I got a job in Taiwan and was there from about 2010 to earlier this year. John and Carrie Kellenberger bought the company somewhere in the middle of my stay and because I wanted to switch jobs, I asked them if they had anything, but I found what others here have said: their jobs are for naive newbies. We had many mutual acquaintances, so I have some insight into how they operate not just as a company, but as people especially after they bought the company:

1. They are NEVER wrong about anything. Not ever.

2. Carrie is awesome. Just ask her and she will tell you, over and over.

3. If you disagree with either of them, you are wrong- and you might become an enemy.

4. They are both control freaks. At dinners with many people everything had to be done their way, for example, checks must be split the way they want them split. They could be embarrassingly rude to restaurant staff.

5. They are both arrogant: "WE are business owners in Taiwan, treat us special!" "WE know so much about living abroad. WE are experts." It was so annoying I cringed for all of humanity.

6. Carrie especially needs to have an enemy at all times. Is there a stronger word than belligerent? Combative? Antagonistic? In the time I was around them, I saw so many people turn from friend to enemy. I once asked her about someone she introduced me to as one of her best friends, only to be told "We want nothing to do with her." It was obvious to me how much they caused the problems they put on others.

7. They are great at putting up a front. Their real personalities only shine through at times, but once you see it, you can see them for what they are: very manipulative and controlling people.

After getting to know them, I would never have trusted them to find me a job. They always invited me to their company events but I never worked for one of their schools. They are all about appearances and want to seem like a huge company, but they are actually quite small-time in Taiwan. Don't believe the hype.

Thank you so much for posting this information! I applied with Reach to Teach Recruiting and interviewed, and they started sending me job options via email. Every job they sent me seemed fishy. One school wanted a deposit, another was an illegal kindergarten job, and the others paid so little there was no way I could survive. I should have googled them BEFORE I applied because I don't even want them having my personal information. Google is our friend. The guy I talked with had an explanation for every terrible job they offered and a very unique gift of trying to spin problems to get me to take the job. Finally, I just asked in a email, do you have anything that is 100% legal, does not require a deposit, and pays enough to live on? I never received a reply, so I can only assume the answer was NO.

The original title says it all- AVOID Reach to Teach. They wasted my time, but from what I've found online it could have been much worse. I'm all for companies that make money from helping teachers, but only the lowest of the low try to sell people on low salaried or illegal jobs for profit.

I'm on a mission to let everyone know how Reach to Teach, aka Reach to Teach Recruiting cost me thousands of dollars when they talked me into taking a very bad job with an even worse company. I didn't say very long, but it was the longest few weeks of my life. By the end, I think someone could have made a documentary about the worst that could happen. The current owners, John and Carrie Kellenberger, are very good at convincing people the schools they represent are good, but they are all nightmares. I did meet one girl who loved her job, but she was the exception. Even the devil gets lucky sometimes, I suppose. I can in no way write everything here, but feel free to visit my blog where I give tips on avoiding getting screwed and, if you already teach with them, how to stat out of jail!