Language Stars Reviews

I worked at Language Stars full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – I was fortunate enough to work in 2 capacities with Language Stars. The first was as a center director during a period of launching new centers. Language Stars afforded me an opportunity to learn how to run a business in many aspects that included sales, finance, and operations. There are very few positions that allow someone to gain that breadth of experience in one position. As I am person who thrives on challenge, this new venture allowed me the opportunity to succeed and fail on numerous occasions. The senior management at Language Stars is extremely patient and allows the managers the opportunity to learn from mistakes, and to use these experiences to create plans that will bring in future success. I was also given the responsibility of running a nascent business as the regional director, and the amount of trust, freedom, and responsibility that senior management gave to me made my time in this position an incredible experience. Language Stars allowed me to help create systems, processes, and procedures. I was able to create the DNA of this business, and helped create a lasting legacy at the company. At Language Stars, you are able to work with an international team, and have more company wide impact, than many other similar positions.

Cons – As the company grows, it gets harder to maintain the little things that made Language Stars great. It is good to focus on what will help Language Stars continue to make center directors and teachers continue to feel empowered as this was vital during the early years.

Advice to Senior Management – Continue to focus on expansion and growth as there is so much potential for the company, but don't forget to make sure that the infrastructure grows at the same pace.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Language Stars full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – My time at Language Stars was by far the most formative in my entire career. Not only was it a rewarding, fullfilling, educational, and challenging (in a good way) experience for four years, it also prepared me for admission and success in one of the top MBA programs in the country (a transition which was fully supported by Language Stars' top management). Language Stars is, without a doubt, a company that recognizes talent and dedication and rewards its employees with ongoing professional development and responsibility to foster incredible career and personal growth that can be used in many contexts beyond your time at Language Stars. Teachers and directors alike are given the opportunity to manage teams, collaborate with coworkers, design curriculum, learn marketing strategies, communicate cross-culturally with sensitivity and celebration, and hone time management and prioritization skills (not to mention learning additional foreign languages along the way!) - all of which are supremely useful skills in virtually any life path.

For me, Language Stars was the perfect blend of my many passions: working with children, teaching foreign languages, celebrating multiculturalism and diversity, and blending education and business toward a meaningful mission. It truly was my dream job, and was the perfect transition from my role as a traditional classroom teacher into business school where I focused on the idea of utilizing business to do social good, with an emphasis on the education sector.

To the folks who have posted negative experiences at Language Stars, I pose you the following questions:
*Why did you choose to work for Language Stars in the first place? If it was for the paycheck, then perhaps education is not the right field for you. It's important to consider some of the non-financial rewards that come along with your job. I consider the opportunity to work for a company that believes so strongly in such an ambitious and valuable mission to be an incredible benefit. Think about all the people who go to work each day just to earn a paycheck. Aren't we lucky to be able to impact the way a child experiences, views, and communicates with the world??? In addition, every day I felt so blessed to be surrounded by such a talented, diverse, energetic and passionate group of teachers and coworkers. I learned so much from each of them and many years later still count many of them as my close friends.
*When do you feel your greatest sense of accomplishment? Is it when things come easily without having to put in time and effort? Of course not. Great outcomes and successes are a direct result of hard work. Yes, this sometimes means longer hours and above-average commitment, but if your heart is in this for the right reasons, it doesn't feel like "work" at all; rather, it's a rewarding and engaging way to spend your days.

Without reservation, I would highly encourage anyone to explore a position at Language Stars to see if it is the right fit for you. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be part of the team for four years and, although I am living in a different corner of the country now, I always look foward to updates about Language Stars' ongoing growth and success.

Cons – Because Language Stars has such high standards for its teachers (native or native-quality speakers of the target language with an incredibly high level of energy, talent, and experience), it was sometimes challenging to find substitute teachers when regular teachers were absent. However, it's been a while since I've worked at Language Stars, so they may have a great system in place by now!

Advice to Senior Management – Keep up the great work! There are many more families around the country that would love to benefit from your programs as your expansion continues!

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Language Stars full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – I recently moved on from Language Stars to pursue my passion of teaching. Over the last several months, how much I gained from my experience at Language Stars has clearly shown. I gained skills in team management, parent and child communication, computer skills (you will become an excel master) and confidence presenting to large groups. Language Stars has some of the hardest working and most talented people working there. Both teachers and managers are passionate, professional and truly care about helping children learn foreign languages. LS gave me the freedom to run my business my way, yet offered the support when needed. I spent 5 years with LS and took away skills in both management and education that I use every day in the classroom and with my colleagues. I found that I was most successful when I worked with parents and teachers to create a fun and comfortable atmosphere for children to learn and teachers to work in. I enjoyed every day I worked at Language Stars and would recommend joining the team if you are passionate about children, foreign languages, working with a global staff and/or growing a business.

