Sample research sheet

After-school options near an international school in Seoul

A real sheet we sent a family, with their details removed. Eight venues, checked one by one.

Who it was for: A child of 10, no Korean
The window: Tuesday 15:00–16:45, straight after school
Budget: Per session, under ₩100,000
Anchor point: The school — every distance below is the measured driving route from it

Language, honestly. Almost none of these venues can teach in English. One tennis academy says its coach speaks some English but is not fluent; a table tennis club and one climbing gym have reviews mentioning English-speaking staff. Everywhere else the lesson runs in Korean and relies on demonstration — which is why a sport the coach can show rather than explain carries the lowest language barrier.

The eight venues

Activity	Venue	From school	Phone	Cost	What we found
Tennis	Y테니스아카데미 연희점서대문구 연희로 77-12 B1	5 min · 1.0 km	010-7322-3443	₩50,000 / session 4 sessions ₩160,000 Trial ₩20,000 (+VAT)	Tuesday slot starts 16:30 and runs past the window; Wednesday 15:30 fits cleanly. Pay-as-you-go accepted. Free racket rental. Parking on site. No same-day booking. Pickleball also offered. Coach speaks some English, not fluent.
Badminton	렛민턴마포구 용강동 (대흥·마포역)	21 min · 4.5 km	0507-1392-1411	Trial ₩40,000	15:20 class available. Children only. Racket and indoor shoes included in the fee.
Table tennis	즐거운탁구클럽용산구 이촌로 105	29 min · 10 km	010-3897-6023	Student singles ₩8,000 / hour Coaching fee unconfirmed	Cheapest on the list. Free parking. Far from the school, so only worth it if the trip can start somewhere else.
Table tennis	마포탁구클럽마포구 만리재옛길 32 (공덕)	23 min · 5.2 km	010-7933-9904	One-point lesson, 20 min — ₩40,000 Regular class fee to be discussed	Former national-team coach. Runs children's classes. English-speaking staff noted in reviews. Rated 4.9.
Climbing	더클라임 연남점마포구 양화로 186 LC타워 3F	12 min · 2.6 km	02-2088-5071	Trial ₩30,000 · Day pass ₩22,000 Six-week course ₩149,000	Lounge and stretching area to wait in — the only venue here with a proper place for a parent to sit. English-speaking staff noted in reviews. Rated 4.5. Personal training priced separately.
Climbing	홍대클라이밍센터마포구 동교로23길 105 지하	13 min · 2.5 km	02-332-5015	Trial ₩30,000 Private course, 8 sessions (1 month) — ₩400,000	Rated 4.6. Basement venue — size and ventilation worth checking in person before committing.
Piano	연세클랑피아노학원서대문구 연희동 700, 3F	3 min · 700 m	02-394-0019	₩160,000–₩200,000 / month	Takes children from kindergarten age. Holds regular recitals. Likely monthly enrolment, 2–3 sessions a week.
Piano	연희피아노학원서대문구 연희로 174, 2F	3 min · 400 m	02-336-6602	Fee unconfirmed	Closest to the school. Very little public information — this one needs a phone call rather than a search.

How to read it

Travel time. Under 10 minutes is easy straight after school; 10–15 is comfortable; 20 or more means checking that a 15:00 arrival is realistic at all.
Pay-as-you-go or monthly. Confirmed pay-per-session at the tennis academy, one table tennis club and one climbing gym. Both piano schools, and most regular classes in Korea, bill monthly instead.
Greyed-out figures still need a phone call. They are the venue's published rate, not a quote we were given.
Somewhere to wait. Only one venue here has a lounge; two others have parking.
Is the day fixed? The nearest tennis slot works on Wednesday but not Tuesday — worth knowing before ruling the venue out.

Venue names and addresses are left in Korean on purpose, so they can be shown to a driver or pasted into a map app. Prices are as checked in August 2026 and change.