Michael Hollifield
Corporate Trainer
Chicago,11
Work Preference
Summary
Corporate Trainer and Small Business Owner with nearly 10 years' experience in Seoul and fluent in Korean. Skilled at developing and implementing English language corporate training programs for industries including medical legal consulting, software development, video game design, and consumer electronics. In Atlanta in the late 2000s, three years experience gained in the marketing industry related to the private events sector. Skilled at marketing mix execution, copy writing, website design, and trade shows.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Corporate Trainer
Business Owner
Seoul
08.2017 - 12.2025
- Instructor of conversation, business, and debate English to conversationally and professionally fluent adults. Both 1:1 and group classes. Clients ranged from global conglomerate CEOs to entry level
- Business English courses focused primarily on cross cultural training between Western and Korean mindset, etiquette, practices, and manners.
- Discussion-based courses centered around current events, social, or cultural trends in Korea or globally. Students used these issues to draw comparisons from their own experiences, their familiarities, as well as debate and discuss the views and merits of both sides.
- Conducted group lectures on Western business skills and mindset to groups of 50+.
- Taught general business skills: presentation preparation, hosting and running meetings, the art of negotiation, email writing, and the art of small talk.
- Hosted representatives from the American and global branches of the Korean corporations. Emphasized the nuances of hosting and reading the room with guests.
- Led group corporate training sessions for front line employees that required interaction and experience with English speaking customers and guests.
- Provided interview and resume coaching in both private classes and government-organized global job fairs.
- Facilitated English interviews for hiring days at global conglomerates in Seoul.
- Held resume and cover letter writing courses for recent university graduates.
The Real Seoul Private Nightlife Tour Guide
Business Owner
Seoul
08.2017 - 12.2025
- Ran private, customized nightlife tours for solo and group travelers. Tours’ emphasis on individual interaction in local Korean style restaurants and bars, not pub or club crawl style tours.
- Tour content focused on Korea’s history, business and economy issues, real estate market, cultural comparison, daily life, navigating different cultures, and other social issues.
- Offered trip planning and concierge services - online shopping in Korean, ticket reservations, and general trip planning.
- Served as translator for medical clinic visits with visitors.
English Instructor
Various Elementary Schools
Seoul
08.2014 - 07.2017
- Taught after school program group classes in public elementary school, grades 1-6, average class size 20-30.
- Courses focused on the building blocks of language from phonics and reading at lower levels.
- Utilized American language arts textbooks at higher levels.
Foreign Instructor Manager and English Instructor
Herald School (English Language Kindergarten)
Gunpo
08.2011 - 08.2014
- Served as a liaison between Korean management and staff of 7 English instructors. Represented the instructors’ interests and concerns in weekly curriculum and event planning meetings.
- Trained instructors in education methods to connect and engage with kindergarten learners.
- Taught English group classes focused on speaking, reading, and writing. Average class size of 10 students, no Korean co-teacher in the room, all young learners ages 4-6.
- Average number of classes 7-10 per day, class time of 40-50 minutes.
- Drafted daily lesson plans, long term curriculum, and testing materials.
Marketing Coordinator
IBS Design (AtlantaBridal.com)
Atlanta, Georgia
09.2010 - 04.2011
- Oversaw a portfolio of sixteen bridal websites nationwide that connected local brides to local vendors through paid profiles, sponsored blogs, mailings and local events.
- Managed social media accounts, monthly newsletters and blogs for all websites.
- Conducted research, monitored SEO keywords and trends through Google Analytics and other measurement tools to ensure top placement among search engines.
Marketing Coordinator
Atlanta Event Center at Opera
Atlanta, Georgia
02.2008 - 09.2010
- Developed and implemented the role of Marketing Coordinator as Intern/Banquet Server.
- 2009: $60k budget, $1.2MM sales, 5% of sales to marketing.
- 2010: Forecasted Sales $2MM.
- Managed all online advertising profiles and social media presence.
- Drafted and analyzed monthly marketing communications, including e-blasts and newsletters.
- Oversaw website and promotional video redesigns, serving as point of contact with design teams.
- Analyzed and report website traffic and Pay Per Click Trends through Google Analytics.
- Conceived and coordinated both national and local print advertising.
- Managed all advertising trade, typically hosted events.
- Attended and organized trade show presence across industry, including booth design.
- Secured media exposure and press opportunities on television, print and online.
- Drafted press releases, media kit and sales kits targeted to specific audiences.
- Managed television and photo shoots, ensuring client's goals and marketing goals are achieved.
- Updated and organized sales kits for prospective clients.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration, Marketing Concentration
College of Charleston
Charleston, SC12-2005
Skills
Bespoke educational program design
Business skills coaching and development
Employee onboarding
Cultural competency trainer
Educational materials development
Leading instructional sessions for large groups
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Languages
Korean
Advanced (C1)
Timeline
Corporate Trainer
Business Owner
08.2017 - 12.2025
The Real Seoul Private Nightlife Tour Guide
Business Owner
08.2017 - 12.2025
English Instructor
Various Elementary Schools
08.2014 - 07.2017
Foreign Instructor Manager and English Instructor
Herald School (English Language Kindergarten)
08.2011 - 08.2014
Marketing Coordinator
IBS Design (AtlantaBridal.com)
09.2010 - 04.2011
Marketing Coordinator
Atlanta Event Center at Opera
02.2008 - 09.2010
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration, Marketing Concentration
College of Charleston