Location
  • South Korea
    • Seoul
    • Busan
Length
52+ weeks

Pricing

Salary / Benefits
Salary: 2.1-2.4 million KRW a month.
Housing: Single (basic-furnished and subsidy)
Paid vacation: 10 days + national holiday
Health Insurance: 50% paid
National Pension Fund: 50% paid
Airfare: Round trip reimbursed
Severance Pay: One month's salary
Apr 13, 2018
Dec 15, 2016
11 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Avalon Education is an after-school English academy. Classes are held in the afternoon until 10 or 11 PM. At Avalon, students develop their English language skills by studying with both Korean and native English speakers. Students spend half of their time with a Korean teacher, and the other half with a native English speaker. The Korean teacher focuses on grammar and vocabulary, giving the students the chance to ask questions and get clarification in their own language. In the native speaker's class, the focus is on listening, speaking, reading, writing, and pronunciation. Here the students have the chance to implement the things they've learned and to be immersed in an English-only environment.

Program Reviews

4.00 Rating
based on 13 reviews
  • 5 rating 23.08%
  • 4 rating 69.23%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 7.69%
  • Benefits 4
  • Support 3.7
  • Fun 3.85
  • Facilities 4.25
  • Safety 4.65
Showing 1 - 8 of 13 reviews
Default avatar
Tom
1/5
No, I don't recommend this program

It ended miserably

Avalon changed my arrival date 3 times in one month. When I came to Korea they did not train me and give me a 2 week orientation. Most of the foreign teachers there receive no training and have to work the next day. During the year, teaching the kids were great. I got to work with some amazing foreign teachers from around the world. Our interactions with Human Resource were frail. They act as a liaison between foreign teacher and Korea. Communication was horrible.

149 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
jslove1986
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Avalon English: reliable and relaxed.

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142 people found this review helpful.
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Whitney
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My First Year

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142 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
ClarkTM
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Teaching at the Langcon English Academy

Avalon as a whole is a relatively good program to work for. They are structured and have a good amount of materials for teachers. All teachers are given a syllabus with the pages and homework already assigned for each class.

Most of the tedious work is all of the administration. You're required to write teacher reviews on all of the students and have quarterly progress reports.

The hardest part for us (in Pohang) was being treated as someone in the lower rank. Our director often used us as scapegoats when it came to talking to the parents and we always came last. No matter what we said or did, we were always in the wrong regardless of how bad the students behaved.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time (2 years) spend in Korea but would not recommend working for the Pohang Langcon branch. Overall, we'd recommend working for Avalon, but be sure to ask for reviews of that certain branch beforehand.

152 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Heatherb
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Avalon English

I worked for Avalon English in Pyeonchong, South Korea for a year and had a very enjoyable experience. The school is well organized and the staff all very friendly and helpful. The school provides all the lessons and lesson planning so it makes it very easy to be prepared for class. Avalon has a very good reputation and for good reason. Unlike some other schools in Korea, Avalon was always very good about paying their employees on time.

Upon arrival, they really took the time and effort to make me feel welcome. My first night there I was taken out for Korean BBQ and introduced to my future colleagues. There was a real sense of community and I quickly made many new friends.

One downfall would be minimal vacation days. In a whole year, I was only able to take one week off for vacation. But I ended up saving so much money, was able to take a big trip through SE Asia when my contract was up.

If you are considering teaching English in Korea, I would definitely recommend Avalon as a school to choose.

150 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
M
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Good starting point to get used to the Korean way

I would consider Avalon a safe school to begin as a first time teacher to South Korea. Considering the horror stories I heard prior to committing to move to Korea, Avalon was a great choice. I never had an issue with being paid on time, was never worried about job security and the school closing over night and leaving me stranded in a foreign country which were some of the issues other friends of mine encountered while teaching at other schools in Korea. The students I had were for the most part well behaved and genuinely interested in learning English. Co-teacher support was usually very good and I always felt my head teacher had my back if any issues were to come up. The campus I was at would usually take the staff out once a month to let loose and socialize with each other outside of the workplace. Some days were harder than others to live in a foreign country where most don't speak your language but the experience is something I'll always look back on and be proud I did. If I were to do it all over again I would absolutely live in Korea for another year!

154 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
secondbestlooking
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Opportunities for everything.

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145 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
bgagnonius
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great Place to Start

If it is your first time coming to Korea and you are not quite sure what would be the best fit for you then Avalon is a great place to get your feet wet as an English Teacher. It's a little like teaching at the Wal-Mart of academies in Korea but the work week is very manageable and you will most likely receive a very nice apartment. Keep your expectations reasonable and remember that you were not drafted to come to Korea, it was your choice and how you approach your situation and your relationship with your fellow teachers, both foreign and Korean, will go a long way in determining how your experience plays out. Avalon has pretty clear goals as far as teaching and curriculum but you do have a nice amount of space to add material to your lessons to make them more fun and interesting. I certainly recommend Avalon as a great company to get started with in Korea.

149 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers