My husband (a public school teacher in the US) and I had wanted to teach abroad for a while. Search Associates was not an option for us since I was not a teacher before moving to Korea. Bradley and the TEIK team made moving abroad as a couple very easy. For a job placement in Aug/Sep, we contacted Bradley in Jan/Feb and promptly had a video call with him and interviews with 2 academies near Seoul. You don't have to prepare so far in advance (Bradley has many tricks on his website for expediting things), but you can check out TEIK's website even earlier for more info on the documents that you will need and the timeline for those. Bradley was super prompt when responding to our many questions, including many questions regarding my recent name change. We were able to get a very nice apartment, bigger than most since we are a couple, right next to our school. This is not a guarantee for all couples but overall TEIK was really great to work with as a couple moving abroad!
What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
The TEIK team organizes your flight arrangements, and I think it's okay if you need to ask for more options. The two flight options they sent us were okay, but one only allowed one free checked bag each, and the other had a very short layover. We ended up prioritizing the 2 free check bags option but we missed our second flight due to a delay on the first. It was rescheduled smoothly but I'm sure this could have been avoided if we asked their travel arranger to try to find another flight option. We were just very eager to finalize our details but remember that it is their job and they are happy to get you to Korea smoothly!
Pros
- Knowledgeable
- Prompt
- Helpful
Cons
- Your school might not have a solid training plan in place
- You need to just roll with the punches when dealing with your Korean academy management :)
- The students are worked VERY hard so be prepared for a rigorous curriculum