Thank you for your honesty. It is so annoying that there are people form the company harassing you in the comments. I went to a recruitment meeting for one of these and decided not to apply because I saw them using a couple manipulation tactics and it just didn't seem right. It seems like your video is the only honest view of this company.
My mom was at my house and called me saying two men were wandering around my neighborhood looking for a place to stay and was so creeped out. Like a week or so later they came back around selling and as helpful as it may be to eliminate the kid free houses, it's sketchy as hell to ask a stranger where all the children in the neighborhood live.
If you are someone researching SWA, on you tube, when you read the praise make sure you pay attention to a few things. This is NOT an internship. They are enlisting college kids to sell door to door, they aren't interning - they ARE the salesforce. 1. Notice how all all the positive testimonials talk in platitudes and not specifics. They usually parallel the sales brochure, with things like "It hard, but you are learning how hard work pays off" Not your day goes from 6am to 9pm, 6 days a week followed by mandatory Sunday meetings....and if you get out you think its not for you, you wind up OWING them money, stranded somewhere in the country you have to pay your way home from. 2. Know that the way the business is structured is that the more people you bring in the bigger your cut will becomes. SWA will call it a "dealer discount" or some spin that tries to divert attention to what it is, which is an MLM structure. They have a financial interest in putting out positive reviews and videos, regardless of what they tell you. That is how you get into management or become a "sales leader". 3. No legitimate internship has a possibility where an intern OWES money to the company for who they are supposed to be working FOR.. 4. No legitimate internship isolates kids in a cult like fashion like they do, bringing them far away from home and watching their every move. Your kid isnt going to see the USA - they are going to be dropped off in unmarked vans in neighborhoods they had know idea they were going to the day before and work 12 -14 hour days. They are going to owe money for their sales materials, their rent, their food that is taken from "down payments" from their earnings. This is not how INTERNSHIPS work. Isolation is the first tool of a cult and SWA operates by keeping these kids isolated. They will spin it as "keeping them focused" 5.No legitimate internship needs to SELL you on being an intern. 6.No legit internship requires you to sign a contract as "an independent dealer"...if you are an independent dealer you cant be an intern to yourself! Everything is spin to justify their operation. Yes, there are situations where this program is good for someone. Kids who might be at risk, could benefit from being watched 24/7 and hyper focused, but for the majority they will be emotionally and physically drained at the end of the summer, and then have to go right back to school.. isn't You want your kid to work for free, get food and housing and have something impressive to put on a resume...join the Peace Corps. This is not a business or life learning skill in the year 2021.
It wasn’t a business opportunity when I did it back in 1995 96. I wish I had noticed all the things you said. Completely true. They lie about being an internship to “sell the sizzle” as they teach their victims. But just enough make enough money to convince others to do it. They fix tye numbers by excluding those who don’t make it through the summer. That way they can give the ridiculous average incomes they do.
I love how every commenter in favour of SWA says that "they grew so much" or "understood that hard work may not pay off instantly". Literally the same exact words. Sounds pretty cultlike lol Oh, and you can learn these things while working a normal, non-predatory job
I did a summer last year! I definitely agree with you i spent way more money than i made, they dont cover your expenses and make you pay for gas driving across the county twice and throughout the entire summer, for housing and groceries and also every sunday meeting you have to pay $10 or $20 for an “org fee” if your org plans on doing fun activities, (my org only went to an alligator place which we still had to pay an extra $20 to get in. So the org fee was really for no reason. I definitely got a lot of personal growth out of the summer since i stayed the whole summer but it was definitely hard. You get better at sales the more you do it but having a positive attitude is a necessity. I had a lotttttt of people calling the cops on me because they thought i was child trafficking... literally had 6 cops and a sheriff pull up on me once. Also had a friend pass away towards the end of the summer and was expected to work the same day. It was shitty but there were some good things that came out of it.
thank you for this video. a representative approached me while I was alone walking on campus, and it was all just way too suspicious. I thought I was being sex trafficked for a second. She didn’t really have any proper explanation when describing these “work opportunities”, and she asked me a weird questions over the phone asking if “I’m a reliable person”, and her email was kinda off too. So I started doing my research and found this video / the website itself. Then I realized it may have been just a scam which alleviated my concerns.
I was there in the summer of 2014...7 years ago and this video brings back so many memories. It was kind of a good-bad experience for me. So many things that you mentioned I can relate to. The environment there is insane and very much cult like,there is no denying it. All the leaders have the same brainwashed thinking, where they convince you to change your attitude and everything is your own fault. The second you quit, you're left on your own and you are completely shunned, instantly. I think I want to do a story time type of video as well. I remember my last straw was, when I was asked to bring a tape recorder to record my every move, doing sales, etc. Everything...I think it was even illegal in that state. It's definitely possible to earn money, but the environment is horrible and you are monitored every single day. I would not reccomend doing this.
I just found this researching what it was. Thank you for the video. I had a southwest person knock on my door this morning waking me up. I didn't buy anything cause I never do without researching the company first. I thought it smelled like an mlm thank you for confirming it.
Hey Sarah. So glad I stumbled across this video. Thank you much for sharing your experience. Have you ever wondered why most of the comments here are from people who work for Southwestern Advantage? Isn't it a little weird how they give the same testimony? It's a little "cultish," isn't it? Isn't it weird how they blame you for "not giving it a shot," or "not trying hard enough." Girl, you were stranded in the middle of nowhere with no money, no place to sleep, and no way home. Yet somehow they are trying to convince you that it is "your" fault. I am so glad you made it home safe to your family. Southwestern Advantage has been banned from several universities across the country for unethical recruiting tactics and for disguising a multi-level marketing company as a "business internship" opportunity. I am so sorry you fell victim to this scam, but I appreciate your honesty.
@@Tribalyogafl Honestly, I don't know the first thing about what to do in this scenario. All I know is that Southwestern Advantage is not an internship. They are a multi-level marketing company posing as one. Do a couple google searches and look up some information on the company. There are several newspapers from other universities that have banned Southwester from campus. If your brother is still adamant on going, then make sure he has some form of communication he can contact you on in case he gets in trouble. Hell, even get him a burner phone if you have to.
Ever notice how all of the negative replies are from people who have either a) never done the program and don’t know what they’re talking about or b) did the program and chose not to put in the work to be successful?
If you look at the complaints on better business bureau, there are a lot of loopholes that consumers fall for as well... i hope people are aware of the company exploiting students. It looks nice on the surface, but after deeper dive, there's a lot of dirt from the seller to consumer.
Ofcourse people will be rude to you in most cases knocking door to door is a horrible job. nobody wants those scammers with overpriced rubbish. Please understand that there is normal jobs there people respect you and are greatfull but definetelly door to door is not an option. Please avoid that horrible scam
Thanks for making this video. My daughter has been talking to SWA and they can be convincing, but to an adult who has been around for a while there are red flags going up everywhere, especially the isolation they do, which is the main tool of a cult.. Not telling you where you are going next is purposeful. It's nice that you gave the bad and the good. Unfortunately, the lessons learned, there are easier paths to.
Participation is the program is a great idea, especially for students from Europe! I’ve already participated in it twice and even though it was definitely challenging, I’ve learnt a lot in such areas as self-awareness, discipline and confidence creating tones of memories! Great opportunity to see U.S. at the age of 20s
Thank you for this review! I was thinking about joining this company to hone my speaking skills but I feel like this isn’t a real internship that I should be exploring. I’m definitely not gonna do it anymore so thank you!
Thanks. I just had someone come to my door and I can barely afford the bills I have so I listened to most of his speal but then finally told him to not waste his time because I couldn't afford to buy anything. I was curious about the company and found this.he seemed so defeated after that:( I wish I would've just given him like $20 or a bottle of water or something to help him out cus I would hate doing what he is doing and he's riding his bike in 111 degree weather. Do you remember about what the cheapest book is ? Like for 6th graders?
I don't remember but honestly cash is always good! It's super draining out there for sure and they don't get a ton of the profit from the books. The books are good though
Thanks for your perspective Sarah. You were really honest and real! I sold books too! Our first summer was the same year. It was funny because my first 2 weeks I literally only had 3 customers lol. I lost about $200-$300 dollars. I was scared like you were. I pay for school myself so I definitely didn't know how I could make it. However, you did forget to mention that we are constantly coached that the first three weeks are for forming the habits of working the schedule, doing the demonstrations, and practicing having a good attitude. I was exactly like you for those first two weeks. But I worked really hard, believed the process would work, and I kept pushing. I trusted my manager and that it would all work out and it did. My third week I had 14 customers and $1000 in profit after doing my best and working really hard. I consistently put in the work. There were definitely moments where it sucked. But I practiced coaching myself through self-talk. I didn't believe it at first but I kept doing it and I eventually did. I finished all 12 weeks and delivered all of my books. I ended up being the #14 first year student in the company and went home with $14,000. I didn't give up and I kept pushing and believing in myself. Your video gives really good perspective on the experience of someone who doesn't finish the summer. I understand that it can be very negative to quit. But also I don't think it's an accurate representation of the experience. It's actually a VERY positive experience for people who push through no matter how tough it is and finish the summer. Obviously this is your video and it's completely up to you whether you do this or not but I think you should clarify in the title of your video that it is the "Southwestern Advantage - The Truth (from someone who quit after 3 weeks) and My Experience." P.s. I just finished my second summer and made $24,000. I personally recruited 5 students myself and they didn't quit and they all did average or above.
