Vantaggi
The company is very organized from the minute you get accepted. Once you arrive in Japan, they will fully reimburse your travel fees from the airport to them by bullet train (and even buses if need be). They set you up with a paid hotel throughout your training, so you feel valued from the beginning. You will find that the huge majority of ALT's who decide to work in Japan with the company have little to no Japanese language skills. The company do prefer some knowledge of Japanese, however it is fine not having any language skills. I went in with conversational Japanese, but couldn't read Japanese kanji. However, the company has a great benefit over most other dispatch companies I've heard of regarding initial and continued help setting up in Japan. They have an IC system; Japanese native employees who they assign to help you with start up with things like getting registered at your city hill, buying a futon, kitchenware, bathroom accessories, etc. Also, if you have any issues that require a visit to the doctor or dentist, they will take you there and translate for you. This was really great, definitely the best perk of the company. Your apartment is usually a small and furnished place. While they vary slightly, they are a good size for one person for what you pay. Wired internet is provided in each and is useable from the day you move in. If you request to relocate within the company to a neighboring prefecture in Japan - as with my case, they will try their best to provide an IC to help you to move your things to your next placement. It’s a very convenient, low cost option for you. In summary, If you've never been to Japan before and have minimum knowledge of the language - this is a good place to start. You have lots of support and will have enough time outside of school to study the language to become as proficient as you would like to.
Svantaggi
Over time, the company has failed to increase benefits to employees and it makes most want to look elsewhere. They will pay you around ¥230,000 per month typical starting salary in your first year. However, other dispatch and private companies would easily pay ¥10-20,000+ more each month. Yes, it isn't a big difference in your first year in Japan, but it will help to offset the costs of your monthly taxes, which make a sharp increase from your second year in Japan onwards. Management were very slow and unresponsive when dealing with matters such as paid holiday time. Despite giving more than the minimum notice required to take paid vacation, I faxed my forms to the office, only to be made to wait several days for a response. Sometimes, several days would pass without a response, so I would wonder if there was a fault when it was sent via the fax machine. This telephoned in to inquire about it, only to be told to wait longer for approval from Management. This leaves employees feeling hugely devalued. Despite doing my best to do things the correct way, I felt as if my plans were put on hold. For instance, if you need to book flights, tickets or accommodation - all of these must wait for approval. Management was generally unresponsive when it came to responding to emails. Early on, I realized that if I asked anything, I would have to follow it up with the company over the telephone in a few days, because I wouldn't get a reply via email. Again, as an employee I do expect a response – in a respectable time frame. Even if they would inform employees that they were very busy and were dealing with the issue is acceptable. But no response is unacceptable.