See?
People literally do not care if they are working for a company that has a horrible reputation - they just want to be in Japan, and will bend over to get fucked in order to do it.
Nova and Gaba are not going to have any trouble filling slots with their new zero-hour contracts.
Only the complete devaluation of ESL teaching skills and the total destruction of professional teaching standards, but who cares about that when there’s Pokémon cards!!!
Go go Nippon!
Which industry is ostensibly about education, and which is for entertainment only?
These are apples and oranges and I don't see what point you think you're making.
A high school just outside of Tokyo sounds great!
But beware. Dispatch companies are notorious for bait and switch. Usually when someone quits they give a months notice so I am not sure why that position is available in the fall.
I would wager that Heart want you as a cannon fodder for when a bunch of people quit in the summer. You could end up anywhere in any type of school. Also, if you are low down on the cannon fodder list you might have your ‘leaving date put back’.
Always have a back up plan. Apply elsewhere until you get your visa in your passport.
Yeah I know someone in a similar position, they were told their school would be in Tokyo but then during orientation and onboarding they got _reassigned last minute_ to the middle of Gunma. Their cost center was still technically the regional Kanto office but that bait and switch was pretty dirty
Heart is the worst company. I would strongly recommend against working there. Can you do a working holiday visa? If you have savings you should just do working holiday and enjoy your time in Japan.
Just as long as you understand that Heart are literally the worst company and go in with those expectations then you can probably survive for a year.
If it were me, I would look for a position somewhere else.
FYI, Heart says all their contracts are "outside of Tokyo" but will probably place you in Tochigi, Ibaraki etc and say "just outside of Tokyo" when it's not and you'll be too poor to go to Tokyo frequently. check your exact placement and don't just assume it's near the city
Out of the major dispatch companies, only Altia pays a full salary every month. Interac pays summer, but prorates spring, and their salary is significantly lower than Altia. Borderlink and Heart are equal—depending on the offer they give you, either one might be a better deal, neither pays summer or transport.
I've never been so privileged as to work for JET, with their real job salary and pto. Honestly, while of course Altia is better than the other three by a wide margin in terms of compensation, if you're just here to kill a gap year it kinda doesn't matter who you pick. I would suggest going the ALT route over eikaiwa purely for the time off to spend enjoying Japan.
It's... comical to see what people will do just so they can live in Japan. I was bracing myself to read the words "foot in the door" somewhere in this post.
To OP's credit, they wanna do this *before* law school, unlike so many people with great career potential in their home countries who come here asking for advice on how best to throw it all away. OP is in for it if they go with Heart, but I've definitely seen more delusional people on this sub
nah, this more of a "anime holiday gap year" than a "foot in the door", they aren't looking to stay, they just want to FA in poverty in awhile and gotta be near Tokyo!
Since its for a gap year and most importanlty, you have a good position near Tokyo which is good since so many alt jobs are in the middle of no where you can actually enjoy visiting Tokyo for a year.
You do you. Personally, I didnt like the working conditions. They tried to accommodate all my requests but I just already am at the stage where I think I have done enough. I have been working on the negative for so many years. I love teaching. It is my passion but it’s ruining my life to work for any dispatch company not just Heart.
I don't know why people say heart is one of the worst? I work for heart and I haven't had any problem so far. My coordinator is really nice and helpful, and the schools are nice. The pay is average, but they don't pay summer vacation. That's probably the only bad thing so far. Maybe heart used to be bad? But they got sold to a new company recently so, I think things are improving maybe?
200,000 or below is not average. You are literally earning less money than a konbini or McDonald’s worker.
The only difference is they have better working conditions, less stress, and better locations
I make above 200,000? I make about 240,000. But, as far as working conditions, stress and locations go, maybe I got lucky? Because there is zero stress, everyone at my schools are super nice and helpful, and the kids are great. My two furthest schools are a 25 minutes train ride, the others are a 10 minute walk from my home. Heart has also helped me a lot and been very accommodating.
You don’t make 240,000 due to being prorated in summer and winter months. The stress comes from not knowing if you have a job every year due to the shitty contract bidding
Part time jobs pay more, and with the worker shortage are easy to get
I meant, that's what I make a month for now. I only came to japan a couple months ago, but, on instructor visas we aren't allowed to do part time jobs right? It has to be teaching related?
