Maru Academy / Study
1:1 Coaching
Not levels. Situations, and the things underneath them.
Three shapes, one subject. The six levels are the path already built — ten-minute lessons with a workbook each, taken whenever the time is yours, no schedule and no expiry. The coaching is a path built for you instead: private sessions shaped by your level, your goals, and how you actually plan to use Korean. Write-to-Speak is that second one turned around — you write first, I mark it during the week, and the session is spent saying your own sentences out loud.
The levels are numbered, but they are a sequence rather than a grammar syllabus. Both are built out of the same situations, which is the part that takes longest to learn anywhere else.
Three pages. Pick one — the others are always a click back.
Korean, built
around you.
Private sessions shaped entirely by your goals, your level, and the way you actually want to use Korean.
55 min · Google Meet · your own Notion page
Before we start
Most people aren’t afraid of grammar. They’re afraid of being wrong in front of someone.
A 1:1 session has no audience and no score. Nobody is waiting for their turn, nobody is ahead of you. A mistake here is just the next thing we fix — it costs you nothing but the four seconds it takes me to say it back correctly.
That is the whole reason this format works, and it’s why the first session is $30 and not $100.
Every session, three parts
The hour is the middle of it, not all of it.
Most teaching stops when the call ends. Here, the call sits between two pieces of work that you do on your own — which is where most of the learning actually lands.
Before — on your own
That session's page is waiting for you: ten words with examples, and one grammar point. Anything that doesn't land goes in your Questions for Rok list — I read it before we meet.
Questions for Rok
- — why 에 and not 에서 here?
- — is 좀 always polite?
- — how fast is too fast?
During — together
We open with small talk and clear your questions, then work that session's dialogue: read it together, swap roles, and then say the same thing about your real self, off-script.
You said
어제 학교에 공부했어요.
What a Korean says
어제 학교에서 공부했어요.
에 is where you go. 에서 is where something happens.
After — back on the page
You write a few sentences using what we covered, and record a twenty-second version out loud. Don't read it — say it. Both stay on the page, and I go through them before your next session.
- Your sentences, marked up
- Twenty seconds of you, listened to
- Notes written back onto your page
What you leave in part three is where part one of the next session starts.
“Some of my previous teachers weren't as detailed, or wouldn't correct my mistakes as I spoke — which is a priority for me.”
Your workspace
One page. Yours, permanently.
You prepare on it. We run the session from it. Afterwards your own sentences and my corrections go back onto it. Nothing lives only in the hour.
A year in, it’s a record of everything you were once unsure about — which is a strange and very satisfying thing to scroll through.
It's paired with the self-paced courses: they build your foundation between calls, so our live time stays all about you speaking — and me fixing your pronunciation on the spot. That material is public, all of it.
See the curriculum library ↗Public. No sign-up — look before you book.
Start here
Three ways in, all of them cheap on purpose.
You should find out whether this suits you before you spend real money on it.
Start with this
Try it once
Trial session
$3055 minGoogle Meetyour own Notion page
A first 1:1 lesson to see how we work together. We find your real level and what your Korean is actually for.
Pick this if
- you’ve never had a 1:1 lesson before
- you’ve been studying alone and don’t know where you actually are
- you want to hear me teach before paying for more
Included
- your Notion page, set up before we meet
- a written note from me afterwards on where to start
Group
Small group session
$30per person55 min2–3 learnersGoogle Meeta shared Notion page
The same scene-based lessons, run for a small group at a similar level. You practise against other people rather than only against me — which is closer to how you’ll actually use Korean.
Pick this if
- you learn better with other people in the room
- you have friends or colleagues learning Korean at your level
- you want the practice at a lower price than one-on-one
Included
- a shared page for the group, with the words and grammar for each session
- corrections written back to the whole group after
- your own recording of the lines you practised
Everyone
Open class
$9per person55 minGoogle Meetlive only
One topic, taught live to a room. Some sessions are the grammar learners keep getting wrong; some are the culture underneath the language — why Koreans say it that way at all. You listen, take notes, and ask in the chat. I won’t get to everyone, and I’d rather say that before you book.
Pick this if
- you want to hear me teach before spending more
- you’d rather take notes than be put on the spot
- there’s one thing you keep avoiding and want explained properly
Included
- the notes for that session, written up
- every chat question answered in a written follow-up
Keep going
Once you know it fits.
Monthly isn’t a discount for committing — it’s the same price per session. It exists because once a week is what actually moves people.
Session by session
All of them: 55 min · Google Meet · your own Notion page.
| Price | What’s different | Book | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard session | $45 | Your own page, corrections written back after. | Book a session (opens in a new tab) |
| Intensive session | $60 | One goal for the whole hour, plus a corrected audio recording. | Book an intensive (opens in a new tab) |
1:1 session
Standard session
$45per session55 minGoogle Meetyour own Notion page
A single 1:1 lesson, built around you. Prep on your page before, live practice together, your own sentences written and recorded after.
Pick this if
- you want to go at your own pace with no commitment
- you already have a routine and want to add real speaking to it
Included
- ten words and one grammar point waiting on your page
- your Questions for Rok list, which I read before we meet
- corrections written back onto the page after
1:1 session
Intensive session
$60per session55 minGoogle Meetyour own Notion pageaudio included
One goal, and the whole session spent on it rather than on covering ground. What we fix, I read back and record myself, so you leave with the right version rather than a memory of it.