Same type of deal here. And I am from Bulgaria, so for us it is even harder going to adifferent continent to do something we hardly ever heard of here in BG. Just finished my second summer and there is nothing more fulfilling than knowing you did what you said you would do. P.S. It deffinitely works if you follow the system. I also made over 25,000$, as youMartine.
Thank you for your post. This morning at the coffee shop, had 3 young Scandinavian (?) women looking for housing. They didn't say free housing, simply less expensive than the local chain motel. Sarah K. do you believe that most all of the contractors you encountered are or were honest. While having contemplated having a bnb I haven't started that. And am somewhat nervous about opening the house to 3 traveling sales persons, male or female. Old and straight, not a predator, don't want to be the prey. That was a long soliloquy, and a fine job, lighting excepted. in your college classes might I suggest a public speaking course.( It's something I might tell my granddaughter). Best wishes. (no rudeness meant to any one.)
Yes, I believe most of the students are good, hardworking people just trying to make some money over the summer. My roommate and I both paid our host $20 a week but all we did was shower and sleep there, we got our own food and were gone all day. There were students from other countries working for the company so there's a good chance those women were legit. Thank you for your advice. I'm actually a very good public speaker, I just haven't had any experience talking to a tiny iPhone camera with no one behind it for an extended time. I definitely need more practice!
For anyone watching, do not work for this company. All the dislikes are from people who are trying to bring others into this company. If you notice, all the comments saying something like “your review is pessimistic” or “your review is unfair” all say something about how they made $24,000 and how hard work pays off. Those comments are all fake. They’re just trying to seem like it’s a crazy good job. The only thing you need to know about this company is that it’s a scam. Don’t do it.
They are an MLM, and they're banned from some reputable campuses across US and Europe because of their shady practices. Not from all sadly, they employ quite agressive marketing strategy here in Poland (and also in Estonia, so I heard at least).
KayBe Ik they totally are a pyramid scheme. But something about them bringing young people from Eastern Europe to sell books in the US tells me something else is going on as well. They’re at mine and my sister’s campus as well.
@@Koksu111 Yeah, I'm from Latvia, was almost caught on this bullshit as well. A big thanks to all of the people who give honest reviews and help out people who would otherwise almost be caught on their pitches.
we ty for this info I was really wondering about a young lady that came by my home the other day now I have a better understanding of what she is dealing with
Thanks for the Vid, thanks to the people commenting. George from Bulgaria came to my door today and we probably sat in my dining room for an hour, after reading thru the SWA website, the BBB complaints/responses, and having watch this video I can say I feel slightly bad for having been short with him towards the end when he made the "purchase pitch" I was reluctant because I asked for literature on the costs of the books, the price breakdown, the scheduling of the charges and he kept writing everything on a pad of paper and I'm thinking to myself, "that's not how I do business" [where's the fine print? You know, the stuff that makes this operation legal in America] it just seemed really sketchy at first. The books look amazing, I love the idea of them and the quality of the demo he had. It's just hard on both the seller and the potential customer. I will undoubtedly purchase some books, it's just hard to sink into that with such little info at first when I'm a solo full-time working dad of two little ones and no child-support to speak of. So when I see the price, and payment plan written on a sheet of paper I get very very very skeptical. Thanks again
Yes I definitely get how it can seem sketchy! I honestly really liked the books for the little kids (that's the only thing that sold for me too). If you can't afford it, I would honestly look on eBay because some people list there's on there. It probably won't be this years version but it'll be pretty similar. The guys probably been through the wringer though so if you catch him again cut him a little slack. :) Thanks for the comment!
@@sarahkatherine6075 your welcome. I'll definitely cut him some slack. I wasn't harsh with him, although I was a lil' perturbed when he kept insisting I pay pay pay ... what's the big deal? that sort of thing. It didn't end on a bad note, except that he left with nothing to show. Tbf it's the timing that's the problem. Out of his control. Looking on Ebay there's a few listed. I'm determined to get my daughter seriously ahead of the curve on a STEM career if she wants. She's only 6 but science doesn't age discriminate. She can already point out Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in the night sky.
@@millbills300 Oh good deal. Yeah during training they pretty much taught us to close the deal on the first time meeting them. That's awesome! Hope everything works out.
I know this is very old comment but I just want to say that SWA came to my college to recruit. I saw the red flags and gratefully turned it down especially after seeing the antMLM reddit where this girl was literally traumatized- I mean really, working over 80 hours a week where you are completely alone, malnourished and sleep deprived for 12 weeks...I get that you feel bad and it is not the salespersons fault per se; they just want job experience in this extremely competitive job market. However, there are SO many other FREE and low cost methods to educate your children. I am a woman in STEM and my dad was my biggest supporter, always pushing me in my academics. Khan academy is a great tool to use and free, I used it when I was younger and even used it for SAT Prep. My dad would take me to science & history museums and make activities for me to do there so I would learn. Most in my area were free. I went to the library all the time as a child, participated in various activities there, too. My point is, this is somewhat of a pyramid scheme and it is disgusting how they treat these kids...borderline abuse. I also read that they are taught specific sales techniques to get into your houses because it is more likely to get a sale that way which crazy. Many stories tell of employees feeling extremely guilty for pushing their products on people, especially in impoverished neighborhoods. While I feel bad, I would not give them my money. The entire company needs to go out of business. Anyway it is a long spiel but I am angry for the people that went through this and I have a bit of anger towards the recruiter telling me "this isn't for everyone, it shows how motivated you really are to quit" when I didn't follow through to a second interview. Keep your girl interested in the fun parts of science and thank you for supporting her. I can never thank my Dad enough for being my biggest supporter, especially in pursuing the male dominated field of computer science.
Sara thank you so much. Honestly I’m the same as you paying for everything by myself and I was thinking about doing this but it felt kinda off because they kept saying it’s “ exclusive “ . Thank you for this insight really helped.
Re: exclusive. Yes that is the same love bomb tactic cults use at first. While they are not a cult they employ the same tactics. I got a letter from a recruiter asking if I could confirm she had the right stuff, because they only except the best. ....bs the best is who will put up the security deposir.
Good testimony, I worked for SWBs 20 years ago ... I was an AWFUL book salesman. However, I applied the principles learned there in multiple fields since with magnificent success. I memorized parts of Og Mandino's Greatest Salesman In The World, I still use a breakfast HQ, and still follow the 13.5 hour work day schedule. DO NOT FEEL BAD FOR LEAVING, just find the field of work your passionate about and apply the same strategy ... which it sounds like you are. Know your sales talk, get your 30 demos a day and the sales will come ... no matter what field of work you find. And thank the Lord we don't have to go door to door anymore :))))))
Your reply is balanced, which is necessary in comments to stuff like this. She shouldn't feel bad for deciding to leave a situation that didn't feel correct for her. A specialty products trading floor I worked with eight years ago had a negative experience with salespeople who had worked with this Southwestern direct sales company earlier in their lives. Basically, these few individuals had scorched certain key geographic niche markets by "hitting" potential customers without due diligence, some of whom wouldn't have been considered appropriate users of company products anyway. If the salespeople had cared about their market they would have taken more time to understand who should and would buy the products. This group of salespeople weren't strategic thinkers, but just trying to apply statistical averages to enhance their sales performance. It damaged the company's reputation as well as some of its value chain partners who relied on our company for their leads. Lots of injury to top line that year or couple of years in those markets and the entire segment. The salespeople were branded the "hotcakes crew" and fired. The company HR department concluded that the common denominator all of them shared was this Southwestern company. HR also noticed their academic performances during university weren't very high anyway and that they had lopsided concentration of post-university sales experience in high-volume sales, not technical products. The new policy in that company from then onward is no Southwestern company experience wanted. It's probably a good company for people who want to sell specialty soaps and beach condos to retired people, but not engineering products. Strategic thinking clearly must take precedence over cult sales atmosphere and verbal gimmickry.
