Large training institutions · Freelance instructors · Specialized training companies — compared in a single table
There are three main places to entrust the same training to. You can go to a comprehensive training institution, hire an instructor directly, or use a specialized training company with a narrow focus. The three differ not in price but in structure — from the start they differ in when you learn who the instructor is, how far the curriculum can be adapted, and who handles the contract and documentation. This page is not for deciding which training to run but for deciding who to entrust it to. We have written down both the cases where Nanum Consulting is a good fit and the cases where it is not.
We counted 1,384 training-related post titles in an HR and training manager community. Of the 470 posts looking for a provider, 52 named an “instructor”, nearly five times the 11 that named a “training company or institution.” What managers actually look for is not a company name but who will come and teach. Yet contracts, tax invoices, and instructor replacement ultimately have to be handled with the company. This gap is the real dilemma when choosing a provider.
Posts looking for a specific “instructor”52
Named “training vendors/institutions”11 cases
The population is 1,384 post titles (collected in September 2026) from 8 training-related boards in public HR and training manager communities. Of these, 470 were posts looking for a provider and 94 mentioned quotes or costs in the title. These are reference figures counting only expressions visible in titles; posts looking for both instructors and companies were counted as ‘instructor’.
3 Provider Types Compared — 11 Criteria
This table does not say which option is better; it shows what is different. Once you see what your situation can afford to give up, the choice is easy.
Swipe the table sideways to see the third column (Nanum Consulting). →
Comparison Item
Large Training InstitutionComprehensive training company · contracted training provider
Freelance instructorsBooked directly by your team
Nanum ConsultingA specialist training firm with a narrow focus
When You Learn the Instructor
Instructors are usually assigned after contract signing. Proposals often say only “expert instructor assigned.”
Confirmed from the start. That person is the product.
We list the instructor’s name, bio, and teaching history on that topic in the proposal. CEO Jonghyuk Kim either teaches personally or, depending on the field, we propose a verified partner instructor by name.
Curriculum customization
Standard courses are solid. Customization often comes at extra cost and on a separate schedule.
It depends on the individual instructor’s ability and availability.
Designed from a pre-diagnosis and an interview with your training manager. Because these are not employment insurance–reimbursed courses, we are not bound to a standard curriculum, so we rebuild the case studies around your company’s real work and documents.
Communication and revision speed
Requests pass from sales to a PM to the instructor, so even changing a single line of the curriculum takes time.
You speak with the instructor directly, so it is the fastest route. The trade-off is that you cannot reach them while they are teaching.
The CEO takes inquiries personally and replies within 24 hours. The person who designs the training is the same person you talk to.
Pricing structure
In most cases you only find out after receiving a quote. You need to ask separately what the total includes.
Quality varies by instructor, and the standards are not disclosed.
We publish our baseline rates — KRW 1.2 million for a 2-hour special lecture, KRW 600,000 per hour for a half day, and KRW 500,000 per hour for a full day (excluding VAT, materials, and travel). You can check them right away in the quote calculator.
Contracts and documentation
Contracts, electronic tax invoices, and business documentation are all in place.
Individual instructors make business-income withholding and invoice issuance cumbersome, and can conflict with internal procurement rules.
We can enter into a business-to-business contract and issue electronic tax invoices (business registration number 220-09-52390).
Substitute if the instructor has an accident
We have the widest pool of replacement instructors.
Replacement is practically difficult. The schedule would have to be rearranged.
We replace the instructor with a partner instructor in the same field. The materials and facilitation plan stay with us, so the curriculum goes ahead unchanged.
Large-Scale Parallel Delivery
This is their strongest area. They can run dozens of classes nationwide in the same week.
One person can only be in one place at a time.
The ideal class size is 20, and we run up to 30. Beyond that we split classes or add assistant instructors, but running dozens of classes at once is better suited to a large institution.
Follow-up after training
A good fit to pair with your own LMS or e-learning.
Usually done within the same day.
You can extend learning with online courses and a corporate license; satisfaction surveys and certificates of completion are prepared on request.
Employment insurance refund
Many providers offer subsidized courses (employer-commissioned training).
Not applicable.
Not eligible. We have not received training course accreditation from the Ministry of Employment and Labor. If reimbursement is a condition for budget approval, please tell us at the inquiry stage. We will point you to the right route, and if we are not the right fit, we will say so.
Verifiability
Company-level references are plentiful, but you need to check separately the background of the instructor who will actually come.
Relies on personal profiles and self-introductions.
