Has anyone here worked at/heard about working at WinBe recently?

[johnj287]

Hey everyone. I'm currently teaching in Vietnam after finishing up my TESOL certification a couple of weeks ago, and I just landed a job with WinBe in Japan. Super excited for the opportunity, as I've wanted to live in Japan since I was ten, but I was wondering if anyone on here has any experience with my new employer. The information i've found online has been pretty scarce and incredibly dated. Most of what i've seen online is around a decade old at this point. The only recent info I got was from a representative of another company who told me, "I heard a rumor that they've cleaned up their act a bit in the last few years." Their pay, benefits, and vacation time all seem above average compared to other Eikaiwa's in Japan, but going in with pretty much no idea what to expect is kinda unnerving.

So has anyone on here done business with them recently or know how they operate? And by recent, within the last three years preferably. I realize the internet is a somewhat negative place, and I'm sure a lot of the bad things I've read online come from people who got fired due to their own incompetence, but I really am super happy just to have my foot in the door in Japan. Apparently that takes people years, and I got in ten days after getting my certification, so I can't complain too much.

Thanks for any information sent my way!
Cheers,
-Barry

[worried]

Congrats on the TESOL [MA, right?]! With that and some teaching experience under your belt, you could even teach at a Japanese university someday. My friend is currently with WinBe, and he seems happy with his job. I believe he wasn't actually making good money until his third month, as he'd borrowed money from them when he arrived, but now he's making enough to save up. Apparently you have to try and recruit students. I heard he was leafleting at a university recently, as he had a quota to meet. I'm not sure if this is a compulsory part of the job. You get trained in Tokyo, then sent to your placement and put in a Leo Palace apartment. I think that's all I know about WinBe.

[johnj287]

Congrats on the TESOL [MA, right?]! With that and some teaching experience under your belt, you could even teach at a Japanese university someday. My friend is currently with WinBe, and he seems happy with his job. I believe he wasn't actually making good money until his third month, as he'd borrowed money from them when he arrived, but now he's making enough to save up. Apparently you have to try and recruit students. I heard he was leafleting at a university recently, as he had a quota to meet. I'm not sure if this is a compulsory part of the job. You get trained in Tokyo, then sent to your placement and put in a Leo Palace apartment. I think that's all I know about WinBe.

Naw it's not a full Masters degree, just a 144 hour Trinity certification. If I decide to make this a full blown career, that may be something I pursue. That's good to hear your friend likes it there. They made it clear that recruiting was a part of the job in the interview process, so I knew that going in. I think that aspect of the job depends entirely on location and how many clients the branch already has. Also I didn't know they would give you an advance on pay to help with start-up costs. Any idea how much he borrowed and how he paid it back? And interest involved? I'm shooting to head there with $3,000, but that depends a lot on how much I work here in Vietnam beforehand.

[johnny]

Sorry I can't help you. We're mostly Jets here. What's it like in Vietnam though? It seems like an interesting country.

[johnj287]

Sorry I can't help you. We're mostly Jets here. What's it like in Vietnam though? It seems like an interesting country.

No worries. Like I said, I'm already going, so a few scant words online aren't going to deter me much.

Vietnam is fantastic. The people are awesome, the food is AMAZING, it's preposterously cheap (I got two cashmere, fully tailored suits for $205USD), and there are English teaching jobs aplenty. So far, my students have all been super fun to be around and highly motivated. There's plenty of stuff to do here in Saigon, but it's still very much developing, so I'd imagine working in rural areas would be pretty damn primitive. The only real downsize is how much information you have to give to the government here. You have to turn your passport into the hotels when you check in, and you have to register with the police department when you move into a place of your own. I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you still want to teach in east Asia and don't want to go to the more trendy areas like Korea or Thailand. I'm going to be here for probably another three months while my visa information gets sorted out, and that doesn't bother me one bit.

Cambodia was pretty cool too, but it's the wild west over there. Apparently they have laws, but I saw no proof of this while being there.

So now that I answered your question, would you answer one of mine as a Jet: Working in the public school system definitely intrigues me, as it seems like a better way to make a connection with students over an Eikaiwa environment. Is it possible to get hired by JET if you're already in Japan and have experience, or is it a strictly teaching abroad program? If not, based on what you've heard, is there a specific private ALT corporation you would recommend going with? Also, any tips/tricks on living in Japan you'd want to throw my way based on your experience would be cool too.

[Zolrak 22]

You can get hired while living in Japan, but you'd need to go to a territory of your nationality for interviews.

While in Japan it's a lot easier to find a better job though. (Just look at places like Gaijin Pot)

As for specifics, I can't say from experience.

Though I heard good things from Altia Central (it's supposed to be almost as good as JET).

[johnny]

Thanks for the answer. I've lived in both Korea and Japan, and they are very similar in that they are both highly developed and Western friendly. When I say Western friendly, I mean to say that they are very comfortable for Western people and it's easier to find out creature comforts here. Also, both countries have polices protocols that are more in line with those in Western countries.

Vietnam definitely seems like it would be more strictly "Asian". I'm tired now, so maybe what I just said makes no sense. But I digress.

As for your questions. First, Zork is right. You can apply for Jet, but get ready for a flight to your home country for the interview. He's also right when he says that it's supposedly much easier to find work once you are in Japan with your work visa.

Secondly, you mentioned that you think teaching in the public school system might be neat because you want to connect more with your students. Remember the Jet slogan, ESID. Many Jets get to connect with their students quite a lot, but many Jets like me don't. In that case, if you want to get to know the kids, eikawas could be better.

There is one Jet in my home prefecture who is a "one shot ALT" and he teaches at 20 schools. You won't have much of a connection with your students if this happens. I only teach at three schools, but I teach over 1,400 students. My time with them is limited, so I don't get to know most of them very well. I volunteer for activities when they're available, but that doesn't always make a huge difference.

Again, many ALT's, it seems like especially senior high school ALTs, really get to know their students. I'm just talking about my situation.

As for "dispatch companies", meaning companies that send you around to different schools, I only know of Interac. I've heard mixed things about them, but nothing overly negative. There are other dispatch companies out there though, I just don't know them. I'm afraid that I just don't know much about this since for me it has always been Jet or nothing.

You can also try to be a direct hire too. Word has finished his Jet stint, and he's pretty helpful in general. Definitely ask him.

As for your last question, I'd love to answer it, but I am going to bed now. Also, mosey on over to the Japan section or the lounge! We have a lot of people here who know a lot.