Job Discussion Forums

[purplelotus13]

I just had my interview with Interac in Houston on Saturday.
The first 3 hours (from 9am-noon) was a basic presentation about the company, living in Japan, and what to expect working as an ALT.
We also took a short grammar test (easy) and a personality test (interesting).
There were 2 other guys and a couple (the wife was actually applying to be a French teacher for Interac).

It was very informal and relaxed.

After the presentation we had our individual interviews. I went first. It was very much like all the other interviews I've ever had. The interviewer asked me work related questions and just got a general sense of why I wanted to go to Japan and how I would adjust to living there. We discussed my current ESL teaching position and how I had dealt with certain situations and how I had used creativity in creating my lesson plans.
After that came my 5 minute presentation which was video taped.
Only the recruiter was present, no Japanese staff.

The first part I simply had to pretend I was greeting a high school class that already knew me. This was about 30 seconds.

I then introduced myself to the camera as if I was introducing myself to a group of teachers I would be working with. I introduced myself in Japanese, said a few things about my teaching experience (in both Japanese and English since my Japanese is currently very basic), and then said a few things in Japanese about my hobbies and interests.
That took just over a minute.

Then finally I did a mock lesson plan for elementary school students.
I basically made some flash cards of 6 different colors and did a short drill, using hand gestures to indicate that the students should repeat what I said over and over again.

Then that was it and I had to drive back to Austin:-)

I think it went pretty well. The recruiter created a very relaxed environment and I found I actually had quite a few things in common with her.
She sent out emails to my work references yesterday and said I should know something either at the end of the month or right at the beginning of January.

[gonzarelli]

I would be surprised if you didn't get the job. Have fun in Japan.

[southofreality]

Good luck

[untmdsprt]

Same procedure as what I went through in Atlanta. I have gotten an email saying I've been offered a job.

The offer said a 40% reduction in pay during August, and a 25% reduction in December. I can only assume they don't pay you for vacation time. The offer also stated that you have to be available during 8am - 5pm, weekends and public holidays as required. This tells me to get everything in writing as to when the school wants me, and when I can actually have personal time for myself to see Japan.

Since Interac and other companies hire for the year, that will give you enough time to think of whether you want to continue or not. Personally, I plan to do everything the Japanese way, and leave my American mentality at home. The recruiter even said to think of everything as "this is the Japan" way of doing things, and not to question anything. Actually good advice in my opinion!!

[markle]

[lisa111082]

From what I understand, weekends and holidays are only for special school events... a friend who works as an ALT for another company only had to go one or two Saturdays out of the school year.

I was offered a job back in October so I'll see all of you in Tokyo! I can't wait to go back "home."

[TokyoLiz]

Utmdsprt

[untmdsprt]

Update: I've been in Japan since March 2008, and have mixed feelings toward the people here. You've got your good, and your bad. The Yokohama branch of Interac is short-staffed, so don't expect a lot of help.

As for the working conditions, the hours I have are 8:30am to 5pm with evenings and weekends off. I turn my paperwork in by the deadlines each month, and get paid at the end of the month. The pay period sucks though, work for the month of April, get paid at end of May. I've also signed onto the national health insurance, and find it's a lot better than what Interac offers. Considering Americans are dependent on jobs providing health benefits, this is a welcome change!!

My overall impression is I will continue working for Interac, but I will definitely take on private students to earn more money. The company has been very helpful in training and feedback to make your lessons better.

One thing, definitely find either a friend who's fluent in Japanese, or get your butt to studying the language. I actually have both, and find the more Japanese I know, the easier it gets here. Having a friend for the difficult stuff is great too.

I've developed a tough shell to the workplace bull. I find a mixed bag of opinions about me, learning Japanese, and what I do on my days off. Most teachers think I can travel back and forth from Japan and the US. I have no interest in going back to the US when I still have a lot of Japan to see. I'd also like to visit other countries around Japan. I also turn down their invites to parties. All you can drink parties is not fun when you have 4 schools to go to, and each one wants you to fork over 10,000 for the party. Yeah right!

For those of you still debating on whether or not to teach English here, save your money, commit for a year, and then see how you like it. No job is going to be perfect, but Interac is actually not a bad place. Just keep everything on a need to know basis, and keep your mouth shut if it's not in your best interest.

[flyer]

thanks very much for that update

its very good to get up to date info on interac. There is so much negative stuff here from people who have never worked for them.

[reasonJP]

The OP may want to shrink his avatar, there..

[AgentMulderUK]

[G Cthulhu]

[G Cthulhu]

[flyer]

[untmdsprt]