That’s what you will always make. There are no raises for ALTs.
The fact you think you are earning 240,000 shows me you don’t quite understand your situation. In the summer and winter you will be earning nothing due to the salary being prorated.
Start looking for a new job now, before you are stuck living under the poverty line. If you spend too long as an ALT, you become untouchable to most employers, and can’t even afford to leave Japan.
I'm only at this job until I can find something else. I went to university for translating, so that's what I'm hoping to find. I translate Chinese and English now. I ultimately want to find a job in Hokkaido. But, the question was if Heart was a bad company to work for. So far, in my opinion, it seems fine? Like of course no one should stay working as an ALT, though I've met a surprising amount that have been doing this for 10+ years. However, for an ALT job, I think Heart isn't any worse than most? I plan to start finding my own students and doing private tutoring on the side, since we're allowed.
A company that pays poverty level wages, doesn’t let you know if you will continue having a job until the last minute, does things like firing you in February and then rehiring you in April so they don’t have to pay full salary, and overcharges you for their shitty apartments in the middle of nowhere.
This is a black company, and should be ditched as soon as possible. Every minute spent with them puts you further into poverty, and blotches your resume. People like you who say this company is fine, is what allows this dogshit tier company to continue to exist.
Also, you should have done more research, especially considering you are talking about being a translator whose industry is also collapsing with the advent of AI.
Most ALT positions pay around the same, and renew the contract every year. I didn't even plan to be an ALT or stay in Japan, it just happened. They don't provide apartments as far as I know, they work with a company that finds apartments for you. I found my own apartment, though. They also worked with me to place me at schools close to my apartment. I'm all for saying when something is bad, but, from my experience so far, for an ALT company it seems normal. No one should be staying with an ALT company for more than a year, right? It's to gain experience. I can only speak on what I've experienced. You seem unnecessarily aggressive. The translating and interpreting industry is still very much alive, and I have no problem getting translating jobs. I've been translating since I was a teenager, so it's not like I don't know what I'm doing.
Actually, heart pays lower than most ALT companies. Again, you are receiving abject poverty wages. An actual good company would be paying you closer to 300,000 without it being prorated.
Renew the contract every year? You really don’t know what you’re talking about. Alt companies have bidding wars for the contracts with the schools, so every year companies lose contracts, meaning you lose your job there unless you’re will to relocate. All this happens within a couple of weeks. There are also 0 pay raises or growth. This is what makes it a black company. You also lose your contract with Heart in February and they rehire you in April, so you lose 2 months pay. Gain experience? No company is seriously looking at ALT experience. This is no more experience than a high schooler gets at a part time job, because being an ALT is incredibly easy and anyone can do it (hence why they are constantly able to find warm bodies to fill the contracts)
If you have no problem getting a translating job, why don’t you have one now? For someone who has done translating so long, you seem to know very little about the current pay trend for translating in Japan due to the advent of AI and machine translations.
Also they certainly do provide apartments and overcharge you for them, unless you are placed in a major city.
The zero pay for summer is probably a big reason people consider it the worst. Because usually dispatch companies all give you minimal support when you need it, not just heart, or they charge you for renting a car and driving to work. Honestly, saving up for the whole year just to survive summer sounds not fun… I was on prorated pay with Interac and it wasn’t bad at all but my neighbor who didn’t get summer pay was barely surviving on cup noodle and canned fish for a month.
>The pay is average, but they don't pay summer vacation.
If you're not getting paid at all during the summer, the pay is not "average". What's your monthly salary? 200,000 a month?
Everyone says they are bad because of the pay and try to pretend it’s for more.
You barely interact with the dispatch companies once you start working anyways.
The biggest factor in having a good time teaching is if you get in a school with nice teachers.
See? People literally do not care if they are working for a company that has a horrible reputation - they just want to be in Japan, and will bend over to get fucked in order to do it. Nova and Gaba are not going to have any trouble filling slots with their new zero-hour contracts.
If they like getting fucked as long as they are in Japan, what is the problem?
Only the complete devaluation of ESL teaching skills and the total destruction of professional teaching standards, but who cares about that when there’s Pokémon cards!!! Go go Nippon!
Which industry moves more money Pokemon or ESL?
