Job Discussion Forums

[JerkyBoy]

When do the state schools break up for summer holidays and when do they reconvene?

I did google it but I want to know exactly and want it confirmed.

Maybe it varies by despatch company? Maybe not.

[funkyging]

I'm close to Tokyo and the school closes around July 22nd for summer holidays and opens again the start of September 1-3rd, but i heard from a friend in hotter areas they get a bit longer and up north they get less of a break( can anyone confirm that?)

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Breaking for summer often just means that there are no classes. There are still extra camps and club activities. Students are on campus and so are teachers- and this sometimes includes foreign teachers. Dispatched teachers work for a dispatch company. So they have to do what the dispatch company tells them to do (and they may have an unpaid summer holiday). In some areas of Japan, it seems to be more common for teachers to be directly hired by the school. In that case, the teacher's summer break may be down to less than two weeks because they are at school doing club activities or doing nothing but sitting at their desk. If you work for board of education (public elementary and junior) you will very likely sit at a desk at the board of education every day from Monday through Friday, and may have zero to do.

[Glenski]

Where, Jerky? It varies by region because of their climate, confirming funkyging (at least for Hokkaido).

[ssjup81]

Well, for here, seems they break in late July up until late August, but the kids (older ones) still have club activities and meetings during the break, as well as homework and stuff.

[mitsui]

There is a difference between private and public schools too.
I worked at a private school in Tokyo, and the kids had school until late July.
The second term would go until early March, but not for some of the seniors, since they could be in juku starting in January.

In Tohoku, they start the fall term earlier. In Fukushima, for example, school starts in mid to late August.

[OneJoelFifty]

[mitsui]

It depends though, because if it is an escalator school,
students going on to the university could stay at school into February, then get a few weeks off before graduation.

It depends on the private school.
Teaching in January and February is much easier since there are fewer students. The focus is mostly on the 10th and 11th graders.

[JerkyBoy]

Teaching starts first week of April?

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Contracts almost always start April 1st (or in September, for jobs beginning then- halfway through the year). That means you show up to the school from April 1st. You may not be teaching in the first week- but it's also possible that you will be teaching some time in the first week. In fact you may not teach a whole lot in the first three weeks of April. BUT THAT DOES NOT MATTER. What matters is that your contract says you start on April 1st, and therefore you are at work from April 1st.

Do not rely on schools hiring shortly after April 1st. It happens when either someone just didn't show up, someone showed up and said "Ummmmm... no. Just no." and quit, or when someone kind of screwed up and just forgot to hire someone that they actually needed yesterday.

A lot of schools will actually eat up the problem and limp through until September rather than put out an ad in the middle of April.

[stumptowny]

same as USA. holidays vary but usually you get May off. and October

[Glenski]

[JerkyBoy]