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ilikerice
Joined: 05 Aug 2004
Posts: 14
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 Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 6:10 pm Post subject: westage and the visa |
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hi, I've just applied to westgate and am wondering if I could get some more information on the VISA they supply, as it could be a plus for my situation. I've searched for keyword westgate and read several complete threads, maybe I missed one, but can you use the westgate VISA to stay another 9 months, making your stay in japan a complete year? if so, what do you need to do this?
for example, could you teach at westgate, not use the return ticket and live of savings to stay in japan? (Assume I have the savings), would I then be legally able to stay in Japan, perhaps even get an aprtment? Second, if I didn't have savings could I attempt to get work as say a musician, or farmer. My point is to find out what limitations for kinds of work I can do to sustain myself in japan. Last when I do go through tokyo airport to leave after a year are they going to lock me up because my passport has an expired VISA stamp on it?
here's a quote from a post on westgate about a year ago....
..."All in all, for approx. 3 payments of 275k plus 100k towards your airfare, plus a one year visa, it is a pretty sweet deal." - http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=7334&highlight=westgate
so does the westgate visa sponsor you and allow you to do whatever in Japan for those remaining 9 months?
Or is the only option to not use your return ticket and apply to another school (which gets a new VISA right) right away?
I'm asking because if I could stay another 9 months and do whatever I wanted in Japan, that's great. I must be wrong as that sounds too good. A company I worked for sent me to India and they sponserd my VISA but it did have a time limit on it. I didn't try and stay in India so I never knew what the airport officials would have said.
thx for your comments and time in advance. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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The visa you get from being hired through Westgate Corporation is valid for a full year. After the initial 3 month contract is up with WC, you have to vacate their housing and wait another 3 months before resuming work with them. Your visa is still valid for the remaining 9 months, and you can do with it whatever you like. There is no obligation for you to work more for WC. And, you don't have to get a new visa until this one expires.
You WILL need to find housing, however, and that usually means paying a hefty key money deposit up front, so be prepared for that. There are other ways of getting housing that don't require key money, but you usually either have to live in boarding house situations (gaijin house) or pay all of your rent up front (LeoPalace21).
To say that you could "live off savings to stay in Japan" is rather amusing. WC will reimburse you for your airfare, but the savings you will accrue during three months work is going to be pretty small. The average person manages to have about 130,000 yen left over every month after paying for rent, food, insurance, and utilities. How much of that you SAVE depends on how much you use this on debts back home (student loans, eg) and on everything else in life (sightseeing, movies, bars, souvenirs, emergency medical expenses, etc.).
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| Second, if I didn't have savings could I attempt to get work as say a musician, or farmer. |
No. Your work visa permits you to do only certain things. The one you get as a WC teacher is for teaching only. So, you could teach in other places, but not do farming or music work unless you changed your visa. (Farming???)
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| when I do go through tokyo airport to leave after a year are they going to lock me up because my passport has an expired VISA stamp on it? |
If you leave after your visa expires, expect to be detained and questioned by immigration/customs. They are clamping down seriously on overstayers, even by one day, recently. Plan to get an extension before this happens, or just leave before it expires. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 2:24 am Post subject: Re: westage and the visa |
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| ilikerice wrote: |
Second, if I didn't have savings could I attempt to get work as say a musician, or farmer. My point is to find out what limitations for kinds of work I can do to sustain myself in japan. Last when I do go through tokyo airport to leave after a year are they going to lock me up because my passport has an expired VISA stamp on it?
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You can not do any kind of work outside your visa status. Anyway I very much you would be able to get any kind of farm work unless you speak Japanese as its highly unlikely farmers in country areas can speak English.
If you are still here when your visa expired you become an illegal overstayer. that is why they put dates in your passport.
Two American students were held up at Narita (Tokyo International Airport after a year in the country and their visas had expired about 3 or 4 days. they were locked up for about a week and then booted out of the country. It didnt matter that they were already on their way home. Immigration here, you dont want to mess with.
Here is a good posting on Westgate from the Job Information Journal
"I worked for the Spring term for Westgate Corporation, this being for a total of 10 actual weeks. After having taught at other Eikaiwas (English Conversation School), what did I actually think of Westgate Corporation, how does it compare to the other Schools?
