Why one report says 504 recruits and another says 482

Seoul Metro will accept applications for its fall 2026 intake between 10 a.m. on November 3 and 6 p.m. on November 9. Both 504 and 482 appear in coverage because there are two separate official recruitment notices.

The 482-person conversion-track internship includes 412 general, 50 disability, 10 veterans-special and 10 veterans-general positions. A separate technical-apprentice program recruits 22 more people, creating the combined total of 504. The full 482 are not all general openings, nor are the 22 part of that same advertisement.

Applicants cannot assume one application covers multiple roles. The employer's notices restrict duplicate applications between categories and disciplines, making eligibility and the right entry route more important than the overall headline number.

Open to high-school graduates does not mean identical eligibility

The 482-person internship notice has no general academic-degree restriction. High-school graduates can consider applying if they meet age, work-schedule, military-service and role-specific requirements. Health management is an exception, requiring a nursing license plus at least one year of verifiable workplace health-management experience.

The 22-person apprenticeship instead requires graduation or expected graduation from a Seoul-based technical or vocational high school in a relevant discipline, a ranking within the top 30% of the department, and a principal's nomination. Graduates must be within one year of graduation by the scheduled final test date. Attendance or leave at a two-year or longer college generally bars nomination, with a specified exception for withdrawal before the application deadline.

Nomination capacity is limited to one person for departments with up to 100 students and at most two for departments of 101 or more, with a three-person schoolwide ceiling. A high-school graduate who cannot secure this nomination might still qualify for the general 482-person notice; the two routes must be evaluated separately.

Three months versus two years before permanent Grade 7 appointment

Applicants selected in the 482-person track receive initial training and work for three months as fixed-term operational employees. They are then reviewed on education, job performance, conduct and internal rules before potential appointment as regular Grade 7 employees. Poor performance can lead to exclusion following a personnel committee review.

The 22 technical recruits follow initial training with a two-year apprenticeship, then a separate examination of eligibility for Grade 7 appointment. Military service time does not count toward the two-year apprenticeship.

Neither a final recruitment offer nor completion of an internship or apprenticeship automatically guarantees regular employment. The significant difference is the time and assessment path through which each group may reach Grade 7 status.

The apprentice deadline is not just November 9

Technical-apprentice applications are submitted collectively by the school's designated nomination officer through an assigned account. Students cannot treat the process as an unrestricted individual online form. The online window is November 3–9, but earlier steps are mandatory.

Schools were required to submit nomination-officer information by October 29, with receipt confirmed by telephone. Original nomination documents—including recommendations, certified department ranking and graduation or expected-graduation evidence—must be sent by registered post between October 30 and November 6. Uploaded scanned forms are also required.

By November 2, the school-officer preliminary deadline has already passed. Students should ask their school whether the nomination process has been initiated; the official notice does not establish whether late arrangements can be accepted. Seoul Metro's recruitment contact number listed for this program is 02-6110-8043.

The 178 office positions are not necessarily desk jobs

Office roles account for 178 of the 482 internship openings, with rolling-stock maintenance another 144. Yet the employer describes the office work as station operations, passenger support, safety management and revenue handling, with shift work rather than a guaranteed daytime desk schedule.

Technical roles cover railcar maintenance, electrical equipment, communications, tracks, signaling, mechanical and electronic facilities, construction, platform screen doors and health management. The 22 apprenticeships include 12 rolling-stock positions plus smaller categories such as electrical, telecommunications, track, signaling and buildings.

Selecting a job solely because it has the largest headcount overlooks the actual safety, maintenance and customer-facing responsibilities and the requirement to work ordinary, rotating or shift patterns according to discipline.

NCS alone is not enough: the subject examination varies

Most applicants in the 482-person track take 40 questions in NCS vocational fundamentals and 40 in a job-specific subject, weighted equally over 90 minutes. Office applicants select one of public administration, business administration, law or economics; rolling-stock applicants select general mechanical, electrical or electronics knowledge.

