I Found the Better: My Experience at Twin.kle

Let’s be honest about what teaching in Korea can often feel like...

For the vast majority of rank-and-file teachers, the typical hagwon is commonly an impersonal production line. Everyone is treated like an interchangeable cog. The employer doesn’t expect much from you, and you, in return, frankly don't really expect much from them. Sadly, there is often a little lack of respect on both sides. The job is commonly purely transactional, and burnout is just built into the business model.

After more than 4 years in Korea and at multiple typical hagwons, both chains and independents, working at Twin.kle felt nearly utopian. From day one, it was clear I was working for a properly run and well-functioning organization, rather than a standard, haphazard Korean hagwon. Even their initial onboarding process stood out; the way they handled visa documents with clear communication throughout.

The biggest separator between Twin.kle and other operators in the Korean after-school education space is their curriculum and the company's overall educational philosophy. After working for a couple of different chains, Twin.kle is the only place I’ve experienced that actually takes its curriculum seriously. It is well planned, substantial, and organized in a way that frankly makes sense. If you have an inquisitive mind and love history, science, political science, and sociology, the Non-Fiction stream is brilliant and very rewarding to teach. If your brain leans more toward creativity, writing, and exploration through text, Fiction is a lot of fun and probably more for you. I've genuinely lost count of the number of conversations about philosophy, art, politics, history, etc., that I've had with friends in the evenings or on the weekend which were inspired by something I happened across in the curriculum during the workday at Twin.kle that made me wonder.

The goal at Twin.kle clearly isn't churning out mindless test passers like you see at so many typical hagwons. The academy does an exceptional job of teaching not just English skills, but true English citizenship. It helps to shape its students' minds into informed, engaged, and inquisitive learners and future members of our global society, and what excellent students Twin.kle has! Because the material requires real cognitive engagement, the students are encouraged to—and truly do—rise to the occasion. Never before have I taught such an incredible group of inspirational young people.

That carries over to the families as well, with Twin.kle's parents being outstandingly supportive, reasonable, and aligned with an educational approach that the academy champions.

Of course, this is not a job you can do mindlessly. If you walk into the classroom without preparing, you will pay for it quickly, and honestly, you shouldn't want to. Twin.kle attracts people who actually care about teaching, and the incredible management team has the systems and support in place to equip professional educators to succeed in their role. Refreshingly, management actually notices when you work hard and do your job properly; your competency and contributions are recognized, and you're treated like more than just another employee.

Basically, what I'm saying is I frankly love working for Twin.kle. In previous jobs in Korea and even back in my home country, there was often a sense that I was just there for a season—until I moved on to find something better. But here, at Twin.kle, I found the better, and I found a place where I actually want to stay, teach, learn, and grow, for many years to come.