We have been fortunate to have a number of amazing individuals on the Reach To Teach team. Although these folks are no longer with us, we’d still love to give you a big shout-out for your hard work and general awesomeness. Thank you!
G. Benjamin – 2009-2013 – HR Coordinator and Director of Recruiting for South Korea
When I packed my bags and headed to another country across the world I couldn’t imagine the things I would find. As I stepped outside in Taiwan for the very first time, everything was new, exciting, scary, unfamiliar and amazing. There really are no words to describe the feelings you have when you pack your bags, say goodbye to the family and friends and start a new journey. Right now, you are probably thinking about traveling to another country and there are so many things you want to know, and many new things you will discover about yourself along the way. That’s where I come in. It is my pleasure to help you to experience all the things I felt myself and to guide you on your journey!
I grew up in an extremely small village of about 500 people called Canning, Nova Scotia in Canada. I am a small town girl who always wanted to travel, but never thought that there would be an opportunity. Growing up, I had a large circle of family and friends that I am still very close to, and while it has been difficult to be away from them, I wouldn’t trade my experience in Asia for anything.
I went to university in a small city and majored in journalism and human rights. My university was very diverse and there were many people with different backgrounds. I was lucky enough to become friends with people from many different cultures and to learn about them and their countries. To me, this is when travelling abroad stopped becoming a dream and started to become something that was tangible. So, I applied on the Reach to Teach website and began my journey to Taiwan.
When I arrived in Taiwan it was an overwhelming feeling. My first weeks were spent soaking in everything I could, learning new words and new customs and visiting beautiful places. Living in Taipei is a huge change from the small place that I grew up, but I have never felt like an outsider. The people here are amazing and kind, and they have made me feel at home. Taiwan is a place where old culture meets modern convenience. In one day you could go surfing at a beautiful beach, tour some of the most amazing temples in the world, eat almost any food you could think of and still go back to your house wanting more.
I have spent so much time here laughing with friends about our silly adventures. Trying to buy things has never been such a fun experience. Getting lost is pretty common, and trying to order food by gesturing and pointing has become a skill I don’t know how I lived without. (Using the chicken dance to explain chicken wings isn’t as helpful as I thought it would be, although barnyard noises are a sure win!) Expecting the unexpected is something I’ve gotten very used to. I never thought I would be able to just shrug it off when someone told me.”Oh, what you’re eating right now is chicken butt.”, or how hard it would be to have patience with Taiwan’s infamous slow walkers.
I taught at a great school in Taipei for one year, and enjoyed every second of the experience. The kids were wonderful. Teaching them and watching them learn and grow was something I will always be happy I was a part of. My kids always made me laugh, and taught me things about their culture and in turn helped me to learn new things about myself. After having taught for a year, I gave up my job as a teacher to work for Reach to Teach as the Director of Recruiting, Korea. I was sad to leave my school and the kids I had taught, but with each new adventure comes a new reward, and helping people to come and live their dreams of traveling is something that I enjoy. If it were not for the help of the Reach to Teach team, I may not have been able to teach in Taiwan. Everyone at Reach to Teach was once a teacher, and all of us are kind, caring people who want to help others to have a great experience.
I am a person whose life philosophy is just to ride the waves. I like to take whatever comes at me and look at it as a new adventure or lesson, never as regret. I spent many years dreaming about what it would be like to explore the world, and now travelling is one of my favourite hobbies. In Taiwan on any given day I could be exploring beautiful temples, trying new and interesting food, having fun at the beach, or just exploring the city. Everywhere I travel in Asia, I can’t get enough of all the strange, new beautiful things I have seen. I am always up for a good conversation or any questions you may have about teaching abroad. Many choices in life are difficult to make, but I don’t think traveling and teaching is one of them!
S. Jones – 2009-2011 – HR Coordinator for South Korea
I was born in South Florida where I have lived my entire life except for my year abroad. I studied English at Florida Atlantic University. In my post collegiate life I worked in a Doctor’s office, wrote and spent 6 weeks as both a volunteer and intern with Bahamas Methodist Habitat working on a hurricane aid mission, and a myriad of other non-profit reconstruction projects.
I joined the EPIK program in August of 2009 and finished in August 2010. I was stationed in Jincheon-gun in the province of Chungbuk, South Korea. Aside from the culture shock and difficulties of living in the Korean country side with limited Korean language skills, there was never a time when I regretted my decision to teach there. My year abroad was as remarkably, life-altering as it was adventurously, uncertain.
