What to Check Before Enrolling in an Entertainment Academy or Private Institute, and Refund Rules
Contracts
How to spot high-priced class offers claiming to have "agency connections" or "guaranteed debut," and the tuition refund rules under the Private Teaching Institutes Act.
1. Auditions and academy enrollment are separate
An official agency audition does not require you to enroll in a particular academy to pass. If someone demands that you enroll, saying things like "You passed, so you need to start training at our academy" or "If you take our classes, we’ll arrange an agency audition for you," be wary of possible scams or misleading advertising.
2. What to check before enrolling
- Check whether it is a registered private institute with the local education support office. Institutes must post their tuition fees somewhere easy to see and provide them in writing upon request.
- Ask whether they charge separately for video filming, profile photos, or audition arrangements in addition to tuition, and get the details in writing.
- Don’t trust unverifiable promises such as "guaranteed to pass" or "guaranteed debut."
- Think carefully before accepting an offer of a discount for paying several months’ fees all at once.
3. Tuition refund rules (학원법 시행령 (Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Teaching Institutes))
If you stop taking classes, the institute must refund your tuition within 5 days from the day the reason for the refund arises.
When the teaching period is 1 month or less
- Before classes begin: full refund
- Before 1/3 of the total lesson hours have elapsed: 2/3 refund
- After 1/3 but before 1/2 has elapsed: 1/2 refund
- After 1/2 has elapsed: no refund
When the teaching period is longer than 1 month
- Before classes begin: full refund
- After classes begin: the month you stop is refunded according to the rules above, and all remaining months are refunded in full
You can dispute "no refunds" terms that are less favorable than the legal standard.
4. If your refund is refused
- Gather your payment records and class attendance records, then request a refund from the institute in writing.
- File a complaint with the local education support office or contact the Consumer Counseling Center at 1372.
- Academies or training centers that are not registered as private institutes may not be subject to the refund rules under the Private Teaching Institutes Act, so check the refund terms in your contract especially carefully.
Source: 법제처 찾기쉬운 생활법령정보
Translated from Korean by StagePass. The Korean original is authoritative.