Cons – The learning curve has been shortened due to the hard work and organization from operations. There is now a long intensive training program and tons of reference materials. That didn’t exist when I was there so it was sort of “sink or swim.” That being said, a manager wears many hats and you must have a wide range of skills in order to be successful. You must be a capable manager, sales person, educator, care giver, advocate, motivator and organizer all at the same time. This can be difficult and stressful, especially when you first begin. Once you get over the hump, you will be a better manager for it. Also, since it is a company trying to go nationwide, results and growth are the main focus. Obviously growth is important for any business to survive, but there isn’t always a clear path about what to do in order to achieve the growth. Language Stars is in need of new minds to generate new ideas to achieve growth.

Advice to Senior Management – Continue to give managers the opportunity to try new-out-of-the box growth ideas while investing in training for teachers to be able to run centers more actively.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Language Stars full-time for more than a year

Pros – At Language Stars, you are surrounded by people who are the "best of the best". I was continually inspired by everyone's talent, enthusiasm, and devotion to their roles. There are wonderful opportunities to learn from marketing events to educational training sessions. You are always challenged yet supported and you are given the respect and autonomy to implement your own ideas.

It is a truly unique experience that is overwhelmingly positive. Learn something new every day, gain personal and professional tools that you can use forever into the future, be a part of an engaging mission, and meet sincerely talented teachers from around the world.

Cons – Like anyone in the education industry can tell you, the work is tough. You have to consider yourself, your co-workers, the students, and their parents. This is a reality of any children's program which is why such devoted and talented people are necessary to make it work.

Advice to Senior Management – As a Center Director, I would have enjoyed more resources to encourage employee satisfaction. You can never be too attentive to that facet of the business.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Language Stars full-time

Pros – Language Stars is a smart concept run by passionate people. I loved the people I worked with and enjoyed many of the challenges the job presented. Because the company is relatively new, there are lots of ways all team members can get involved and help shape the future of the company (I mean that in terms of curriculum,marketing, building the reputation of the company). I have had children since leaving Language Stars and appreciate so much more in retrospect what a high-quality program this is. I knew it at the time, but now that I see first-hand what is out there for kids, I can say that there really is nothing else like this. I now understand why we had such a devoted following of parents and kids (my other favorite part of this job). I acquired a lot of valuable skills and am grateful that Language Stars invested in me.

Cons – The work can be extremely demanding, but it is also very rewarding. I saw firsthand adjustments made at the corporate level to address the workload issue--for example, the assistant center director position was created to support and help center directors. The company's top leaders are caring, compassionate, savvy people. They need time, like anyone else, to implement improvements, and from what I have seen, they have done precisely that. Some of the bitter people who have already commented here may not have that kind of perspective, for any number of reasons. Turnover is a challenge, but I think that it is probably normal that turnover is what it is--most of the staff are young people in their early twenties, who aren't necessarily settling into a career yet. When I was there (which was relatively early on), contingency plans weren't yet solidly in place (for sick teachers or center directors, emergencies, etc), so people regularly were asked to go above and beyond to fill in for people and to get new programs off the ground. The company president led the charge--countless times, she drove for an hour at a moment's notice to fill in and teach a class herself. That was part of the growing pains of a new company, and I know steps have been taken to put those plans in place. I decided to change career paths entirely, but if I hadn't done so, I would be happy to still be a part of this team. I have recommended friends to Language Stars.

Advice to Senior Management – Continue working to protect the work-life balance of people at all levels of the company.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Language Stars full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – I spent 4 years with LS. In the beginning, I will admit that I was taken aback at times by the overwhelming positivity mentioned in other reviews. However, I can say that it is not all fake. The CEO & founder and senior management is truly that positive - all the time. As I excelled within the company I was able to see first hand a dedication to a company mission that I have yet to see in another for-profit company. If you are looking to work for a for-profit company and you are passionate about working with children as well as a staff from around the world, it is a great place to work. The passion and positivity is what I have missed the most since leaving LS.

I loved working with such a dynamic group of teachers. Most teachers were truly gifted at what they did and it was a pleasure to work with them. As a Center Director, a key part of your job is to motivate your team of teachers and keep the communication lines open. The style of work in the US is often much different than in other countries, but I found that keeping that dialogue open and trying to stay solutions-oriented (a phrase I learned at LS and have taken with me to all my companies since) in all challenges you may face makes for the best outcomes.

I loved the professional development coach concept that they use in the HR system-- as a Director you serve as coach of a few teachers. I liked working as a mentor, serving as the bridge between my teachers and HR, helping them achieve their professional goals. It was not all glamorous since it is a two way street and sometimes less than favorable conversations needed to be had with my teachers.

The vacation policies were unique and I found them great. In a nutshell, if you work an extra day, half day or attend an evening meeting, you earn the equivalent amount of vacation time -- in addition to your base 15 days (I have not had that many vacations as a new employee at any company since).

In summary, if you want a career in management, entrepreneurship and love being busy and wearing many hats, its truly a great position and company. I learned more at LS than any other position I have held since.

