Korean Job Discussion Forums

[adenny]

I just got a job offer from Avalon School in Suwon. I had been very excited about it, until I saw a thread on here where people were saying it wasn't a very good chain in certain areas. Does anyone have experience with or have taught with Avalon in this particular city?

[myenglishisno]

I've heard it was okay but Avalon only hires first year (newbie) teachers. That's a warning sign for me, I think.

[adenny]

That seems to be what the other post was saying too. I was just excited about it. I fit that mold though, so I guess I need to be careful. I wonder if anyone who has done it has liked it or if they're not reputable.

[sallymonster]

You should ask for contact information of the school's current and former teachers. If the school or recruiter won't give up this information, then they have something to hide.

[garybliss123]

I'm working at an Avalon and I wouldn't recommend anyone else does.

They currently have us working 36 classes a week, totaling 30 hours. One of my classes has 29 students.

[T-Bone]

I work for a different Avalon branch. I believe there are 2 branches in Suwon. Word around the campfire is that a lot of the foreign teachers are trying to get out of one of the Suwon branches because of the crazy director that started a little while ago.

I would definitely insist on talking to a current teacher before accepting this position.

[Chimie]

I know this is a bit of a resurrection but I wanted to throw in my two cents.

I work at the Jangan campus in Suwon. They're franchise and the school is fantastic.

I'm in the middle school program, I teach 20 classes right now (which is unusually high due to having just graduated a large class up from elementary) It should go back to having 15 a semester soon enough.

Work is not very stressful, the students are good and the buildings are very new. They don't pay the most, but they're very good to you and the offices are nice and new. They go way out of their way to help you out (driving you to specialized doctors, appointments if you need it, etc)

Not a bad thing I can say about the Suwon Avalons. Especially for FOBs who are worried about getting stuck in a craphole private school.

[modernseoul]

Avalon schools are generally a pretty safe bet, the hours are not crazy (compered to some) and there are normally at least a handful of other western teachers to hang with. I worked at one for a short time and never had any issues but that was in Osan not Suwon.
Try and speak to one of the current teachers, they should allay some of your fears.

[daojiao]

I'm a first year teacher, and I too can vouch for Avalon. I work at the Dongsuwon branch.

As said above, it's a franchise, so the textbooks, work hours, etc. are standardized throughout the chain and thus not (entirely) subject to the local manager's whims.

The pay is average, not bad but nothing amazing. I think I make slightly more for slightly less work than some of the other folks I've met over here. Last semester (fall) I had just under 20 hours a week of teaching, which was the max my contract allowed without overtime. This semester (winter), I only have about 15 teaching hours a week.

The administration is a bit distant and very businesslike; they go by the letter of the contract (which is good). I've also had a few problems with my house, and they've always been addressed very quickly (but sometimes inconveniently). The facilities where I work are pretty new and kept in good condition.

Bottom line, I'd agree with Chimie. It's not amazing, but it's definitely one of the better places to end up as a first-year teacher. Feel free to PM me if you want to ask different/more specific questions.

[wanderkind]

Any recent former teachers at Avalon Suwon who care to comment on the current state of affairs?

Good, bad?

[littletelly94]

You need to be more specific. Which Avalon branch in Suwon are you talking about? There is 1 corporate branch and one or two franchise branches in the city.

[heatherchu]

I got offered a position at Avalon in Ingyedong Suwon. Does anyone have experience with this branch?

[daojiao]

heatherchu,

I worked there until the fall of 2012. As mentioned in this thread, the administration was very business-like and went by the letter of the contract, but I was treated very fairly during my time there (7/2011 - 9/2012). The foreign teachers I worked with were all good people too, though I believe they have all since moved on.

One of the perks of that particular campus is the location. You're right down the street from a few shopping malls, a Homeplus, and a few dozen restaurants and bars. If things are the same as when I was there, they will put you in up in a small but modern/clean apartment right next door to the school, so your commute will only be about 30 seconds (read: you can roll out of bed 15 mins before work).

Hope that helped a bit.