu Jjigae – Soft tofu stew made with seafood or pork and a spicy broth.
- Pajeon – Savory scallion pancake often served with a soy dipping sauce.
- Galbi – Marinated beef or pork ribs grilled to smoky perfection.
- Gimbap – Rice rolls wrapped in seaweed, filled with vegetables and egg.
- Jjajangmyeon – Noodles in a savory black bean sauce, a Korean-Chinese fusion favorite.
- Dak Galbi – Spicy stir-fried chicken with vegetables, sweet potatoes, and rice cakes.
- Samgyetang – A nourishing chicken soup with ginseng, jujube, and sticky rice stuffing.
- Hoddeok – Sweet pancakes filled with a brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
- Banchan – Various small side dishes such as seasoned bean sprouts, spinach, or pickled radish.
Please note that not all these dishes are included in the 8 lessons, and your instructor will select which dishes to prepare during your course.
Internship at a Korean Restaurant
For an even deeper immersion into Korean cuisine, we recommend adding an 8-week restaurant internship after your cooking course.
Your 12-week stay in Korea may look like this:
- Cooking Course: You spend the first 4 weeks in Daegu participating in the cooking course described above (8 lessons).
- Korean Language Classes: Simultaneously you take Korean language classes to enable basic communication in a restaurant kitchen. Classes run 5 days a week for 90 minutes each day and can be booked as an extra.
- Accommodation: During your 4 weeks in Daegu, you can stay affordably in our shared apartments for program participants, either in a shared or twin room.
- Restaurant Internship: Weeks 5–12 are spent in a restaurant internship, either in Seoul, Busan or Daegu (your choice).
Available restaurant types include:
- Korean buffet restaurants
- Korean BBQ restaurants
- Kalguksu (chopped noodles) restaurants
- Bean soup restaurants
- Restaurants specializing in boiled pork dishes
- Restaurants specializing in cold noodle dishes
- Restaurants specializing in Chueo-tang (boiled mudfish soup)
You’ll intern for approximately 30–40 hours per week. The internship is unpaid.
If interning in Daegu, you can continue staying in the shared apartment. If interning in Seoul or Busan, you can book guesthouse accommodation through this website.
Your internship includes 2 food-related excursions/activities, such as visits to farms in Yeongdeok or Uiseong (1–2 hours by bus), a soybean paste production workshop, a strawberry harvesting and dessert workshop on a strawberry farm, or a visit to the Ttang Ttang Fried Chicken Experience Center.
Program details
FAQs
Rates
Who can join
Program start
Getting there
Visa
Accommodation Options
Extras
Read more
Book or Send an Inquiry
What is included?
- 8 cooking lessons at a culinary school in Daegu
- Ingredients and utensils for the cooking course
- All teaching materials for the language lessons (if booked)
- Certificate of participation in the cooking course and the restaurant internship
- Access to our Korea Working Holiday Knowledge Base – a mobile-friendly online reference system with videos and texts providing practical information about your life in Korea
- Remote preparation session
- On-site support team in Daegu and Seoul
- CO2 compensation of your long-haul flights: Costs for 10 seedlings of indigenous trees that we plant on the slopes of Kilimanjaro
Not included?
- Airport pickup (can be booked as an extra)
- Shared apartment accommodation in Daegu (can be booked as an extra)
- Hostel accommodation in Busan (can be booked as an extra)
- Korean language classes (can be booked as an extra)
- Restaurant internship arrangement with 2 activities/excursions (if not booked as an extra)
- Travel costs within Korea (Daegu to Busan, if your internship is in Busan)
- Local commuting costs (between accommodation and cooking school/restaurant)
- Return transfer to the airport
- Meals (except for the dishes you prepare during your cooking lessons)
- Travel to and return from South Korea (booked by yourself, we can assist)
- Official visa fees (if applicable)
- Insurances (travel health insurance, liability insurance, travel cancellation insurance; booked by yourself, we can assist)
- Personal expenses
- Vaccinations
INSIGHT
this program
Learn authentic Korean cuisine from qualified instructors
Affordable shared apartment accommodation available
Open to professional chefs, hobby cooks, and anyone interested in culinary arts
Includes 2 food-related excursions as part of the internship
Option to add a restaurant internship
Questions?
your consultant for this program is
Chris Engler
(he/his)
- PHONE numberView our international phone numbers
- Email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Whatsapp+81-90-4702-1361
- INQUIRYSend an inquiry
- Video callBook a video call
