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hip-hop boy78
Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 90
Location: Hip-hop land
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 Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2004 3:35 pm Post subject: westgate |
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hi people.
has anyone got any info on westgate, i checked out their website and their academy program(1 year) didn't sound too bad but was wondering whether anyone had worked for them before. do they sponsor a 1-year or 3-year visa?
any help would be great. thanx.  |
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Nismo
Joined: 27 Jul 2004
Posts: 520
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2004 6:04 pm Post subject: Re: westgate |
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| hip-hop boy78 wrote: |
hi people.
has anyone got any info on westgate, i checked out their website and their academy program(1 year) didn't sound too bad but was wondering whether anyone had worked for them before. do they sponsor a 1-year or 3-year visa?
any help would be great. thanx. |
They year long work visas (it's up to Japanese Immigration office if they give you a one or three year visa, and it seems like the decision process is arbitrary). The down side is that they only offer you contracts for 3 months. So, you will have to constantly renew your contract with them if they extend the offer. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2004 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| The down side is that they only offer you contracts for 3 months. So, you will have to constantly renew your contract with them if they extend the offer. |
More than that, you are not allowed to have consecutive work contracts with them, so even though you have a sponsored work visa because of their initial contract, you won't have a job for at least 2 months between contracts. Many take this opportunity to look elsewhere for the remaining nine months on their visa, find another employer, shift sponsorship, and get the visa renewed when the time comes. |
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babs
Joined: 02 May 2003
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 12:09 pm Post subject: westgate |
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| I worked for Westgate and wouldn't recommend them. (There are plenty of posts by other former employees of this company which outline their dubious practises. Take a look.) Ever thought about giving China a try? I made more teaching English at a Chinese university than I did in Japan and the cost of living is much, much lower. You'll save a fortune, get a decent apartment and lots of other benefits the 'eikaiwa' operators in Japan wouldn't dream of offering. |
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newyorkbunny
Joined: 18 Jun 2005
Posts: 75
Location: Tottori
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| Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:21 am Post subject: Re: westgate |
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| babs wrote: |
| I worked for Westgate and wouldn't recommend them. (There are plenty of posts by other former employees of this company which outline their dubious practises. Take a look.) Ever thought about giving China a try? I made more teaching English at a Chinese university than I did in Japan and the cost of living is much, much lower. You'll save a fortune, get a decent apartment and lots of other benefits the 'eikaiwa' operators in Japan wouldn't dream of offering. |
Hi Babs,
Where can I find such jobs in China? The ones I'm finding seem very low paid.
Many thanks in advance.
newyorkbunny |
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andrei81
Joined: 13 Jun 2005
Posts: 2
Location: Tokyo
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| Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 8:37 am Post subject: |
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From looking at the Westgate website it's likely you'll be travelling lots from one place to the other, and chances are you'll be out in the sticks. Whether you'll like it depends what you're looking to get out of Japan. The Academy Program is a 12 month contract, University Program 3 months.
Yep, you get a one year visa, but that's pretty much standard practice, and sponsor/profession changes are easy to do. I think you're issued a 3 year visa when you renew your visa for the second time (i.e. after living here two years), but I'm not 100% positive.
81,000 yen is horrifically steep rent though. If you have the means to get your own accommodation do so, but I know it's hard if you've never been here before.
Hope this helps! |
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zorro (2)
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Posts: 47
Location: Newcastle, England
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:41 am Post subject: |
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it takes me 21 minutes from door to door where i'm situated. its not out in the sticks either. it takes me 50 mins to get to shibuya. considering i only go there once a week max, then this is manageable.
i agree 81,000 is pretty steep. its also very convenient for people who have never been to japan before to get everything sorted for them. for the kind of place you get with westgate, perhaps it would cost closer to 65000, but hey ho. as i said before the convenience and hassle freeness (?) is well worth the extra 15000 yen.
the general feeling for westgate on this site is pretty bad. to tell you the truth, people who feel that the westgate programme is worth doing generally don't post on here. why would they post positive things? this forum is one sided towards westgate. don't listen to them or me. come and see for yourself.
good luck. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 5:05 am Post subject: |
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| zorro (2) wrote: |
i
the general feeling for westgate on this site is pretty bad. to tell you the truth, people who feel that the westgate programme is worth doing generally don't post on here. why would they post positive things? this forum is one sided towards westgate. don't listen to them or me. come and see for yourself.
good luck. |
Its only bad because the people who go on it tend to get an inflated sense of importance as to the actual jobs they do, that they think they are on par with full time teaching professionals, when essentially they are low paid temp workers here the three months. The school has managed to convince higher institutions of learning that they are better off with cheaper, less qualified teachers than those with higher qualifications but cost more, while not paying most of the benefits that most teachers are entitled to.
The other thread which has been locked shows a pretty clear divide between the "westgate" side" and the "university" side.
Westgate is great for people with limited time and money, want a bite of the cherry without eating the whole pie, and they need someone to hold their hand from the time they step off the plane till the time they leave. No need for messy things like setting up apartments and furniture, learning Japanese and getting proper training and job skills. Good for people not worried about making a lot of money but want a 'taste' of living in Japan with everything laid on for them. |
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zorro (2)
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Posts: 47
Location: Newcastle, England
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 8:23 am Post subject: |
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paul you still have no idea that i was obviously taking the piste when i was saying 'i'm a university prof.' on the last thread.
really.
as a result of you not 'getting' it, you insist on being an ass. low paid, temp workers - not on a par with full time professionals.
i feel that these comments were designed to get a rise from us staunch westgaters.
all i ask is that you be less snobbish about your attitudes. these are peoples choices that you are mocking.
and to tell you the truth, with this stinking attitude towards us westgaters it makes me feel glad that your job security is threatened by our meer presence. dog eat dog.
good luck with your future. |
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newyorkbunny
Joined: 18 Jun 2005
Posts: 75
Location: Tottori
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:57 am Post subject: |
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I concur with Zorro.
