Job Discussion Forums

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

subtitled (most of the time sort of-general descriptions of what's going on rather than actual translation)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=413Y5Zx88AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_Uf9NI8p5o

[starteacher]

Interesting find.

Was the narrator a Japanese native, or a gaijin with good Japanese ?

[fluffyhamster]

Thanks for that, GBBB.

Immediate impressions:

1) Urgh. Some AETs really seem to lack energy, charisma, skills and purpose e.g. the blonde female Musashino direct hire. (That reminds me, I must remember to get that hair dye and lipstick later). I know it was a lesson that was going to be televised, but even so...some people just Aimlessly Enter Teaching and drift through schools, IMHO. (Still, maybe such teaching looks cutting-edge to those Japanese watching who were raised on the stuffiest Grammar Translation going). Kudos to the guy in Osaka who could speak Japanese at least. - he would seem more deserving of direct hire, surely?

2) The main concern seemed to be about who is in charge of an AET on a flowchart, when the actual problem is hardship (touched on but kind of incidental in the report), good as well as bad AETs walking mid-term, and the city therefore not really getting what it's paid for (an AET for the year, rather than in the worse cases a half dozen or more (AETs for the year at a school, not years for the AET LOL)).

Handing over any sum of money to a dispatcher is often just so much waste, wasted potential. But then, so might be direct hire, JET etc too. The report said that AETs are considered necessary nowadays, but by whom exactly? Cash-strapped cityzens?

[stevenbhow]

I wish they would have mentioned Nagoya City. About two years Nagoya City cut all of the ALT's yearly salaries by reducing the teaching schedule from 10 months a year to 8.5. This was a loss of around 500,000 yen a year for ever ALT working in Nagoya. Most of the guys that were married quit the ALT business. Many of them were experienced teachers that actually cared about their schools.

[Ryu Hayabusa]

@stevenbhow

I personally would love to be on one of those contracts! Around 4 months off and still making 220 000-230 000 yen per month with paid vacations! Just teach or do something on the side to make up for the loss in salary. Any enterprising person could take that contract and make it lucrative.

[stevenbhow]

Ryu, some of the ALT's did just that, but it was a bit of a blow for those of us that had budgeted ourselves for 10 months of pay. The company I worked for didn't pay us during the vacations. I don't know if that has changed or not. The guys I worked with had all been with the same company for a few years and were getting close to 300,000 yen a month. Also, telling your wife that your yearly income is going to take 500,000 yen a year hit that you may or may not be able to recover doing something else is never fun.

Anyway, its water under the bridge for me. Now I make more a month and work about half as many hours a week as a part timer.

[Ryu Hayabusa]

@stevenbhow

Ah, I see. I didn't really consider those points. Congrats on your current situation!