I remember my journey to South Korea was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I didn’t have my visa or plane ticket until two weeks before I was scheduled to leave, so I never felt like I was going for certain until then. I was left with less than two weeks to pack, finishing shopping and say good bye to all my friends and family. That process was something that was completely foreign to me. I hadn’t been away from home for more than a month before. How do you pack everything you will need for a year? How do you say goodbye to people that you haven’t gone more than a few weeks without seeing for 10 years or more? These were questions that plagued me, and that I had no real answers with any measure of the definite. I did my best anyway.
Very early on a Wednesday morning, I said goodbye to my cats, dragged my exorbitantly heavy luggage to the car, and drove with my parents to Miami International Airport. I said goodbye to my parents, and sat at the lounge in front of my departure gate. I was only half awake, and the realization that I was about to get on a plane and leave my country for a year eluded me..
..6 hours later I was sitting at another departure gate in San Francisco, talking to 6 or 7 other people who were also doing the EPIK program. I talked for awhile with a girl named Jessica, from Canada, and we got on the plane together, and we shared a moment where the realization that we were about to get on plane for a very long time and fly very far away from home, hit us both..
..11 hours later, dazed and exhausted I landed in the Seoul/Incheon International Airport. After three more hours of going through customs, collecting my bags, exchanging money, waiting in an endless line to check in with EPIK, and getting dinner, I had to get on a bus and travel another three hours. Then there was another hour of registering at JuenJu University..
12 months and one week later I was back at the Seoul/Incheon airport preparing for an 8 hour wait to get on a 9 hour flight to Honolulu and trying to put the last year in focus and retrospect. Over that year I’d been immersed in a culture that was completely foreign to me, teaching a language to students who didn’t naturally speak it. I’d gotten lost on one hike, hiked to the top of a mountain on another. I’d traveled to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, and Japan. I’d been successful in the classroom, and I other times had crashed and burned. I’d been sick, I’d been healthy. I’d been happy and I’d been depressed, but not matter what the conditions I was and am always happy that I went. I miss it often. In the beginning I was endlessly grateful for the opportunity, and at the end I’m indebted to the experience.
D. McManus – 2009-2013 – HR Coordinator for Taiwan
My name is Danielle, but you can call me Elle. After being raised in Wisconsin and graduating from The University of
Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2008, with a degree in communication, I moved from the lush green landscape of where I spent my formative years to the rolling hills and sandy beaches of California. As beautiful and exciting as this new home was to me, I soon became bored with the beach bum life (if you can imagine that) and decided to make a change.
So just like that, I was off again with the same fervor and tenacity as I had after completing my collegiate career less than two years prior. As my travels began I quickly realized that I’ve only begun to see this unique planet of ours and there was nothing that could alter my desires to see more, do more and learn more. So from the United States to Central America and across the pond to Europe I went.
Vacations are fun and all, but for me these pilgrimages, as I like to call them, seemed to be more than the casual trip. It took only a short time before I realized it wasn’t just the novelty of being away from home and supposed responsibility. It wasn’t this escape, from this domesticated 9-5 that has been plaguing many of my peers, that I was relishing in the most; it was this unrelenting appetite for expanding myself that I just couldn’t fulfill. So after some contemplation, I came to the conclusion that a great way to live this adventure I was seeking would be to actually live abroad, specifically in a region I had not yet explored. And in what only seemed like the matter of days, I bid farewell to my family and friends as I boarded an airplane to teach English on the other side of the world, in a country that I had only known of from textbooks and waiting-room copies of National Geographic.
I was introduced to this extraordinary opportunity by two friends whom I met while attending college. The two of them had joined the Reach to Teach program in Taiwan the previous year, and after sensing the earnest sincerity I had for making such a drastic change to my life, they suggested I come to Taiwan. After doing a lot of research and asking many questions, I booked a flight to Taiwan and readied myself for what would become a life altering experience. It’s now six months later, and somehow I still feel that sense of wonder and intrigue as I had walking off of that plane and onto Taiwanese soil.
Of all the reasons my friends had given me for choosing Taiwan, it was the promise of the people and their open-arms, warmth, and hospitality that sealed the deal for me. While my friends had told me this, it wasn’t until I was actually in Taiwan that I really understood the acceptance. I figured there may be at least a little resistance considering xenophobia is really just based on natural human fears of the unknown, but to my surprise I received more resistance moving to California than I ever have in Taiwan.