Company-wide large-scale rollouts, reimbursable courses, and standardized annual training programs
A one-off special lecture on a clear topic, or a session where only that particular instructor will do
Practical training that must be adapted to your own company’s cases, training where you want the instructor confirmed in advance, and training that needs documented grounds for approval
What we make public
The hardest thing to verify when comparing providers is “did they really do it.” So we have made it verifiable — every number below is clickable, so you can view the list yourself.
It is better for both sides that you find out now rather than later.
When employment insurance reimbursement is a condition for budget approval — our courses are not eligible for employer-commissioned training reimbursement. If that condition comes first, it is faster to look for an institution that offers reimbursable courses.
When you need to run dozens of classes nationwide in the same period — here the breadth of the instructor pool is what determines delivery capacity. Large training institutions do this better.
When you also need an LMS or learning management system built — we create training and content; we are not a system development company.
When the lowest price is the only criterion — our base rates are public, so compare them first. If the budget does not fit, we will work with you to adjust the hours and group size, or point you to another provider.
When specific qualifications or statutory commissioning requirements apply — for example, a course that only qualified license holders may deliver. Tell us the requirements first and we will tell you right away whether we can do it.
10 Questions to Ask Your Provider
Whichever provider you choose, asking the same questions makes them comparable. Feel free to copy the list below and paste it straight into your proposal request email — you don’t need to ask us first. If you need to write the RFP itself, we have a separate RFP Writing Guide.
Would you like quotes based on the same conditions?
Choose the format and headcount, and we’ll attach an estimated quote PDF to your confirmation email. A formal quote reflecting the instructor and curriculum follows separately within 24 hours. It’s meant for you to compare side by side with other providers’ proposals.
Training Quote & Consultation Request
We reply within 24 hours. If you’re comparing providers, feel free to say so — knowing what you’re comparing lets us give you a more precise answer.
※ The “Large training institute” and “Freelance instructor” columns in the comparison table describe general characteristics of each supply model, not any specific company or individual; actual terms vary by provider and instructor. When you receive proposals, we encourage you to check them directly with the 10 questions above. Fees are estimates based on Nanum Consulting’s standard rates; VAT, materials, and travel costs by delivery region are extra. Public institutions and bidding projects follow separate standards. Measured counts are reference figures tallied from the titles of public posts.
FAQ
Key summary
We split corporate training providers into three types — large training institutes, directly hired freelance instructors, and specialist training firms with a narrow focus — and compare them across 11 criteria, including when the instructor is confirmed, curriculum customization, price transparency, contracts and documentation, instructor substitution, and employment insurance reimbursement. We also cover when each type fits best and 10 questions to ask any provider.
Should we entrust corporate training to a large training institute or a freelance instructor?
It depends on what you can give up. If you need to run dozens of classes nationwide in the same period, or need courses eligible for employment insurance reimbursement, a large training institute is the better choice. For a single special lecture on a clear topic where only that instructor will do, hiring a freelance instructor directly is faster. If you need the curriculum adapted to your company’s cases and the instructor confirmed before signing, a specialized training company focused on a narrow field is the right fit.
What should I check when choosing a training provider?
Ten things: the name of the instructor who will teach on the day and their teaching history on the topic; what has been adapted for your company in the proposed curriculum; what the total includes and what is separate (VAT, materials, travel, customization); the backup plan if the instructor cannot come; recent delivery examples on the same topic; whether a pre-training diagnosis is included; what deliverables remain after the training; whether it is eligible for employment insurance reimbursement; the maximum class size; and who handles the contract and tax invoice.
Is a proposal that only says “professional instructor assigned” acceptable?
It means you cannot know who will show up on the day, so we do not recommend it. If you ask for the instructor’s name, bio, and teaching history on the topic to be included in the proposal, the variation in instructor quality shrinks considerably. We counted 1,384 training-related post titles in an HR and training manager community: of the 470 posts looking for a provider, 52 named an ‘instructor’, far more than the 11 that named a ‘training company or institution’. What managers actually want to verify is not the company name but who will come and teach.
Is Nanum Consulting training eligible for employment insurance reimbursement?
Our courses are not eligible for reimbursement, because they are not accredited as training programs by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. If reimbursement is a condition for budget approval, tell us at the inquiry stage and we will point you to the right route. In return, we are not bound to a standard curriculum, so we can design case studies around your company’s actual work and documents.
When is Nanum Consulting not the right fit?
When employment insurance reimbursement is a condition for budget approval, when dozens of classes nationwide must run in the same period, when an LMS or learning management system must be built as well, when the lowest price is the only criterion, or when the course may only be delivered by holders of a specific qualification. In these cases we will say so and point you to the right route.