Presenting themselves as mentors, they claim "Monthly sales of 50 million won are possible"
Pyramid schemes also promoted... "Instructor credentials must be listed"
Last year, the e-learning industry recorded 5.8521 trillion won in sales
On October 30, our reporter personally contacted an Instagram account offering "one-on-one side job class consultations." The account immediately claimed to have earned about 1.6 million won this month, stating, "You just need to know how to copy and paste on a computer without any complications." However, they added, "Classes differ by level. The higher the level, the more tasks and educational content are provided." The highest level course fee is 4.95 million won. The account encouraged enrolling in the higher-level course, claiming that one could earn 3 million won in just two months.
Online side job courses promising high returns in a short period are spreading indiscriminately. People facing financial difficulties pay expensive fees for these side job courses in hopes of making money, but many are disappointed by poor-quality content or fall victim to pyramid schemes, suffering losses.
According to the "E-learning Industry Survey" by the Software Policy & Research Institute (SPRI) released on December 20, the e-learning industry recorded 5.8521 trillion won in sales last year. After surpassing 5 trillion won in 2021 with 5.0218 trillion won, the industry continued to grow, reaching 5.3509 trillion won in 2022 and 5.5947 trillion won in 2023. The number of e-learning businesses is also on the rise, from 2,113 in 2021 to 2,393 in 2022, 2,506 in 2023, and 2,715 in 2024.
People in their 30s and 40s, who are the mainstay of economic activity, are actively utilizing e-learning. In 2019, the individual e-learning usage rates for people in their 30s and 40s were 59.6% and 52.5%, respectively, but last year, these figures rose to 69.9% and 64.1%. The most popular field for which they paid directly was "work," which includes self-development, accounting for 30.9%.
Office workers searching for side jobs... Side job courses claim "Even ordinary housewives can achieve 57 million won in monthly sales"
In reality, courses related to side jobs are easy to find on online education sites. As of December 16, "Site C" offered 506 side job courses. Most of these courses were concentrated in fields such as blogging, social media, YouTube management, online shopping malls, proxy purchasing, and e-book production. These courses are not limited to online education sites. It is also easy to find promotional posts on social media and blogs from individuals presenting themselves as mentors and offering side job courses.
Our reporter contacted an Instagram account conducting "one-on-one side job class consultations" directly on October 30. The account explained, "You just need to know how to copy and paste on a computer without any complications," adding, "Classes differ by level. The higher the level, the more tasks and educational content are provided." KakaoTalk screenshot
Their promotional methods are generally similar. The person presenting themselves as a mentor claims to have made a large sum of money in a short period using simple methods and offers to share their know-how. One side job course on "Site M" advertised, "I made 100 million won in monthly sales by investing just two hours a day in an AI-powered shopping mall," and "Even an ordinary housewife in her 40s achieved 57 million won in monthly sales." However, their backgrounds were unclear. They did not disclose the names of their previous businesses, when and how the advertised sales were generated and maintained, or their qualifications for teaching the courses.
Falling course quality angers multi-job seekers... "We want an accurate picture of the industry"
As small business owners continue to face management difficulties amid high inflation, the expansion of support funds for small businesses has become urgent. On the 28th, empty storefronts were seen scattered throughout the commercial area near Ewha Womans University in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@
Students complain that there are numerous side job courses with significantly low quality, yet there is little oversight. In online communities, side job courses are already being disparaged as "success-selling."
Kim (43, male), who started a luxury goods reselling business last year, was outraged, saying the side job course that led him into the industry was essentially "phishing." He said the instructor focused on embellishing their own success stories to deceive students, without providing any market analysis or information on current conditions. Since starting the luxury reselling business, Kim has never earned more than his previous monthly salary at a major corporation. When he questioned the course content, the instructor blamed Kim for not working hard enough. Kim said, "They only tell you good things in the class. I was dreaming of starting my own business, so I was deceived by the course," and added, "This is a market that only a few should know about, but because of these courses, there are now too many suppliers. They have ruined the market."
Some people are also exposed to pyramid schemes. They are enticed to make payments with promises of earning money through social media or blog promotions, only to be told they must recruit more people. Kim (31, female) paid a course fee of 4.98 million won after meeting a mentor on social media who claimed to teach side jobs. However, the mentor only gave vague advice such as "You must grow your social media account no matter what" and "Don't post on social media recklessly." Eventually, the mentor revealed the money-making method: recruitment, i.e., a pyramid scheme. Kim said, "I was told that people who signed up through me could receive 1.8 million won each," and "The mentor emphasized that I shouldn't worry about how I speak and should confidently recommend it to others."
People looking to start side jobs want courses that also explain the risks of the industry. Kim said, "I don't think a course that only presents the positive side is a proper course. I hope those who want to start a business are given an accurate picture of the industry," and added, "Above all, online education sites themselves need to make efforts, such as clearly listing instructor credentials."
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