To further illustrate this point, I’ll briefly tell you of my first random encounter after arriving in Taiwan: I was riding the escalator in the MRT station and a Taiwanese woman going the opposite direction completely stared me down, with a huge grin on her face. At this point I was a little apprehensive and suspicious as to the meaning of this glare & grin that was happening, but before I could process what I could all mean – the woman shouted as loud as she could, “Welcome to Taiwan!” As this warm sense of relief circulated throughout my body much like a sunrise on campers after a brisk, frosted night, I knew this is where I wanted to be.
This hospitality and kindness, mind you, hasn’t been few and far between. I could fill half a novel with these kinds of occurances. After I ran into the woman in the previous story, a Taiwanese man helped me get my luggage, get to the cash machine, get through customs, and he even took me to a taxi and helped translate before sending me on my way. He didn’t have to, and coming from a place where people are so often considered with only ones self, it was refreshing to experience what I had. Other than the gracious citizens of Taiwan, the country’s nature, beauty, and accompanying recreational activities are awe-inspiring. From surfing and swimming to snorkeling and hiking, there is never a shortage of things to see and do. And then there’s the nightlife and markets. Whether you’re going out to a club, seeing how brave your taste-buds are when visiting the night markets, shopping for wonderfully inexpensive clothes (one of my personal favorites), relieving stress in the hot or cold springs, visiting temples or simply enjoying the tunes produced by the sanitation trucks — the one joint factor in all of this country is so unbelievably deep in cultural heritage and tradition that there is an endless amount to learn and experience.
I’ve had some amazing times since coming to Taiwan. From whitewater rafting in Hulian to the hot springs in Wulai and the night markets in Taipei to the breathtaking beaches, it’s been real. But more importantly, I’ve had the opportunity to teach English to a great group of kids. I can’t even start to explain the pleasure that comes from teaching something to your class and actually watch as they learn, and want to learn more. Gratifying doesn’t begin to describe that feeling, and it’s my hope that you too can share in this experience of a lifetime. My worldwide conquest is not close to complete, but as I further my exploration with each place I go – I leave with a new sense of cultural understanding.
AJ Ghiossi – 2010-2012- HR Coordinator for Taiwan
It’s amazing to think that just six months ago I was going through the Reach-To-Teach interview process, and looking up employee profiles on this very website.
A lot has happened in those last six months, and while, at the time, my hair may have been growing gray and I may have considered checking myself into an insane asylum, I can now say with absolute confidence that I’ve made the right decision. I’m loving every second abroad here in Taiwan. This is where I’m supposed to be.
I graduated in the spring of 2010 with a degree in History. Like almost every other recent graduate, I was forced to ask myself those all important questions: What next? What do I want to do with the rest of my life? For me the decision came down to two options. I’ve always liked working with kids and knew I wanted to eventually teach, so I had to decide between staying in school and pursuing a Master’s degree in Education, or traveling abroad and teaching English. Feeling like I needed a change from the ordinary in my life, and eager to see the rest of the world, I opted for the latter.
After packing my bags, getting very little sleep, and embarking on a 30-hour journey, I arrived in Cambodia for my TEFL training and perhaps the best month of my life. Upon completion of my program, I was immediately off to Taiwan to begin the real journey.
Admittedly, I was extremely nervous and unsure of myself when I touched down in Taipei. Life in Taiwan was far different than life in Cambodia, and for the first time I felt culture shock. The population density, the sea of motorcycles and cars, and the constant activity all took me by surprise. That said, in only a matter of a few days, Taipei became home to me. Since those first few hours of shock and awe, I’ve come to love this place. Taipei has a wonderful mix of extremely friendly locals and familiar expat faces. The MRT system is beyond convenient for getting around, and I could literally write for days on the night markets and the availabilities for cheap, delicious food almost everywhere you go.
Then, of course, there’s the whole teaching thing. Honestly, like many other teachers who have come over here, I figured that teaching English would just be a nice excuse for traveling and a means for funding my adventures. I was wrong. As it turns out, teaching English has actually proven to be more of an actual job than I expected. Though it’s been more work than I anticipated, it’s also been a lot more fun. I love each and every one of my students, and it’s been such an awesome opportunity watching them learn and getting to know their personalities. It humbles me how, after having already been in school for eight or more hours, these kids are still so eager and energetic about learning English.
