Job Discussion Forums

[danisensei]

I worked for Westgate back in 2000. I had a very strange experience with them and I'm just wondering if it is still around and what others have to say about it.

[lajzar]

They were still around, at least as of last year. I applied for them, they offerred an interview, but I turned them down when they made it clear that they weren't going to offer me the 1 year position in the original advert.

[Generasian X]

I would be interested in knowing more about Westgate. The website says that teachers may teach up to 7 classes per day for the University position...I think that is insane, since most university loads are 8 - 10 classes a week... can't be so hot of job.

[danisensei]

Yes, I was expected to teach up to 7 classes a day. I taught in Chiba, at Tokyo Jyoho Daigaku. One good thing was that the classes were to be only 40 minutes long. At the time I worked for them, they offered three types of contracts: 3 month, 8 month and one year. The bread and butter seemed to be the 3 month contract. Participants would get a round trip ticket and lodgings would be taken out of their earnings. But the 3 monthers got the better deal, with a tidy little tax refund. But I went for the 8 month contract, which sucked. That contract apparently no longer exists. I also got into a considerable amount of trouble which was NOT my doing!! They also seemed to excentuate the fact that we were gaijin in a strange land and frowned upon taking on privates to augment our meager allowance...

[markosonlines]

I just finished a contract there at Toyo Gakuen uni and had no problems, taught 5 or 6 40min classes a day. My managers were superb too, basically our problem solvers, never any hassles. But I think I was lucky, the university and students had complained about the previous teachers and thought we were great. The previous teachers had high expectations about teaching accredited courses, all serious types perhaps, but basically it was eikaiwa for first year business students, nothing too difficult at all. Money is slightly better than most eikaiwa work, but the problem is there is no continuity because of the semester holidays.

Markos

[PAULH]

[PAULH]

[Brooks]

from what I`ve heard, it seems that Westgate is ok if you are a new teacher or want credit for the practicum of a MA.
I have known teachers that have worked for Westgate in Tokyo and Kanagawa (Hon-Atsugi). They saw Westgate as a stepping stone for better jobs.
One teacher told me how teachers were taught a formula for teaching conversation, but it must get tedious if you have to have seven lessons a day.

The apartments are ok and furnished. In Sagami-Ono (Kanagawa), people share 3LDK apartments. It is good if you are new to Japan since you don`t want to fork out a lot of key money at first.

[Rice Paddy Daddy]

So, let me get this straight...

You aren't really a university teacher/professor/lecturer when you work for Westgate at these universities.

Rather, you are simply contracted out by a language school, Westgate, to teach non-credit conversation classes on a university campus, right?

No grading, failing of students? No exam prep?

No extensive paid vacations, office, computer or obligations to publish?

I hope this isn't a pattern among Japanese universities to hire these conversation schools to teach classes.

And outfits like Westgate must be rolling in the cash while making teachers work 7 or 8 classes a day.

Unreal.

[chitownesl]

this far i have not heard anything but good things from their 3-month program. only complaints were the cost for Westgate apartments (optional) and 10pm guest curfews.

[Gordon]

I teach 8-90 minute classes/week at my university. On top of that I have some meetings to attend and of course lesson prep, test prep, marking, exams, and report cards.

My classes range from 15-70 students/class teaching everything between composition, cultural studies to internet English. No two classes are the same and this makes it quite interesting.

[Glenski]

[PAULH]