Job Discussion Forums

matador · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 281

I heard on the grapevine that this school in Tokyo is going bust soon. This may be totally untrue but does anyone know about this place?? Razz

Sherri · Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2003 12:52 am Post subject:

I used to work there. Haven't heard about it going under though--who told you this? What do you want to know about the school?

nakanoalien2 · Joined: 04 Mar 2003 Posts: 52 Location: Nakano, Japan

I'd also like to know - if you are talking about Simul Academy, the place that trains interpreters and translators. They have a very good reputation among businesses at least for their tranlsation/interpreter services. If they are going under, what does that say for the kind of English consumers in Japan really want?

Sherri · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2003 1:52 am Post subject:

In the fall of 1998 Simul International (of which Simul Academy was a part) filed for bankruptcy. This was because of financial mismangement not because of a lack of students--we had a record recruitment that term for the record. Anyway the court allowed Simul a chance to restructure as we were in the middle of the fall term and so many students would lose their tuition if the schools were closed. In the end Benesse Corporation (who also own Berlitz) took over the debt and now own what used to be known as Simul International. The school, Simul Academy, is still there but under new management. Some of the teachers there I understand recently joined the Berlitz teachers union. Because the bankruptcy attracted a lot of attention in the press a lot of Japanese people are still under the impression that Simul went bankrupt and didn't survive, so that may be the source of the rumour.