My family immigrated to Canada when I was 14 and lived here ever since. For the first time in 20 years, I had visited my home country, South Korea in the fall of 2018. It was an eye-opening experience. Although I was already familiar with the culture, the reality exceeded my expectations, and the whole trip was just so beautiful to me. It sure embarks to be one of my favorite cherishable moments in my life!
Staff Spotlight: Andy Lee
Title:
Recruitment CoordinatorPhotos
What is your favorite travel memory?
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
I joined Travel and Teach after gaining experience at different varieties of the corporate culture. I worked in executive recruitment, inside sales and account management of various companies. Ever since I joined the company, I felt very much at home and engaged with the whole aspect of the company. My job is simple, it is to fulfill other people's dreams by being a responsible recruiter, and with my background knowledge of the culture, business and market, I feel responsible to make sure that the teachers get the best jobs in Korea.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
The best story I heard from one of the teachers I placed was that after the whole year, a teacher emailed me with her amazing experience in Korea, thanked me for her time and she just made a decision to stay over there for a few more years to do the Master's Degree in Korean University - I felt I had contributed in her important decision and was happy that she was excited about the future.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
There are many many things that I would like to do again if I can go back to my 20s and do things over again. One thing for sure will be teaching English Abroad. The idea of traveling and teaching at the same time, exploring another culture, learning a new language, meeting amazing people, and gaining the lesson in life that you will not learn from anywhere else is just fascinating for me and I think it is something you should definitely explore.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
Our team works very well together. We have one simple rule - our reputation is everything - we would not jeopardize our company values being affiliated with schools that are troublesome. We hear all the horror stories and I feel awful about them, and I do my best to clearly communicate to the teachers of their expectations and what the reality is. Clear feedback loop and clear communication among the coworkers create harmonious work environment and that is why I love my job!
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
The biggest factor in being a successful company is to have passion and drive. You may have all the great ideas in the world and if you do not work hard on it, the outcome will not be so great. If you have the wrong agenda and work hard at it, the outcome can be undesirable. I am lucky to have a work environment where I can thrive to be better and motivated on daily basis!