Job Discussion Forums

[jimboclark]

I have a BA in Spanish and Japanese, no professional classroom experience, but lots of tutoring experience.

Taking into account the total compensation package (subsidized housing, etc.) who do you think would pay me more- JET or one of the Big Three (or is it Big Four?) English shools?

BTW, assume that I'd be working in Nagoya (even though the chances of that are slim with JET) so that the rural/urban cost of living doesn't factor in.

PS- sorry if this has been asked before, I figure even if it has the answer might change from year to year.

[Gurdeep Rivenvald III]

JET. End of thread.

[maya.the.bee]

check out this thread. there is alot of good info....

i vote JET as well

[stillnosheep]

Jet pays more than the eikaiwa chains. Every year. It doesn't change.

[Dipso]

JET. You might even get free accommodation to boot.

[taffer]

It might be worth a bit of research to find out just how much more involved you will be if you go with JET, not that it is a bad thing, mind you. I work for a smaller school than NOVA or Geos but when I get off work, that's it. Judging from blogs I have read about the JET program, you have to devote a lot more of your energy...what price freedom?

[stillnosheep]

Many Jet teachers end up going half-nuts because of not having enough work to do.

Sure there is the odd speech day or out-of-school-hours whatever to attend but, unless the teacher really pushes to get more involved, and is allowed to do so, the work of the human tape-recorders is much less onorous than that of the eikaiwa monkeys

[Kilgore Trout]

I have never run into a JET teacher who was not enjoying a prolonged paid vacation.

If you can stand doing nothing, go JET.

If you want problems, go with the eikaiwa because it seems that the majority experience them. There is an occasional hidden gem, but even they never last for long and business trumps all in the end.

[TokyoLiz]

Stillnosheep and Kilgore or so down on JET.

I survived one year of JET. I worked at four junior highs. Two of the schools really embraced me and I did school-wide projects such as newsletters, penpal campaigns and lunchtime broadcasts. The demands were not so much in the classroom - performing skits in front of the kids for listening comprehension, or helping to start a communication task with a teacher. The two other schools were lame, and used me only as a human tape recorder. Boring, but I did a lot of time at the desk where I could study Japanese and prepare for the two good schools. I was a city hall ALT, so I had lots of contact with city employees and I attended functions and did editing jobs for other sections of the city hall.

I didn't get involved outside of school hours much. Instead, I threw my energy at volunteering in the city, doing homestays in the region for cultural exchange, teaching English to elderly people and traveling. Being in Japan is quite stimulating for the first year.

After JET, I went home to Canada, worked for two more years for immigrant services and international English schools, and came back to Japan as a high school ESL (for returnees) and EFL (for regular kids) teacher. Because my JET experience was so positive, gave me time to study and speak the language, and made Japan look attractive, a second go at Japan, in the capacity of a real teacher, just felt natural.

A year on JET is an cushy scholarship which gets you into Japanese life. The pay is great, the support is good (if a little spotty - few ALTs running workshops are ESL or EFL professionals), the rent is subsidized (I paid Y10,000 a month and the bills were included!) and the airfare to and from is paid. Overall, it's a really good way to come to Japan.

[G Cthulhu]