I originally didn`t know much about what Westgate is all about but I was attracted to the fact that I would be teaching at a University. I went through their lengthy application process which of course was a part of the process. Westgate were very helpful, my telephone interview was with a Japanese lady whom I thought sounded so nice and it was a relief to hear a nice voice of a polite interviewer. They answered any enquiries promptly and I was more than happy to be dealing with the actual Human Resources Director directly. I thought this company had alot of promise, everything was so smooth and friendly. Anyway, to let you all know, you`re probably wondering why I keep referring to the past tense when I state that they were friendly and caring. The first day that we (myself and other new teachers that came on the same day) arrived in Tokyo, things started changing. Try to visualise a long plane flight, your legs are tired and your belly empty, you obviously want to stretch out and relax, right? Well, we quickly got into our designated groups of where we were planning to go and had to catch our trains. Of course, we were like " What!? Another 2 hours sitting down?" But we thought at least we could eat. No, the staff had arranged our train (my group bound for Aichi Prefecture) almost immediately, there was no time to eat. I basically arrived at my apartment after 11 at night. I was dead, but the person who excorted me to my apartment didn`t tell me where the closest convenient store was or anything. No map, no directions, I did ask but she didn`t know. She was in a rush to get home, I felt, so I had nothing to eat that first night. After I met my colleugue at the same University, she also had the same experience. We were both so annoyed by it all....I actually was in a state of thinking "Maybe, I`ve made a big mistake." Naturally, though, I thought better of it. After all, I`m not new to Japan and it takes alot to get me thinking like how I did on that first night. So, what is working for Westgate actually like??
First, and foremost, you have next to no contact with anyone once you arrive. This was such a contrast compared to how I was treated back home. You usually see your PC (Program Coordinator) once a week, they are efficient about work, efficient at what they have to do for their job. So, if you`re expecting to feel important, think otherwise. Like I said, you and your other collegues are left to your own devices, I got into trouble because I asked a question to the Human Resources Director instead of addressing it to my PC. Everything had to be addressed to your PC, you just don`t contact anyone else.
Secondly, the work hours. How strange how some teachers only teach 5 full classes but others had to teach 7 full classes yet get paid the same amount. The actual teaching hours are not long but the office hours are. I had to be at the University from 9:10 am till 6:10, 5 days a week. What makes the day drag is the fact that you have to teach the same lesson all day. Of course, this information is not told to new teachers until training, when you are already in Japan. Some people may ask "Well, why don`t you just make your lessons different each lesson?" I did at times, yes and it added variety but most of the time, you just don`t have time to think up new ideas. I was good making changes during the lesson but even that gets strained when you have to teach 7 classes. Also, there is a tendency to fall back on these principles: why stress yourself over new lesson content when you can get away with teaching the same lesson which worked well previously? When you are not teaching you have a break. But, this is decieving because it`s not really a break. If you happen to teach the same amount of lessons that I had to then you have one to plan for the day, and one to input student attendance and start to plan the next day.
Thirdly, the amount of contact you have to have with the students can get tiring. Because you see every student everyday, things get tiring. I mean, you can`t ask a student "Hey, whatcha been upto?" everyday now, can you? I had very good students. The students were mt life, I had a good time, really. But when Westgate says that you have to have lunch with your students (students that have time to have lunch with you) and they state this in a form that you give them, it`s abit too much. Honestly, every teacher needs a rest time just to collect their thoughts, rest the mouth and chill-out for a while but many times, I had to keep active and at "attention" for hours on end because I also had to have lunch with students.
Fourthly, Westgate rip you off with their accommodation. I originally stayed by myself in a 1 LDK close to the University until I couldn`t bear it and moved out to live with a friend. A friend who was, fortunately, renting out a 2 LDK which cost less than the one I was occupying in originally. I wanted to find out how much my one was really worth so I went to the main office where I could find out about accommodation, how much, and so on. I found out that the apartment building that I was in was designed for solo students, on low part-time income, with a rental fee of 30,000 yen cheaper per month. The conditions and size are not upto Western standards like what Westgate state, it`s all a scam sadly.
Fifth, Westgate just seem so distrusting of teachers. They check up (mostly your PC of course) on everything, they give you a cellphone with which you can only call them and nobody else and to top it off, the leaving party that you have on the final day requires a supervisor present at all times. What is up with that? The students must think we might try to drug them or something. It would of being nice just to say goodbye without needing some watchdog sniffing around.