What I would like to know is why did I pay $1,283 for six books and a box full of college preparatory materials What I could have just going on eBay or multiple other sites and gotten it literally for half that price like new? Now here's the thing... There's nothing I won't do for my kids... But when I found out it was $1,283 My damn job almost dropped. I like the books they're a good solid quality the information is wonderful but the price tag is not. So for anybody reading these comments... The supplements.. The books... They are amazing. But go on eBay or go on Amazon and you can find the books and damn near new condition literally for half the price.
Oh, wow, I feel terrible for you. We had a car pull up earlier this summer with a young lady and a young man driving. The young lady was trying to sell my husband books and he wasn’t interested, but he wasn’t rude. In this day and age, people asking if you have kids does look sketchy. On the other hand, the company gave you no choice but to work this way. It would be better to set up a booth at places like county fairs or in front of stores like Target, Cub Foods, Walmart etc. when people come to YOU, you know they really want it and it’s less creepy. They did give you a safer way to find housing by having you ask if people knew of someone who is a missionary or ever had exchange students. It’s still asking a lot of you and making you impose yourself on people, then again it’s people who’d be more likely to extend you a helping hand. You’ve been put into such an awkward position and I wonder how many others ended up in some really bad situations. Thank God, you found a sweet lady with a good heart to let you stay with her. The next time I see a Southwestern Advantage salesperson, I am going to feel a bit sad inside, knowing what they are dealing with.
Zephirine Drouhin dont! I just finished my first year with southwestern advantage. We do it for the challenge because doing difficult things makes you a better person! I loved the challenges I faced and grew so much from the experience! No need to feel bad, those kids knocking on your door are all going to be very successful one day because they are willing to do the uncomfortable things that others won’t!
There's no way that the SWA approach will work being passive, they train you to be aggressive and you have to be in ANY entrepreneur work. I did it for 1 summer and I was done, it wasn't for me. But I took the skills/methods with me in other fields, and it is the sure best way to success. Don't change it, if you don't like it - just move on to something else you want to do. That's how you make it worth it.
Did this twice, coming from Slovakia. Things she is talking about also depend on the Organisational leader so I can't talk for 100% people in the program. For us, housing was secured for like 70% of us in our org. Rest got 2 weeks in hotel half paid to find something meanwhile. In those cases, they are paired up with an experienced person, doing summer not the very first time. During the summer I changed my host family because I was to work in different area so I found in couple of days. Org leader is most probably from the same country as you are and he gets you ready for the summer. Before the summer we already got tickets back home as well, we were informed that we can quit anytime and even start different job and some of us did. We promise team members not to quit, but that is more of a motivational thingy than an "agreement". Came back again and haven't had regrets so far. It is hard but worth it.
I am from Czech, went with them 10 years ago. We had living secured, so that was nice. Our team leader was absent for first couple of weeks which are pretty crucial, since you are pretty weak and need a lot of support. So all of us who were there as first years in same accomodation without team leader crumbled and left. I am pretty sure thing could be much different without absent team leader. Still shitty of them giving us no support whatsoever. And don't even start on support from them when you leave - all people who left were harrased verbally pretty harshly from team and organisational leaders.
Great internship experience! I’m aiming to return for a second summer. It’s been instrumental in developing key skills for my future career. Not suitable for those lacking motivation or ambition. My mentors and managers did an exceptional job preparing me for the summer, which led to excellent results.
As a customer, dont do it. I'm being charged for their broken apps monthly, many other customers cant get out of the app subscription without closing your card.
Hey Sarah! Thanks so much for sharing your perspective. It was my first summer last year, too. It's definitely true that every single person has a very unique experience. It was the hardest and most challenging thing I've ever done, but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. I grew so much and pushed myself even when I wanted to quit. I learned a lot about perseverance and that hard work may not always pay off immediately, but it always pays off eventually. Similarly to you, I have had bad anxiety my entire life, and that environment can definitely amplify that if you're not in the best mental head space. But it taught me to focus only on the things I can control, and let go of the rest. That mentality has helped my anxiety immensely now that I'm back at school. What I love the most about Southwestern is that their sole mission is to help us college kids develop the skills and character that we need to reach and achieve our goals in life, no matter what those goals are. Wishing you the best of luck :)
If you don’t mind helping me with answering some questions since I have been debating going. I just needed a sincere and straight forward insight on what the program is and how it works..
It would be an over simplification to say all one way or another Southwestern is or isn't a "scam". I personally feel that I benefited a great deal from the summer I spent going door to door, in the sense that it was a great coming of age experience. You learn a lot about yourself going door to door: your insecurities, shortcomings, and you'll also develop improved confidence in dealing with people. As an early 20 something, you'll also get a taste of what it's like to live independently. It also gives you a lot of great stories, and teaches you important business management and organizational skills which benefited me tremendously in future interviews. That being said, yes, from my perspective, Southwestern is definitely a cult. They do a lot of weird ritual like things: weird dances, freezing cold showers every morning etc. Furthermore there were a lot of people still going door to door into their mid 20's who would have definitely been better off getting a real job, but who had more or less bought into continuing with Southwestern Advantage under the guise of developing invaluable life skills that would guarantee their future financial success. Perhaps it's the case that everyone who sticks with Southwestern for 3+ years really does become rich, but i'm hard pressed to believe they wouldn't be better off doing something else. If I were to give advice to someone considering joining who was say 19-20 years old, I would say yes, definitely do it, but don't do it for more than one summer and be really careful dealing with your sales managers as they are incredibly persuasive people.
Hey Abe! I don't believe I called it a scam. It's a legitimate company with real products. That's awesome! For me personally, I have already lived a rough life so I didn't need the extra hardship to bring me to reality so to speak. I think that it could be a good experience for someone who doesn't have to worry about money and has a good support system. The little ritual things didn't bother me so much, I just hate how they try to guilt people and make them feel like a failure for quitting. In reality the people that quit have just as good a chance as any for doing well in life, they just used some common sense. Thank you for your perspective! I think it really just depends on the person for sure but I would say most people shouldn't do it. At my school at least, they were targeting students that were not in good financial situations and desperate for money. Those types of students should definitely go about getting their money in a more guaranteed way.
Hey Sarah, sorry for the confusion. That comment was in no way meant to say you specifically were calling it a scam. I was more so putting that out there for other people viewing and commenting on the video.
I am coming from the mom perspective. I spent the $650. Oh you’re only getting the low grade silver pack? The fck outta here! I wouldn’t let him in bc I found it so weird. We talked on the porch. I of course did some research afterward and found that it is legit apparently, but so is Amway, True Romance, etc. etc. They sure do show their “income disclosure statements” on their website, and people can make 6 figures all in one summer…. Id like to crunch the real data on that!! Everyone would be doing it if you could bring in $128,000 for 71 days of work. No more drug Lords, no more bank robberies, we all just need to work for this company for 3 months Hallelujah! BTW… they sent my books, just to a town an hour away and they were returned to sender.
Thank you! I just felt like there wasn't anything like this when I was trying to decide if I should do it so I wanted to warn the people that were thinking about it. Yeah it was really uncomfortable haha
Sarah Spradlin weird. I just interviewed with them and they called me back for a second interview but I decided to cancel it. Just seemed like they were desperate for anyone because nobody wants to do this. Also crazy how you stayed 3 weeks and basically your entire team had gone home by then. Wow. Anyways glad you made it out alive lol
I’m interviewing for the program right now and they told me that the group leaders find the housing for you. Never mentioned that you look for housing yourself. Definitely turns me away from this program
How fun! Thanks for sharing. We actually started the same year with you! The truth is that it's a great challenge what we are doing out there, and we are constantly told that its gonna be extremely hard during the preparation process. And the purpose of going through all the hard situations throughout the summer is for you to grow, get all the problem-solving skills, become stronger and more confident. I finished my second summer, looking forward to having my third! I earned tens thousands of dollars this summer (pretty good for a European student during the summer break), whereas my first three weeks my first summer were completely miserable. Hard work, positive attitude and belief pay off :)
Also your comment is extremely condescending. I’ve heard horror stories about this company. Just because brainwashed people like you believe you’ve succeeded, doesn’t erase the emotional and psychological turmoil this company has put people through. You are just further hurting unsuspecting people. You don’t even care. Fuck you.
Hi Sarah, do you remember me? I was definitely "leader bit by the dog" haha. I hope you're doing well. I remember working with you that summer, I still have the customer picture of when you followed me and that was a crazy fun day. I appreciate that you have shared your perspective and experience and that you learned something! As you know, there's definitely a purpose behind why we do EVERYTHING that we do. This is a 160 year old system and you're not required to do any of it. Nothing is mandatory. It's just a proven-to-work system and the promises we make to our leaders are the ones we want them to help us keep. This helps us stick it out until the end. I'm glad you're doing well and made the right decision for you. That was the toughest summer for me, personally, Sarah. I have sold 3 years now, and would not change anything about my experience. I have a deep purpose for working through Southwestern and that is why I do this job. Good luck, Sarah!
