Job Discussion Forums

marley'sghost · Joined: 04 Oct 2010 Posts: 255

Never done eikaiwa, been ALT-ing for a while though. Came over on the JET program and with Interac after that.

Like Liz says, dispatch companies are vultures. But I imagine most eikaiwa outfits use many of the same tricks to avoid chipping in their half for their employees' pension and health insurance and keeping the teachers easily replaceable. Probably nothing new for you there.

From what I've seen, the pay seems about the same as eikaiwa, but I am sure the workload is a lot less. For example, I have a fairly light class schedule as most ALTs go. Maybe 3 lessons a day. Once or twice a month I'll even have days with no classes. Just eat lunch with the kids and prep, do my taxes, share my wisdom on Dave's, etc. I don't have to do much prep as I have a pile of worksheets and plans already and my Japanese counterparts let me run the show in the classroom. Plug and play.
On the other hand, you could be running around doing 5 hours a day of singing and dancing with 7 year olds at a different school every day. Luck of the draw.

Also, the hours have to be better. I'm out the door at 5 the latest. That's if I choose to hang out with a club after school. That leaves evenings and weekends for private lessons. I've got about 3 private students going now. I imagine at an eikaiwa you are usually working then and it would be more difficult to pick up side jobs. I have my own desk at my schools and use them as my base of operations for other work, study etc.

Couldn't call going from from eikaiwa to ALT-ing a step up, but IMO it's a good side step just for work load and flexibility.

As for just the work itself, I love it. All the joy of teaching with none of the heavy administrative b.s. Just get in there with young people and get them to actually communicate a bit. Help them learn something. Open some doors and broaden some horizons and all that.

A mate of mine summed it up by saying, "Great job. Lousy career."

Lamarr · Joined: 27 Sep 2010 Posts: 190

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

It's a cakewalk, but I've never done despatch, so always had a fair salary. If you're in one school it can get dull and the classload can be light. I'm currently doing four JHs and up two two elementaries per week, mostly tiny mountain schools with a tiny feeder elementary nearby, so I'm doing 5 classes a day twice a week and 3-4 the other three days. Used to work in high school and averaged 12 classes a week or less. Best job I've ever had. Mind you, I write books in my free time so having bags of downtime suited me fine. In high school it could be weeks at a time without a class, particuarly over spring vacation. In JH things shut down for a couple of weeks but during termtime I'm pretty smoked.

Teachers are hit and miss, some good, some not so good. Most of the kids are fine but you get a few rampants from time to time. I live up in Nagano so life is a bit quieter, but I've never seen a fight in eleven years as an ALT.

mitsui · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 1562 Location: Kawasaki

Lucky you. I have to break up fights in Kanagawa.
There was even a girl who punched another girl in the head in one class.
The Japanese teacher did not even notice. Some kids have ADHD and have a problem staying in their seat.

I taught 14 hours at the high school plus four at junior high.
Had to help with curriculum revision.
Worked about one Saturday a month.
Most students are in sports clubs and don't study anything.
Some get indignant if you would wake them up.
Had to photocopy for about 630 students, and this could happen up to twice a week.
Sometimes just had to sit around doing nothing.

Most teachers are younger since they get burned out.

Shakey · Joined: 29 Aug 2014 Posts: 199

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

weigookin74 · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 265

Do you have to dress up in Japanese schools? I wore jeans in Korean schools. ALso, I have heard many schools don't have heaters in the winter. What is the air con like in summer? I know it can get really hot in most of Japan.

rtm · Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: US

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

At my school board job (not ALT work, but working alongside ALTs) I wore casual clothes but never denim.

At private schools, wearing a suit daily is recommended. For women, seperates with blazers and cardigans are appropriate depending on the season.

Some schools start Cool Biz from May or June, a policy which allows men to forgo ties and wear short sleeves.

In anticipation of the heat, I ordered bamboo fiber tops. I tend to wear cropped trousers a lot.

In winter, I wear long lots of layers (thermal tshirt, turtleneck, cardigan and blazer over that), and long underwear with leg warmers under trousers.

weigookin74 · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 265

rxk22 · Joined: 19 May 2010 Posts: 1629

Inflames · Joined: 02 Apr 2006 Posts: 486

I worked as an ALT. The biggest thing to remember with basically any English teaching job is that you are a contract worker - dispatch companies feed you all sorts of BS about people working late and not (or seldom) quitting jobs in Japan (and when they do quit, they give a ton of notice), but that is for seishain (not temps/contract workers). Dispatch ALTs are temps and treated as such - if you are a dispatch ALT, the only person you should look out for is yourself (even fixed-term contract workers need to remember this) - if you have the chance to get a better job, don't ever feel any obligation to your employer, because they very likely don't feel any obligation towards you.