Job Discussion Forums

[katsu]

hi...i was just wondering how many of you teach or have taught in the public school system (as an ALT) and how many of you are working at any of the eikaiwa's?

perhaps, you have taught at both

what do you like about your school (eikaiwa or public)

and which of the two would you recommend...I'm looking into going to Japan or Korea (or both). I got a few offers, but have a hard time deciding.

any input would be appreciated.
thanx

[Glenski]

I've worked a few years in eikaiwa and then a few years in a private high school. Still interested in details?

You're probably going to have to start out in eikaiwa unless you can get on the JET programme (which caters to the public schools).

[katsu]

yeah, still interested Glenski...can u enlighten me with more details...please

Which of the two did you prefer working at? I've been reseaching quite a bit about eikaiwa schools, and although in the beginning I thought i'd be getting a deal, after following some of the posts here and elsewhere regarding Nova, and other schools, I've cancelled my interviews with some of the schools.

I know about JET, but I missed the deadline. I've also found another program sponsored by the gov't called WYS which I think it's much better than JET or any other school, program offered in Japan, but unfortunately I've missed the deadline of that too...So, having dismissed most of the eikaiwa schools, and having missed the deadlines of programs that I actually thought were pretty good, I've been looking into public schools. I have found some interesting ones...but I'm sort of caught in the middle, as I've been offered some pretty good gigs in Korea, and just trying to decide now.

I've never actually cared too much about Korea, but aside from JET and
WYS Japan can't match what I've been offered so far in Korea. And since i have quite a bit of debt to pay off , I've been leaning towards your neighbour..Nevertheless, Japan has always been number 1 for me, and I always wanted to go there, and live there for various personal reasons...

So to make the story short, I'm trying to see whether there are any public or private schools (ahh what the heck!) that you could recommend...

thanks

[Glenski]

katsu,
First off, let me repeat that a newcomer to Japan is very unlikely to land a public school job without getting some experience first, even in eikaiwa. You might want to look into the various dispatch agencies that send people to public schools as ALTs, but they get a very bad rap here, and deservedly so.

Why the rush to dismiss JET and WYS so quickly, just because you missed the deadlines? Are you in a hurry to get here? Not wise to leap into things. You might also want to look at Earlham College and its ALT program, although I seem to be having problems accessing that site right now.

Eikaiwa vs. private HS.

Eikaiwa has smaller classes (5-10 students vs. 30-45), and eikaiwa students are often grouped by some sort of level, whereas HS students are not. Eikaiwa students choose to take the classes, whereas HS students don't, so motivation is a factor. However, realize the difference in what each teaches.

In HS, you may be an ALT or a solo teacher, depending on the job opportunity. I was a FT teacher hired directly by the school, so I sometimes taught solo, and sometimes I was paired with a fellow NET or a JTE.

Eikaiwa classes usually meet once a week, while HS classes may meet twice a week. Eikaiwa is usually just for conversation classes, but HS may offer more than that. You could do reading, writing, speech-making, projects, etc. depending on the school. That means, you might have to monitor kids in a huge LL room for some classes, while in eikaiwa, you just sit together casually and do the lesson.

My eikaiwa provided 2 textbook series and a couple of freestyle teaching courses for a total of about a dozen different classes. We got to make our own lesson plans (good and bad concept) as long as we followed the school's schedule for finishing the books. We did the interviews to judge which classes students entered. Not always fun when 2 people of different levels want to join the same class. My eikaiwa didn't test students after their course; they just let them "advance" if they wanted to and paid. Other eikaiwas may do things differently. In my eikaiwa, we were free to leave the building whenever we were not in class, but you may find other eikaiwas restrict teachers' movements. I had 2-5 classes a day and worked from 1pm to 9pm. Marginal paperwork, but you may have more in other places. Eikaiwa may also want you to fraternize with students at school-sponsored events designed for recruitment or re-signing students. I got 250,000 yen/month, an old apartment with secondhand furnishings, and local transportation paid. My paid vacation time was the average (Golden Week, Obon, and 10 days around New Year, plus national holidays). Make sure of all of these details, what you have to pay (or get paid for), and how anal the contract clauses are.

High school was a totally different animal.
They required at least a year of teaching experience anywhere, and they preferred people with even a little Japanese. PT and FT teachers taught the same types of classes; the only real difference (besides salary) was that PTers got to go home when they finished and they didn't have to attend meetings. FT teachers got deluged with meetings (6 per week), mandatory club activities, major test proctoring and grading (5 times a year), entrance exam making and grading, festival preparations and cleanup, overseas trips and planning, committee work, etc. You definitely earned your pay (higher than eikaiwa, of course). I did a survey here on private HS teachers, and it seemed that half or more (like me) had so much work and obligations that they were in the building from 7:30 or 8:00am to 7:00 or 8:00pm, and every other Saturday (half day or longer). Textbooks were problematic. We were assigned only one, and the rest we had to figure out on our own. We were never told what classes we were teaching for the year until about 2 weeks before things started. Vacation time overall was longer, but it was not as cut and dried at times. Summer break was a month long, but teachers were often required to be there anyway. Same for much of winter break. There were always makeup exams, study support, committee work, club obligations (4-7 days a week), etc.

I've written about teaching in a private HS before, so do a search to find more details, or just PM me. That ought to be enough to whet your appetite.[/url]

[katsu]

Thanx Glenski for your thorough reply!

It definately opened up my eyes quite a bit (especially the part on staying in school from 7am -7pm... that must of been quite a challenge!). I'm glad you had put that in there, as from what I had been told working in the public system, felt more like vacation than actual work.
Someone might have mentioned it on here before, and although I have been reading quite a few posts (obviously not all), I could of missed it...

As to me rushing? Well not really...well sorta . I'm actually in a situation that well it's now or never. And since I'm hoping to do a few countries, aside from Japan, I really got to get my moves on.

Thanx

[Glenski]

I don't know about public schools, but practically everyone in my private HS stayed in the building until at least 7pm. Some people were just getting started on things that late and stayed until 9 or 10 pm as a matter of course. Junior high was worse.

[NorthofAmerica]

I teach at an eikaiwa. It is absurdly easy. My schedule sucks a bit but is awesome in other ways. Tuesday to Friday, including prep time I basically teach from 1ish to 9:30ish. Though Monday I start at 2:45 and finish at 4:20.
I get 250,000 a month, a car (minus 24,000 for it), a HUGE apartment (though old), 10 days vacation plus regular holidays.

I do some privates that bring in about 50,000 yen extra a month. I have though about ALT work afterwards but other than the "respectability" factor and perhaps enjoying the 9-5 type schedule I don't see the advantage.

Just be picky about the eikaiwa you work with and get ALL your questions answered before you get here.

[katsu]

-NorthofAmerica- which eikaiwa do you work for if u don't mind me asking?
tx

[cornishmuppet]

While everyone has a different preference, the long holidays as an ALT make it better for me than working at an eikawa. I'm lucky and get paid for them (bar an unpaid August) but even if I wasn't I think I'd still prefer the chill time to the endless wheel of eikawa. Only three classes a day is neat as well.

[katsu]

yeah, longer holidays (for ALT's) seems to be one major advantage over eikaiwa...and you (cornishmuppet) only get to teach 3 classes per day? Wow, that's really neat

[ripslyme]

[NorthofAmerica]

^^^^^

Sounds like a sweet gig ripslyne. Did you apply direct to the BoE or school?

I work for a small eikaiwa called Wishborn (or America Eigo Gakuin which was its old name) It's only around in Kansai and even then mostly in Wakayama. I work in Shiga with one other teacher.

[katsu]

you guys got some awesome deals with your school...makes me kinda jealous to tell you the truth hehe...

how long have u been working for your schools?

[ripslyme]

[amity]

Great, ripslyme! Now where is it that YOU work?