TravelBud

I had always wanted to try teaching abroad ever since college. After spending 10 years working in the states, my wife and I decided that we wanted to try something new. Travelbuds was with us every single step of the way. They helped me with documentation, logistics, school-matching, and most importantly, they assured me everything was going to be okay. I’m so very thankful.

I had a disappointing experience with the placement process. I completed significant preparation, maintained a strong academic record, and obtained medical clearance from my doctor regarding concerns in my medical history. Despite that, I ultimately felt that older documentation and medical-history concerns were weighed more heavily than my actual qualifications, communication skills, and ability to succeed abroad. Communication throughout the process was generally professional, but I left feeling discouraged after investing substantial time and effort into preparing for teaching abroad. From my perspective, the process felt more focused on avoiding potential complications than evaluating applicants holistically as individuals. I understand organizations have policies and screening standards, but I would encourage future applicants to also explore direct-hire opportunities with Japanese schools and companies rather than relying only on placement/recruitment programs.

My experience with TravelBud was far different from what the marketing suggested. Costs increased beyond what was advertised, communication became inconsistent, and the support I was promised wasn’t there when the placement became unstable. I was even routed through the special economic zone in Laos with little to no guidance, and the school they placed me with did not follow through on payments and I waited more than 8 months for a placement guarantee which made it impossible to stay in Thailand legally to wait any longer before my tourist visas expired. They would not issue a refund nor a partial refund for not getting me a guaranteed placement. What concerned me most was how quickly things fell apart after asking them basic questions. I encourage future teachers to check the Reddit reviews that cannot be astroturfed or mass flagged by their marketing team on Google to only show the good reviews and hide all the bad ones.