The disability track is an exception: its NCS-only exam contains 80 questions and counts for 100% of the written assessment. The technical-apprentice notice also has subject-specific written exams, but some disciplines differ: track candidates take general civil engineering, while signaling candidates select general electricity or electronics. Applicants must consult their own notice rather than reuse another track's subject list.

Other requirements include minimum subject thresholds, adjusted scores for optional subjects and eligible certificate bonus points. A raw total score by itself does not establish qualification or likely selection.

AI application screening and personality tests work differently

In the open internship recruitment, document screening largely excludes incomplete, untrustworthy or non-blind applications. Listed disqualifiers include misspelling the employer, irrelevant responses, filler text, duplicate essays, plagiarism of at least 30% overall or 50% in a particular section, and disclosure of protected identity information. The notice says AI supports the improper-response check, not that AI independently ranks every applicant's career potential.

Personality tests take place with the written examination on November 28. In the 482-person track, an unacceptable personality-test result leads to rejection regardless of written score. For the 22-person school-nominated track, the result is used as reference material at interview.

Open-track interviews combine individual situational and group interviews. Each is scored out of 15, with at least 10 required in each, and the final selection combines written and interview results 50:50. The apprenticeship track has its own stated selection framework.

Dates and pay need to be read under the right contract

Applications run from November 3, 10 a.m., to November 9, 6 p.m. The published schedule lists document results on November 19, exam-site information on November 23, written and personality tests on November 28, interviews December 14–18 and final results January 12, 2027. The employer may revise this schedule.

The internship notice quotes approximately KRW 3 million per month before tax during the internship and about KRW 36 million annual pre-tax base pay after regular Grade 7 appointment, excluding performance bonuses. These figures are stated for the 482-person pathway and must not be assigned to the separate two-year apprentice arrangement without its own evidence.

Submitted online applications cannot be amended or withdrawn, according to the notices. Candidates should validate their category, qualifying credentials, chosen exam subject, shifts, attached documents and final submission confirmation before pressing submit.

The real application decision is a route, not a headline number

Only applicants who meet the particular category, discipline and educational or nomination criteria can meaningfully compete for a given position. The 482-person group includes protected categories; the 22-person route is limited to principal-nominated students or recent graduates of qualifying Seoul schools.

Although both routes lead toward Grade 7 status, a three-month operational internship and a two-year technical apprenticeship provide different starting arrangements and assessment calendars. Station safety, railway-car maintenance, signaling and facilities are different daily responsibilities, regardless of the employer name.

The useful question is not whether Seoul Metro offers 504 positions but which pathway the applicant can genuinely enter, which work they will perform, and what assessment remains before regular appointment.

BANSEOG VIEW

BANSEOG VIEW | One employer, two distinct paths to Grade 7

The 504-person total combines 482 conversion-track interns and 22 school-nominated technical apprentices. Their eligibility, paperwork, test exceptions and probation or apprenticeship periods are different; neither group has automatic permanent appointment.

The school nomination officer's October 29 preliminary deadline is already past on November 2, even though both online windows run November 3–9. Applicants pursuing the 22-person track must verify the school process first.

Job seekers should choose the eligible recruitment route before optimizing for headcount. Field responsibilities, shift work, subject exams and the journey to regular Grade 7 employment determine the practical value of each opportunity.

SOURCES

Primary sources and references

Official Seoul Metro recruitment pages verified November 2 2026. Conversion-track interns 482 (general 412/disability 50/veterans special 10/veterans general 10), 3-month term then assessment for Grade7, no guaranteed conversion; about KRW3m monthly pre-tax during internship and KRW36m annual pre-tax for Grade7 (performance excluded); no general degree restriction, nurse license + one year for health management; dates Nov3 10:00 to Nov9 18:00. Apprentice route 22, restricted Seoul vocational/high-technical schools, top 30% departmental ranking and principal recommendation, max school nominations, two-year apprenticeship, later Grade7 review, prior Oct29 nomination contact registration and original documents Oct30-Nov6. Different NCS and subject specifications and personality-test effects. Sources are two separate official recruiter notices, NABIS listing and industry coverage. Revenue/personnel outlook beyond notice not inferred. School late-submission exception is not established.