Job Discussion Forums

degolasse · Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 21

So yesterday I was offered a job with Interac for a Sept-March contract. Now I need to decide if I should accept it or not.
My main reason for choosing Interac is that I want an ALT position rather than a doing conversation. Unfortunatly I missed the JET deadlines so my options for ALT while applying from abroad seem limited.
I've read alot of forums on Interac and so I don't need to be told again how they are the scum of the earth and no one should work for them, blah blah.... I'm a pretty easy-to-please person and I'm willing to take a chance on them.
But what I am concerned about is the start up costs when working for them, since they don't pay for any of your accomidation. I'd like to hear from some people who have gone with Interact, and particularly those who have gone to rural locations since thats what I'm hoping to get. What sort of things am I going to have to pay for, and what things, like furnishing etc.. with I have to take care of?
Since I'm only going to be working for them for 7-8 months, what's the chances that I'm not going to spend the first half of it in debt, sleeping on the floor of my unfurnished flat. Will I be able to save any money in 7-8 months? Im not looking to make much, but it would be nice to at least have a little something to show when I get home.

If it looks like Im not going to be able to afford to work for Interac, then I might have to consider one of the Big Four. Though a job at a conversation school doesn't really interest me, at least they provide cheap furnished accomidation and I can probably make more money in the long run.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

degolasse · Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 21

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

You're going to have to pay for your own K-Y Jelly, cause you're getting BONED with Interac. They already withhold roughly $1000 from your monthly wage as commission. Jeez, for that you'd think they'd help you get a place to live.

Ba$tards. I recommend not working for Interac. It's just that simple.

Now watch all the Interac apologists come onto this thread running, screaming, "It's not so bad! It's not so bad! I worked there and they treated me great!" Whatever. Your life.

southofreality · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 579 Location: Tokyo

To the OP, Glenski's right. You shouldn't have to pay key money since you'll likely be moving into the previous ALT's apartment, which is probably held by the city or town you'll be working in.

Anyway, I paid a ￥100,000 deposit directly to the town I lived in for my apartment. I didn't pay any apartment start-up costs to Interac; I always dealt directly with the town office. When I vacated the apartment, I received the deposit money back. No problems. My rent was cheap (￥35000) because I lived in a very rural area. I don't remember paying any other apartment start-up costs. I always paid rent at the end of the month.

littleturtle · Joined: 31 Oct 2006 Posts: 24

Interac is a good way to start in Japan, if you plan to live here for a long time. They offer no help at all starting up, so if your plans involve staying in the country with a different employer past the end of your contract, then its good.

Grab interac by the balls and demand a fully furnished, internet included, monthly mansion. Leopalace and Sakura House are good examples. Interac bleat that its not their responsibility, but refuse to sign a contract with them until you are happy with housing. They wont turn around and say, oh, ok, no job for you, because they have already allocated you a school or twelve, and they cant refill that position in a matter of days.
At the very least, demand a clean, furnished apartment with no key money.
And take photos of it as you move in - when you leave, restore the place to the state of cleanliness it was when you moved in - or better - and then you can refuse to pay a cleaning fee to the estate agent, because its already clean.

Otherwise, startup is TOO expensive. Because of the way Interac works, you wont get your first pay until 2 months after you start working. I am nearing the end of a September - March contract, and by not blowing all my money on drinking etc, I will have been able to save, by my calculations,, at the end of my contract, about the same amount of money that it cost me to arrive.
From arrival to first pay, I spent 500,000 yen. I think I will be able to recoup that and fly home with the same amount of money I arrived with.

Net financial gain over seven months, zero. But thats better than it being negative, eh.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:07 am Post subject:

I doubt if there will be an apartment for you to take over (and thereby save on deposits etc). Until such a time as these AET dispatch companies arrange and pay for the start-up costs themselves (and why should they, they don't ask, given the way they are chasing contracts and outbidding rivals all over the place), AETs will continue to need to vacate their accomodation in order to get their names off of the lease and recoup their expenses. It might sometimes happen where the dispatch AET is taking over from a JET, but much then depends on the communication between the dispatch compan(ies) and the BOE concerned (in all of which the welfare of any future AET is probably not of much if any concern): in my particular case, Interac did not make the proper enquiries in time (probably due to them only knowing for sure about the offer of work until...), so a perfectly adequate apartment went back on the market. Evil or Very Mad

(The lack of assistance with accomodation is actually the main reason why I left Interac to go work in a private high school).

fluffyhamster · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:23 am Post subject:

Willy_In_Japan · Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 329

Actually, in my area, the people who are staying less than a year end up renting LEO Palaces.

Interac helps you get one, or your own apartment if you wish with a helper. I rented an apartment because I wanted to stay for more than a year, and felt that I would be wasting money on a Leo Palace in the long run. Of course, there is no key money with Leo's.

The estate agent wouldnt rent to me even with Interac as the guarantor....so, Interac 'rented' it and I pay the rent 'as' Interac....not very good, but I got the apartment at least. I would love it if I could just sell my furniture to another Interac ALT when I decide to leave and have him continue paying the rent, but I doubt that will happen. Of course, I had to pay a security deposit which I would like back.

southofreality · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 579 Location: Tokyo

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:18 am Post subject:

Thanks for that, SOR, it was interesting. Did you make the request to use the housing yourself, or did Interac do so for you? And how far in advance was the request made/how long did it take to finalize? Could you move in before you'd begun working?

Whatever the case was, your BOE sounds somewhat better than average, then. Most of the BOEs that I've worked for don't seem willing to do anything for their AETs other than pay them a month behind (as befits their indirectly hired status)...I can imagine them all saying 'No, sorry, you AREN'T a government employee or Japanese citizen, there's a waiting list, we're paranoid and don't trust you anyway 'cos you're foreign yadda yadda, so just s*d off!'. But the OP won't know if he'll receive until he asks, eh! Could be worth a shot.

BTW, nice website!

southofreality · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 579 Location: Tokyo

sparknjpn · Joined: 20 Feb 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Japan

Interac is great at promising the world, but when push comes to shove, they could give a flying f$#k about the teachers. All they care about is getting you to the jobsite, then they leave you like an orphan on the churchsteps! They have a contract clause that you can't talk smack about them or you are toast! You cna't even talk to your school about the school, Intercrack must know what is going on! Several years ago they had a pay scam where they tied it to the 9/11 events in New york. They would only give teachers like 30% of their pay on time and maybe catch up on pay later. Not the most organized company!

littleturtle · Joined: 31 Oct 2006 Posts: 24

We are told not to communicate with our schools outside of lesson planning.... for the most part. My branch office encourage us to communicate with schools here....

Talk about mixed messages...

englishtutor1378 · Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 44

I had an interview with Interac yesterday in Tokyo. To be exact, it was in Iidabashi on the Chuo Sobu line. Honestly, I was the only person there. They didn't seem very professional at all. They wouldn't answer my questions in regards to where I may be possibly working. They demanded photocopies of my Gaijin card, passport, and certificates. Knowing, that they are not a licensed dispatch company I guess this was what I was expecting. Kind of shady I personally think but hey I guess this is the nature of the business. It bothered me because I didn't even accept the position yet and they wanted all this documentation. My advice, if you have the time to go through JET, go there instead. Otherwise, go to the BIG 4 if you are starting. In my situation, I want an ALT position because it gives me hands 0n experience in real classroom. So I guess it will do for now. The benefits is that they give long vacation times.

Everything has its pro's and cons so take it as it is.