What is your favorite travel memory?
My favorite travel memory is from Korea. I had a weekend trip with my friends to a small island called Namiseom, which is just off of the coast of Incheon in Korea. We were surprised by the vast amount of nature that was right beside the big city. It was a trip in Korea but it felt almost like being in a different country.
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
Through my work with Travel and Teach, I have learned so much more about my own culture and have come to learn how others view and appreciate it as well.
Professionally, I have gained so many skills, especially in communicating with people from all different backgrounds. I find it very interesting to speak to people of all walks of life who have the same goal in mind and that is to live and teach in Korea.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
Probably the best story I have heard is from one of our teachers who went to Korea through our agency and loved the experience so much that she brought her little sister to work at the same school. She then ended up marrying a Korean man and is now happily married with a baby on the way. She said going to Korea changed her life entirely and that makes me feel happy that we were able to contribute to her happiness.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
I think that I would personally be a great fit to teach younger students through the Kindergarten program. Children at that age are sponges, so while they are harder to teach, they learn faster and that is fun and exciting to watch. I think this is a program for anyone who loves working with kids.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
All of our staff are "Korean-experts", as all of us have either lived and worked in Korea or are from there. We understand the gap between the Korean culture and the Western culture so we do our very best to prepare our teachers as to what they can expect in their time there. Our goal is to make the transition as smooth as possible and I believe we have succeeded in this goal over the past 20+ years.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
I believe that companies need to listen to their customers and really find out what they want. In our business, we want to know why the person applying wants to go to Korea, what they want to achieve while there, what they plan to do with that experience, etc.
As an example, if someone wants to learn to speak Korean during their time there, they should really live in a smaller city as they will pick up the language much easier than they would living in downtown Seoul, for example.
Of course, there is always room to grow, so we strive to do just that. As our world continues to evolve, our company does as well.