@@crystallotus7149 Thanks for sharing this opinion. It's for the individual to decide if what you do is 'cult-ish' or not in this business. I guess you have to actually have experience being in a 'cult' to make an accurate assumption about it. I wouldn't know what that's like.
You're welcome! I felt like there wasn't much info on it back when I did it so it was hard to decide what was real and what was BS. Happy to help! Good luck whatever you decide :)
Worked for them in another lifetime , way long ago . Was not successful. As I look through the past it is darkly . I am suspicious of them but I am not going to mount anything against them . Like anything in our Society it has a caveat . Do they still do this door to door stuff ? My opinion of that is whether it is religion or sales or whatever , don’t be cold call knocking on people’s door in the 21 Century
right after I reached 14:10 I immediately stopped watching. Anyone who quits has no type of accurate perspective of the program and can offer nothing but an unsuccessful persons point of view. It’s not designed for quitters. Simple. And the same thing goes for anyone who has NEVER even done the program.. how can you feel accurate speaking on a program you’ve never done before? Because you read it on the internet? because your friends told you about it? Because your parents told you so? All that says is that you 100% wouldn’t be someone we would even want to work with😂
I did it for one summer and am glad I did even though I didn't make much money. More than anything it was a good precursor to the reality of the work force and life after college, like 'if I can do this I can do anything' at least from a work effort standpoint. I do think my sales leader played a part in setting proper expectations and I was lucky I had strong support both emotionally and financially from my family which I know many do not. Definitely do your research before joining
The “reality of the work force” is that you get paid for your hard work. This whole “it teaches you life experience” is absolute bullcrap. If this company does anything, it brainwashes people into thinking they should work their asses off for little to no compensation.
@@foximoxi8533 If you work for someone than you should expect to get paid while working for that company. If you work for yourself then the reality is a lot of your work will be unpaid but there's a level of control that you don't get with regular employment and the upside is usually higher. If you're someone that's willing to chase that control you've got to deal with a higher level of uncertainty, uncomfort and risk, and SW has all of that. Not for everyone (and maybe that's where the disconnect comes in, bad expectations from leaders) but valuable for the right person imo.
Hmm. You are not really right. It’s a really good internship for students!!!!! I did one summer in the US and one in Canada. And my cousin did one too. So, I know what I’m talking about. And most of the people in the comments are just talking nonsense, and at the same time, they didn’t participate and didn’t sell books with SW. That’s a good program! I’ve learned a lot. Yes, it’s challenging! But that’s how we learn, isn’t it?
Estonian rep here, going for a second summer, best thing that I've done. It's meant to be challenging and the payout is high BUT it's not a get rich quick scheme, because you actually have to put tons of effort into it
This is extremely pecimistic. I’m currently working for Southwestern Advantage and I can honestly say the job is what you make it to be. It is a great way to prepare college students to be successful and learn the value of hard work. Post note: The company will find you a host home. However they sometimes ask you to help, and if they can’t find one they will personally pay for your hotel or motel fees.
Everyone has different experiences. I just spoke about mine and my experience happened to also reflect the majority of my groups experiences. There was only one host home found by the company going into the summer for my group of 20+ students and the home that was predetermined was not a great environment to my understanding. I'm happy that you are enjoying your summer. Good luck, I wish you the best!
Millie Yinaski Have you worked with this company? If not, your opinion in this matter has very little to no validity. If you want to share your opinion, that is fine. You have the right to do that. However, do realize, sharing false accusations shreds light on the character of the person who spreads them. Elijah is a fine speller but also has every right to spell things wrong every once in a while like others have the right to share false information. To each their own.
As someone who FINISHED 4 summers, I feel this is a very uneducated review of the internship. What it really comes down to is that you were expecting to make the average of $8,000 and it not be one of the most challenging things you have done in your young life thus far. Therefore you decided you couldn't stick it out for the full 12 week program which leads to you actually being the last person people should take advice from because you have zero idea what it takes for a student to be successful. No one who does the work to make the money feels it was a waste of time. Seeing as you are someone who did not finish this could be equated to a student in college blaming their failing GPA on the university, prof., Etc... and not taking ownership.
zero idea? At least she got out there and attempted. I'm not one for "participation trophies" either, but Sarah is great for having the guts to go out there. and she has every right to her opinion. I did this for 1 summer and I had much of the same experience. I learned it wasn't for me and went on to do many other things. I'm happy for all the book salesman on here boasting of their successes, but I also noticed 20 years later, that the people in high school, college, and SWA who you'd think are "MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED" and go on to do something extraordinary... don't. They seemed to be car salesman, insurance salesman, real-estate people and family people. Which is all good in itself ... but watch out the ones who have tried and failed and yet keep getting back up. As the years pass, THEY seem to get on National TV, create revolutionary ideas, and shape the culture. I hope you FINISH your fifth summer and take all your ownership. Sarah, take what you've learned and move on, you'll do GREAT when you find where you fit! (because you are great)
@@cfradiofilm Aww thank you Michael, that is very kind of you. I agree with you, everything is a learning experience, and we are destined for much greater things. :)
@@sarahkatherine6075 Sarah don't let these stooges make you feel down. The company is set up for certain people to succeed and they keep using those same 3 success stories everytime. Good on you for moving on probably for the better!
When people fail a class, who do they blame? The teacher When people quit a sports team, who do they blame? The coach When people (like Sarah) quit, who do they blame? The company Sarah, we’ve met. I was on OSUs campus when you were recruited. You were made WELL aware of how challenging the program was. There were no surprises. Your success in the program is on YOU and you know that. It makes me sad that you had this experience and view backing out on your commitments in this way. I wouldn’t wish this type of mindset on anyone. All that said, most of this info is true and was all told to you BEFORE you COMMITTED to the program. You also quit week 3 (not half way through) I made 17k my first summer (paid my entire way though school as well) and wasn’t in the positive till the middle of the summer - we are all prepared for that before going out.
Hey Amber, thanks for your comment! I do remember you! I'm glad to see that you are just as chipper as ever. I thought it might be helpful for other people to hear an unbiased perspective of the company that I was not given, since many of the people on the list I was given to call as references were people that are SWA "leaders" themselves. I'm glad you have been so successful with it, that's great! Unfortunately a lot of people aren't, so it's just good to hear from all sides. Hope all is well. :)
@@benwigmore4745 Mmm, I have empathy for you, Ben. For chosing to speak in comments spreading hate and anger on a video about a summer job. You don't deserve this from yourself, and my friend Amberlee doesn't either.
wow it's crazy how deranged some of these leaders are. I remember when i was recruited at Texas State University and they didn't tell us all the details. They said the company would cover housing etc. They later told us on our way that they will cover housing for sales week in nashville and we had to find our own. It's so dishonest. I'm glad you left Sarah Katherine. Don't let "leaders" like Amberlee who are nothing more that corporate stooges at this point make you believe you failed on your own. She was probably a priviledged brat whose parents were able to lend her money for this "adventure." Some of us have things to pay.
Thank you for your honesty. It is so annoying that there are people form the company harassing you in the comments. I went to a recruitment meeting for one of these and decided not to apply because I saw them using a couple manipulation tactics and it just didn't seem right. It seems like your video is the only honest view of this company.
!!!!!!!
My mom was at my house and called me saying two men were wandering around my neighborhood looking for a place to stay and was so creeped out. Like a week or so later they came back around selling and as helpful as it may be to eliminate the kid free houses, it's sketchy as hell to ask a stranger where all the children in the neighborhood live.
If you are someone researching SWA, on you tube, when you read the praise make sure you pay attention to a few things.
This is NOT an internship. They are enlisting college kids to sell door to door, they aren't interning - they ARE the salesforce.
1. Notice how all all the positive testimonials talk in platitudes and not specifics. They usually parallel the sales brochure, with things like "It hard, but you are learning how hard work pays off" Not your day goes from 6am to 9pm, 6 days a week followed by mandatory Sunday meetings....and if you get out you think its not for you, you wind up OWING them money, stranded somewhere in the country you have to pay your way home from.
2. Know that the way the business is structured is that the more people you bring in the bigger your cut will becomes. SWA will call it a "dealer discount" or some spin that tries to divert attention to what it is, which is an MLM structure. They have a financial interest in putting out positive reviews and videos, regardless of what they tell you. That
is how you get into management or become a "sales leader".
3. No legitimate internship has a possibility where an intern OWES money to the company for who they are supposed to be working FOR..
4. No legitimate internship isolates kids in a cult like fashion like they do, bringing them far away from home and watching their every move.
