Editor’s note: In collaboration with a women workers’ writing group, Ilda is publishing a series examining the previously ignored work and lives of female laborers. This series is being produced with support from the Korea Press Foundation’s Press Promotion Fund.
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Event helper, a promising job?
When the press 바다이야기오리지널 mentions the difficulties of getting a job among college graduates and the competition in the part-time job market, narrator models and sales promotion helpers [both of which are types of event helpe 바다이야기고래 rs] are listed as the representative jobs that pay high hourly wages and have over 90% of their applicants in their 20s.
Twenty-nine-year-old Choi Mi-yeon (alias), who has been working as an 바다이야기고래 event helper for 7 years, shook her head at the word “promising.”
“The wages are the same as they were over 10 years ago, and nowadays they’re even getting lower since everyone wants to do 야마토게임방법 this. The wages are different for each event, and they regard working experience or physical appearances as important too. Since it’s a job that’s meant to be seen. Usually the wages are 10,000 to 20, 바다이야기게임기 000 won [10-20 USD] per hour, and the work can be as short as a day and as long as 4 or 5 days in the cases of exhibitions. It’s a nerve-racking field since you can’t predict when you’ll have a job. It all depends on how much work you are able to get, but you can’t do all the events just because you want to, and there are many variables such as sudden cancellations or not getting paid. There’s a limit to how much you can plan your life. At this time of the year, there used to be a lot of events, but after the Sewol Ferry incident, a lot of the events have been downsized. It’s also rare that you get a contract [instead of relying on a verbal agreement]. I once had a contract for a long-term job, but that kind of thing happens less than 10 percent of the time.”
Frequently, the hiring company suddenly changes the schedule or changes their mind and cancels the event, but helpers cannot receive any compensation in these cases. Helpers “live managing their schedules according to the immediate circumstances,” and if an event is cancelled a day before or on the day of, it is very difficult on them because the financial losses are large. They have tried demanding that in these cases, they be given at least half of the promised wages, or even one-third - but the companies have never done that.
“When they receive orders from the advertiser, the agency recruits helpers. The advertiser comes first, the agency comes next, and the helpers are beneath that. We are cautious around the agency, and in many cases we can’t voice any complaints or opinions for fear of not being able to receive the next job. I think it’s absurd. There aren’t even any legal procedures. But on the contrary, if a helper is sick or something unavoidable occurs, the company goes berserk. In the same situation, all that is required of them is the words “I’m sorry,” but for the helpers, they are condemned. “You, you won’t be able to work anymore, don’t ever think of coming here again!” they say insultingly.
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If only I could get a contract, even if it is to work for a day...
Choi Mi-yeon describes herself as a person who “meticulously inquires.” Even when starting to work, she always asks in advance at what kind of place she is to work, and what kind of work she is to do. If a helper doesn’t do that and just answers “yes,” in many cases the terms change suddenly once she arrives at work, and the work itself can increase beyond the allowed limits.
Choi also inquired when her wages were overdue. She waited for three paydays, then called the company until they paid. “I’m receiving the payment for my labor,” she said. When she was demanding that the company pay, she was prepared never to work with that company again. Even though the amount wasn’t large, it was commonplace for the company not to pay immediately. And even though they did the same job, the company paid people like Choi Mi-yeon, who demanded the payment, first, while paying her fellow workers three months later.
“They don’t abide by the payment deadline. There are some companies that pay promptly, but some companies don’t, and I’ve seen companies that go to trial for overdue wages. We need that money to live, but they keep delaying payment or they don’t answer the phone or change the dates and terms and keep us waiting... If you work, you should get paid for it, don’t you think? But helpers that aren’t good at talking people into things or speaking their mind get their payment three months later or sometimes never, even though it’s only a small amount. Should we just trust whatever place it is that gives us a job? It’s hard for us to judge which company is good. The helpers are on the weaker side.”
During the interview, an agency sends her a text message. A photograph with a woman dressed in a red skirt and a white sleeveless top is attached.
“They’re telling me to wear a sleeveless top. Sometimes they give us the clothes, but there are cases where we have to prepare our own clothes according to the photographs. Sometimes cue sheets come. The ones that inform us like this are on the kinder side. Some of them don’t. It becomes harder then. Tomorrow’s job is to host an event and hand out presents to people who enter it.”
Choi Mi-yeon closely reads the event script that had also been sent. The things she wants when working are these:
“I think it would be nice to have a contract even if it is to work for a day. Since it’s a promise between two parties, I would like to sign a contract, and I would like it if there weren’t any situations where the work gets cancelled a day before or on the day of, and I wish they would state that in the case of cancellations, there will be compensation, and I think it would be better to work if they considered the safety of the helpers. And if they also took into consideration the health of the people who work... The thing that bothers me the most is the wages. Everyone says, ‘oh, what if I can’t get paid?’ That’s the first thing that makes us anxious. ‘The job was cancelled suddenly, so I don’t have any money.’ That’s another source of anxiety. Since we’re the weaker ones. But everyone does it anyway, to earn money.”
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I want to escape “those ways” of viewing helpers
She does various tasks. She works as a helper to promote a company’s image, wears a suit and guides guests for ceremonies, greets guests at counters, carries out lottery events, or leads tours for company publicity. The companies include big enterprises, smaller businesses,
public institutions, schools, franchise dealers, and smaller shops. The working hours vary depending on the event, spanning from five to eight hours.








▲ Event helper at work (Image