Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Alcmene]

I've just had an interview with Avalon, and I've been scouring the internet for reviews and details. What I've found hasn't been good. My main issue is that my recruiter has given us (myself and my boyfriend are looking for a job) only two job options so far. We've already planned to be in Seoul by November, but I really don't want to take the job if it's terrible.

Pro's seem to be: good apartment, getting paid on time, curriculum to follow.

Con's seem to be: might get ripped off some money (150 000 seems common), curriculum SO specific you can't make it fun, quarantine issues, bad director issues, head boss harassing you or your classroom, getting your temperature checked multiple times a day, unpaid and useless training meetings, not allowed to see visiting family, lower pay...

Wow, I think I'm making a decision... anyways, what I wanted to ask was, for those of you who work at Avalon (or I suppose have well founded rumours) can you list good and bad Avalons to work at? I've got a small list of schools to avoid so far (Avalon Mapo Campus, IMAE Campus, Avalon Daejeon, Avalon in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon), but I wondered if there are GOOD schools I could choose.

Apologies for the repetition, and thank you!

[Captain Courageous]

Just like every large-ish chain, it varies greatly from location to location.

For example, most people seem to have a hard-on about bashing CDI, and most of the complaints are generally true - except for the franchise I worked for, where we were given nearly carte blanche to modify the curriculum as we saw fit, there was no micromanagement, no pressure, just a great work environment and incredibly good pay (for me, anyway).

I've never worked for Avalon (although I recently signed a contract to start in December for one), but most everyone in the Bundang area that worked for one in the area loved it. You can probably find an even split of goods and bads when asking about an entire chain. If you narrow it down to a specific location, you may be able to get a clearer picture as to the good, bad, and ugly about the management there.

[burgerdance]

Captain Courageous, which Avalon did you get in to? My girlfriend and I have received contracts for one in haan dong that starts in December

[partymop]

as with all Hagwons, I think Avalon can be good or bad depending on which one you work at. I've read plenty of bad things about some of the Avalons. However, I used to work for the one in Guri and it was pretty good. The avalon curriculum is pretty excessive and some of the corporate policies can leave you banging your head, but the guys who ran the one I worked at were top notch. They always paid on time, gave us gifts, took us out, took us on trips every couple months, and even paid us overtime for summer and winter camps despite the fact some of the other avalons werent paying bonuses because the extra classes were still under their contract hours. At the end of the day, they were still business men and still hagwon owners/directors, but after hearing what so many other people have gone through with their hagwons, I always felt lucky. Here's a simple way to determine it. Ask for the current English teacher(s) email so that you can ask them questions. Also, ask to speak to them on the phone. If they start to squirm or refuse your request, there's probably a reason for it.

[Big Mac]

Party mop, was the Avalon in Guri owned by a guy named Mr. Choi? Does he also own the Reading Town in Guri? If so, he is the most dishonest employer I've ever had in my life. Sure, he's nice enough until you start asking questions about his shady practices. I think he's just being nice so that you'll feel guilty about asking any questions.

I had to fight with him to get my pension and medical insurance. In the end we got those things but he did his best to make my life miserable after that.

I also found out after I left his hogwan that he had pocketed almost all of my tax money. He took the money off my pay, but never paid it to the tax office. He also canceled my medical insurance without telling me and we had quite a fight over that one.

Many people are charmed by his free dinners and little gifts, but they haven't seen the ruthless businessman side of him that I have seen. Be wary of him. If you're the type who is naive and doesn't bother to ask many questions, then he's the man to work for. He does pay on time and run a well organized hogwan, I'll give him that.

[partymop]

well...i hate to admit 'cuz im losing my anominity (spelling?) but ya, thats him. i dunno, maybe i had him after you and he had changed his practices cuz i never had any problems like those. ya, maybe he did have ruthless business practices but at no time did they ever affect me. i was always paid on time, got all my tax money back, had my medical insurance, plus a generous pension. so long as those were all good, its none of my concern what else hes doing with his business. i dont work for him anymore and havent for a while. but i know some of the native teachers didnt get along with him. but i never had any problems. i dont work at a hagwon anymore, and im glad to leave that behind. but as far as a starter hagwon jobs go, i could have done a lot worse

[Big Mac]

Hey Party Mop...

Well, I would like to think that he learned from his mistakes. I was one of the first teachers he hired when Reading Town opened in late 2004. So I think he tried some things with me that he probably learned not to try again in the future.

If he learned from those mistakes, then good for him. If you got pension and medical insurance without a fight, then it seems he did. I'd check to see if he paid your taxes though...because I'll bet he didn't. He doesn't think people will check that out. But then again, maybe the investigation the tax office did taught him a lesson.

I think if I wouldn't have had those problems, things would have been fine with him. He just doesn't like it when people question him on things, even if they are legitimate. But I guess that's any Korean employer. If they would just be above board on everything, then we wouldn't have to question them!

[rococobean]

Does anyone have any info. on the Avalon in Daejeon?

[Skippy]

[nicwr2002]

[Skippy]

[nimrand]

Since we're on the topic of Avalon, I've been offered a job at the Avalon school in Cheonan. If anyone knows about that school, their input would be most appreciated. You can PM me if you prefer.

[nicwr2002]