Living and working abroad is filled with lifes little ups and downs. My experience in Korea has been no different. I worked at a middle school in the southeastern region of the country for 1 year. The school was brand new with state of the art facilities and a wonderful resource center for the English Department. I was even given my own classroom. The students were friendly, greeting me each day with a chorus of hellos. The teachers and administration were genuinely excited to have a native speaker on board. All in all, I was satisfied with my school placement by Alistair and Korean Horizons. However, as time progressed, I unfortunately experienced some problems with my local Office of Education. A lot of communication problems and contract issues arose between my school and the head office leaving me stuck in the middle. The situation became tense and I became more and more grateful to have Alistair on my side. I cannot commend him enough for his support and hard work during my year in Korea. During the conflicts, Alistair answered all of my emails and returned my phone calls within 24 hours to give me important information and updates. He acted as an advocate for my interests, not the schools, during negotiations between my school and the Office of Ed. I am confident that his patience and professionalism were invaluable in resolving of the situation. I recommend Alistair whole-heartedly to anyone considering coming to teach at a public school in Korea. I am certain you will have a wonderful experience at your school. But just incase there are a few bumps on the way, you will have someone in your corner who is concerned about you, not about a finders fee or a quota.
Alison Youngblood