Joytalk?
 

Hey! I have an interview with Joytalk coming up on Monday. Does anyone know anything about this company? What to expect in the interview, what the company offers, anything?

Never heard of them.

If you really have an interview with them, you better know what the company is all about. That's your job as an interviewee (and I assume you applied to work for them, right?)

Hey! Yeah, I applied for them and I've done all the research on them that I can (On their site and otherwise) but I haven't been able to find many forums on the topic, hence my topic starter. From what I saw about them, I liked them enough to apply. But what they look like on paper vs. the experiences of their employees can be night and day. Am I wrong??

If you are looking for testimonials from employees, that is fair, but I have never heard anyone mention it before here, so I don't know if you will get much help here.

Well never no until you try, I guess. I'd already looked through the posts and didn't find anything. I've look at other forums and found some things about it but not much on the experience of working for them (where or not there is paid training, if the pay is really what they say, housing accommodations, paychecks deposited on time, etc.)

I have an interview tonight so I'll make sure to post what I find out. From their website, they look pretty good and, from other forums, the only problem is that they seem to pay on the low side, which could be a problem for me. I don't know if they will ask for a second interview after this one today but I'll let you know that too. I do know that they want people who have some level of Japanese ability. It isn’t required for the position but it could affect your pay - higher if you speak Japanese, lower if you don't speak Japanese, which is a plus for me.

They also require you to join a school club of some kind and eat with the children, which I don't mind either. Sounds fun.

If anymore has anymore information, let me know.

Joytalk Interview and Info as promised.
 

Okay, so I had my interview with Joytalk yesterday/this morning. Since no one seems to know anything about them, I decided to give a gift to the forum society and tell you how it went and what I found out.

So, I was able to book my interview time and date online (the link was given to me in an email by the recruiter). I actually ended up changing it a few times do to personal reasons, but they are very flexible and understand if you need to reschedule. I was in constant contact with the recruiter the whole time, which was nice.

I ended up having my interview at 1:00am EST (my choice). The interview was via Skype, but I dressed up in a business suit anyway. Nothing wrong with showing them that you are dedicated even at 1:00 in the morning. ^_^ I set up at my kitchen table with a note pad, pen, and something to drink in case my throat got dry, which it did.

The recruiter was a really nice guy. He started off with the normal questions: “Why do you want to come to Japan?” “How was your experience last time you came to Japan?” “How are you with children?” “How long do you plan to stay in Japan?” I tried to answer every as enthusiastically as possible and kept smiling, which wasn’t really that hard (he was awesome). He even asked me to sing a children’s song (I sang the Hookie Pookie song) and asked me if I would mind dressing up during Halloween and doing events for holidays like Christmas. I didn’t.