Your kid isnt going to see the USA - they are going to be dropped off in unmarked vans in neighborhoods they had know idea they were going to the day before and work 12 -14 hour days. They are going to owe money for their sales materials, their rent, their food that is taken from "down payments" from their earnings. This is not how INTERNSHIPS work.
Isolation is the first tool of a cult and SWA operates by keeping these kids isolated. They will spin it as "keeping them focused"
5.No legitimate internship needs to SELL you on being an intern.
6.No legit internship requires you to sign a contract as "an independent dealer"...if you are an independent dealer you cant be an intern to yourself! Everything is spin to justify their operation.
Yes, there are situations where this program is good for someone. Kids who might be at risk, could benefit from being watched 24/7 and hyper focused, but for the majority they will be emotionally and physically drained at the end of the summer, and then have to go right back to school..
isn't
You want your kid to work for free, get food and housing and have something impressive to put on a resume...join the Peace Corps. This is not a business or life learning skill in the year 2021.
You are very smart! This is exactly how I understand this f’ed up program to be. Thank you!
It wasn’t a business opportunity when I did it back in 1995 96. I wish I had noticed all the things you said. Completely true. They lie about being an internship to “sell the sizzle” as they teach their victims. But just enough make enough money to convince others to do it. They fix tye numbers by excluding those who don’t make it through the summer. That way they can give the ridiculous average incomes they do.
!!!!!!!!!!
I love how every commenter in favour of SWA says that "they grew so much" or "understood that hard work may not pay off instantly". Literally the same exact words. Sounds pretty cultlike lol
Oh, and you can learn these things while working a normal, non-predatory job
!!!!!
I did a summer last year! I definitely agree with you i spent way more money than i made, they dont cover your expenses and make you pay for gas driving across the county twice and throughout the entire summer, for housing and groceries and also every sunday meeting you have to pay $10 or $20 for an “org fee” if your org plans on doing fun activities, (my org only went to an alligator place which we still had to pay an extra $20 to get in. So the org fee was really for no reason. I definitely got a lot of personal growth out of the summer since i stayed the whole summer but it was definitely hard. You get better at sales the more you do it but having a positive attitude is a necessity. I had a lotttttt of people calling the cops on me because they thought i was child trafficking... literally had 6 cops and a sheriff pull up on me once. Also had a friend pass away towards the end of the summer and was expected to work the same day. It was shitty but there were some good things that came out of it.
thank you for this video. a representative approached me while I was alone walking on campus, and it was all just way too suspicious. I thought I was being sex trafficked for a second. She didn’t really have any proper explanation when describing these “work opportunities”, and she asked me a weird questions over the phone asking if “I’m a reliable person”, and her email was kinda off too. So I started doing my research and found this video / the website itself. Then I realized it may have been just a scam which alleviated my concerns.
Sounds like the job doesn’t really give a crap about your safety. At all. That’s a huge red flag.
There have been women who were sexually assaulted and even r*ped on the job but the company hasn’t done anything about it.
I was there in the summer of 2014...7 years ago and this video brings back so many memories. It was kind of a good-bad experience for me. So many things that you mentioned I can relate to. The environment there is insane and very much cult like,there is no denying it. All the leaders have the same brainwashed thinking, where they convince you to change your attitude and everything is your own fault. The second you quit, you're left on your own and you are completely shunned, instantly. I think I want to do a story time type of video as well. I remember my last straw was, when I was asked to bring a tape recorder to record my every move, doing sales, etc. Everything...I think it was even illegal in that state.
It's definitely possible to earn money, but the environment is horrible and you are monitored every single day. I would not reccomend doing this.
I just found this researching what it was. Thank you for the video. I had a southwest person knock on my door this morning waking me up. I didn't buy anything cause I never do without researching the company first. I thought it smelled like an mlm thank you for confirming it.
Hey Sarah. So glad I stumbled across this video. Thank you much for sharing your experience. Have you ever wondered why most of the comments here are from people who work for Southwestern Advantage? Isn't it a little weird how they give the same testimony? It's a little "cultish," isn't it? Isn't it weird how they blame you for "not giving it a shot," or "not trying hard enough." Girl, you were stranded in the middle of nowhere with no money, no place to sleep, and no way home. Yet somehow they are trying to convince you that it is "your" fault. I am so glad you made it home safe to your family. Southwestern Advantage has been banned from several universities across the country for unethical recruiting tactics and for disguising a multi-level marketing company as a "business internship" opportunity. I am so sorry you fell victim to this scam, but I appreciate your honesty.
riley swain , my brother is currently training with them for the summer and I am worried about it. Something about it doesn’t sound right.
@@Tribalyogafl Honestly, I don't know the first thing about what to do in this scenario. All I know is that Southwestern Advantage is not an internship. They are a multi-level marketing company posing as one. Do a couple google searches and look up some information on the company. There are several newspapers from other universities that have banned Southwester from campus. If your brother is still adamant on going, then make sure he has some form of communication he can contact you on in case he gets in trouble. Hell, even get him a burner phone if you have to.
Ever notice how all of the negative replies are from people who have either a) never done the program and don’t know what they’re talking about or b) did the program and chose not to put in the work to be successful?
If you look at the complaints on better business bureau, there are a lot of loopholes that consumers fall for as well... i hope people are aware of the company exploiting students. It looks nice on the surface, but after deeper dive, there's a lot of dirt from the seller to consumer.
Ofcourse people will be rude to you in most cases knocking door to door is a horrible job. nobody wants those scammers with overpriced rubbish. Please understand that there is normal jobs there people respect you and are greatfull but definetelly door to door is not an option. Please avoid that horrible scam
Thanks for making this video. My daughter has been talking to SWA and they can be convincing, but to an adult who has been around for a while there are red flags going up everywhere, especially the isolation they do, which is the main tool of a cult.. Not telling you where you are going next is purposeful.
It's nice that you gave the bad and the good. Unfortunately, the lessons learned, there are easier paths to.
Participation is the program is a great idea, especially for students from Europe! I’ve already participated in it twice and even though it was definitely challenging, I’ve learnt a lot in such areas as self-awareness, discipline and confidence creating tones of memories! Great opportunity to see U.S. at the age of 20s
Thank you for this review! I was thinking about joining this company to hone my speaking skills but I feel like this isn’t a real internship that I should be exploring. I’m definitely not gonna do it anymore so thank you!
Thanks a lot Sarah ... You were extremely very clear in how you explained everything.. lovely personality.. wish you all the success in life..
Thanks. I just had someone come to my door and I can barely afford the bills I have so I listened to most of his speal but then finally told him to not waste his time because I couldn't afford to buy anything. I was curious about the company and found this.he seemed so defeated after that:( I wish I would've just given him like $20 or a bottle of water or something to help him out cus I would hate doing what he is doing and he's riding his bike in 111 degree weather. Do you remember about what the cheapest book is ? Like for 6th graders?
I don't remember but honestly cash is always good! It's super draining out there for sure and they don't get a ton of the profit from the books. The books are good though
Set of 6 books is $1000😂 no joke
I did it back in 2005. I feel like I knew I was going to California in the summer early on but the exact area did change.
Thanks for your perspective Sarah. You were really honest and real! I sold books too! Our first summer was the same year. It was funny because my first 2 weeks I literally only had 3 customers lol. I lost about $200-$300 dollars. I was scared like you were. I pay for school myself so I definitely didn't know how I could make it. However, you did forget to mention that we are constantly coached that the first three weeks are for forming the habits of working the schedule, doing the demonstrations, and practicing having a good attitude. I was exactly like you for those first two weeks. But I worked really hard, believed the process would work, and I kept pushing. I trusted my manager and that it would all work out and it did. My third week I had 14 customers and $1000 in profit after doing my best and working really hard. I consistently put in the work. There were definitely moments where it sucked. But I practiced coaching myself through self-talk. I didn't believe it at first but I kept doing it and I eventually did. I finished all 12 weeks and delivered all of my books. I ended up being the #14 first year student in the company and went home with $14,000. I didn't give up and I kept pushing and believing in myself. Your video gives really good perspective on the experience of someone who doesn't finish the summer. I understand that it can be very negative to quit. But also I don't think it's an accurate representation of the experience. It's actually a VERY positive experience for people who push through no matter how tough it is and finish the summer. Obviously this is your video and it's completely up to you whether you do this or not but I think you should clarify in the title of your video that it is the "Southwestern Advantage - The Truth (from someone who quit after 3 weeks) and My Experience."
P.s.
I just finished my second summer and made $24,000. I personally recruited 5 students myself and they didn't quit and they all did average or above.
I'm glad it worked out for you! Congrats!
Same type of deal here. And I am from Bulgaria, so for us it is even harder going to adifferent continent to do something we hardly ever heard of here in BG.
