Job Discussion Forums

kidkensei · Joined: 17 Nov 2008 Posts: 36

First off, definitely not trolling. Not really sure what trolling is but I;m pretty sure I'm not doin it. Nope, no trollin goin on in this forum.

My question for you all experienced English Alts and Teachers out there is this,

If you were going to spend your first year as a naive English teacher all over again and you were only given these 3 options, which company would you choose?

Cheers
Kensei

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

AEON runs Amity, so there are really only 2 options. With not a bad reputation, with apartment rent subsidized (capped), and with lesson plans handed to you, I'd say of the choices you gave, go with AEON.

Need some background on yourself to help choose for you (which I really don't like to do). What are your goals, oh naive first-timer?

And, why have you disregarded the JET programme?

kidkensei · Joined: 17 Nov 2008 Posts: 36

Hey Glenski,

Thanks for the advice. I haven't ruled JET out but its just that they don't begin hiring again until august.

My goals like any naive virgin gaijin English teacher is to get rich and have many beautiful japanese girls at my side fanning me down everywhere I go.

On a more serious note, what motivates me to be an english teacher is the responsibility I will have to others who want to learn and pursue their goals. I want to be in the position where I am able to see progress at the individual level and in the class as well. I'm starting to wonder whether a position as an ALT who just takes commands would give me this satisfaction.

A recruiter said to me that because Eikawas are a business there approach to learning is negative. Its all about gain and profits. They made it sound like learning for its own sake is something that only happens in the public school system.

If Eikawas and Eikawa students put more pressure on teachers to help them succeed because its a business venture then why would this be such a bad thing??

What satisfies you as a teacher Glenski??

stillnosheep · Joined: 01 Mar 2004 Posts: 2068 Location: eslcafe

The pressure on eikaiwa teachers is not to help students progress but to increase company profits. This can mean putting students into inappropriate classes because it fits their schedules, teaching mixed ability classes as it is more profitable than splitting the class etc. and holding weekly business meetings with the school management where one is exhorted to recommend that students buy into the current campaign (eg for extra telephone based lessons or whatever), with league tables of schools and teachers posted on the staffroom walls, to encourage diligence in signing students up for this months campaign.

Lessons and materials may be oriented towards giving students the impression of progress (through the practicing of set rote 'conversations) rather than by encouraging any understanding or working knowledge of how English works. I was once told by a trainer that lessons were like baseball pitches, the teacher was the pitcher and the aim was that the student left the class feeling that they had scored a home run. This is superb advice if the object is to maximise student goodfeeling and thus the chance of them signing up for more lessons but is less useful if the object is to help them learn to play at baseball.

On the other hand teaching methods in many parts of the state sector have hardly progressed from the grammar translation method. At least eikaiwa students learn to speak, if only in the context of prescribed 'conversations'.

kidkensei · Joined: 17 Nov 2008 Posts: 36

Excellent advice stillnosheep.

How do you deal with mixed ability in your classes? Do you divide the class during exercises? Could you use the kids with higher abilities to the advantage of the others?

Aaron

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

degolasse · Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 21

To answer the original question, if I were to do it all over as a newbie, I would have picked Interac again. I say this solely because I have little interest in teaching at an Eikaiwa, and my job through Interac at a Junior High was thoroughly satisfying. Above Interac though I would have chosen JET, mainly because I would have returned home with a little bit of money for doing the same job.
Yup, Interac has it's downfalls, and like most companies who hire overseas, you'll hear countless complaints about them. Know these and be prepared for them. However, in the end, Interac gave me absolutely everything they promised me during my contract and I had few actual complaints about them.
In my position as an ALT, I took commands from no one. I worked with a Japanese teacher and together we planned lessons and taught the classes. Sometimes I had little to do, sometimes I ran the show. On the students part, there was no learning for the sake of learning. Like someone else said, they memorize to pass the exam. However, if you pay attention, you'll find a few students out there who actually enjoy studying English and want more than just the answers to the test. Of my 400 students, I may have had 30, but my daily conversations with them and the progress I saw in them over a year was enough for my job to be very satisfying.

AgentMulderUK · Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 9:24 pm Post subject:

Just to counter the above post, my experience of that despatch company is that they are mostly a bunch of insidious incompetent liars.

I will not forgive them and continue to go out of my way to warn others of their nature. Others may disagree, but I see no point in pushing young people into something that has resulted in unhappiness on so many occasions on these boards alone.

Do I sound bitter and twisted? Yes with good reason.

As for Aeon, I have yet to read anything really negative about them. Far better organisation, from what friends have told me.

spidr245 · Joined: 26 Nov 2008 Posts: 60

Is Interac really that bad? I've seen Flufflyhamster's post and he has positive things to say about them. AgentMulderUK (or anyone else willing to give input), if you could expand please to give those of us new to this a better understanding. I'm pretty new to this and I would like to know your reasons for not liking Interac.

Dipso · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Posts: 194 Location: England

I have a good friend who worked for Interac in the Kanto region. She was hardly ever paid on time and/or in full. On many occasions she only received half her salary on the day it was due - the rest followed a few weeks later.

stillnosheep · Joined: 01 Mar 2004 Posts: 2068 Location: eslcafe

fluffyhamster · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 1:09 am Post subject:

spidr245 · Joined: 26 Nov 2008 Posts: 60

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

I think what needs to be remembered with dispatch companies is that it isn't the job (working in a school) that sucks, but the insidious, toad-like middleman who gets in the way, takes half your money and causes you all sorts of problems that don't need to exist, doesn't pay health insurance, doesn't pay on time, whatever.

Whereas, with eikawas, while your boss might be lovely, you'll still be working a ton of classtime hours a week, often to kids whose parents push them into being there (its usually only the adults that WANT to be there), and therefore have very little motivation, you'll have very little holiday, and you might get criticised for actually trying to teach when all the company wants you to do is keep the students happy enough to stop them leaving.

I'd choose Interac, though its a personal choice. The job or the administration. At least with a dispatch company you might get a chance to see a bit of Japan while you're here, and the focus will actually be on teaching english rather than selling. Of course, you might come across some negetivity towards ALTs, but thats only because most dispatch companies employ any bum they can get their hands on. Go across to bigdaikon.com for a view of the supposed cream of the ALT crop.

Eikawas can be good. I worked in a great one in Italy, which had a syllabus, end of course exams, progress reports, homework that was actually done. Its only in Japan that I lost my faith in them.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:57 am Post subject:

Nice post, cornish! I'd just add that sometimes (not often, but unfortunately just occassionally enough), not only the dispatch middle-men toads but also the actual school (JHS)/job can suck too - knowing that you will have few sympathisers and certainly few if any friends at the average BOE (otherwise they'd just hire directly, wouldn't they!), some JTEs and/or vice-principals etc will be as rude and nasty as they please. Compare this to the average JET, who usually gets a modicum of respect and TLC, at least to their face.