Avalon English

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.

Avalon English is probably one of the more reliable hagwon chains that I am know about. I worked for a franchise for a year and overall enjoyed my experience. The Korean teachers I worked with were great and very friendly and since I worked in a small school (only 3 foreign teachers and 4 Korean teachers) it made the year long experience a lot more enjoyable.

Day-to-Day: Work hours aren't bad, I worked usually 2-10, though at times that was stretched to 12-10:30p.m. depending on circumstances. I taught anywhere from 2-6 classes in a day (each 50 minutes long) for elementary & middle school school students. The work hours can be nice because it allows you to have your mornings while still being able to hang out and see people during the nights, which I enjoyed. Usually the first couple of hours are spent planning the days lessons and getting office work done; depending on your schedule that can vary from day to day.

Difficulties: Just like many hagwons and afterschool programs; Avalon isn't without its quirks. Communication can be very slow and difficult (language barrier aside), so at times that made meeting expectations and deadlines difficult as things weren't always communicated timely. There are times when tasks will be thrown at you and you are expected to finish it last minute (but that can be with any school, so not out of the ordinary).

Overall: Avalon can be a great place to work, always paid on time, very little hassle with money/insurance/end of the year bonus and often the Korean teachers and staff are extremely helpful and understanding. Avalon to me is a very reliable institute and I would feel most comfortable working with this large chain then some of the others out there. I enjoyed my experience very much.

I was brand new to teaching and living abroad, when I hopped on a plane to Korea and to Avalon's Pyeongchong campus. Overall, my experience was great. I stayed in a hotel for my first week, and I got a great chance to attend a party at what would be my new apartment. I fell in love with my new space, and I got to spend time with current teachers and those that were completing their contracts. I taught on the IVY Nokjiwon level, which was a very close-knit group of foreign and Korean teachers. I loved my students, who were well-behaved, intelligent, and talented. Whenever I had a question (and I had a lot!), someone had an answer. I was given responsibility according to my talents and interests; for example, I created a United States History class. When wonderful personal issues drove me to see a doctor, my co-workers were right there to support me and make sure I was comfortable. I would have to say that I wish vacation time was more ample and more on my own terms, and there were times when some of the expectations of teachers seemed a bit unrealistic. But honestly looking back after 2-3 years, I realized that a job is a job, and the experience alone was worth everything to me. I learned that I really can teach and enjoy it, to take responsibility for my own attitude, and that life can be good anywhere in the world. I walked away from Avalon with great experience, new friends, a family, and confidence. For a first-time teacher, I would say Avalon is a good place to begin your teaching career.

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.

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.