Overall, I don`t recommend Westgate Corporation. This company could be so much more promising in so many more ways. People don`t expect much, if you are wise, but people do require a more personal touch that Westgate just don`t give. It`s an easy setup but the truth is Westgate is just another Eikaiwa, only being on University grounds that`s all. If Westgate could only listen to it`s teachers more, improve it`s housing and price, it`s personalisation, it`s amount of working hours, and finally it`s understanding and trust of teachers, it would be a good company indeed. The question is will they change? Do they want to change? Is the company expanding profit while leaving teachers behind? I think, maybe they won`t. BTW: I have had time to read what other people have written about Westgate on the internet and here, for example, and I agree. If you have any questions, whatsoever, about Westgate Corporation, feel free to drop me a bell.
[email protected]
16/07/04
Aichi Prefecture, JAPAN
Posted: July 16, 2004 |
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ilikerice
Joined: 05 Aug 2004
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 7:38 pm Post subject: cool |
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thanks for the input. I think I get it now. So the VISA is for one year but the catch is that you can only use that visa to teach for those remaining 9 months. which isn't really a catch cuz I think all visa's state what you're there to exclusively do in the country. I'm quite sure My india VISA stated only a certain business type.
1. does that sound right?
2. has anyone ever done that? stayed another 9 months using their WC VISA to teach at another organitzation? was it a fairly straight forward process and transition? or was it very stressfull?
3. the experience about WC above says. "...but the truth is Westgate is just another Eikaiwa..." can I be forgetfull and ask what an Eikaiwa is again? this quote confuses me a bit. I thought all the big 4 and some others were Eikaiwa (English conversation schools). then this would make all teh schools I'm applying to kind of a bad choice. does this dude sharing his experience just have more experience up the ladder in teaching english aborad and so's he's forgetting newbies kind of have to start at an Eikaiwa? I know I'm forgetting something or misinterpreting .....cuz I don't want this to be right obviously, as a newbie myself.
much thx for reading and comments. |
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ilikerice
Joined: 05 Aug 2004
Posts: 14
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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Eikaiwa is the Japanese term for English conversation. People use it to refer to businesses that teach conversation English.
By the way, VISA is a credit card. The word visa (all lower case letters) is what you meant to type (permission to live and work in Japan). |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:18 am Post subject: Re: cool |
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| ilikerice wrote: |
2. has anyone ever done that? stayed another 9 months using their WC VISA to teach at another organitzation? was it a fairly straight forward process and transition? or was it very stressfull?
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It is quite common for teachers to quit one company while they are still sponsored and work for another. As long as your visa is valid and you can get another sponsor for your visa when you go to renew it its not a problem. Many schools on the http://www.ohayosensei.com website ask for teachers with a current work visa, which means they may not working for a school or between jobs. I can not think of any particular case with Westgate, but immigration only offers a minimum of a one year visa, and the contracts that Westgate makes with its clients id 3 months, or the duration of a university term. There are no classes during summer and winter vacations and its my guess westgate will not pay you during vacations. Either you wait out the 2 month gap, or you dind another job with the 9 months remaining on your visa.
getting a new sponsor and/or working on the same visa is quite routine and you just file the paperwork at immigration to change your sponsor.
| ilikerice wrote: |
| 3. the experience about WC above says. "...but the truth is Westgate is just another Eikaiwa..." can I be forgetfull and ask what an Eikaiwa is again? this quote confuses me a bit. I thought all the big 4 and some others were Eikaiwa (English conversation schools). then this would make all teh schools I'm applying to kind of a bad choice. does this dude sharing his experience just have more experience up the ladder in teaching english aborad and so's he's forgetting newbies kind of have to start at an Eikaiwa? . |
Eikaiwa as Glenki rightly says, is the Japanese word for English conversation school and is commonly used as an abbreviation of sorts. Unless you have a Masters dgeree, connections and publications you wont be able to get university jobs and experience and connections are often required for high school jobs. Most people who come to Japan start at an "eikaiwa" language school like NOVA etc and then find jobs when they get here. Im not sure if Westgate is an "eikaiwa" as such but it is simply a dispatch compnay that sends teachers to work at high schools and university campuses. I dont know if westgate has a permises where their teachers teach private one-on-one classes like NOVA and AEON do.
The textbooks and teaching style, pay and conditions are almost identical to a conversation school (except maybe you are not paid during holidays) - only the work location is different.
As I mentioned to get any other kind of teaching job that is not "conversation-school" you need qualifications and experience as well as knowing the right people. An eikaiwa is a foot in the door for most people. |
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