Anyone gotten a job through Berkeley House? How was the experience? There’s not all of info about this organization. Their 7 glassdoor reviews seem to lean on the positive side though.
I worked there decades ago, and it was fine as a beginner’s job. It’s the only commercial outfit I ever worked for in Japan, so I don’t have much to compare it with.
It was a privately owned concern at the time—I don’t know about now—and had both dispatch classes, usually at companies, and in-house classes.
The starting salary was ¥3000 per hour at the time.
I don’t know if they have changed, but a few years ago they were only offering gyomu-itaku, zero-hour contracts. Keep in mind that:
1. Dispatch work is an inherently unprofessional context since there is little oversight and there is no way to up skill without investing your own money and personal effort. And even if you do make that effort, it will not be appreciated since the company doesn’t care about quality. Basically, they don’t favor skills. They give out work based on who is available and who is a good ass kisser to upper management. 2. If you’re teaching corporate classes, sales are dependent on fluctuations in the economy. The first thing companies cut when they have financial difficulties is training, which means the state of the economy will effect whether you get work or not. Like many dispatch companies, BH terminated a bunch of their instructors during the pandemic. (I know this because a friend of mine worked for them and it happened to him.) 3. If a company or university suddenly cancels their contract with BH, they cancel your contract and you get no compensation for the loss of the potential income. You will have to wait for more work to trickle in. 4. People on gyomu itaku contracts are not guaranteed work. If the economy tanks as it did during the pandemic, or if you fall out of favor with the company for whatever reason, they simply stop giving you classes. You have no recourse because you are an “independent contractor.” Again, you just have to wait for more work to trickle in. 5. Gyomu-itaku contracts mean you aren’t covered by labor law. This means your benefits, e.g., paid holidays, are at the whim of the company. They also don’t have to contribute to your health or pension, so you must pay all of that on your own.
I have no idea whether they offer real full-time contracts or not these days, but I doubt they have suddenly changed. It would make sense to attend an interview to find out, but keep your ears open. At the very least, you need to know what you’re getting into if you decide to accept a gyomu-itaku contract. I’d also advise joining the union.
I got the axe from BH about a year ago when the company I was dispatched to closed their English program. They have since asked me back twice, but I’m pretty happy where I’m at (and think we’re still hiring, btw).
BH basically left me to do my thing with next to zero oversight (fine by me, I know what I’m doing). From my perspective, everyone at head office is ridiculously overworked, incredibly inefficient, or both, so if you ever need something it might take days or weeks to get an answer.
That said, I was always treated respectfully and paid on-time. Though they did have an annoying habit of missing contract completion bonuses or travel compensation, etc. Not often, but more than once in my 3 years there. They always made good on the next paycheck when it was brought to their attention.
I’ve worked as an ALT (very briefly) and at a big eikaiwa, and BH was far and away better than both.
There’s not much more I can say, since the rest of my experience was dependent on the client and will obviously be completely different from your potential experience.
If you have questions, feel free to DM me.
Dispatch companies in general aren’t great, but BH is much, much better than the average. I used to work for them and they were very professional and kind and had a good variety of assignments – not sure how it’s been the past 2 years though. Yes, it’s still “unqualified” dispatch eikaiwa work, but by industry standards they are very good.
4 comments
I worked there decades ago, and it was fine as a beginner’s job. It’s the only commercial outfit I ever worked for in Japan, so I don’t have much to compare it with.
It was a privately owned concern at the time—I don’t know about now—and had both dispatch classes, usually at companies, and in-house classes.
The starting salary was ¥3000 per hour at the time.
I don’t know if they have changed, but a few years ago they were only offering gyomu-itaku, zero-hour contracts. Keep in mind that:
1. Dispatch work is an inherently unprofessional context since there is little oversight and there is no way to up skill without investing your own money and personal effort. And even if you do make that effort, it will not be appreciated since the company doesn’t care about quality. Basically, they don’t favor skills. They give out work based on who is available and who is a good ass kisser to upper management.
2. If you’re teaching corporate classes, sales are dependent on fluctuations in the economy. The first thing companies cut when they have financial difficulties is training, which means the state of the economy will effect whether you get work or not. Like many dispatch companies, BH terminated a bunch of their instructors during the pandemic. (I know this because a friend of mine worked for them and it happened to him.)
3. If a company or university suddenly cancels their contract with BH, they cancel your contract and you get no compensation for the loss of the potential income. You will have to wait for more work to trickle in.
4. People on gyomu itaku contracts are not guaranteed work. If the economy tanks as it did during the pandemic, or if you fall out of favor with the company for whatever reason, they simply stop giving you classes. You have no recourse because you are an “independent contractor.” Again, you just have to wait for more work to trickle in.
5. Gyomu-itaku contracts mean you aren’t covered by labor law. This means your benefits, e.g., paid holidays, are at the whim of the company. They also don’t have to contribute to your health or pension, so you must pay all of that on your own.
I have no idea whether they offer real full-time contracts or not these days, but I doubt they have suddenly changed. It would make sense to attend an interview to find out, but keep your ears open. At the very least, you need to know what you’re getting into if you decide to accept a gyomu-itaku contract. I’d also advise joining the union.
More on gyomu-itaku here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djf9d1deRfU&t=10s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djf9d1deRfU&t=10s)
I got the axe from BH about a year ago when the company I was dispatched to closed their English program. They have since asked me back twice, but I’m pretty happy where I’m at (and think we’re still hiring, btw).
BH basically left me to do my thing with next to zero oversight (fine by me, I know what I’m doing). From my perspective, everyone at head office is ridiculously overworked, incredibly inefficient, or both, so if you ever need something it might take days or weeks to get an answer.
That said, I was always treated respectfully and paid on-time. Though they did have an annoying habit of missing contract completion bonuses or travel compensation, etc. Not often, but more than once in my 3 years there. They always made good on the next paycheck when it was brought to their attention.
I’ve worked as an ALT (very briefly) and at a big eikaiwa, and BH was far and away better than both.
There’s not much more I can say, since the rest of my experience was dependent on the client and will obviously be completely different from your potential experience.
If you have questions, feel free to DM me.
Dispatch companies in general aren’t great, but BH is much, much better than the average. I used to work for them and they were very professional and kind and had a good variety of assignments – not sure how it’s been the past 2 years though. Yes, it’s still “unqualified” dispatch eikaiwa work, but by industry standards they are very good.