Korean Job Discussion Forums

[the dakota kid]

All,

before anyone says use the search function and read the archives, I have already. I am looking for current info or personal opinions regarding Avalon, especially their Ivy classes for advanced students. I had a nice chat/interview with one of their representatives tonight. Here are the details:

Location: Suwon
Class size: 8 to 16/smaller classes for speaking
Salary: 2,200,000
Salary per year: 26,400,000
Hours: 4 to 11 pm
Number of hours per month: 120
Number of teaching hours per week: 15
Actual hours per week? Prep? 30
Overtime?(Hourly x 150%) No overtime
Saturday morning classes? No, 2 training sessions per year

Size of apt? 1 bedroom
AC? Yes
Studio? No
Age of Building New
Settling allowance? No, fully furnished
Distance from School 5 to 10 minutes from school
Transportation fees paid? No, about a dollar in each direction
Distance to City Center 25 minutes bullet train
Ticket paid upfront or reimbursed? Upfront
Sick pay? 3 to 5 per year, doctors note required
Pay Day? Month 30
Vacation 10 days+14 holidays
Severance 2.2 mill
Korean Classes available 2x a week, 30 dollars a week
Pension funded? Cost per month? Yes/86 to 90
Health funded? Cost per month? Yes/45 dollars
Taxes paid? Cost per month Yes/130 per month

Comments? If you have a personal story, please PM me with the details or suffer the wrath of other posters. With a salary so low/average, any strengths to this position?

tdk/Dustin

[nomad-ish]

post yr full contract under the contract posting sticky at the top of the board

[the dakota kid]

I have not received a full contract yet, those were the details that I entered in a spreadsheet during the interview.

Any suggestions on other questions, please let me know.

tdk/Dustin

[Juregen]

[theatrelily]

Don't bother asking for 2.6 a month. It's Avalon. They have set starting rates and have no problems filling their positions.

If you have higher qualifications (B.Ed, Masters, Tesl cert.) you might be able to ask for 2.3 or 2.4.....might.

I pm'd you with more info regarding Avalon and that particular campus.

[the dakota kid]

Actual teaching time is two classes a day, 1.5 hours a piece, 15 hours a week. The other time is for prep, lunch, etc...

tdk/Dustin

[njp6]

I taught at Avalon last year and my experience was generally positive (other teachers will say different). When I was there I taught about 25 hours a week. That may have changed now. I also taught elementary. I know that Ivy is geared towards getting kids to pass test, so you'll have to teach towards the tests. Also Ivy students write a lot of essays so you'll be busy grading those as well. The apartments that Avalon provides are usually really good. I had a two room office-tel that I would love to have now. I was in Suji however; I don't know what Suwon provides. Avalon was also a good place for my first year. I met a lot of other foreigners there, many whom I'm still friends with. Avalon is a big chain, so you'll get paid on time but there's a lot of bureaucratic BS that goes along with that. Your director will tell you what to teach and how to teach it. Sometimes that makes the job super easy, but also a little boring. PM me if you have any specific questions.

[the dakota kid]

njp9,
please PM me...I am missing the magic quota of 25 posts...

Does anyone know when this was instituted?

tdk/Dustin

[the dakota kid]

All,

I have posted my proposed contract on page 57 of the appropriate thread. Have at it!!! I have prefaced my immediate questions with a series of "---"

Thanks!
tdk/Dustin

[Smee]

I'll post this here, rather than the contract thread, b/c that one's too massive.

I haven't posted a reply b/c I haven't worked for Avalon in about 15 months, so my material's a little dated. I can, however, talk about a few of your questions.

When I was there I had to attend two special functions. One was a Christmas Party, and it took place an evening on the weekend. I don't remember if it was mandatory, or if we were just told "you should go," but most people went and had an okay time. Everyone also had to attend a seminar one weekend in the summer. It was such a pain in the ass. There was also a few times when we were told to go canoeing or hiking, but I didn't go to those. Looking back, there are some things I complained about with Avalon that I take back . . . however, this type of intrusion into my weekends and free time is not one of them.

Also, you asked about those 3 institute-schedule vacation days. My memory is a little hazy on this, but yes, they did occur. IIRC it happened around Chuseok, the big holiday in fall. They "gave" us three days off---in addition to the actual holiday---and these were deducted from the 10 in our contract. So, that meant we had basically 7 days left to use for the year. What also rubbed me the wrong way was that on a few occassions they gave us national holidays off, but deducted a vacation day. Another time they asked us to work 12 hours on a Saturday as part of the intensive period. It was last minute and we said no, so they gave us Saturday off but took away a vacation day. So, I had 5 vacation days I could take that year (provided I gave enough notice and provided nobody at Avalon protested). That's another thing I didn't like about Avalon, though I guess that kind of stuff is standard at a hagwon.

