Job Discussion Forums

[Gordon]

[Bozo Yoroshiku]

[Akula the shark]

Let's see how long this thread remains up.

[markle]

[Gordon]

Markle, what percentage of posts here are specifically about bad schools? Proabably less than 1%. If that is all we discussed, then I could see your point.
So how would you feel if you went to a school overseas and it turned into a nightmare, however, you could have saved yourself all that grief if only negative postings about your school hadn`t been removed? I sincerely doubt that negative posts about Lingo are going to stop advertisers. I bet 95% of them don`t even read this part of the forum and many can`t judging from the poor quality of many of the job postings.

[rossteichroeb]

Hello Everyone. My friend emailed me about this threat about lingo school. I read through it and see that no one on the thread has actually worked there or is willing to admit it. So here I am.

I have worked there. I quit about a month ago after working there 2 months. You want to know what it's like? I'll tell you. I'm not going to complain or slander or bash, just exactly what happened to me.

I had interviews with the owner before I came and things were very pleasent. I was told about the apartment and the work as to what to expect. I was told that they would put me up in a hotel till my apartment was ready.

When I got there - the apartment had no appliances, I had to pay $500US to have the floor SWEPT. I had to pay banking fees so that I could receive my paycheck (deducted from me). There were no supplies for the classroom. They have some really old (20 years or so) flashcards that are terrible. I was told not to use a book, no speaking Japanese (not even just to clarify understanding), and no writing. I wasn't allowed to write on the board. I was told what to teach and HOW to teach it, even though I have taught English in 2 countries before and have 2 degrees. I was given 15 minutes to teach in each class and they expected results. And then the ICING on the cake. I was schedualed to work from 9am-9pm with no compensation or over time pay. By the end of the two months when I quit I lost $2000US because of not getting paid for my last month of work and apartment fees for breaking the contract.

If you don't have experience, don't mind being told what to do and how to do it, and don't mind working long hours then it's not a bad school. I could have stuck it out if I had to but it was not worth it for me. I wish the owner had been straight forward with me and actually talk with me when I asked for some help and options with the schedual, but she didn't care. I tried to make things work and couldn't.

I have emailed DAVE about the school and told him about my experience but received no reply. I forwarded him web-addresses to other forums where other previous employees of Lingo were telling their stories and still no reply. I would like to think that human decency and caring about other teachers that could step into this situation would be more important than a single customer. More important than a few dollars. (Although since she goes through at least 3 or 4 teachers a year maybe the money is worth it). That's a little sad.

So, my name's at the top. Do what you will. I'm out of Japan now so I don't really care. If I can help bring some change to the school so that teachers there will have a good experience, great. If I save one from going there and having the same troubles as me, great. I just want teachers to be respected at the schools we teach at.

Ross

[Gordon]

I also want to add that Ross is a friend of mine and that I can attest to everything that he just said in regards to Lingo.

I am not sure if you saw the original sticky or not that was deleted that was written by a former teacher at Lingo. Perhaps Paulh can send that to Ross if you still have it somewhere.

[markle]

[craven]

Hi Paul
I can understand some of the legal trouble that owners of sites like this can get into by allowing negative posts to stay up. Since we run the risk of having negative posts or stickies deleted, what about adding a sticky about "How to search for work in Japan from overseas", that advises people to POST QUESTIONS on the forum if they are looking into a school, but can't find any posts or information about it?
I didn't work at lingo, but my first job in Japan was so-so...and when I looked around for any negative posts about the place I couldn't find any. Sometimes first-time lookers don't know they can ask open questions, and need to be encouraged to do so.
just a thought anyway...

[Gordon]

Markle, I think you would be hard-pressed to say this site is anti-school.

[azarashi sushi]

I think it would be wise to put up a sticky about the nature of Japanese conversation schools (especially ones in the countryside) and what first timers to Japan can expect rather than singling out one school. I'm sure Lingo is no better or worse than many others.

It depends a lot on your expectation ... If you think employers are going to bow down and worship the ground you walk on just because you're a white face who can speak English, you are just setting yourself up for a fall.

Ross... thanks for your post. I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience and lost out on money. I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but in all honesty you sound exactly like my ex-coworker from my first job who argued, debated and complained about everything. Conversation schools in Japan (generally speaking - there are exceptions of course) are not places of high educational standards, especially ones in the countryside. They are business for people who need a hobby. If you are an experienced teacher, you will feel unsatisfied in any conversation school.

A note to all newbies... Do your research carefully and know what you are getting yourself into.

[Gordon]

azarashi Sushi,
You certainly are making a lot of assumptions about Ross.

[Zzonkmiles]

[PAULH]

Azarashi,

Takamatsu is NOT countryside, its a small provincial city with at least 100,000 people living there. It may be countryside to people in Tokyo but its not exactly all rice fields and tractors.


I have worked at Language House in Takamatsu and in my opinion is better than Lingo, and doesnt have half the turnover that this school seems to have, even in the same city. Much has to do with treating people fairly and with respect, and not treating your own staff like immature 12 year olds.

[Brooks]

actually, 330,000 people live in Takamatsu. Kagawa University has some bright students, many of whom move on to work in big cities in Honshu (Kobe, Osaka, and Tokyo).