Just finished my second summer and there is nothing more fulfilling than knowing you did what you said you would do.
P.S. It deffinitely works if you follow the system. I also made over 25,000$, as youMartine.
Agree Martine, see you on sizzler? lol
@@kyleevaldson5500 ahah see you in Cancun my friend
Is it just me or it looks very creepy here
Thank you for your post. This morning at the coffee shop, had 3 young Scandinavian (?) women looking for housing. They didn't say free housing, simply less expensive than the local chain motel. Sarah K. do you believe that most all of the contractors you encountered are or were honest. While having contemplated having a bnb I haven't started that. And am somewhat nervous about opening the house to 3 traveling sales persons, male or female. Old and straight, not a predator, don't want to be the prey. That was a long soliloquy, and a fine job, lighting excepted. in your college classes might I suggest a public speaking course.( It's something I might tell my granddaughter). Best wishes. (no rudeness meant to any one.)
Yes, I believe most of the students are good, hardworking people just trying to make some money over the summer. My roommate and I both paid our host $20 a week but all we did was shower and sleep there, we got our own food and were gone all day. There were students from other countries working for the company so there's a good chance those women were legit. Thank you for your advice. I'm actually a very good public speaker, I just haven't had any experience talking to a tiny iPhone camera with no one behind it for an extended time. I definitely need more practice!
My husband bought the books for my daughter, she looooovvvvesssss them!
The books are great :)
For anyone watching, do not work for this company. All the dislikes are from people who are trying to bring others into this company.
If you notice, all the comments saying something like “your review is pessimistic” or “your review is unfair” all say something about how they made $24,000 and how hard work pays off. Those comments are all fake. They’re just trying to seem like it’s a crazy good job. The only thing you need to know about this company is that it’s a scam. Don’t do it.
Jason Smith I agree. There’s something creepy about this company.
They are an MLM, and they're banned from some reputable campuses across US and Europe because of their shady practices. Not from all sadly, they employ quite agressive marketing strategy here in Poland (and also in Estonia, so I heard at least).
KayBe Ik they totally are a pyramid scheme. But something about them bringing young people from Eastern Europe to sell books in the US tells me something else is going on as well. They’re at mine and my sister’s campus as well.
@@Koksu111 Yeah, I'm from Latvia, was almost caught on this bullshit as well. A big thanks to all of the people who give honest reviews and help out people who would otherwise almost be caught on their pitches.
Thank you for this. Just got out of my first summer
we ty for this info I was really wondering about a young lady that came by my home the other day now I have a better understanding of what she is dealing with
Thanks for the Vid, thanks to the people commenting.
George from Bulgaria came to my door today and we probably sat in my dining room for an hour, after reading thru the SWA website, the BBB complaints/responses, and having watch this video I can say I feel slightly bad for having been short with him towards the end when he made the "purchase pitch" I was reluctant because I asked for literature on the costs of the books, the price breakdown, the scheduling of the charges and he kept writing everything on a pad of paper and I'm thinking to myself, "that's not how I do business" [where's the fine print? You know, the stuff that makes this operation legal in America] it just seemed really sketchy at first. The books look amazing, I love the idea of them and the quality of the demo he had. It's just hard on both the seller and the potential customer. I will undoubtedly purchase some books, it's just hard to sink into that with such little info at first when I'm a solo full-time working dad of two little ones and no child-support to speak of. So when I see the price, and payment plan written on a sheet of paper I get very very very skeptical.
Thanks again
Yes I definitely get how it can seem sketchy! I honestly really liked the books for the little kids (that's the only thing that sold for me too). If you can't afford it, I would honestly look on eBay because some people list there's on there. It probably won't be this years version but it'll be pretty similar. The guys probably been through the wringer though so if you catch him again cut him a little slack. :) Thanks for the comment!
@@sarahkatherine6075 your welcome. I'll definitely cut him some slack. I wasn't harsh with him, although I was a lil' perturbed when he kept insisting I pay pay pay ... what's the big deal? that sort of thing. It didn't end on a bad note, except that he left with nothing to show. Tbf it's the timing that's the problem. Out of his control.
Looking on Ebay there's a few listed. I'm determined to get my daughter seriously ahead of the curve on a STEM career if she wants. She's only 6 but science doesn't age discriminate. She can already point out Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in the night sky.
@@millbills300 Oh good deal. Yeah during training they pretty much taught us to close the deal on the first time meeting them. That's awesome! Hope everything works out.
@@sarahkatherine6075 statistics, churn and burn. Best opportunities to sell are that first visit. It makes sense. Thanks, same to you as well
I know this is very old comment but I just want to say that SWA came to my college to recruit. I saw the red flags and gratefully turned it down especially after seeing the antMLM reddit where this girl was literally traumatized- I mean really, working over 80 hours a week where you are completely alone, malnourished and sleep deprived for 12 weeks...I get that you feel bad and it is not the salespersons fault per se; they just want job experience in this extremely competitive job market. However, there are SO many other FREE and low cost methods to educate your children.
I am a woman in STEM and my dad was my biggest supporter, always pushing me in my academics. Khan academy is a great tool to use and free, I used it when I was younger and even used it for SAT Prep. My dad would take me to science & history museums and make activities for me to do there so I would learn. Most in my area were free. I went to the library all the time as a child, participated in various activities there, too.
My point is, this is somewhat of a pyramid scheme and it is disgusting how they treat these kids...borderline abuse. I also read that they are taught specific sales techniques to get into your houses because it is more likely to get a sale that way which crazy. Many stories tell of employees feeling extremely guilty for pushing their products on people, especially in impoverished neighborhoods. While I feel bad, I would not give them my money. The entire company needs to go out of business.
Anyway it is a long spiel but I am angry for the people that went through this and I have a bit of anger towards the recruiter telling me "this isn't for everyone, it shows how motivated you really are to quit" when I didn't follow through to a second interview. Keep your girl interested in the fun parts of science and thank you for supporting her. I can never thank my Dad enough for being my biggest supporter, especially in pursuing the male dominated field of computer science.
Dang, you opened my eyes a bit. Thanks for the vid
Sara thank you so much. Honestly I’m the same as you paying for everything by myself and I was thinking about doing this but it felt kinda off because they kept saying it’s “ exclusive “ . Thank you for this insight really helped.
Re: exclusive. Yes that is the same love bomb tactic cults use at first. While they are not a cult they employ the same tactics. I got a letter from a recruiter asking if I could confirm she had the right stuff, because they only except the best. ....bs the best is who will put up the security deposir.
Good testimony, I worked for SWBs 20 years ago ... I was an AWFUL book salesman. However, I applied the principles learned there in multiple fields since with magnificent success. I memorized parts of Og Mandino's Greatest Salesman In The World, I still use a breakfast HQ, and still follow the 13.5 hour work day schedule. DO NOT FEEL BAD FOR LEAVING, just find the field of work your passionate about and apply the same strategy ... which it sounds like you are. Know your sales talk, get your 30 demos a day and the sales will come ... no matter what field of work you find. And thank the Lord we don't have to go door to door anymore :))))))
Your reply is balanced, which is necessary in comments to stuff like this. She shouldn't feel bad for deciding to leave a situation that didn't feel correct for her. A specialty products trading floor I worked with eight years ago had a negative experience with salespeople who had worked with this Southwestern direct sales company earlier in their lives. Basically, these few individuals had scorched certain key geographic niche markets by "hitting" potential customers without due diligence, some of whom wouldn't have been considered appropriate users of company products anyway. If the salespeople had cared about their market they would have taken more time to understand who should and would buy the products. This group of salespeople weren't strategic thinkers, but just trying to apply statistical averages to enhance their sales performance. It damaged the company's reputation as well as some of its value chain partners who relied on our company for their leads. Lots of injury to top line that year or couple of years in those markets and the entire segment. The salespeople were branded the "hotcakes crew" and fired. The company HR department concluded that the common denominator all of them shared was this Southwestern company. HR also noticed their academic performances during university weren't very high anyway and that they had lopsided concentration of post-university sales experience in high-volume sales, not technical products. The new policy in that company from then onward is no Southwestern company experience wanted. It's probably a good company for people who want to sell specialty soaps and beach condos to retired people, but not engineering products. Strategic thinking clearly must take precedence over cult sales atmosphere and verbal gimmickry.
Spill the tea sis!
What I would like to know is why did I pay $1,283 for six books and a box full of college preparatory materials What I could have just going on eBay or multiple other sites and gotten it literally for half that price like new? Now here's the thing... There's nothing I won't do for my kids... But when I found out it was $1,283 My damn job almost dropped. I like the books they're a good solid quality the information is wonderful but the price tag is not. So for anybody reading these comments... The supplements.. The books... They are amazing. But go on eBay or go on Amazon and you can find the books and damn near new condition literally for half the price.
