Joytalk Company Review
First of all, regarding the startup and visa procedure, that is still bad. Unfortunately, they went about the entire process in a sketchy manner and all of us in my training group had no work visa when we arrived in the country. This was unnacceptable for a few folks who left when they received the news that their visas were not yet ready and found other companies before their tourist visas expired. For the rest of us, the visas were ready in just under a month. However, during that month, we were actively working in Japan on a tourist visa. This is not entirely on the straight and narrow. I believe Joytalk gets around this by labeling this month as volunteer work on their tax forms, and then gives us an April "bonus" after we get our visas processed in May. Of course, this is not actually a bonus, but our salary for April conveniently packaged as a bonus to jump through a loophole and get a new workforce in Japan every year working at the start of the school year. There are many reasons why they do this, and I am sure they are not the only private ALT company that uses this procedure, but it was certainly unsettling for us and seemingly unprofessional. The reasons I have been told include the local BOE does not give Joytalk their list of required teachers until March, so by the time they finish hiring what they need, it is too late to get the Visas finished in time. Also, many people are hired and end up not showing up on training day due to cold feet or what-have-you and to process all the no-shows would be a waste of time and money. They only started the whole process after we had signed our contracts.
Speaking of the contracts, that was another area that felt a little off. You come to this country with not much of an idea of what you are getting into, and the terms of your employment are not even set before you arrive. In fact, it wasn`t until we finished our training that they showed us what our contracts would be. At that point we had already invested a great deal of time and money into coming here to work for this company, it felt like we had to agree to whatever terms they gave us. All in all the terms were very fair, and I had no problem signing on, but the actual signing was uncomfortable and an anxious moment for all of us. Perhaps this comes with the territory of working abroad but I feel they could have certainly told us more ahead of time or at least given us a sample of the contract in an email before coming overseas.
Overall, those are the big negative points I have with Joytalk. Once all that unpleasantness was out of the way, they turned out to be a fantastic company! They are very small and after a few months it is easy to learn about pretty much everyone involved in the operation. There are a handful of incredibly hardworking people that bust their butts for the constantly changing and often ungrateful foreign young people who mostly just want to travel a bit after college. It makes it difficult for them having a high turnover rate, and having much of their staff not really care all that much about teaching. They do a good job during hiring and we have a good portion who are passionate and some stay on for more than a year, but there are enough that leave before the contract is over, or right after, that their jobs become very hectic and difficult. To me it seems they are a bit shorthanded in the administration area, which causes a bit of lag in getting
small issues resolved, but the wonderful thing is, they always do! I have had issues with transportation costs, my air conditioning, my car, various letters I get in the mail, bills, health insurance, driving tests, and they have assisted me in every possible way. Every tiny stupid problem I might have, they are sure to take care of it. I have to give a personal shout out to one Philip Roher, who with an incredibly heavy workload always responds to my queries within a day. He is not even technically responsible for my area but he does his best for everyone in the company and without him I would not feel nearly as positive about my position.
Another positive is the follow up training you receive throughout the year. We had our summer training in July and it was fantastic! We learned many new techniques and educational theories, and I felt it was very productive. More than that, we were able to meet other ALTs in our area that also work for the company and foster new relationships with people close enough to see often. It felt like I was part of the Joytalk family, and not just a random employee of some Japanese company. Beyond the company training, we have (almost) monthly meetings where we get good feedback from our local coordinators and get to share ideas with our coworkers. This sorts of meetings and trainings, I feel, are invaluable to my growth as a teacher, and I am happy my company can support my further education.
In summation, Joytalk is a small, but very good company. They are a bit disorganized, it seems, and understaffed, but very personal and caring. They offer VERY affordable and awesome health care coverage through the national Japanese program, fair pay, transportation reimbursement, apartment locating and setup, continued training, FANTASTIC support all year round, and a caring family environment that really makes the experience of living in Japan one that I will remember. I formally redact my former verdict, and would like to up my rating of Joytalk to a 7 out of 10. The startup is stressful and disorganized, and the lack of information you receive before you sign your contract is unnerving, but once you are set up they really show their true colors. I have heard at the end of my stay it will be difficult to get my apartment deposit back, and they may charge a cleaning fee in addition to the deposit, but I have not experienced this personally so I can`t say one way or the other. Overall, they are a good company to work for, they are legit, and although sometimes they may have some sketchy moments, they are a great choice for anyone looking to travel to Japan and teach English for a company that actually cares about helping you become a good teacher.