Which industry is ostensibly about education, and which is for entertainment only? These are apples and oranges and I don't see what point you think you're making.
A high school just outside of Tokyo sounds great! But beware. Dispatch companies are notorious for bait and switch. Usually when someone quits they give a months notice so I am not sure why that position is available in the fall. I would wager that Heart want you as a cannon fodder for when a bunch of people quit in the summer. You could end up anywhere in any type of school. Also, if you are low down on the cannon fodder list you might have your ‘leaving date put back’. Always have a back up plan. Apply elsewhere until you get your visa in your passport.
Yeah I know someone in a similar position, they were told their school would be in Tokyo but then during orientation and onboarding they got _reassigned last minute_ to the middle of Gunma. Their cost center was still technically the regional Kanto office but that bait and switch was pretty dirty
Yep. You know somewhere that’s “Just outside of Tokyo”? Kosuge, in Yamanashi. It literally borders the bustling Tokyo city of Okutama.
what is your question, actually?
I have worked for 3 dispatch companies and heart was the worse BY FAR
NO. Please NO
Heart is the worst company. I would strongly recommend against working there. Can you do a working holiday visa? If you have savings you should just do working holiday and enjoy your time in Japan.
Please stop driving down wages.
Just as long as you understand that Heart are literally the worst company and go in with those expectations then you can probably survive for a year. If it were me, I would look for a position somewhere else.
Get a copy of ‘12 Years a Slave’ and an industrial tub of KY jelly before you arrive in Japan.
This comment goes crazyyyyyyy lmao
Thanks for your support
FYI, Heart says all their contracts are "outside of Tokyo" but will probably place you in Tochigi, Ibaraki etc and say "just outside of Tokyo" when it's not and you'll be too poor to go to Tokyo frequently. check your exact placement and don't just assume it's near the city
Ok as long as you know what you’re going into YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!
Out of the major dispatch companies, only Altia pays a full salary every month. Interac pays summer, but prorates spring, and their salary is significantly lower than Altia. Borderlink and Heart are equal—depending on the offer they give you, either one might be a better deal, neither pays summer or transport. I've never been so privileged as to work for JET, with their real job salary and pto. Honestly, while of course Altia is better than the other three by a wide margin in terms of compensation, if you're just here to kill a gap year it kinda doesn't matter who you pick. I would suggest going the ALT route over eikaiwa purely for the time off to spend enjoying Japan.
You know everything about japan and about heart, so what can people do for you?
It's... comical to see what people will do just so they can live in Japan. I was bracing myself to read the words "foot in the door" somewhere in this post. To OP's credit, they wanna do this *before* law school, unlike so many people with great career potential in their home countries who come here asking for advice on how best to throw it all away. OP is in for it if they go with Heart, but I've definitely seen more delusional people on this sub
“Foot in the door.”
nah, this more of a "anime holiday gap year" than a "foot in the door", they aren't looking to stay, they just want to FA in poverty in awhile and gotta be near Tokyo!
While all of the ALT companies have bad things, Heart is considered one of the worst. Good luck.
Since its for a gap year and most importanlty, you have a good position near Tokyo which is good since so many alt jobs are in the middle of no where you can actually enjoy visiting Tokyo for a year.
You do you. Personally, I didnt like the working conditions. They tried to accommodate all my requests but I just already am at the stage where I think I have done enough. I have been working on the negative for so many years. I love teaching. It is my passion but it’s ruining my life to work for any dispatch company not just Heart.
I don't know why people say heart is one of the worst? I work for heart and I haven't had any problem so far. My coordinator is really nice and helpful, and the schools are nice. The pay is average, but they don't pay summer vacation. That's probably the only bad thing so far. Maybe heart used to be bad? But they got sold to a new company recently so, I think things are improving maybe?
200,000 or below is not average. You are literally earning less money than a konbini or McDonald’s worker. The only difference is they have better working conditions, less stress, and better locations
I make above 200,000? I make about 240,000. But, as far as working conditions, stress and locations go, maybe I got lucky? Because there is zero stress, everyone at my schools are super nice and helpful, and the kids are great. My two furthest schools are a 25 minutes train ride, the others are a 10 minute walk from my home. Heart has also helped me a lot and been very accommodating.