I’m so happy with the decision I’ve made. The doubts and concerns I may have had at the beginning of this journey have disappeared.
A, Watman – 2010-2014 – HR Coordinator for Taiwan
I was born and grew up in a suburban town named Flossmoor, Illinois just south of Chicago. My parents instilled the passion for travel into me starting at a young age. By the time I was 13 I had been to four different continents. I enjoyed every part of traveling, and I still do. I prefer to learn by experience rather than from a book or in a classroom. For a while I had done a lot of domestic traveling all across America, and hadn’t left the country again until I was 21 when I visited some family in Panama. That trip awoke the international travel bug that was laying dormant within me for so long. It got me thinking that I needed to explore more of this beautiful planet while I have the time.
Both of my parents are teachers and growing up I never thought I would be a teacher, but after I graduated from University I realized how many different options there are and it was tough to decide exactly what I wanted to do. My mom told me that I should give teaching a try because it can be challenging and rewarding at the same time. I took her advice and started substitute teaching at a high school. Once I got comfortable being the one leading the class, I realized this is a great job for me. Before I knew it I had kids recognizing me in the hallways and telling me they wished I would be their permanent teacher. After a very enjoyable year substituting, I knew I wanted to become a teacher. However I still had this passion for travel burning up inside of me, and I needed to find a way to fit that in my life without losing the mind-set of being a teacher.
I decided moving to Taiwan to teach English would be the perfect balance between my two biggest passions in life. Since moving to Taiwan it has been very challenging, and very rewarding. The first few months are very tough. Trying to assimilate to a different culture, while at the same time take on a demanding job isn’t the easiest thing I’ve done. But I can say it has been one of the most rewarding. Now that I’m used to living and working here I definitely feel at home, and at this point America feels like a foreign place to me. The people are extremely nice here and the food is delicious.
Some of my favorite things that I’ve done here in Taiwan are: exploring the different museums and memorial halls. I love to try different foods from all around Asia, especially in the night markets. I go hiking and running through the many mountain trails. Most of all I love all the different people you meet from all around the world. On most Saturday nights you’ll find me sharing a couple drinks at a table with people from six different countries.
I can truly say I will remember my time here for the rest of my life, and look back at it as one of the best times in my life. The world can be big or small, it’s up to you to decide that. They say if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I thought of that saying when I decided to become a teacher, and it has even more meaning to me now as a teacher in Taiwan.
L. Mather – 2011-2012 – Social Coordinator for Taiwan
Hi everyone! I have recently joined the Reach To Teach team as a Social Coordinator, so I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself.
I have been teaching in Taipei for just over three months and I’m slowly but surely settling into the city and making it my home. I’m not going to lie, the first month was challenging, overwhelming and at times very stressful. Trying to find an apartment in a city full of people who can’t speak your language, sorting out a bank account and a phone contract, learning how to get around, adapting to a completely different culture and trying to have some fun at the same time all proved to be a challenge!
There were times when I questioned my decision to move halfway around the world to a city I knew very little about while doing a job I had little experience in. However, three months down the line, I can assure you that the overload of emotions and moments of doubt are definitely worth it. I love my life in Taipei!
I teach in the afternoons and early evenings, so I have my days free to do whatever I want! I spend my free time exploring the city (and inevitably getting lost), reading in coffee shops, writing and sunbathing on my balcony (and inevitably falling asleep), wandering around taking photographs, forcing myself to try strange foods and writing the occasional postcard home. I’ve also just started taking Yoga classes. Life is good!
Then there’s the teaching… Again, I’m going to be honest. I initially thought that teaching would just be a job, a fun and easy way to fund my travels, however to my surprise it has become so much more than ‘just a job.’ The first couple of weeks feel a bit like you’re learning just as much as you’re teaching. As with any new job it takes a while to get the hang of it and to get confident in what you’re doing, however, the students certainly help to make this easier. They are definitely the best ‘work colleagues’ I’ve ever had! I feel that teaching has been a great opportunity for me to get to know some of the people who live in this country, making my time here in Taipei so much more than just a ‘gap year’ or a ‘traveling experience.’