Oh, wow, I feel terrible for you. We had a car pull up earlier this summer with a young lady and a young man driving. The young lady was trying to sell my husband books and he wasn’t interested, but he wasn’t rude. In this day and age, people asking if you have kids does look sketchy. On the other hand, the company gave you no choice but to work this way. It would be better to set up a booth at places like county fairs or in front of stores like Target, Cub Foods, Walmart etc. when people come to YOU, you know they really want it and it’s less creepy.
They did give you a safer way to find housing by having you ask if people knew of someone who is a missionary or ever had exchange students. It’s still asking a lot of you and making you impose yourself on people, then again it’s people who’d be more likely to extend you a helping hand. You’ve been put into such an awkward position and I wonder how many others ended up in some really bad situations. Thank God, you found a sweet lady with a good heart to let you stay with her.
The next time I see a Southwestern Advantage salesperson, I am going to feel a bit sad inside, knowing what they are dealing with.
Zephirine Drouhin dont! I just finished my first year with southwestern advantage. We do it for the challenge because doing difficult things makes you a better person! I loved the challenges I faced and grew so much from the experience! No need to feel bad, those kids knocking on your door are all going to be very successful one day because they are willing to do the uncomfortable things that others won’t!
TINDRO that’s true.
There's no way that the SWA approach will work being passive, they train you to be aggressive and you have to be in ANY entrepreneur work. I did it for 1 summer and I was done, it wasn't for me. But I took the skills/methods with me in other fields, and it is the sure best way to success. Don't change it, if you don't like it - just move on to something else you want to do. That's how you make it worth it.
Did this twice, coming from Slovakia. Things she is talking about also depend on the Organisational leader so I can't talk for 100% people in the program. For us, housing was secured for like 70% of us in our org. Rest got 2 weeks in hotel half paid to find something meanwhile. In those cases, they are paired up with an experienced person, doing summer not the very first time. During the summer I changed my host family because I was to work in different area so I found in couple of days. Org leader is most probably from the same country as you are and he gets you ready for the summer. Before the summer we already got tickets back home as well, we were informed that we can quit anytime and even start different job and some of us did. We promise team members not to quit, but that is more of a motivational thingy than an "agreement". Came back again and haven't had regrets so far. It is hard but worth it.
I am from Czech, went with them 10 years ago. We had living secured, so that was nice. Our team leader was absent for first couple of weeks which are pretty crucial, since you are pretty weak and need a lot of support. So all of us who were there as first years in same accomodation without team leader crumbled and left. I am pretty sure thing could be much different without absent team leader. Still shitty of them giving us no support whatsoever. And don't even start on support from them when you leave - all people who left were harrased verbally pretty harshly from team and organisational leaders.
The best comment i have ever read ❤
Great internship experience! I’m aiming to return for a second summer. It’s been instrumental in developing key skills for my future career.
Not suitable for those lacking motivation or ambition.
My mentors and managers did an exceptional job preparing me for the summer, which led to excellent results.
I have these books😄
They work for me🙃
@@creativeniyah2577 Yeah the books are good! :)
As a customer, dont do it. I'm being charged for their broken apps monthly, many other customers cant get out of the app subscription without closing your card.
Hey Sarah! Thanks so much for sharing your perspective. It was my first summer last year, too. It's definitely true that every single person has a very unique experience. It was the hardest and most challenging thing I've ever done, but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. I grew so much and pushed myself even when I wanted to quit. I learned a lot about perseverance and that hard work may not always pay off immediately, but it always pays off eventually. Similarly to you, I have had bad anxiety my entire life, and that environment can definitely amplify that if you're not in the best mental head space. But it taught me to focus only on the things I can control, and let go of the rest. That mentality has helped my anxiety immensely now that I'm back at school. What I love the most about Southwestern is that their sole mission is to help us college kids develop the skills and character that we need to reach and achieve our goals in life, no matter what those goals are. Wishing you the best of luck :)
If you don’t mind helping me with answering some questions since I have been debating going. I just needed a sincere and straight forward insight on what the program is and how it works..
I hope, for your sake, that you get help and quit this cult.
It would be an over simplification to say all one way or another Southwestern is or isn't a "scam". I personally feel that I benefited a great deal from the summer I spent going door to door, in the sense that it was a great coming of age experience. You learn a lot about yourself going door to door: your insecurities, shortcomings, and you'll also develop improved confidence in dealing with people. As an early 20 something, you'll also get a taste of what it's like to live independently. It also gives you a lot of great stories, and teaches you important business management and organizational skills which benefited me tremendously in future interviews. That being said, yes, from my perspective, Southwestern is definitely a cult. They do a lot of weird ritual like things: weird dances, freezing cold showers every morning etc. Furthermore there were a lot of people still going door to door into their mid 20's who would have definitely been better off getting a real job, but who had more or less bought into continuing with Southwestern Advantage under the guise of developing invaluable life skills that would guarantee their future financial success. Perhaps it's the case that everyone who sticks with Southwestern for 3+ years really does become rich, but i'm hard pressed to believe they wouldn't be better off doing something else. If I were to give advice to someone considering joining who was say 19-20 years old, I would say yes, definitely do it, but don't do it for more than one summer and be really careful dealing with your sales managers as they are incredibly persuasive people.
Hey Abe! I don't believe I called it a scam. It's a legitimate company with real products. That's awesome! For me personally, I have already lived a rough life so I didn't need the extra hardship to bring me to reality so to speak. I think that it could be a good experience for someone who doesn't have to worry about money and has a good support system. The little ritual things didn't bother me so much, I just hate how they try to guilt people and make them feel like a failure for quitting. In reality the people that quit have just as good a chance as any for doing well in life, they just used some common sense. Thank you for your perspective! I think it really just depends on the person for sure but I would say most people shouldn't do it. At my school at least, they were targeting students that were not in good financial situations and desperate for money. Those types of students should definitely go about getting their money in a more guaranteed way.
Hey Sarah, sorry for the confusion. That comment was in no way meant to say you specifically were calling it a scam. I was more so putting that out there for other people viewing and commenting on the video.
I am coming from the mom perspective. I spent the $650. Oh you’re only getting the low grade silver pack? The fck outta here! I wouldn’t let him in bc I found it so weird. We talked on the porch. I of course did some research afterward and found that it is legit apparently, but so is Amway, True Romance, etc. etc. They sure do show their “income disclosure statements” on their website, and people can make 6 figures all in one summer…. Id like to crunch the real data on that!! Everyone would be doing it if you could bring in $128,000 for 71 days of work. No more drug Lords, no more bank robberies, we all just need to work for this company for 3 months Hallelujah! BTW… they sent my books, just to a town an hour away and they were returned to sender.
Thanks so much ive been fucked over enough this year. I need an internship not a joke on my efforts to get one
Really cool video.... they actually made you ask for housing...? That’s insane. Thanks for the information props to you for making this.
Thank you! I just felt like there wasn't anything like this when I was trying to decide if I should do it so I wanted to warn the people that were thinking about it. Yeah it was really uncomfortable haha
Sarah Spradlin weird. I just interviewed with them and they called me back for a second interview but I decided to cancel it. Just seemed like they were desperate for anyone because nobody wants to do this. Also crazy how you stayed 3 weeks and basically your entire team had gone home by then. Wow. Anyways glad you made it out alive lol
@@joshuapanicker3327 Probably for the best tbh. Some people have a good experience but I think that that's a very small percentage.
I’m interviewing for the program right now and they told me that the group leaders find the housing for you. Never mentioned that you look for housing yourself. Definitely turns me away from this program
How fun! Thanks for sharing. We actually started the same year with you! The truth is that it's a great challenge what we are doing out there, and we are constantly told that its gonna be extremely hard during the preparation process. And the purpose of going through all the hard situations throughout the summer is for you to grow, get all the problem-solving skills, become stronger and more confident. I finished my second summer, looking forward to having my third! I earned tens thousands of dollars this summer (pretty good for a European student during the summer break), whereas my first three weeks my first summer were completely miserable. Hard work, positive attitude and belief pay off :)
U have to work there all 3 summer months? Thats hard for a european kid
Bullshit, don't lie . It is weird , dangerous and bad "job ". Not the way to make money .
Bullshit. You’re in a cult.
Also your comment is extremely condescending. I’ve heard horror stories about this company. Just because brainwashed people like you believe you’ve succeeded, doesn’t erase the emotional and psychological turmoil this company has put people through. You are just further hurting unsuspecting people. You don’t even care. Fuck you.
Hi Sarah, do you remember me? I was definitely "leader bit by the dog" haha.