After the initial question and answer session, he asked me if I spoke Japanese. I reluctantly said yes because, although I lived in Japan for a year last year, it’s been nearly a year since returning home and my Japanese is getting rusty. But, nonetheless, he started asking me questions in Japanese. What was my name, age, hobbies, etc. I was very nervous at first so I was messing up all over the place, but soon I got comfortable with speaking to him and even started some short conversations in Japanese throughout the rest of the interview. I think he was impressed by that because I showed him that wasn’t shy and was willing to use Japanese.
By The Way: Unlike most eikawa and English Teaching Companies, with JoyTalk, using Japanese is very important in the work environment. I was told that most of the Japanese Teachers the ALTs work with don’t speak English very well and also the parent don’t speak English very well either, so Japanese, with a mix of English will have to be used. Unfortunately, this factor would make this particular ALT job difficult for someone that has no knowledge of the Japanese language. They may still hire you if you apply, but the chances are a bit reduced compared to someone who has a bit of conversational Japanese under their belt.
After the Japanese speaking session, he gave me some current information about the company and let me ask all the questions I wanted. This is some of the information I got:
1. It is a year one contract (of course) with a chance of Renewal if both parties agree.
2. Work hours are Monday-Friday between 8am – 5pm with lunch time with the kids. There are usually 6 classes in the usual school schedule, but ALTs usually work about 4 classes a day/20 classes a week, giving them time to plan, meet with teachers and time to join a school club of some kind.
a. Joining a school club is required, I think, but it usually falls between the normal work hours of 8am-5pm and, only happens maybe once or twice a week. (If you need to skip one for some reason it’s fine, they don’t hold it against you.)
3. They will assist you with finding a cheap flight but, of course you have to pay the flight cost.
4. Once in Japan, they send someone to escort you to get your “Gaijin” card (Sorry, couldn’t think of anything else to call it), your cell phone if you want one, and to check into your apartment. Later, they will help you get your international license and a car if you need one.
5. The car rental is about 18,000 yen a month (much cheaper than my car haha) and they reimburse you about 5,000 yen for gas per month for work related driving. (Some how, I don’t think that will be enough, but it also depends how far to have to drive for work). Good thing about the car is that the rental company takes care of all of the upkeep and maintenance on it. You just worry about the monthly cost (which is deducted from your check) and gas.
6. When you get to Japan, JoyTalk will have already found you an apartment (most of them are furnished, and with the internet ready to be hooked up upon the move in day)
7. The rent is between 50,000 to 60,000 a month and is deducted from your check along with your car payment. But, because it is that high, you don’t have to worry about paying anything out of pocket when you get to Japan. All of the money you bring will just be for your own use until you get your paycheck (which could be nearly a month and a half or so after getting to Japan) Joytalk takes care of all of your start up costs and you pay them back over the time of your contract which is included in the rent cost.
8. There is 24 hour help and assistance for anything that the ALT needs.
9. The interview process is one interview which is mainly through Skype unless you live in Japan and can go to the office. They don’t make you fly all over creation for just a chance of getting hired. I like that part.

Ooooooookay! That was a really long post. I’m sorry about that, but it seems that NO ONE knew about this company so I wanted to post it for future inquirers. If you have anything to add, feel free.

Are you required to have a car?

No, you don't have to have one. But if you live in a city that doesn't have trains or subways, it might be hard without one if you don't live close to your work.

Also, I forgot to put the pay. It's between 200,000 and 250,000 based off of your Japanese skills, location, school and some other stuff decided by the BOE (pay could vary though). But my recruiter asked me how much I wanted to get paid, or rather, the least amount I would take. I was honest with him. I don't know how that effects getting a job though. We'll see.

Before you commit, you might want to read this exchange...

eikaiwa: Joytalk??

Funny... I don't get info until I give it. Thanks though.

If your goal is to live and work in Japan then these guys can get your foot in the door I guess. I lasted only 5 weeks working for NOVA when I arrived before moving onto a better job. That job though was only possible because I had a sponsored work visa though secured through NOVA. Once you have the visa all sorts of other opportunities can open up.

Can NOVA not pull your visa if you jump ship?

Not really sure. They didn't obviously and now I've been here 7 years. If you get the normal visa that english teachers get I don't think the company can get the visa cancelled if you have secured work elsewhere. As I say though I'm not really sure as I didn't have any problems.

Thanks! I plan to be in Japan for quite a while this time so I'm definitely using Joytalk (if I get it) as a way in. In my job search, I did learn that SO MANY companies, even if they will sponsor your visa renewal, want you to be living in Japan before they will hire you. With the connections I've made already, finding a job will be no problem once I get there.

Besides I'm not hard to please. I read the thread the MMM linked. It doesn’t bother me too much because we had gone over some of those things in the interview I went on. Like the deductions. In the thread, she was complaining about the deductions of like 70,000 yen. I bet she didn’t have to pay her rent and car with what was left because it was already done. And I’ve expressed that knowing some Japanese is a definite plus in this job, so setting up your phone and other stuff (if they don’t help you) shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ve done it before.

Hi all, i've recently been "shopping" around for employment in Japan and currently find that Joytalk seems to be ideal (minus the bad points). I was wondering if I could get an update on what people have experienced via this company as it does seem to good to be true. Note: I don't speak Japanese, but I'm very keen to learn.

If anything, I'm looking to stay out there on a permanent basis and also look to see what the work plan is (work in one school or move around to various schools, Hours in the week worked, time off, etc)

Hope to hear from you soon!