As I was finishing the contract they started requiring employees to go to a clinic of their choice. It's in Bundang, and it's okay. The people there don't speak English---or didn't when I went there---so it's kind of a strange choice. I dislike the idea of my employers knowing exactly when and why I'm visiting the doctor.

Yes, you will be fired and deported for privates. This is true across Korea of all teachers on E-2 visas.

The other things seem pretty standard for hagwon and for Avalon. Just one point I wanted to add . . . you said you were going to Suwon, but the address on the contract says Jeongja-dong, Bundang.

There are a few other posters here I know who worked at the Ivy Campus. Maybe they'll come out of the woodwork and post. Aside from the things I mentioned up top---and those were pretty big asides, I thought---it wasn't that bad a place to work. A lot of the organizational b.s. is found in all parts of Korean life. I encounter it now at a public school, although now I earn more money and have about 10-times the vacation.

[the dakota kid]

Would you suggest a public school instead of a Hagwon? I do have a BS Ed and 4 years of teaching instruction, albeit in German...

I was told that I would have to work one National Holiday...if it is the entire Chuseok holiday, that may be a bit much...

If possible, can you PM the email addresses of other teachers who either have worked there or currently do? I am slightly below the petty 25 posts required...

tdk/Dustin

[Smee]

Ah, you've jogged my memory a little. What happened was they wanted us to work one day of the Chuseok holiday, but then "gave" us three more days off, in order to stretch the weekend. These three days were taken from the 10 . . .instead of taking 2 and trading one for the day we worked, they took 3. Hard to explain, but does that make sense?

There are times when I miss my students there. I have more experience in Korea now than I did then (obviously) and I've learned ways to make classroom time more effectivce. I also miss the area of Bundang and the wealth of shopping, parks, and restaurants. But, there's no way I'd go back to a contract like that after doing a public school. At times it's less fulfilling professionally---at Avalon the students were advanced, in public schools you have a mixed bag---but the schedule and the vacation makes up for it many times over. Moreover, I generally feel more appreciated at the public school.

I'd say go for the public school, although others will disagree. Your degree is from an English-speaking country, though, right?

Also, you should be able to get email addresses and contact information of other teachers through your recruiter.

[articulate_ink]

I worked there for a year, between May 05 and early June 06, and loathed the place by the time I left. It was my first year in Korea, though, so I was dealing with culture shock and kind of detoxing from a bad period in my own life back in the US, as well. The students, for the most part, were terrific. However, the games and the duplicity smee mentioned angered me. I was shifted from Bundang (Jeongja) to Suji halfway through my contract, got a university job which fell through at the last possible moment, and ended up having to finish out my contract. Actually, the Suji campus wasn't a bad place to work, because the director was a good guy. But commuting there from Bundang was unpleasant, and at first there was a lot of tension among the teachers in my division (the Nokjiwon).

I think the bottom line to working for Avalon is standing up for yourself. If you don't want to go to the company-affiliated clinic, then don't. You're covered under the national health insurance scheme, aren't you? The idea is ridiculous. I'm sure the Labor Board would love that one. If you don't want to go on the weekend drinking & hiking retreats, then don't. Avalon will hint at consequences which never materialize. You tend to find out about these things at the last minute. Keep your 'I'm so sorry, I'm going to ______ that weekend!' excuse ready an do not hesitate to use it. It's culturally appropriate here to tell white lies to get out of things like this.

If you can get a public school gig, I agree with Smee: avoiding the hagwon 'we own you' mindset is always a good idea, if possible. On the other hand, Avalon is far from the worst place you can work in Korea. You'll get paid on time (but don't arrive broke and expecting a loan), and they'll handle the HR stuff with a reasonable degree of competence. Do it for a year and use it to springboard yourself into a better job somewhere else. (Few people seem to re-sign with Avalon.)

If you want to contact me directly, it's articulate_ink at ya hoo dot com.

[jurassic82]

I currently work at the Avalon campus in Suwon and can honestly say that my experience so far has been pretty positive. I will agree with the previous posts though that going to the mandatory team building exercises or what ever you want to call them is pretty boring and a major pain in the behind. I only have my last job to compare it to where I worked at a small little hogwon with 130 students. We had to constantly worry about kids dropping and listening to irrational parents complain. As for Avalon you really won't have to worry about things like that and other things like being paid late and getting your health insurance which is ever to common in Korea. As far as hagwons go I will go with Avalon as being one of the more reputable ones. You will have to deal with problems at whatever hogwon you go to. As mentioned before if you can snag a public school job go for it. If you have any questions about Suwon or the job feel free to PM me. Best of luck to ya!

[the dakota kid]

Jurassic 82,

please send me a PM, as I lacking the min. 25 posts.

Thanks,
Dustin/tdk