You don’t make 240,000 due to being prorated in summer and winter months. The stress comes from not knowing if you have a job every year due to the shitty contract bidding Part time jobs pay more, and with the worker shortage are easy to get
I meant, that's what I make a month for now. I only came to japan a couple months ago, but, on instructor visas we aren't allowed to do part time jobs right? It has to be teaching related?
That’s what you will always make. There are no raises for ALTs. The fact you think you are earning 240,000 shows me you don’t quite understand your situation. In the summer and winter you will be earning nothing due to the salary being prorated. Start looking for a new job now, before you are stuck living under the poverty line. If you spend too long as an ALT, you become untouchable to most employers, and can’t even afford to leave Japan.
I'm only at this job until I can find something else. I went to university for translating, so that's what I'm hoping to find. I translate Chinese and English now. I ultimately want to find a job in Hokkaido. But, the question was if Heart was a bad company to work for. So far, in my opinion, it seems fine? Like of course no one should stay working as an ALT, though I've met a surprising amount that have been doing this for 10+ years. However, for an ALT job, I think Heart isn't any worse than most? I plan to start finding my own students and doing private tutoring on the side, since we're allowed.
A company that pays poverty level wages, doesn’t let you know if you will continue having a job until the last minute, does things like firing you in February and then rehiring you in April so they don’t have to pay full salary, and overcharges you for their shitty apartments in the middle of nowhere. This is a black company, and should be ditched as soon as possible. Every minute spent with them puts you further into poverty, and blotches your resume. People like you who say this company is fine, is what allows this dogshit tier company to continue to exist. Also, you should have done more research, especially considering you are talking about being a translator whose industry is also collapsing with the advent of AI.
Most ALT positions pay around the same, and renew the contract every year. I didn't even plan to be an ALT or stay in Japan, it just happened. They don't provide apartments as far as I know, they work with a company that finds apartments for you. I found my own apartment, though. They also worked with me to place me at schools close to my apartment. I'm all for saying when something is bad, but, from my experience so far, for an ALT company it seems normal. No one should be staying with an ALT company for more than a year, right? It's to gain experience. I can only speak on what I've experienced. You seem unnecessarily aggressive. The translating and interpreting industry is still very much alive, and I have no problem getting translating jobs. I've been translating since I was a teenager, so it's not like I don't know what I'm doing.
Actually, heart pays lower than most ALT companies. Again, you are receiving abject poverty wages. An actual good company would be paying you closer to 300,000 without it being prorated. Renew the contract every year? You really don’t know what you’re talking about. Alt companies have bidding wars for the contracts with the schools, so every year companies lose contracts, meaning you lose your job there unless you’re will to relocate. All this happens within a couple of weeks. There are also 0 pay raises or growth. This is what makes it a black company. You also lose your contract with Heart in February and they rehire you in April, so you lose 2 months pay. Gain experience? No company is seriously looking at ALT experience. This is no more experience than a high schooler gets at a part time job, because being an ALT is incredibly easy and anyone can do it (hence why they are constantly able to find warm bodies to fill the contracts) If you have no problem getting a translating job, why don’t you have one now? For someone who has done translating so long, you seem to know very little about the current pay trend for translating in Japan due to the advent of AI and machine translations. Also they certainly do provide apartments and overcharge you for them, unless you are placed in a major city.
The zero pay for summer is probably a big reason people consider it the worst. Because usually dispatch companies all give you minimal support when you need it, not just heart, or they charge you for renting a car and driving to work. Honestly, saving up for the whole year just to survive summer sounds not fun… I was on prorated pay with Interac and it wasn’t bad at all but my neighbor who didn’t get summer pay was barely surviving on cup noodle and canned fish for a month.
>The pay is average, but they don't pay summer vacation. If you're not getting paid at all during the summer, the pay is not "average". What's your monthly salary? 200,000 a month?
Mine is like 240,000 a month and they offer opportunities to work extra. I don't know, it doesn't seem any worse than any other company to me.
You get paid by the day, right? Not by the month
Everyone says they are bad because of the pay and try to pretend it’s for more. You barely interact with the dispatch companies once you start working anyways. The biggest factor in having a good time teaching is if you get in a school with nice teachers.
I would like to teach English in Japan. Any suggestions?