Since his first trip to Europe as a teen, Ian's passion for travel and adventure has continued to grow. An ITA Founder and our most senior advisor, Ian has helped hundreds of people live their dream of teaching English abroad.
Sarah grew up in the Wisconsin countryside and taught English in Japan. Sarah has an extensive background in the field of international education. She worked for the University of Illinois study abroad office, the Institute of International Education in Washington D.C., and worked on the Fullbright Program.
Prior to joining ITA in 2011, Jeff spent two years teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. He used the money he saved while teaching in Korea to fund a year of travel in Asia and South America. Here in Chicago, Jeff can always be counted on to make a strong showing in ITA’s annual Halloween costume contest.
From Uruguay, Ecuador, and Argentina to South Africa, Japan & Iceland, Lindsay has literally lived all across the globe. Combined with her Master's in Education and her zest for life, Lindsay's background makes her uniquely qualified to help others achieve their goal of teaching English abroad.
A native of St. Louis (and an avid Cardinals fan), Doug has worked, traveled, and/or studied on five continents. When not helping others teach abroad, Doug can often be found playing guitar or spending time outdoors with his wife and 2 kids.
Since becoming disillusioned and bored with his old corporate job in Chicago more than seven years ago, Shay has made it his life's work to help others travel the world by teaching English abroad.
Originally from a small town in Michigan, Matt first lived abroad in Germany to learn the language. He later spent two years teaching English in Seoul, South Korea, traveling the region and visiting countries like Japan and India.
After graduating from Texas State with a Teacher Certification, Felicia Braverman taught English in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Taipei, Taiwan. She has always been an avid traveler, hopping the pond to England or finding herself wandering down the cobblestone streets of Tel Aviv.
In 2009, Michael became TEFL Certified and moved to Madrid, Spain to teach English. Invariably, whenever asked how he feels about the time he spent living and teaching there, his answer is the same: “Choosing to move abroad was the best decision I have ever made in my life.”
Born & raised in Chicago, Andrew is an International TEFL Academy grad and taught English in South Korea. When he's not working, you can find him hanging around the lake with his pup!
From China to Denmark, Liz is an avid world traveler who has lived abroad extensively and traveled to over 50 countries. Liz left her job in the film industry in Los Angeles to join the team at ITA in Chicago!
From the Chicago suburbs, Joe decided to teach English in Korea because his family is originally from Daegu, South Korea. Joe also holds a MA in Educational Administration.
Erica was raised in a small town in Michigan, which inspired her desire to discover what the rest of the world had to offer. Erica spent over four years living abroad all over Spain!
Ahmad is a Kuwait-born Palestinian from the south side of Chicago, and after college, he moved to Dubai to teach high school English. Ahmad has a B.A. in English Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing.
Kari is from Minnesota and holds an M.A. in Comparative and International Development Education. Kari studied abroad in Argentina and also taught English in Quito, Ecuador.
Robert is from the Chicago suburbs and earned his B.A. in Linguistics from Southern Illinois University. Robert worked abroad in South Korea and Spain, and he also taught English Online with students in China.
Irene is from Brookline, MA, but now resides in Boston. She attended Guilford College where she majored in Business Management. Irene has taught English abroad in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and Daegu, South Korea.
Prior to joining ITA, Emma spent four years teaching English in Santiago, Chile. During college, she studied abroad in Costa Rica and interned in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Emma joined ITA in October of 2020.
