Footprints Recruiting

Co-Founder - Director of Employer Relations

I was born and raised in Maine, USA, the state where earmuffs were invented. At age seventeen with a pair of earmuffs in one hand and a scholarship to a liberal arts college in the other I left Maine for Portland, Oregon. Four years later I graduated with a degree in comparative religious studies. Finding the job prospects for novice oracles exceedingly dim I entered the not so exciting field of college fundraising. My boss and I found out simultaneously that asking rich people for money wasn't my calling and came to the mutual conclusion that I should move to another country as soon as possible.

Operations General Manager

So a bio huh….one day at work in Footprints head office Jeff Strachan says ‘Hey Kara, you haven’t written your bio yet have you?’----NOPE!  So, I begin the process

For some reason I feel I need assistance in order to write about my OWN life….so I have a quick read of the bios of Ben and Jeff….oops!  I felt like Milli Vanilli with the Stones as my opening band.  How am I supposed to follow that?

Placement Department Manager - Footprints Alumni

Well, where to begin.  I was born in Halifax, grew up in the 'burbs of Toronto (Brampton), spent summers in beautiful Charlevoix, Quebec, and then off to Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

While earning my degrees in Outdoor Recreation and Geography at Lakehead in northern Ontario I took a year off to follow a dream of hiking the whole Appalachian Trail- all 2167 miles (3500~km) from the state of Georgia to Maine in 2000, then back to school to finish up my degrees.

China & Taiwan Placement Manager - Footprints Alumni

Bennett was born in Malaysia with Chinese heritage and the first words he spoke were in English. He received his education in the UK during his elementary years and completed his secondary and post-secondary in Canada.

Bennett has traveled extensively around the world, to such places as Germany, the UK, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Mexico, the USA, and he really appreciates the international experiences he has had.

Alumni Coordinator - Footprints Alumni

You know that picture? I know you know it. The picture in your head of what the future is supposed to look like? We all have a vague idea of what we think will happen post-University right? Well, the components of my personal picture were pretty traditional up until 2005. The last time I saw remnants of my original picture was when I walked along that long stage to receive my hard earned degree from the University of Ottawa/ L’Universite d’Ottawa (if you want to be politically correct about the title). After shaking the Dean’s hand everything became somewhat surreal. As though I was once stuck in a black and white movie hoping to find the outside world, I decided to apply to Footprints Recruiting for work in South Korea rather than sit around at home waiting for the color to appear in the picture I had vaguely outlined. (Think Pleasantville). Then I saw myself packing my bags followed by my arrival at Incheon International Airport. What I did not see is my original picture being developed in any way, shape or form….and I couldn’t be happier for it!

Korea Teacher Placement Coordinator

Evalina Lo is a Footprints Teacher Placement Coordinator who specializes in teacher placements in private language schools in South Korea.  Her full bio is forthcoming.

In House Counsel

My path to Footprints was indirect, full of zigs and zags.  I have worked, studied and traveled on five continents, making new friends and enjoying myself every step of the way.

Despite my passion for tasting Seoul’s sometimes eclectic street food, such as Dixie cups filled with silkworms, I most recently worked for large law firms in the United States and Canada.  The opportunity to provide in-house legal support for a great globally-focused company like Footprints has allowed me to help others discover my passion for the rich and dynamic tradition of cultural exchange.

Footprints primarily places teachers in Asia, and for good reason.  Visitors to the region invariably enjoy Asia’s quirks immensely, including Korea’s vibrant nightlife and renowned “morning calm”, not to mention the occasional sighting of a monk wearing shiny white Reeboks under a traditional orange robe.  I studied Tae-Kwon Do in Korea with a member of the Olympic Tae-Kwon Do committee, a man with tree trunk legs and an 800 square foot office filled with tournament trophies.  I tasted exotic foods and became accustomed to beginning and ending hiking trips among Buddha statues of all sizes.  Indeed, a day or week abroad often provides life experiences matching years in one’s home country.

Helping others experience the work, travel and cultural exchange opportunities that Footprints promotes is rewarding on many levels, and I look forward to each day at the office knowing that we are helping people discover the experience of a lifetime.

South America Business Development Specialist

Born in Buenos Aires Argentina, I landed in Chile when I was 9. As time passed by, I got my professional degree in Architecture and curiosity. That is how, along with my life-time partner, I began a search for those things that we have always felt passion for individually and collectively. For us, travels were the path to discovery. After quitting the comfort of the big city, and while on our way back to Chile from another long, long trip, Vancouver Canada became the last stop before returning to a more settled kind of life in Chile. That return was everything but such, and found us packing again as soon as we arrived in Chile and we were heading back to Vancouver, where a masters in sustainable design and great friends were awaiting.

Footprints Recruiting offers teachers in Korea support from within the country in our centrally located office in Daegu, South Korea.