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Westgate Corporation: reviews anyone??

 
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luckbox



Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 180
PostPosted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 12:29 am    Post subject: Westgate Corporation: reviews anyone?? Reply with quote
I've been through 3 years of the JET Programme and am considering returning to work another year... I'm curious about the Westgate Corporation. Would love to hear reviews from anyone who has worked with them, especially former JETs. Good, bad, ESID?

Thanks in advance.
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
PostPosted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 1:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Have you done a search for Westgate on this site? Tons of info if you look.
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luckbox



Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 180
PostPosted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 5:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Glenski wrote:
Have you done a search for Westgate on this site? Tons of info if you look.


Thanks Glenski, I did search and found lots of stuff on it.

After further research, Westgate appears to be another private firm offering substandard salary package. If the 250,000 salary weren't bad enough, they want 80,000 for one of their apartments. Another partially completed application into the trash bin.....
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
PostPosted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 12:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
If the 250,000 salary weren't bad enough,

It is a rare employer here that offers more than that. I wouldn't complain, especially since many places have started offering less -- far less in some cases -- in the past 2 years.

Quote:
they want 80,000 for one of their apartments.

Another pointless complaint in my opinion. Find one on your own, and you'll have to pay 2-5 times that just to move in (key money), and 80K is pretty much standard rent in the larger cities. In fact, it won't get you much beyond a 1LDK. What sucks about the Westgate situation in regards to rent is that you can't stay for more than 3 months' contract, so you are out on your own looking for a place to stay.

But, Westgate does do telephone interviews, reimburse for airfare, and sponsor visas from overseas -- all quite rare.
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dudelebow



Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Posts: 42
PostPosted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just like any of the eikaiwas, it probably depends on your school and program manager. I worked for Westgate on the university program and overall I think there a decent outfit. They pay more for experienced teachers and allow the teachers flexibility to do what they want in their lessons. If they offered longer term contracts in Tokyo, I would have stayed on. Their only downside is that they are VERY strict about absences and being sick. Of course, I was on the 3 month program so I could understand. Nonetheless, I almost fainted in my class and had to take half the day off from very being sick once and they docked my pay. Besides that, I think they are good and would recommend them.
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luckbox



Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 180
PostPosted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Glenski wrote:
Quote:
If the 250,000 salary weren't bad enough,

It is a rare employer here that offers more than that. I wouldn't complain, especially since many places have started offering less -- far less in some cases -- in the past 2 years.

Quote:
they want 80,000 for one of their apartments.

Another pointless complaint in my opinion. Find one on your own, and you'll have to pay 2-5 times that just to move in (key money), and 80K is pretty much standard rent in the larger cities. In fact, it won't get you much beyond a 1LDK. What sucks about the Westgate situation in regards to rent is that you can't stay for more than 3 months' contract, so you are out on your own looking for a place to stay.

But, Westgate does do telephone interviews, reimburse for airfare, and sponsor visas from overseas -- all quite rare.


Points taken. However, on the rent issue, there are some dispatch companies that offer far better deals on rent, so not a pointless complaint at all.

As for the 250,000 standard, you're quite right, it's the going rate in the private sector, but not the only game in town. I know non-JET ALTs who make in excess of 300,000/month, one even makes 400,000/month, hired directly by their BOEs. Rare as they are, they do exist, and I have the luxury of time and resources and experience to be choosy. I've got good leads in 4 different countries, and right now, Japan is coming a distant 4th.
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
PostPosted: Sat Mar 25, 2006 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
As for the 250,000 standard, you're quite right, it's the going rate in the private sector, but not the only game in town. I know non-JET ALTs who make in excess of 300,000/month, one even makes 400,000/month, hired directly by their BOEs. Rare as they are, they do exist,


I would say that they aren't just rare, but extremely rare.

Salary isn't everything, especially with dispatch agencies. Plenty of bad news in the past year or so (and growing) about them.
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yamanote senbei



Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 435
PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 7:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
What visa do Westgate teachers work under? Professor or Specialist in Humanities?
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dodgee



Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Posts: 47
PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I was offered a position with Westgate last year at the end of my JET gig and the salary was going to be 275,000 a month. The contract was also for five months so they are a little more generous on salary and flexible on the contract than what is being mentioned here. I was also very happy with the apartment set up and price (They were putting me a decent Leo Palace room 5 minutes from Shinjuku) I pulled out however due to family reasons and can not comment on the experience of working for them (or whoever they dispatched you to)but I felt the applying, interviewing and hiring procedures were very good.
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