Last edited by newyorkbunny on Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:41 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 11:44 am Post subject: |
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| newyorkbunny wrote: |
I concur with Zorro.
Paul, there are a multitude of reasons as to why one would like to work with Westgate. I am applying as we speak. I have lived in Japan and am a regular visitor. I would love to go back but don't want to commit to a long term contract.
I resent being called a low paid temp worker. It smacks of elitism and is degrading. |
A few facts for you:
I dont know what the actual salary of Westgate employees is at the moment but they work something like a 8 hour day with 6-7 classes a day, 5 days a week and are paid about 250,000 yen a month. This is no different than what NOVA teachers get. You will teach smaller classes but essentially you are kept busy with students all day and your salary is about 1500 yen an hour. Take out 81,000 yen or 1/3 of your salary for rent and you are left with about 160,000 yen for expenses and utilities.
The part time teachers at university I know teach 2 or 3 ninety minute classes a day. Pay for koma is around 20,000 which is 5,000 yen for a 90-minute class once a week or around 3,500 for 60 minutes. Westgate teachers make half that and most of their salary is kept by their employer. When I was part time I was clearing 350,000 or 400,000 yen a month with part time university jobs.
Westgate teachers are on 3 month contracts. they come in, teach for 3 months and then disappear or wait two months until they can renew their contract. Next term a new teacher comes in and the student has a new face for the second semester. tell me how a 3 month contract is not temp work? You are not full time and you are not an employee of the university. Temp means TEMPORARY.
As I said Westgate does have its benefits for the person who does not want a long term contract. Fine and dandy for the short term in-and-out person. what the employee does not realise is the employer does not pay things that are guaranteed by law to full time employees in Japan (and you are working full time for 3 months) such as paid holidays, end of contract bonus, proper health insurance, unemployment insurance. How many of these do you actually get?
Taikibansei has covered this in the last thread and the union has a lot to say on this as well, but dispatch companies and its employees are displacing older, more qualified employees by the methods they use, undercutting salaries, which though fine for the short term person here for 3 months are in the long term very destructive to the language industry here and the bottom line of many hard working teachers here. Teachers rights are being eroded in favor of a quick buck by these companies and teaching standards are steadily dropping, as are salaries.
Anyway, what I basically objected to was a person coming to Westgate teaching on a campus a few days a week for a few months and becuase they have a "professor" visa calling themselves university professors. Even putting it on their name cards and CVs. I have seen it happen. |
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D.O.S.
Joined: 02 Apr 2003
Posts: 108
Location: TOKYO (now)/ LONDON
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 12:20 pm Post subject: |
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A walmart wage slave becomes an "associate."
| Quote: |
| low paid, temp workers - not on a par with full time professionals. |
It's too bad that is the reality. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Just as an aside, I saw some one bragging on Gaijinpot that they were working at GABA and could make up to 30,000 for 3 days (or was it 4?) for initial training. That worked out at less than 1,000 yen an hour. the reason he was so happy was that he could get the flexibility and work hours he wanted despite the fact he was getting paid little more than an 18 year old at McDonalds. The fact you have people coming from overseas willing to work for these kinds of wages is rather astonishing, don't you think? |
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Mark
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 500
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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I haven't worked for Westgate, but I thought I'd add that, as I understand it, Westgate's main business is providing an extra-curricular English program at private universities and colleges. Students pay extra money for the program and don't receive credit for it.
As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing wrong with this program. The teachers are equally qualified as those in an eikaiwa (meaning they have a degree) and the students get daily lessons. The curriculum isn't fantastic, but it's better than some of the eikaiwa. I think that students get better value for their money than they would at the private eikaiwa. Plus, university students don't have to share their class time with sleepy salarymen and whatnot.
The issue of universities hiring temp teachers from Westgate is an entirely separate issue and it's not really Westgate's fault. It's the universities' fault. It's not a good idea, but it's not really fair to blame Westgate for providing a service that's in demand.
As for Westgate teachers calling themselves professors and whatnot, they presumably do it because it gets a good reaction from people. Besides, they may not really understand the difference, and I'm sure some of them are largely unaware of their status in the universities. Some may actually believe that they are professors.
Anyway, I don't think there's anything wrong with Westgate's extra-curricular program, and I don't think the outsourcing of university teaching positions is Westgate's fault.
Last edited by Mark on Thu Jun 23, 2005 11:30 am; edited 1 time in total |
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andrei81
Joined: 13 Jun 2005
Posts: 2
Location: Tokyo
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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Aaanyway, getting back to the subject of the post... You're right about the rent and all that Zorro, it takes the hassle out of setting yourself up, key money etc.
If you're looking at teaching in Japan for the first time without much in the way of experience then I'd reccommend Westgate. In terms of lesson planning you'll probably need to prepare one or two lessons a day, which when compared to eikawa's gives you ample time to add your own material without feeling under-prepared.
If you're looking for a career path with opportunities to go further up in teaching, then China's probably better, everyone has to start somewhere though... |
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