Not worth the stress and money

Overall Korea is a nice opportunity for English teachers and fairly easy to live in. That being said, this is still a big change and takes time to adapt, which was not only not helped by CIEE but made more difficult. I was not told essential information leading up to my trip. I boarded the plane and had no idea what would happen when I arrived. Once I got to my placement I was shocked to find my fellow teachers telling me to leave the school right away and later found out the school was blacklisted. However, I was not able to properly research the school because I was never given the proper name before arriving. In any case a placement at a blacklisted school with so many runners was disturbing. It became very clear this inadequate communication was a pattern with CIEE. I also soon understood why the school was blacklisted. When I reached out for help with my placement I was met with lacking knowledge of my school and situation and often had to defend myself. "That's just how things are done in Korea" and "I don't think that's happening" should not be how school issues be dealt with. When bringing up breaches of contract I was told in not so many words to suck it up. Any time I was told they would follow up with the school nothing was done. When I finally put in my resignation I was told they would help with a new placement only to find the response was delayed and riddled with contradictory information. Most of the communication was full of errors and at times not understandable despite English being their first language. Initially I chose CIEE for the support they would provide and a reliable placement, but I found neither. I cannot recommend their services. They cost too much money and are not professional at all. I really was hoping for a positive experience here, but instead am leaving Korea early.