I hope you're doing well. I remember working with you that summer, I still have the customer picture of when you followed me and that was a crazy fun day. I appreciate that you have shared your perspective and experience and that you learned something! As you know, there's definitely a purpose behind why we do EVERYTHING that we do. This is a 160 year old system and you're not required to do any of it. Nothing is mandatory. It's just a proven-to-work system and the promises we make to our leaders are the ones we want them to help us keep. This helps us stick it out until the end. I'm glad you're doing well and made the right decision for you. That was the toughest summer for me, personally, Sarah. I have sold 3 years now, and would not change anything about my experience. I have a deep purpose for working through Southwestern and that is why I do this job.
Good luck, Sarah!
Noelle Sporer You make it seem like a cult. This company culture is creepy.
@@crystallotus7149 Thanks for sharing this opinion. It's for the individual to decide if what you do is 'cult-ish' or not in this business. I guess you have to actually have experience being in a 'cult' to make an accurate assumption about it. I wouldn't know what that's like.
@@funibuni1223 I hope you get help.
Thank you, Sarah this really helped me reach a decision.
You're welcome! I felt like there wasn't much info on it back when I did it so it was hard to decide what was real and what was BS. Happy to help! Good luck whatever you decide :)
4 summers, WVU GROUP, 1975 TN, 1976 GA, 1977 FL (Elvis died), 1978 IL Great times.
Mike Dixon, Mac Kelton, and Creig Soeder and Jim Schlosser.
Worked for them in another lifetime , way long ago . Was not successful. As I look through the past it is darkly . I am suspicious of them but I am not going to mount anything against them . Like anything in our Society it has a caveat . Do they still do this door to door stuff ? My opinion of that is whether it is religion or sales or whatever , don’t be cold call knocking on people’s door in the 21 Century
right after I reached 14:10 I immediately stopped watching. Anyone who quits has no type of accurate perspective of the program and can offer nothing but an unsuccessful persons point of view. It’s not designed for quitters. Simple. And the same thing goes for anyone who has NEVER even done the program.. how can you feel accurate speaking on a program you’ve never done before? Because you read it on the internet? because your friends told you about it? Because your parents told you so? All that says is that you 100% wouldn’t be someone we would even want to work with😂
I have a friend who is just starting doing this. Seeing her fake smile on her bookgirl facebook page concerns me
Sarah you are right. My niece was book girl two years ago. Didnt make money, scary for women, walking all alone
Thank you so much for this
I did it for one summer and am glad I did even though I didn't make much money. More than anything it was a good precursor to the reality of the work force and life after college, like 'if I can do this I can do anything' at least from a work effort standpoint. I do think my sales leader played a part in setting proper expectations and I was lucky I had strong support both emotionally and financially from my family which I know many do not. Definitely do your research before joining
The “reality of the work force” is that you get paid for your hard work. This whole “it teaches you life experience” is absolute bullcrap. If this company does anything, it brainwashes people into thinking they should work their asses off for little to no compensation.
@@foximoxi8533 If you work for someone than you should expect to get paid while working for that company. If you work for yourself then the reality is a lot of your work will be unpaid but there's a level of control that you don't get with regular employment and the upside is usually higher. If you're someone that's willing to chase that control you've got to deal with a higher level of uncertainty, uncomfort and risk, and SW has all of that. Not for everyone (and maybe that's where the disconnect comes in, bad expectations from leaders) but valuable for the right person imo.
hard but rewarding. did this for 2 summers my freshman and sophomore. totally worth it
Hmm. You are not really right. It’s a really good internship for students!!!!! I did one summer in the US and one in Canada. And my cousin did one too. So, I know what I’m talking about. And most of the people in the comments are just talking nonsense, and at the same time, they didn’t participate and didn’t sell books with SW.
That’s a good program! I’ve learned a lot. Yes, it’s challenging! But that’s how we learn, isn’t it?
Estonian rep here, going for a second summer, best thing that I've done. It's meant to be challenging and the payout is high BUT it's not a get rich quick scheme, because you actually have to put tons of effort into it
Thank you Sarah. My niece sold books last summer. SW was no fun, dangerous for girls
This is extremely pecimistic. I’m currently working for Southwestern Advantage and I can honestly say the job is what you make it to be. It is a great way to prepare college students to be successful and learn the value of hard work.
Post note: The company will find you a host home. However they sometimes ask you to help, and if they can’t find one they will personally pay for your hotel or motel fees.
Everyone has different experiences. I just spoke about mine and my experience happened to also reflect the majority of my groups experiences. There was only one host home found by the company going into the summer for my group of 20+ students and the home that was predetermined was not a great environment to my understanding. I'm happy that you are enjoying your summer. Good luck, I wish you the best!
Millie Yinaski Have you worked with this company? If not, your opinion in this matter has very little to no validity. If you want to share your opinion, that is fine. You have the right to do that. However, do realize, sharing false accusations shreds light on the character of the person who spreads them. Elijah is a fine speller but also has every right to spell things wrong every once in a while like others have the right to share false information. To each their own.
Elijah Smyth you’re dumb asl bro 🤦🏼♂️
As someone who FINISHED 4 summers, I feel this is a very uneducated review of the internship. What it really comes down to is that you were expecting to make the average of $8,000 and it not be one of the most challenging things you have done in your young life thus far. Therefore you decided you couldn't stick it out for the full 12 week program which leads to you actually being the last person people should take advice from because you have zero idea what it takes for a student to be successful. No one who does the work to make the money feels it was a waste of time. Seeing as you are someone who did not finish this could be equated to a student in college blaming their failing GPA on the university, prof., Etc... and not taking ownership.
zero idea? At least she got out there and attempted. I'm not one for "participation trophies" either, but Sarah is great for having the guts to go out there. and she has every right to her opinion. I did this for 1 summer and I had much of the same experience. I learned it wasn't for me and went on to do many other things. I'm happy for all the book salesman on here boasting of their successes, but I also noticed 20 years later, that the people in high school, college, and SWA who you'd think are "MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED" and go on to do something extraordinary... don't. They seemed to be car salesman, insurance salesman, real-estate people and family people. Which is all good in itself ... but watch out the ones who have tried and failed and yet keep getting back up. As the years pass, THEY seem to get on National TV, create revolutionary ideas, and shape the culture. I hope you FINISH your fifth summer and take all your ownership. Sarah, take what you've learned and move on, you'll do GREAT when you find where you fit! (because you are great)
@@cfradiofilm Aww thank you Michael, that is very kind of you. I agree with you, everything is a learning experience, and we are destined for much greater things. :)
@@sarahkatherine6075 Sarah don't let these stooges make you feel down. The company is set up for certain people to succeed and they keep using those same 3 success stories everytime. Good on you for moving on probably for the better!
Uneducated? She did it, Shaina, and it sounds shit. That’s enough education for us all
Congratulations, you’re in a cult.
When people fail a class, who do they blame? The teacher
When people quit a sports team, who do they blame? The coach
When people (like Sarah) quit, who do they blame? The company
Sarah, we’ve met. I was on OSUs campus when you were recruited. You were made WELL aware of how challenging the program was. There were no surprises. Your success in the program is on YOU and you know that.
It makes me sad that you had this experience and view backing out on your commitments in this way. I wouldn’t wish this type of mindset on anyone.
All that said, most of this info is true and was all told to you BEFORE you COMMITTED to the program. You also quit week 3 (not half way through)
I made 17k my first summer (paid my entire way though school as well) and wasn’t in the positive till the middle of the summer - we are all prepared for that before going out.
Hey Amber, thanks for your comment! I do remember you! I'm glad to see that you are just as chipper as ever. I thought it might be helpful for other people to hear an unbiased perspective of the company that I was not given, since many of the people on the list I was given to call as references were people that are SWA "leaders" themselves. I'm glad you have been so successful with it, that's great! Unfortunately a lot of people aren't, so it's just good to hear from all sides. Hope all is well. :)
Amberlee Thieleman Sounds like Human Trafficking.
anyone with a brain can see that this is a scam. shut your stupid goddamn mouth.
@@benwigmore4745 Mmm, I have empathy for you, Ben. For chosing to speak in comments spreading hate and anger on a video about a summer job. You don't deserve this from yourself, and my friend Amberlee doesn't either.
wow it's crazy how deranged some of these leaders are. I remember when i was recruited at Texas State University and they didn't tell us all the details. They said the company would cover housing etc. They later told us on our way that they will cover housing for sales week in nashville and we had to find our own. It's so dishonest. I'm glad you left Sarah Katherine. Don't let "leaders" like Amberlee who are nothing more that corporate stooges at this point make you believe you failed on your own. She was probably a priviledged brat whose parents were able to lend her money for this "adventure." Some of us have things to pay.