Paid Teaching Program in South Korea with TravelBud

Approaching this new job at first felt very nerve racking and overwhelming, however I do not regret a single thing! The whole process before moving to Korea was a very smooth transition. I had a lot of help and support from Aubrey, who was very sweet and was always able to help straight away when I had a worry, question or concern! Teaching here now has allowed for me to change my lifestyle for the better. I’ve experienced so many new foods, sites and made loads of life long friends! I used to have a voice in the back of my head that told me to not do it, but I’m glad I decided to not listen to it because moving to Korea to teach is probably one of the best things I’ll have ever done in my entire life!

Moving to another country can be daunting regardless of how adventurous you may consider yourself. I have travelled before, however, moving to South Korea to teach felt particularly scary! I am so glad that I chose to use TravelBud to support my move, and I can honestly say I’m not sure I would’ve been able to get here without them! From the first email I sent to enquire about the opportunity the support has been endless. I first contacted Kim regarding my thoughts and feelings about teaching abroad as I hadn’t yet graduated university and it was a tumultuous time given Covid. Kim was a fantastic mentor and guide as she discussed her own experiences with me and helped me to make a decision on where I might want to go. After this she helped me to prepare my documents, and was so understanding of my (often) late responses given that I was completing my degree. I have a tendency to be rather unorganised, however, Kim and Enzo were both incredibly patient and sent me helpful reminders to gather my documents to send off to Korea. One aspect of TravelBud that I found incredibly beneficial for me was that I didn’t have to search for a school that fit my criteria, they did it all for me. They were both so helpful in preparing me for my interviews, and they sent me many examples of questions that I might be asked. I felt so prepared for my interviews and never felt as though I was having to go in blind. It can be incredibly difficult to manoeuvre all of the documents, and interviews, and time-zones, so having somebody that could guide me definitely helped a lot. The most difficult aspect of preparation for my move was the anticipation! I have truly enjoyed my time out here, and I can’t advise the move to go and teach abroad enough. During the week I work with the most amazing children, who have taught me as much as I have taught them. They have such big hearts, and I adore being their teacher. Then I get the wonderful opportunity to travel and experience South Korea on the weekends (which I have taken full advantage of!). From spending days on the beautiful beaches down south in Busan and Yeosu, to traversing the beautiful and dystopian city streets of Seoul, every weekend has been packed with something to do. Perhaps the highlight of my time here so far has been this ability to travel around the country so easily and so comfortably. One of my favourite places has been a small city named Jinju that I stumbled upon whilst finding new places to visit on my weekends. Most recently I attended the lantern festival in Jinju which lined the palace gardens and river with the most beautiful painted lanterns. Despite trying to see somewhere new every weekend, I still feel like I have so much more to discover, and I look forward to each new adventure! With more and more adventures to go on every weekend, and a Christmas trip to Tokyo in the works, I truly cannot stress what an amazing opportunity and experience this has been. I also have to give thanks to TravelBud, Kim, and Enzo for the support that guided and helped me be able to take this massive step and have the best year experiencing all of these amazing things! If you’re even considering the prospects of teaching in South Korea, my advice would absolutely be to do it, and make your life easier, do it with the help of a company like TravelBud!

TravelBud was the saving grace to my travels abroad. After getting in contact with them in 2016 after I had completed my degree - they helped me with every little thing that I needed from the very beginning of initial questions right until I was actually in Korea and at my school. They were professional, prompt with responses, and incredibly friendly with every conversation that we shared. I would recommend TravelBud as the company that you choose to help you to get abroad. They made the whole experience stress-free and easy. Truly the best 4 years of my life!

