Unfortunate, disillusioning, exhausting

From my poorly communicated pre-departure, to my nonexistent dialogue with CIEE after months in Korea, CIEE is not vigilant enough to provide or ensure a great experience for their teachers.

When I chose CIEE (and paid for this program), I expected a high quality system of support from an experienced team. Instead, the issues I faced were easily dismissed. From a Skype call, the messages most prominent were: "None of [these problems] sound new." "You have to be your own person." Even further, answering questions became the teacher’s job, not CIEE’s. I was told “I’m not sure” one too many times without help or reassurance. It would seem beneficial if the coordinator researched these questions themselves…perhaps they would learn something new to help future teachers. Isn’t this their job? Are they not paid to assist teachers?

CIEE was not getting proper feedback from previous teachers, something inexcusable and careless. Getting feedback and being vigilant about a school’s condition is very important. These situations aren't able to be predicted, but there are always clues -- Blacklisting, school history, changing management etc. I am not an expert, but that's why I felt confident that CIEE would provide me with the peace of mind to get things right the first time. I should have never been placed here.

Considering the money you pay, the services you receive are not worth the expense. My pre-departure was stressful and required me to check-in on my visa's progress...even after a month of waiting. This is, thankfully, not your only option. The quality of service, attitude, and leadership are absent and empty. I cannot recommend CIEE or share positive comments based on this placement. It's simply unacceptable no matter how you spin it. Paying and studying for TEFL, paying for the CIEE program, paying for and preparing the paperwork and documents....all to lead up to ending my time in Korea six months early. It's disillusioning, it's disappointing, and saddest of all, discouraging.