Berlitz Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Berlitz full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – The people who work at this company are true saints. They are committed to the learners and the overall mission of the company.

Cons – Senior Management is all over the board -- one day the sky is blue, the next it is green and the following it is orange. And don't even THINK about asking why the color changes every day. You risk an unspoken blackball system that will prevent any advancement opportunities.

Advice to Senior Management – Get off of your high horse and listen to the people who work in the field. Never have I seen such arrogance from a group of "leaders."

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Berlitz part-time

Pros – The diversity of the students.

Cons – Inconsistency of schedule and classes, poor salary no matter how good or bad you are as a teacher (as long as students don't complain about you, they don't care), management will ALWAYS take the students' side (even if students make snide racial comments at teachers, which is really rare but has happened. They will simply find another teacher to teach that student and not reprimand the student at all) and they never follow up with no-show students, even if the student has been a no-show for weeks. You simply show up, wait, and leave after 2 units, knowing that this students isn't going to come, but you need to be there anyway "just in case." Speaking of teachers, you feel like a number since there are so many, and no opportunities to bond with other teachers- our teacher's room was converted into a classroom and the shelves with teachers' books are out in the hallways now. Forget about making copies and printouts at Berlitz if you want to do your own thing and customize lessons for students. Very, very few observations, if any. No recognition for excellent teaching. The possibility of teaching full-time is nonexistent. Lastly, students are overcharged for non-Berlitz books (twice the normal amount according to a student who told me this, furious he didn't get the book at a local bookstore).

Advice to Senior Management – Stop treating employees like underpaid factory workers spewing out lessons, and recognize us as professionals who care about teaching- and get rid of the ones looking to make a quick buck.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Berlitz

Pros – Berlitz offers his managers a large degree of entrepreneurial freedom as they build their business. Berlitz is a great place to build business skills in areas such as Business to Business sales, Consumer sales, Marketing, and Management. The environment is also a plus with a multi-cultural workforce and employees passionate about what they do.

Cons – Remuneration is under market pay.

Current Employee – been working at Berlitz part-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Interesting. Never a dull moment.

Cons – Bad management skills. Very micromanaged.

Advice to Senior Management – Less micro

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Berlitz full-time for more than a year

Pros – Can't really think of any.

Cons – If you are seeking employment with Berlitz anywhere in the U.S., and especially at the Princeton (NJ) headquarters, be aware:

1. The parent company, Benesse Japan, has significant cash-flow difficulties and is having trouble pouring in the millions of dollars needed annually to keep Berlitz (US) afloat;

2. In Dec. 2012, there were lay-offs amounting easily to a third (probably larger) of staff overall, effective date of lay-offs being Friday, Dec. 28, 2012;

3. As a result, Berlitz (US) is looking to hire replacement professionals (e.g., mid-level managers such as human resources managers, district managers, curriculum-development managers) at cut-rate pay (i.e., Berlitz (US) laid off managers making $120K and is looking to replace them with managers starting at, say, $50K);

4. Which is all fine, but just be aware that it will be a tremendous pressure-cooker due to the huge internal corporate deficit Berlitz (US) is running vis-a-vis Benesse Japan;

5. Lastly, note the "comments" section. You can't say you haven't been warned.

Advice to Senior Management – Ha-ha. They're not interested in listening to advice in any event.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Berlitz part-time for less than a year

Pros – The Berlitz method is effective and intelligent, and getting training to use it is worthwhile.

Cons – The pay is substandard, there are no benefits, and evaluation of students is subjective. I feel that the company says it is all about the client, but in fact it is really all about the corporate bottom line.

Advice to Senior Management – Reflect on what makes an institution truly great, without factoring in profits. Then re-think your business model to be less exploitative.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Berlitz part-time for more than 7 years

Pros – develop and improve my communication skills.

Cons – not consistent with the amount of work received.

Advice to Senior Management – none.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Berlitz part-time for less than a year

Pros – Enjoyed working with a student.

Cons – Hourly rate for teaching was $10.25 - very low. Hours spent preparing for classes are not paid for. I didn't use Berlitz materials, because my student needed a highly customized profram.

Advice to Senior Management – You need to create more incentive for teachers to keep the job, otherwise - it's a revolving door.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Berlitz part-time for less than a year

Pros – The students and fellow teachers were awesome and really wanted to be there. I enjoyed working there because of the environment.

Cons – The management is terrible and will threaten you to get you to teach classes on their schedule with little regard for you. They will not give you full time classes so that you are able to get benefits. The pay was awful.

Advice to Senior Management – Pay attention to the needs of your teachers. You will not have any students if you lose all your teachers. The high turnover of staff should be an indication that something is not going well.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Berlitz

Pros – Flexible hours and convenient locations

Cons – Very little communication from upper management

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend