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gazzby
Joined: 13 Jun 2005
Posts: 4
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 Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 3:36 am Post subject: What's it really like being a JET or an ALT? |
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| I'm thinking about applying for a teaching position in the JET program or through one of the big private companies which supply ALTs to elementary, junior high and/or high schools? What's it really like? What could I expect in regards to pay, work hours, job satisfaction...? |
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JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:30 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| What's it really like? |
It's really nice.
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| What could I expect in regards to pay |
Pays well. Results vary with company.
Work is usually about 8 to 5.
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| job satisfaction...? |
Job satisfaction: is all up to you. You get what you put into it.
This is a great forum... You'll find good answers to most of your questions. Just remember to read the stickies, lurk before you post, do a "search" before you ask a question that's been posted many times... And remember, if you want quality answers, keep your questions specific and concise. General questions won't help you much.
Eg.
Bad question: What's Osaka like?
Good question: What does Osaka have in the way of international centers where I can meet other foreigners?
Good luck.  |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:35 am Post subject: |
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| For an unabashed description of life as a JET ALT, go to www.bigdaikon.com . I also suggest you look at the links on that site for other JET sites. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:49 am Post subject: |
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JET program survey
http://www.zen13795.zen.co.uk/jetsurvey/
Take with a huge grain of salt. Twice daily.
Also read "Importing Diversity:Inside the JET Program" by David McConnell, for info on history and case studies etc . Available on Amazon. |
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dtomchek
Joined: 07 Jun 2004
Posts: 135
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:13 am Post subject: |
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Hey:
Well, if you go JET, it will not be until next year...apps come out in September...also depends upon placement...I make 330000 Yen per month and only have 11000 Yen in rent...no car...very little work (only 1-3 classes per day) so it is really easy and a lot of money ...I am leaving after 2 years as I think it is time...you cannot go wrong with JET as it is more money for less work that any private company which usually offers 250,000-280,000 Yen for more work.
It is just a pain to get into! GOOD LUCK!!! |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:22 am Post subject: |
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The pay will almost certainly be higher on JET (but bear in mind that's mainly because you'll be required to pay into national pension and health insurance schemes, the former of which you can partially reclaim when you leave Japan), and there are more perks generally (e.g. flights to and from home country paid, substantial assistance with accomodation, much of which has been set up and running smoothly for years already); remember also that there are orientations and a sizeable JET community to be found (potentially good for socializing, information, and networking), especially if you end up working in or near a larger town or city.
Dispatch companies, on the other hand, have if anything been reducing wages (in an attempt to outbid competitors) - there might not be any assistance with accomodation, and probably none with flights - and you will probably be under a fair bit more "pressure" from your company and the "customers" (the cash-strapped local government guys), especially the former, to act professionally at all times (perhaps there'll be set school times and a formal dress code, whereas JETs can often get by with rolling in late or leaving early, in casual clothes).
I've worked in both types of job, and the JET position was by far the more preferable...that being said, you sometimes hear of lousy host institutions and people not having a very good time on JET (location also has a lot to do with it, and it's a bit of a lottery, much moreso than with dispatch companies, because at least with dispatch companies they advertise positions in specific areas), so even if you won't be pleasantly surprised with a dispatch company, at least you hopefully won't be drastically and UNpleasantly surprised!
Regarding the actual job itself, the duties and expectations are pretty similar (you work in public highschools for both JET and dispatchers), although as I said above, things may be a bit more laid-back on JET, especially if you live in the area and can socialize more easily with the teachers after school. Bear in mind also that dispatch companies may expect (ask or offer) you to do extra work, potentially in eikaiwa-style settings, if you have days that are not scheduled at a school, and you may find yourself being paid by the day and with no paid leave at all if you are ill or want to take a holiday during term time (sucks I know, but at least with such an arrangement with a dispatch company, you won't have to report to the local government's education office every day during school holidays just to justify being paid the fixed juicy JET monthly salary).
Last edited by fluffyhamster on Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:28 am; edited 1 time in total |
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JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:24 am Post subject: |
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| dtomchek: I thought that JETs who taught so few classes and were overall not busy would be moved around to help out at other schools in addition to their own. (At least that's what my friend who's on JET told me). |
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dtomchek
Joined: 07 Jun 2004
Posts: 135
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| Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:07 am Post subject: |
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Hey,
well, I do not know what goes on in different areas. I know here, we are each assigned different schools. I have 5 schools to go to. 2 Jr. Highs and 3 elementary schools. I am scheduled to go to a school on a given day and I go. Today, I had no classes. Next Tuesday, I have 5 classes (though this is unheard of in the 2 years that I have been here). But a JET always goes to the same 3 or 5 or 7 schools and only 1 school per day whether they have anything for you to do or not. At least that is how it works here.
