STAY AWAY from MATTY'S SCHOOL of ENGLISH

[ty_lance]

Located near Yokohama, Matty's boast how close to Tokyo it is. They try to lure young adults to come and teach there by saying how great it is. In actuality, Matty's locks you into a contract for one year, with lots of hidden expenses and clauses. Plan on working at least 7 weekends without any pay. To live in their dorm (just a house they own) it'll cost 500 bucks. Not bad, but then you have to pay for utilities for which you NEVER get to see the bill. They just tell you how much you owe. If you do a homestay, you have to pay 600 bucks to the family and 300 bucks back to Matty's for resons never explained.

Also, if you do not have a work visa before you start work, then you have to volunteer without pay for as long as it takes to receive your visa (2-3 months). Your working hours are from 830am to about 8pm mon-fri. if you are 1 min late, they fine you 3500yen.

Matty's puts on big smiles and makes you really feel welcome, until you sign the contract. they will not let any prespective teachers to be alone with the staff or other teachers until they are under contract. i worked there one year and when i told them i was not going to stay, they treated me like the blak sheep. if you wrok there, you will have no time for yourself. you will loose the money you earn to some BS rule of theirs, and you'll hate it. find somewhere else to work.

[harmony22]

Here is a review of a positive experience at Matty’s School of English.

The review of Ty Lance is subjective and thus many facts are distorted. Working for a Japanese company does come with many misunderstandings and difficulties, but such should be expected at any English School in Japan.

This said, Matty’s School of English has given me a very rewarding experience in Japan. I greatly enjoy teaching, the homestay experience and living in the suburbs of the beautiful Miura Peninsula. Such are unique to Matty’s and greatly enhance the quality of a Westerner’s life in Japan.

[YokosukaGuy]

The negative review posted by Ty is not indicative of the nature of Matty's. As with ANY company there are good points and bad points, but the good far outweigh the bad in the context of Matty's.

Matty's is relatively close to Tokyo and can be reached within the hour by local trains. But Yokohama and Kamakura are only a stone's throw away.

The issue with the visa is that yes, it does take time for it to be obtained, but Matty's does provide free accomodation and meals are covered, so it's not like you're completely living out of pocket. Monetary issues are clearly stated in the contract, which I'm going to guess that Ty did not read.

I surmise that Ty just didn't understand the Japanese way of thinking and therefore did not integrate well into the culture. There is a lot of give and take when it comes to being immersed into a new culture, particularly a culture that demands strict adherence to its work ethic.

Just remember, it's the experiences that one creates that make for a good or bad time. Don't always go looking for negatives when there are positives waiting to be found.

[Gannons]

Are all of these positions followed up with an advanced written contract?

[ty_lance]

Well, the two posts saying i didn't know what i was talking about suprises me. when i worked there, i was under a 1yr contract and in that year, 13 teachers came and went.

as for the referral, the will only give one to the company who requests it, and there is no real weight behind it. it just had a bunch of boxes that they checked saying you work was satisfactory, and you completed your obligations.

unless they made huge changes there, it wouldn't suprise me if the two responses to mine were made by other teachers, taken away from there work, to go into the owners office and write them....just like we all had to do. sorry, but matty's is not the experience your looking for, unless you like working 12hrs a day, weekends, and give half of your check back to the company.

[ty_lance]

i know two guys that had to "volunteer" for 2 months waiting for their visa. during that time, they had to pay for everything they ate and drank. matty's only reimbursed them for three meals a day, some water, and if they wanted green tea, they had to buy the leaves and crush them up. i guess you recently worked there, but i worked there almost 3 yrs ago, when i posted my blog, and it was an unhappy place, both teachers and staff. i bet only one staff member is still there...yamada-san, what about rei, tamba-san, seiko-san.....

[ty_lance]

one more thing, i know a little about the culture there, i lived there for three years. jan 05' to feb 08'