I have recently joined the Reach To Teach team as the new Social Coordinator for Taiwan, which means I will be coordinating get-togethers for our Reach To Teach teachers. I know how hard it can be to meet people and make friends in a big unfamiliar city, so these monthly events will not only give us all a chance to make new friends, but it will also give us a chance to have some good old fashioned fun! Whether it be white water rafting in the South, hiking in the North or simply a few beers in the pub, the main idea is for us to get together and let our hair down!
J. Tvrdy – 2011-2012 – HR Coordinator for China
Coming from a small town in Missouri to teach in China for the first time was a big step in my life. Most of my classmates and family did not understand why I would give up a good full time job in the US to travel across the world where I knew absolutely nobody to teach English when I had little to no knowledge of the local language. However, my travels across South America and Europe left me thirsting for a greater adventure, and China seemed to answer that call.
Every part of life in China is an adventure and a challenge, from the language to the traveling and even a routine trip to the store. I enjoy challenges of daily life, and as long as I keep an open mind and a smile on my face, things tend to work out in my favor. The people I live and work with provide endless insight and entertainment, and have helped me gain perspectives on my own life that I never expected. Life in China is very rewarding, and I always think of the delicious food as an added bonus.
Teaching English can be both fun and a bit frustrating at the same time. Even with my preparations and TEFL course, the first few weeks were very hectic! However, after I settled into a routine and develop my own unique teaching personality, I really began having fun in my classes along with my students. Sometimes, it doesn’t even seem like work! The huge amount of free time I have is a great added bonus.
Teaching English is not for everyone, but if you have a desire for adventure, a passion for learning about different cultures or languages, and have an open mind with the ability to laugh at yourself and the uniquely interesting situations that may arise, teaching English in China may be right up your alley.
P. Bowman – 2011-2012 – HR Coordinator for South Korea
I think I have never felt so much as if I belonged and was free as the year I spent as a foreigner in Korea. There is something about being so obviously strange and out of place that makes me feel less strange, or at least more okay with being strange.
Things did not go as planned when my wife and I arrived. We had missed a flight due to weather, delaying our arrival time by more than 12 hours. It was pre-dawn, and the fog and darkness prevented me from seeing the country I had been anticipating anxiously for months. The taxi driver didn’t speak English, and dropped us off at a tiny room in a 7-story building, barely big enough for a bed and a desk. My wife and I exchanged worried glances before realizing that this room could not be our apartment. It didn’t have a kitchen.
We were brought into work later that day, not knowing if we were going to be expected to teach that day after no sleep and without even another set of clothes to change into. We walked into the office where the other five foreign and six Korean teachers looked at us, seemingly confused at our presence or maybe sizing us up. The man who brought us in announced “These are the new teachers,” and immediately each of the foreigners sprang up, excited, to greet us.
I find myself telling that anecdote a lot when I talk about Korea. All of these people were also strange and out of place, and throughout my year in Korea, I grew very close to them because of this. We all got to be strange together, combine our collective language and cultural knowledge to help each other along the way. For the first few days, maybe the first few weeks, my wife and I followed this group around like children, going where they went and eating what they suggested we eat, until we became comfortable enough to make our own decisions, branch out, and though we did those things, the friends I met in Korea were a defining aspect of the experience, and it couldn’t have happened anywhere else.
We chose Korea, honestly, because the pay was better than Japan. We didn’t know much about the country, and had only tasted Korean food once or twice, but came to love just about everything about the place. We stayed at Buddhist temples, studied Taekwondo and the Korean language, went to Everland, and had many nights out complete with Noraebang, Soju, and street food.
And that is to say nothing of the job. Without a doubt, and by a large margin, teaching in Korea was the best job I’ve ever had, and the only job that made me regret taking a day off. Though at times it was challenging to live in Korea, and teaching was challenging as well, my students always made the whole thing seem worth it, no matter how wound up or unfocused they were.
It was exciting and eye-opening, an environment that inspired me to play music, write a novel, get out and have new experiences, meet new people, and get to know myself better. It made me change what I wanted out of life, made me want to see everything there is to see in the world, and made me want to teach. Going to Korea was one of the best decisions I ever made, and I can’t wait to go back.
NOTE: Our apologies but we’ve stopped posting our staff profiles on this site due to what appears to be two trolls using ridiculous and obviously fake names who have been trolling RTT since 2015. Our teachers have plenty of opportunities to meet our staff when they interview with us. We want to ensure our staff are protected and that their details are kept private. We are grateful for our loyal RTT employees and thank them for their ongoing friendship and support since opening our doors in 2005.
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