Job Discussion Forums

[chuckd74]

I really loves Dave's as this makes getting intel so much easier

therefore, my questions:

a) does anyone have any DIRECT CONTRACT with WG's Uni program?- positives? negatives? just the facts please?

b) any suggestions about cities?

c) any suggestions about what to bring?

d) could someone with experience with WG comment about their operations? reputation? etc

e) describe a daily routine life in Japan with the WG Uni program (teaching/travel time, "extra" time spent at the office, daily activities, etc)

thanks a ton

[Glenski]

e) [from a previous post or 10 that I've made]

From a colleague who used to work there. He had a visa in hand before coming, which will explain a few of his comments. No BS.

At Westgate, with the exception of school holidays/no classes, I worked 5 days per week. Yes, 5 days -- Mon.-Fri. inclusive. It was a full-time job to say the least.

I cannot comment for sure about the holiday working visas. I know that Westgate sponsored some teachers and I also know that some of them were over 30 yrs. of age. Each country has different standards for that kind of visa (I think the U.S. being more stringent than Canada, Britain, and Australia). I cannot say if or how many teachers were sponsored that way. I know there were some younger teachers from different countries including Canada. My guess would be either a working holiday or a one-year work visa but I don't know for sure. The older teachers definitely would have had to have had full visas and not working holidays.

Westgate did not sponsor me because I was still able to use the visa I got (3-year Instructor) before I left Japan 3 years ago. That visa just expired on March 7, 2003, and my new company ULI sponsored me for a new 3-year visa after I finished with Westgate.

I am not eligible for a working holiday visa because I am over 30. If I didn't have a visa from before, I'm sure they would have sponsored me as they did other teachers. The contract said that they would reimburse up to $1000.00 U.S. for airfare and they did. They split up the payments -- I think half after the first month (with my first payday) and the balance after completion of the contract. This was because in the past, there were some people who took the free flight (that Westgate purchased for them) and when they got to Japan they split)! At least I remember the idiotic company president telling us this at our introductory meeting. I say idiotic because he made some racist remarks about other Asian people living in Japan and playing a large part in Japan's crime. Even if this has some truth, it didn't sit really well with one of the Chinese guys who was here teaching from Toronto!

One of my colleagues told me that if Westgate knew I was going to stay in Japan after my contract with them expired -- that they might not reimburse me for the balance of my ticket at the end of the contract. However, this was not true. I was concerned but they paid me in full. As a result, until I knew for sure that they would pay me the balance, I kept my plans to stay in Japan to myself.

I taught 7 40-min. classes per day. Actually, 2 or 3 days a week it was 6 classes but then you would have "English Challenge" for the additional period to make 7. Quite frankly, while the days were much longer -- with the commute and breaks you had during the day -- it now seems much less fatiguing than my present junior high deal. However, I would trade what I have now for it because of the salary, the hours, the vacation time, the security, and the ability to earn much more on the side. However, my present 16 70-min. class schedule (at ULI) each week is rough. I prefer the much shorter 40-min. classes and the college kids!

[tonyukohi]

It's a decent gig. The students I had were super nice, if you're creative you can plan really fun lessons....or just use the usual tedious "suggestions" Westgate provides. My coworkers were all a lot of fun, and there wasn't much planning; which to me, meant I wasn't challenged enough.

I had my own apartment, so minimal commuting, but the day felt long � you're teaching the same exact class all day, and have to be on campus (depending on the school) 9:20-6:20. And the english challenge was horrendous, solely because students from different levels (beginner to advanced) could come at the same time.

A couple of complaints - they made me change my visa status, which is protocol I know, but I went from having a three-year visa to a one-year. Also, if you have your own housing, your contract is a few days shorter and you get paid less, even though you don't have anyone to help you set up your bank account, health insurance, etc. Lastly, their recommendation policy is ridiculous. Make sure you read the contract.

Overall though, they give you a lot of latitude in the program, and if they didn't have the mandatory three-month (unpaid) break in between, I probably would have done a second semester.

[chuckd74]

these replies are truly helpful

[tonyukohi]

you're welcome.

I should add, they assign personal coordinators to each school to help with assimilation/any problems. Ours were incredibly helpful and nice. Better than the upper echelons, but isn't that always the case?

Good luck!