Vantaggi
I feel that there is a lot of controversy surrounding Joytalk from various reviews saying more or less the same things that applies to the majority of ALT Dispatch companies in Japan. I hope I can provide from insight, solely based on my personal experience having worked for Joytalk as an ALT for two years. As other reviews have already stated, they look after their ALTs. They help set up accommodations, take those who require medical attention to clinics or hospitals, and anything else associated with daily living. They even help rearrange deliveries if you miss a parcel delivery to your place of residence if you ask them to. As for their trainings that are scheduled during the long vacations, the trainers are always comining up with new ideas to keep ALTs engaged with the job at hand and provide interesting ideas and tools that can be used by both those who are new, and experienced. Additionally, all ALTs I had worked with through Joytalk has been pleasant. Many individuals are fresh off the plane, while others are more experienced, having worked for Joytalk for many years, or moved over from other dispatch companies (with horror stories regarding their previous employers). What really made me come to respect Joytalk as a company, is that they actively consider my personal circumstances and requests. For example, I initially worked at a school in Tochigi-ken, but by the end of the academic year, I needed to relocate to Saitama-ken to move in with my significant other. I emailed them a few months in advance because I knew it was a lot to ask for, and they got started on my request straight away, looking at schools ideal for me considering my experiences and location. In the end, they came threw with my request and I was able to live with my significant other while teaching at schools within a reasonable distance. Upon relocating to my new, and current place of residence, they assisted me with changing all relavent documents, even though the person who assisted me had to commute an hour to reach me. This was after my first year with Joytalk. By the end of my second year, I made another request, to change to a school with students of different age ranges. Again, I emailed them my request a few months in advance, and again, they got started on it straight away, looking for potential schools that fits my request. At the end of the academic year, they had everything ready for me, however, I did not recontract with them, because I had accepted a position as a direct hire ALT. I felt bad for turning them down considering how they had worked above and beyond to meet my needs, but all they said was they were happy that I obtained a direct hire position and that they understand that I have a family to look after. Finally, they wished me luck for the future. No passive aggression, no burning bridges. So all in all, I had a good experience working with Joytalk, with no problems that couldn't be resolved, and I would had happily recontracted with them had I not found a better position.
Svantaggi
As with all ALT Dispatch Companies, there are not many opportunities for progression, and that the prospect of having a contract depends on the schools.