Stay Genki |
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gazzby
Joined: 13 Jun 2005
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 8:57 am Post subject: |
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| Do all the teachers in the Jet program teach the same curriculum? Who provides it? I have heard that some teachers have to make various curricula as they are given insufficient, irrelevant, and/or difficult material to work with. Is this true? |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 9:20 am Post subject: |
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| gazzby wrote: |
| Do all the teachers in the Jet program teach the same curriculum? |
No, because what the ALTs teach on the JET program is not part of the official curriculum for what students need to study for their university entrance exams. the ALT class is like a "side dish" to the Japanese English teachers class, and what you teach in the class depends on the use that the JTE wants to put you to in the lesson, which can be anything from you being a human tape recorder, to carrying out lessons developed in conjunction with the JTE (Japanese teacher of English) and you developing classes on your own. The cooperation you get from the JTE can vary widely (from non-existent to very cooperative and enthusiastic) so everyones experience is different. There is no central curriculum that everyone uses for conversation classes. the Ministry of education sets guidelines for the JET program but actual interpretation and implementation is left up to individual headmasters and teachers.
| gazzby wrote: |
| Who provides it? I have heard that some teachers have to make various curricula as they are given insufficient, irrelevant, and/or difficult material to work with. Is this true? |
As mentioned above the school may want students to be able to do certain things with English such as basic greetings, be able to say simple sentences and carry out simple tasks using English. Its your job to provide a role model of what real authentic English sounds like.
The main course is the Japanese teachers Englsih class which is taught mostly in Japanese, and you may be called on to read out passages in English or provide a model dialog. In general what you teach students in a communicative lesson will bear no relation to what the teacher will teach in his class. he will be teaching grammar, translation of English sentences in to japanese, while in your part of the lesson you might be teaching self intoductions and greetings. What is relevant will depend on the goal of the lesson. To the Japanese teacher, learning spoken English is not relevant to the goals of getting students to pass the entrance examination, and most of what they study is way above their level of comprehension and acquisition. It would be as if your 10th grade teacher took a copy of an article in Japanese newspaper and translated the article in English for you and then asked you to memorise the vocabulary for homework.
What JETs are trying to do is get students to actually use some of the language that they learn, though there are not many opportunities to use such words as "disarmament" and "armistice" in an English lesson.
I dont teach on JET myself but sometimes there is a gap between what the JTE thinks students can do and what the ALT thinks they need to know. Sometimes the JETs will use materials provided by the school which has this strange examination English or contorted grammatical constructions. I dont have any examples to hand but often some of the problems on JET are a result of a lack of communication or a difference in the teaching goals of the class and how to achieve those goals.
Remember you are in his classroom they are his students and many times JTEs dont want or like you being there and he may be self conscious about his (lack of) English ability. His attitude to you will reflect this.
PS the JETs are not really teachers as 90% are not trained qualified or licenced to teach solo in a Japanese classroom and instead work as language assistants to the Japanese teacher. they are 'team' teachers, but not teachers in their own right. |
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gazzby
Joined: 13 Jun 2005
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 9:35 am Post subject: |
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| How about the dispatch companies which send ALTs to teach in schools? Is this the same situation as JETs? |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:54 am Post subject: |
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| gazzby wrote: |
| How about the dispatch companies which send ALTs to teach in schools? Is this the same situation as JETs? |
The job itself is quite similar in what you are asked to do in each class. I have recently been visiting an NET (Native English teacher) who teaches in several elementary schools. There is no fundamental difference between a JET and a dispatch ALT.
Essentially a JET is hired by the local Board of Education which is a public government organisation. They decide how many JETs they need each year, they inform CLAIR which is the NGO that deals with hiring JETs overseas. They then go out and interview according their quotas and try and place people where they are needed.
As a JET you are not a full time regular employee of the school but of your local education board and are sent to several high schools. Your salary is paid by the Japanese taxpayer. Dispatch teachers are hired by a conversation school that has a contract with a Board of Education or an elementary school to supply language teachers. You are an employee of the conversation school but you work in a public elementary school or a high school, and your employer decides how long when and where you work at each school.
I dont want to get into the pros and cons of working for dispatch schools now, (you can read about the juicy details on http://www.generalunion.org but in terms of monthly salary, benefits, JET is far, far superior to working as a dispatch ALT. as was mentioned before, on JET you get certain benefits such as liveable salary, return airfare paid, health and insurance pension cover, subsidised accomodation provided, sponsorship of visa and a yearly contract that can be renewed up to 3 years and in a few case up to 5 years. Its virtually impossible to get fired or lose your job (unless you get yourself arrested or your name in the paper) on the JET program as you are a public employee, but as a dispatch teacher you operate at the whims of your employer. If the school you work at decides not to renew the contract with an employer you may find yourself out of a job after 6 months. I will also add that JETs are paid out of the public purse which is about 3.6 million yen a year before health insurance and pension, tax payments. JETs are hired in their own countries while most ALts with a dispatch company are mostly hired in Japan, are either part time or full time with a sponsored work visa. |
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