Pick this if
- you have something specific and dated coming — an interview, a trip, a presentation
- you learn by listening and repeating, not by reading notes
- you’d rather spend the session on one thing than cover a bit of everything
Included
- everything in a standard session
- an audio recording of your corrected sentences, read the natural way, yours to keep
Longer than a session
All of them: 55 min · Google Meet · your own Notion page.
| Price | Per session | What’s different | Book | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly — 4 sessionsMost peopleonce a week | $165 | $41 | Corrections between calls, and I track what you keep getting wrong. | Start monthly — 4 (opens in a new tab) |
| Intensive Monthly — 4 sessionsonce a week | $220 | $55 | A corrected audio recording every week. | Start intensive monthly (opens in a new tab) |
| Monthly — 8 sessionstwice a week | $330 | $41 | Same rate per session as Monthly · 4 — you’re buying frequency, not a discount. | Start monthly — 8 (opens in a new tab) |
Most people
Monthly
Monthly — 4 sessions
$165per month$41 a session55 minonce a weekGoogle Meetyour own Notion page
Four sessions a month. Steady rhythm, and the continuity where real progress happens.
Pick this if
- you want Korean to be a habit rather than an event
- you’ve done one-offs and keep losing momentum between them
- you want me watching your work during the week, not only on call day
Included
- four sessions
- corrections on your page between calls, not just during them
- your progress tracked in one place across the month
Monthly
Intensive Monthly — 4 sessions
$220per month$55 a session55 minonce a weekGoogle Meetyour own Notion pageaudio included
Four intensive sessions a month — deeper, and each one recorded in my voice. The focused pace of an intensive, with the rhythm and momentum of a monthly.
Pick this if
- you want the depth of intensive sessions, every week
- you’re working toward something real — a move, a partnership, business Korean
- you learn by listening back, not by reading notes
Included
- four 55-minute intensive sessions
- an audio recording of your corrected sentences each week, read the natural way, yours to keep
- corrections on your page between calls, not just during them
- your progress tracked in one place across the month
Monthly
Monthly — 8 sessions
$330per month$41 a session55 mintwice a weekGoogle Meetyour own Notion page
Eight sessions a month, for a faster, deeper pace. Same rate per session — you’re buying frequency, not a discount.
Pick this if
- you have a deadline — a move, an exam, a job starting
- you have study time and want it structured twice a week
- once a week has felt like starting over each time
Included
- everything in the four-session plan, at double the frequency
For a specific goal
Two things that aren’t a general lesson.
For when you already know what you want to get better at, and want the whole thing pointed at it.
Korean only
Debate & Discussion
$79per session55 minGoogle MeetKorean only, start to finish
No English. Not one word. We take a real topic and you hold your own in it — argue, disagree, change your mind, all in Korean.
Pick this if
- you understand more than you can say and want to close that gap
- you can already handle a conversation and want to handle a disagreement
- you’re preparing for work, study, or a life in Korea where nobody will switch to English for you
Included
- the topic and the vocabulary you’ll need, on your page beforehand
- notes on what you reached for and couldn’t find, written up after
Program
Write-to-Speak Intensive
$299
A focused program that turns what you can write into what you can say.
Pick this if
- you think faster than you can speak
- you’ve been learning a long time and are stuck below where you expected to be
- you’d rather write your thoughts first than improvise them out loud
What students say
“Your patience, encouragement, and positive energy create a welcoming environment where making mistakes feels like part of the learning process instead of something to fear.”
Michelle · Panama“Before taking your class, I tried learning Korean through apps like Pimsleur and Duolingo; however, they couldn't provide the human connection, cultural insights, or personalized guidance that come from learning with a native Korean teacher.”
Lucie · El Salvador“The lesson is very well structured and you give us psychological support, so we have the strength not to give up when things get tough.”
Maria · Greece“Some of my previous teachers weren't as detailed, or wouldn't correct my mistakes as I spoke — which is a priority for me.”
Esther · United States“The most patient and kind teacher who isn't judgemental and gives you the space to make mistakes without pressure.”
Victoria · Level 1 · 1:1 sessions “You don't let me coast easily even when I want to, and you don't allow me to hide behind what I do well. You pick up on my gaps quite quickly and make me catch up. That is, for me, the mark of a skilled instructor.”
N · Write-to-Speak course “I was so scared because I didn't feel ready for the trip without vocabulary and sentences, but now I feel confident and I think I can do it!”
T · 1:1 monthly · preparing for a trip to Korea “I sit back and reflect on my learning and think about where I was at the beginning of the year, and I realise the progress I have made since working with you has been exponential — and my confidence has grown as well.”
Victoria · Level 1 · 1:1 sessions “The videos are short, and Rok's explanations are engaging — he presents the information like a story and speaks at a pace that allows me to grasp everything immediately. After a long day of work and study, I actually consider watching these videos a prize.”
S · studying while working “As a complete beginner, hearing the correct pronunciation and getting immediate feedback has made a huge difference for me. Time has been my biggest challenge lately, but Rok has been incredibly patient, encouraging, and supportive. It's been one of the best ways to build confidence.”
L · complete beginner “I was definitely nervous at first, but your kindness made me feel very comfortable. I'm genuinely grateful for your guidance — you've already made a positive impact, and I truly appreciate the passion you have for teaching.”
I · after a first lesson
Want to talk it through first?
Tell me what you're after and I'll suggest where to start — no pressure.
Still deciding? Read the questions I get most.