Program Reviews

Getting a job through Reach to Teach was extremely pleasant. Carrie helped me out every step of the way, and I made it to Taipei safe and sound. I was able to find an apartment the first week and started teaching not but two weeks in. My job placement was great, and I'm very happy to be where I am. No difficulties yet to report.

Reach to Teach did a great job during recruitment, and really made us feel comfortable about picking up and moving to China. They did pick a great location based on the preferences we had communicated. However, we did end up in a very isolated location, at a school that basically left us to our own devices and offered very little support. We didn't rely on Reach to Teach as much as we should have, but it seemed that their presence was really much greater in Taiwan. All the Reach to Teach events happened in Taiwan, which, at least as of '08-'09, wasn't the easiest place to get to from the mainland. Anyway, I think Reach to Teach as an organization was great, but our experience was tainted by our (naive) preconceived notions of what we thought we would like (small town, away from big cities and pollution). And while that would have been great for someone who knew a bit of mandarin and enjoys isolation, we knew no mandorin, and there was really nobody around who spoke English, thus, no social life whatsoever. It was also very difficult to leave our town for the nearest city with any kind of expat presence. I would definitely recommend Reach to Teach, especially if you have interest in Taiwan, but otherwise, stick to the big cities (we loved Hangzhou, and visited as often as possible).

My experience with RTT has been amazing. They were incredibly supportive in helping me find my teaching job and patiently answered my many questions. They helped me find a job that was exactly what I was looking for and gave me accurate, honest information. Since I have been in Taiwan, their support has been even more valuable and has gone far above and beyond what I expected. They have given me information on everything from teaching materials to local places to hang out. Their monthly social events have helped me develop a social network here, which is very comforting in an unfamiliar country. Everyone from RTT is totally approachable and always available to help.

Reach to Teach has been very helpful in my experience with them. They were very professional as a recruiting agency when it came to answering me questions and keeping me informed throughout my application process. However, I beleive that some things could have been done faster as it sometimes took up to three days for me to receive a response via email. Reach to Teach did successfully get me a job in South Korea and I currently love where I am located. I originally wanted a city positon but my location is only a 25 minute train ride to Daegu so I have the best of both worlds. I can vist Korea's third biggest city any day of the week and I have the luxory of living in the country when I just want to relax and maybe visit the local wine tunnel in Cheongdo. Overall, I am very happy with my life in Korea and I have Reach to Teach to thank for that.

Having come to Korea by myself and applying by myself, having RTT there for help and support was really great. Applying directly through EPIK may be faster, but you will not get the kind of support the RTT provides!

So far, I am enjoying living and teaching in Korea. Although I live in a small city (by Korean standards), transportation is cheap and convenient here, so there are lots of opportunities to explore the country. The EPIK orientation was very helpful, both in helping us (especially first time teachers like me) learn about teaching English in Korea, as well as forming friendships with other EPIK teachers. So when difficulty strikes, I have a large network of people I can commiserate with.

My students at my elementary school (although occasionally a bit crazy) are adorable, and their enthusiasm always brightens my day. And most of the other teachers in the school, even though they cannot speak much English, have been extremely welcoming and friendly.

I think, though, my experience would have been drastically different if I had not gone through Reach to Teach. They guided me through the application process, providing helpful information at every step, and assisted me in getting my application in on time, despite the fact that I had a difficult time with the FBI background check (my first background check got lost in the mail).

On top of that, Reach to Teach has been a great resource for me while in Korea. There were some miscommunications and misunderstandings with my school regarding the clause in the EPIK contract that states that the school is supposed to provide certain furniture to the guest English teachers, and I spent a little over my first month without a bed. I tried to handle the matter myself, talking to the school and contacting an EPIK coordinator, but I could not get anywhere. However, I asked John at Reach to Teach for help, and within a few days, the matter was all sorted out and I finally got my bed.

In short, EPIK so far has been a great experience for me, and is a good way to experience a foreign country with a solid support network behind you. And if you are considering applying to EPIK, consider applying with Reach to Teach. They not only assist during the application process, but can be of assistance in Korea if things go wrong (which hopefully they won't, and for most people I know, they didn't, but there is always a chance of misunderstandings).

I graduated with my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education, so I really enjoy teaching.And the EPIK program has been great in providing me with a wonderful school and place to stay. I love the staff and the students at my school. The school system here is so very different from home, but I now understand it better, and hope to understand it even more. I love the classes that I teach and the sometimes craziness of a general day at school. The schools are set up well, and since I am in a smaller school, I am able to send some individual students. The school has been so helpful, and the staff has been great. I love where I am placed. The most difficult thing for me is the communication. There are days that I feel great about the communication between me and my students. There are days that I feel like the lesson or interaction could have gone better. I now know that it is vitally important to understand some Korean. It is hard to settle problems with the students, when you do not know what they are saying. That is really the only problem. The highlights are the students. They are always happy to see me, even though they do not study all the time. They are a great pick me up, on a bad day. The students make effort to talk to me and communicate with me. I really enjoy getting to know my students and being able to teach them. I have a bit of advice though, students know when the teacher really cares about them. You may not think that you can teach, but you might be able to if you try. You just need to let the students know that you care for them, not just when they are in your classroom. Say hello to them in the halls and try to communicate with them outside the classroom. They enjoy getting to know you, as much as you enjoy getting to know them.

This has been my first experience abroad and I have to admit, that it has gone rather smoothly from arriving at the airport and getting to where I needed to be at orientation, to arriving at my apt and meeting the teachers at my school. It is also nice knowing that I have support of reach to teach and they are concerned with my well being while I am over here. And since this is my first time abroad, I have felt homesick, but even getting that article about culture shock and how it manifests itself has really helped. I didn't really think about going through this:"culture shock" I just knew I felt homesick and kind of alone in the world. But just like the article said, the more you explore and the more you do, the less you should feel homesick.

Overall, my experience has been great so far. The staff at my school is very helpful, and the EPIK orientation was very useful. I had a smooth transition from new arrival in Korea to English teacher, and I enjoy teaching.

My only suggestion for improvement is more activities from DMOE (or the relevant Office of Education for your city) for English teachers. It'll help us get to know each other in social settings better. I've only been in Korea for about 2 weeks, so perhaps there are more events to come.

My overall experience with EPIK is a positive one. From when I landed in the airport to the release of orientation the EPIK people took care of us.

Although it was not paid orientation they provided unlimited food for breakfeast, lunch, and dinner plus snacks during the day for 10 days. They provided helpful classes to help prepare us for what was to come in the future. I thought some of the classes could've been a little bit more exciting, like Korean History and Text Books. They also provided room and boarding and any transportation that was needed. EPIK did prepare us for much as possible of what it would be like once we actually got to our cities/schools.

I would recommend the EPIK program to anyone if they asked.