Cons – The days can seem long at times, but that's not a foreign concept to many companies. The commutes can be long, but I personally chose to take the metra.

Advice to Senior Management – Keep up the positive attitude, but make sure to stay connected to your staff on the ground level.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Language Stars as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – I learned how to talk to the Americans using the "Oreo Cookie theory" (say something good, say something bad, and top it out with something good so parents leave happy, even if it's a lie)
Finally, I met wonderful hard working teachers.

Cons – Sadly, the negative outweighs the positive, and that's why I decided to leave the company.

This is a place where you learn to act, like if you were in the theater. The center directors constant harassment is disgusting. They demand constant "parent communication" to sell their programs, to actively participate in marketing events held mostly on weekends or late evenings, requiring teachers to overwork. Exhaustion and feeling "burned out" are common words used by teachers. Teachers are even called to substitute or teach school programs on their days off. If they don't do it, they are threatened to lose their visas.

One thing that also made me feel awkward, was that center directors like to listen to people's conversations behind the walls! Even if you noticed them, they would not care at all.

Finally, work ethics. This company does not care about anything else more than $$$ money. Don't be a fool if you think you'll be teaching for schools. It is not even endorsed by the state of Illinois. They sell the programs very well, but seriously, a student can be in the program for five years and still not be able to say anything else more than their name, age, and address.

If you really want to work in this place, you need to make sure you take a dose of either herbs or any other kind of stimulant to survive the hectic day, and wear your "happy face" mask to work.

Advice to Senior Management – None. When the real educated parents finally notice that their kids are not learning anything new, it will collapse.

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

I worked at Language Stars full-time

Pros – Language Stars is able to recruit the most amazing employees. My co-workers were some of the most interesting, fun, and hardest working people I have ever met. The company's goal ("The Mission" - their capitals, not mine) is to revolutionize foreign language learning for American children, which is a great cause. Furthermore, the language programs themselves are also great - a product that you can be proud to be part of. However...

Cons – The company has been around for over 10 years and still acts like it is a start-up. Management consistently cuts corners to increase revenue, often in ways that seem ethically and even legally suspect, and continually increases the demands on their employees, who are already stretched thin by their baseline work load. There is an incredibly high burn-out rate among employees - the average length of stay for Center Directors seems to be about a year. The teachers, who are the heart and soul of the programs, have it worse than Center Directors, but they are bound to Language Stars by their visas and so cannot resign unless they are willing to leave the country as well as the company. Contrary to what their job postings say, Language Stars does not offer competitive pay, especially for the teachers, many of whom barely make enough to live on, let alone compensate for the unreasonable demands of their jobs. Interestingly though, "exploitative" is not the number-one adjective that employees use to describe Language Stars: "fake" is. The company is notorious for using an excessively positive double-speak that obscures the meaning of whatever management needs to convey. Straight-talk, or even a communication that is less than effusive, is completely unheard of at Language Stars. This is a particularly good trick given that most of the employees are non-native speakers of English - it minimizes any opposition that management might face because people never know quite what is going on or what is being asked of them until it is a fait accompli. I have never seen so many good people so unhappy as I have at Language Stars.

Advice to Senior Management – It looks like your high-turnover strategy is starting to have a significantly negative impact on your business. You should switch your focus from break-neck expansion to creating a quality work environment for your employees. You'll be "amazed" at how much more you can get out of someone who thinks that you actually appreciate them. To clarify, appreciation is demonstrated through deeds, not words. It doesn't matter how many company-wide, congratulatory emails you send; if you continue to demand long hours for poor pay, and then ask people to "step up," you are not conveying appreciation. Furthermore, Language Stars is a for-profit company, not an NGO. We are not addressing a life or death crisis with our work. Accordingly, "The Mission" will only motivate your employees so far. I would highly recommend that you stop invoking it every time you launch a revenue-increasing initiative that demands even more out of your employees. Everyone is already on overdrive, and asking them to do more in the name of "The Mission" causes a lot of eye-rolling and resentment - especially considering how much money management is making out of the deal. Whether you are behaving out of hypocrisy or incompetence, your employees do not look kindly upon your actions.

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

I worked at Language Stars part-time for less than a year

Pros – Flexible schedule
Fair pay for part time
Great Marketing Director
Creative Freedom
Casual work environment
Understanding of new technology
Acceptance of new ides
Effective Communication

Cons – Lunch must be eaten at desk even during slow times
Not honest with their budget
Must smile all the time, to the point where it hurts sometimes

Advice to Senior Management – Keep growing your markets and don't be afraid to try new designs for promotions.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Language Stars

Pros – I love that I work with people from over 20 different countries to achieve our mission. Feedback sharing is strongly ecouraged, which allows for improvements of a process/system/form/etc. regularly and thus the opportunity to put your thumbprint on the business. Finally, I see results of my work each day and with positive results comes career opportunities.

Cons – The benefits outweigh the challenges by far, but there times where the days are long (which happens at every company) and many include constant interruptions which can make it difficult to complete focused work.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend