Job Discussion Forums

[lou_c]

My wife and I are 50 year old teachers in the U.S. We would like to spend a year in Japan teaching English. We would like to teach as ALT�s in regular school classrooms rather that in the eikawa because we�re interested in spending time in the Japanese schools. We aren�t tied to public schools as opposed to private schools, but we want to be in regular schools where English is part of what they do, not in a business that has a bottom line and an incentive to push through as many students as possible.

I believe that many ALT�s are provided to schools by contract agencies who hire and pay them to work in a number of classrooms as assistants helping the regular Japanese classroom teachers and developing curriculum and plans. We�d like to work with young children as well as middle and high school students. The more help our employer can provide with the nuts and bolts, like visas, apartments, maybe even airplane tickets, the better.

Given that we�re looking for what are probably pretty junior positions, we need an employer that is okay with our age, our credentials, and our experience. We both have master�s degrees. My wife has been teaching early grades for over 20 years. Teaching is a second career for me; I�ve been teaching middle and high school math for three years. The JET program, for instance, won�t take us because of our age.

Because we�re working teachers, we won�t be available until July and we�ll be going back home the summer of 2007. I speak a little Japanese and my wife speaks less. My wife hasn�t lived overseas since a semester student teaching in England in the 70�s. I�ve never lived overseas but I traveled extensively in Europe in my previous career as a software engineer.

Our biggest question is whether this idea is feasible. If it is, should we try to get jobs before leaving the U.S. or should we come this summer and start looking there? We�ve seen the long lists of ads in O-Hayo Sensei, but it�s hard to know how to get started. Thanks for any advice or pointers.

[Nismo]

[PAULH]

Aside from the fact that public elementary schools are on vacation from July and August its a bad time of year to be looking for work. You need to be hired at the beginning of the term which starts in September which means sending feelers out about May or June as it takes 3 months to get a visa.

Very few dispatch companies hire directly overseas and i know of only two: Interac and ALTIA Central, based in Nagoya. They have ALTs working in elementary and junior high schools. The other ALTs are hired through the local boards of education or through the JET program.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but NO language conversation school or dispatch company here will pay for your airfare over. You may get a loan to help you get set up and a bonus after you have worked for a year, but in general new teachers are expected to fund their own way over, and if you rent your own accomodation come up with key money. The employer will act as guarantor of your apartment and some with provide you with company -leased accomodation.

Having a Masters degree you could get hired, but to the average conversation school they may consider you to be overqualified based on your wifes extensive experience. In general they like ALTS to be young, and to not overshadow the Japanese teacher in his own classroom with his or her own students. The ALTs are assistants, but the Japanese teacher may feel threatened by having a 50 year old qualified teacher in the classroom taking over his lessons. A lot will depend on the individual teachers.


I dont work in elementary schools but have done a lot of research of English education in elementary schools. The language barrier of course will be a factor as well, as many of the elementary school teachers do not speak English, though you get a few Japanese teachers of English who can speak English. In a recent study only 4% of all JTE use spoken English in the classroom.


If you are still in the US you only have a couple of options: apply to the big conversation schools that recruit in the US. You could try Interac etc, tell them you want to work in high schools as an ALT. Get hired in the US get a visa and then fly over.

Your age may not be a problem your Masters degrees could be, so you have to assure employers and the Japanese teachers that you are willing to play second fiddle in the classroom (some ALTS lead the English lessons and the Japanese teacher assists but the JT is still the 'boss' of her own students. You would work under the principal in that school.

I can only think of one other place and Im not sure of the name but its similar to the JET program and and is called Earnslaw colllege in Chiba.

You would have to have a definite date you would be arriving in Japan, and be at a time that is convenient for the school year here. fall semester begins in September and goes through till Christmas or January.

PS not sure if you know but English has only been introduced into elementary schools for the past three years, about 86% of elementary schools have an English program but its anything between 10 minutes to several hours a week. On average schools teach English about 11 weeks of the year in elementary school, and ALTS will visit anything up to 5 or 6 schools at a time.

P.S. 90% of the jobs on Ohayo Sensei want you to already have a valid work visa or be living in Japan. A few do say that you dont have to be resident in Japan, but you still need to jump through hoops to get hired.

[Glenski]

[Glenski]

One last thought. If you have teaching licenses from your home countries (and from the looks of your background, you probably do), you should consider international schools, although they also start in April, so you'd have to reconsider your timelines.

The following web site has a good link to many international school web pages, but many will be in Japanese.
http://www.tokyowithkids.com/

[PAULH]

[Doglover]

A recent post on Gaijin Pot about dispatch ALT companies

http://www.interacunion.org/

http://nambufwc.org/issues/alt/

http://www.fukuoka-now.com/features/article_display.php?fn_code=442452

Assistant Language Teachers Caucus of the National Union of General Workers Tokyo Nambu

The Assistant Language Teacher Caucus is open to Japanese and non-Japanese workers primarily working in the field of education. Many of us are working in elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools in either the public and private systems. We are inclusive regarding ALTs from private dispatching companies, direct hires to boards of education and private schools, and to those on the JET Program.

Achievements

Taber Amendment

At RCS Corporation, a private dispatching company, our member Mr. Taber, was successful in negotiating with RCS for receiving unpaid wages for August 2003. It is not uncommon for private dispatching companies to receive remuneration for the month of August from a board of education, yet not even pay the ALT for any work in August. Mr. Taber has changed that at RCS.

Jobson Amendment

Also at RCS, Mr. Jobson was successful in seeking a ruling from the Labor Standards Office against RCS for over-deductions. All past, present and future employees of RCS should no longer be deducted the 15,000 yen penalty for missing a day?fs work: more than what we actually made per day! Apparently this ruling has cost RCS over 1,000,000 yen in back wages.

ALT Issues

Unfair Dismissals

Every year, scores of ALTs working for private dispatching companies are unfairly dismissed. We estimate that you have more than a 50% chance of being unfairly dismissed or quitting because of unfair working conditions when working for a private ALT dispatching company. Often it not the company who requests the dismissal but rather the local board of education. These private dispatching company ALT positions are very unstable. With more Union members we can help you to improve working conditions for you and your Japanese co-workers.

ALT Outsourcing

The gyomu itaku, or outsourcing system is the biggest threat to ALT job stability. Most so-called Assistant Language Teacher dispatch companies in Japan, are in fact dispatching teachers without a licence, in violation of Dispatch Law and Education Law. Others have valid dispatching licences, but still fail to meet the minimum standards specified in Labour Standards Law, regarding paid vacation, and Dispatch Law regarding mandatory employee health insurance enrollment, as well as the maximum dispatch period before a position should become a direct hire. In spite of the illegalities, unscrupulous boards of education and private schools throughout Japan knowingly continue to engage in business with companies like Heart Corporation, Interac, Korakuen English Centre, RCS Corporation, TRILS, and many others.

University, college, and technical school lecturers are also illegally dispatched, as are many Japanese part-time teachers of English, probably even the ones you work with at your schools.

We are thus engaging in an information campaign to raise the awareness of the issue of these scofflaw contracts which, beyond being illegal, lower standards and respect for not only ALTs, teachers, and lecturers, but also for the education adminstrators and city hall officials who sign them, as well as the field of education in Japan in general.

Already, the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education, and even the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology has recognized the illegal nature of these contracts and has given encouragement and official direction to return to direct hire contracts.

[abufletcher]

Can I suggest an alternative? Forget Japan. Insights into the Japanese educational system are "old news" -- even in the US. The days when people wrote glowing articles about how wonderful the Japanese system is are long over. Most Japanese see their school system as being in a state of collapse.

Try China instead! I'm not saying that Chinese education is better than Japanese education (it's not) but China represents the future -- in only for reasons of shear scale -- and knowing about how things work in China (good and bad) will in all likelihood become a far more valuable experience. Knowledge of Chinese itself with also likely become more relevant that knowing a smattering of Japanese ("oh how 80's ).

And the good news is that with your credentials and experience you have a very good change of BOTH finding a job at one of the reputable International Schools earning what is, for China (and most eikaiwa teachers in Japan) a very respectable salary.

I know of one guy teaching at an international elementary school in Beijing who is earning (saving?) $2,000+ a month which is BIG BUCKS in China.

So as that famous American guy once said, GO WEST YOUNG MAN -- to CHINA!!!