Hi everyone, and welcome back to another inspiring interview. This week we are talking with Shane Bennett from Travel and Teach Recruiting. Shane is based in Toronto, Canada and works hard to assist recent college graduates find jobs teaching English in South Korea. We are delighted to feature him here on GO! Overseas, and have him share his extensive knowledge about the ESL industry in Asia. We hope you enjoy the interview and feel free to ask more questions in the comments below!

GO!: Lets start with a brief introduction. Who are you, where are you, and what are you doing?

Shane: My name is Shane Bennett and I am the owner and director of Travel and Teach Recruiting Inc. We are based in Toronto, Canada and we recruit university graduates to teach English in Korea.

GO!: Tell us a little about Travel and Teach and your role there.

Shane: I am the director and owner. I overlook our recruiting department, our day to day business activities, and make most of the important decisions.

The company was officially started in 2001, but the idea of Travel and Teach came in 1999 when I was working for a different recruiting agency in Korea. I eventually decided to do this on my own when I realized that our philosophies on business were not in line with each other. Of course every business has a goal of making money, but I was also very concerned about sending people to schools where they would be taken advantage of. I wanted to provide people with the same great experiences that I had in Korea, while helping them avoid the bad ones.

GO!: Where did you teach in Korea and for how long?

Shane: I taught in Korea for a total of 5 years in Gumi City as well as in a few different areas of Seoul. I taught in two private academies in Gumi, a private academy as well as a public school in Seoul, and finally at Seoul Women’s University. During this time, I taught students from kindergarten to adult.

GO!: What was it about teaching abroad that appealed to you?

Shane: At first this was my friend’s idea after he saw an advertisement to teach English abroad. We were still in university, but decided to take a TESOL course and see where this adventure took us. I had originally wanted to go to South America, but two recruiters from Korea came and sold us on the free airfare, free apartments, monthly pay, and all of the other benefits of teaching in Korea. I needed to start paying back my student loans and I felt this was the best and most fun way to do that.

GO!: What are the benefits of working with a recruiter to find an ESL job?

Shane: The main benefit of working with a recruiter is protection. Unfortunately, there have been - and still are - stories about schools in Korea cheating people out of money or firing them before their contract is complete. I speak from experience as I personally went through a similar situation. I now feel it is my duty to keep the best interests of teachers in mind and offer them protection.

After that, I would say experience and information. We provide a 30 page information package, a detailed first time ESL teacher’s guide, as well as a bunch of other resources for our teachers. We also have set up online communities through Facebook and Twitter so that our teachers can talk, meet, or just bounce ideas off of each other.

GO!: What is your opinion of TEFL certification?

Teaching English in South Korea.

Shane: I think TEFL certification is most beneficial to people who have not taught ESL before. However, I don’t feel it should be an absolute requirement. Courses can be costly and time consuming, and not everyone looking for a job will have the time or the money.

GO!: Would you recommend a TEFL course to a teacher who is only planning to teach abroad for a year?

Shane: I would recommend it if the person hasn’t taught ESL before and is unsure what they will do when their year is finished. But since so many teachers do decide to stay for more than a year, a TEFL course does open more doors down the road.

GO!: Can you share three simple teaching tips for new ESL teachers?

• Be open-minded.
• Use a recruiter and don’t only think about money as the only benefit of this experience.
• Go with what feels right: too many people listen to what others say about the best places to teach, the money they should be making, hours that they should be working, etc. Keep it simple and if it feels right, go with it.

GO!: What are your future plans, both personally and professionally?

Shane: We plan to expand our services to different countries and to be able to offer a variety of teaching experiences to our teachers. Personally, I want to continue traveling and play as much golf as possible!

GO!: Any last words?

Shane: None that I can think of! Thanks!