TravelBud has poor customer support once the full payment has been made; they are misleading and their policies are not transparent. I thought I’d be dealing with them directly, but they passed me along to two partnering agencies. I went with TravelBud for South Korea after speaking with Grace, the enrollments manager.  Soon after I paid the full cost to TravelBud and expected everything to go smoothly, they handed me over to their placement partner.  My interaction with TravelBud became very minimal and the rest of my interaction was with the placement partner. It became as if I enrolled with the placement partner instead of TravelBud.  The placement partner assisted with providing checklists of what I need for documentation for the program and visa purposes — from that experience, the placement partner lacked a lot of organization and made the process far more difficult than it had to be. Now we are in an international Coronavirus epidemic and I asked about my options for the program including postponing my program date to a later date, the placement partner responded about a different question and did not answer my question about postponing my course. I then decided I will not continue with the program due to the Coronavirus, and asked TravelBud for my refund.  Saskia, TravelBud’s supporting manager, said “I’ve been in touch with Enzo and the team with regards to your request…This isn't cause for panic and our team…I believe the media is hyping this up at the moment…For my own health, I have been washing my hands…If any applicants develop symptoms they can go to the hospital and be taken care of, as the health care system in South Korea is excellent.” They also said there aren’t any travel advisories on South Korea about the Coronavirus, and they will continue with their program, so I won’t be getting any refund.   After telling them twice that I need my refund, Saskia then mention I can be moved to a later course date (which I asked about this option 10 days ago), except I would need to pay their switch fee as arrangements and deposits has been made. To reiterate how the placement partner lacks organization, they haven’t confirmed my accommodation arrangement with me like they said they would even though we’re one and a half weeks away from the course start date.  On top of that, the placement partner has introduced me with another partnering agency, HandSKorea who helps with placement.  I mailed my visa documents to them as instructed.  Since I’m not going through their program anymore, I asked for my documents (which has SENSITIVE INFORMATION such as passport photocopy, official citizenship documents, etc) to be mailed back to me. I haven’t  gotten a response from them ever since I told HandSKorea I will not proceed with the program. Another point to make, going on a visa run also seems like a difficult task as South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare has put up travel advisories for their citizens on traveling to the following countries: Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore.  None of these countries have travel advisories on the coronavirus according to the CDC website, yet both the placement partner and TravelBud says they are going by the CDC and WHO website advisories so they will continue their course.   At this point, I will not proceed with TravelBud’s or the placement partner’s program now or in the future.  Saskia refuses to let me speak to her supervisor as she claims she is “at the top level at TravelBud,” yet the website shows the staffs include Director, CEO, and Founder. The way they have been handling this matter has been very disappointing, especially with their responses about the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The experiences with TravelBud and the placement partner as well as HandSKorea unresponsiveness regarding my documents containing sensitive information has made me and others question if they are legit organizations.

TravelBud is very helpful throughout the application process as well as through any problems you have in-country during the course. I actually had 3 phone calls (as opposed to 1) to ask them a million and a half questions about where I should teach and why and TravelBud was always so patient with me. They guided me with spreadsheets, easy to follow websites, pros and cons lists and everything in between. It was so nice to have them by my side while prepping for a big move! Overall, if you are worried about placement and visas or anything else, TravelBud is there to help you transition smoothly :) I am so happy I chose to have a program to help me through this because, trust me, there are so many fine details that go into moving and working abroad! I am absolutely loving my time here in Korea and my location is amazing and school is even better. :)

I am currently living in a small city called Dongtan. Dongtan is classified as a 'smart city'. It is relatively new - in the sense that when you google it, there is nothing here. However, I think living here has not hindered my Korean experience, as I have been able to see first hand how rapidly a community can develop. Living in an area that is highly connected to the main cities in Korea has made traveling really easy. I think I have been lucky enough to be placed in a Hagwon that has really good working hours (Monday - Friday, 10am-6pm). I don't have to take work home which allows me to spend my free time how I want. I teach students ranging from 6 years old to 9 years old, and my class size is roughly 12 students in each class. Being a fan of K-pop and K-dramas I always have something to do. In my spare time, it is easy to visit sites where dramas have been filmed or attend K-pop themed attractions. From my experience in Korea, I have always felt welcomed by Koreans and I have been able to make a lot of Korean friends. The Korean language is not a necessity before you arrive in Korea, but having an idea of the culture will definitely enhance your Korean experience.new Throughout your time in Korea, you will definitely learn as you go, as long as you stay open to accepting the language and the culture.

When I first contacted Travelbud to go to Korea the response was friendly and immediate. At the time I knew from hearing of friends experiences that I wanted to teach in South Korea but I had little to no idea what that entailed. I had no teaching experience and had yet to do a tefl. Travelbud immediately answered a lot of my questions. It must be noted that the recruitment agent charges a pretty extreme "admin fee" which is not the norm. Since most agents do it for free it was the only downfall about the excellent service and support I received. Admin fee aside the agents constantly checked up on me and were patient and supportive while waiting for my documents. We have had Korean orientation weekends to help us acclimatize which I enjoyed.

Travelbud helped me to find a job in Korea and put me in touch with all the right people. I would highly recommend someone going to teach in Korea for the first time using their services. When I first decided to go to Korea I had no idea of what I would have to do to get there. Travelbud assisted me in finding a job and were always helpful when I had queries or issues about working in Korea.

Travelbud and their partners firstly offered great advice in the initial stages but once I had decided my location and timing they were quick to get me set up with interviews. They offer you detailed assistance at every step of the way and are always quick to respond to queries. The school which they set me up with is awesome and I have been enjoying every minute of the experience so far. I would certainly recommend using Travelbud's services.