|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Amarok
Joined: 02 Jun 2009
Posts: 47
Location: pineapple under the sea
|
 Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:10 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
ES "ALT"
6 AM: get up
7:30 AM: go to work
8:00 AM: Arrive at work expecting to have 1st period for planning or expecting the HRT for the first class to show up for class, but be told the whole schedule is flipped around so I have to teach a marathon of 5 classes in, oh, 5 minutes. Oh, and the HRT is gone today, so you're fine by yourself, right? Cue quiet rage.
Teach classes while HRTs stand around doing nothing... When they're even around. Try to get them involved but usually fail.
Eat lunch with the kids.
Clean with the kids.
Play with the kids.
Teach more classes. Have usually given up on the HRTs at this point and just do everything in English/Japanese myself since they don't want to do anything.
3:45PM: Finish classes. Have all of half an hour to do planning and material-making.
4:15PM: Go home.
Waste two hours of my free time at home doing more lesson planning and making things since I don't actually get time to do it at work.
Finally get to enjoy what little is left of my day. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
rich45
Joined: 26 Jan 2006
Posts: 127
|
| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 12:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Amarok wrote: |
ES "ALT"
6 AM: get up
7:30 AM: go to work
8:00 AM: Arrive at work expecting to have 1st period for planning or expecting the HRT for the first class to show up for class, but be told the whole schedule is flipped around so I have to teach a marathon of 5 classes in, oh, 5 minutes. Oh, and the HRT is gone today, so you're fine by yourself, right? Cue quiet rage.
Teach classes while HRTs stand around doing nothing... When they're even around. Try to get them involved but usually fail.
Eat lunch with the kids.
Clean with the kids.
Play with the kids.
Teach more classes. Have usually given up on the HRTs at this point and just do everything in English/Japanese myself since they don't want to do anything.
3:45PM: Finish classes. Have all of half an hour to do planning and material-making.
4:15PM: Go home.
Waste two hours of my free time at home doing more lesson planning and making things since I don't actually get time to do it at work.
Finally get to enjoy what little is left of my day. |
Sounds rough. Is this every day? I go to an elementary school every Friday which is to a lesser extent similar to what you described, although it is rare to get my schedule changed. Are you often in the classroom alone with the kids? I know there has been debate on here about whether or not it's illegal to do such a thing, but it has happened to me a few times as well. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
|
| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 1:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| rich45 wrote: |
| Amarok wrote: |
ES "ALT"
6 AM: get up
7:30 AM: go to work
8:00 AM: Arrive at work expecting to have 1st period for planning or expecting the HRT for the first class to show up for class, but be told the whole schedule is flipped around so I have to teach a marathon of 5 classes in, oh, 5 minutes. Oh, and the HRT is gone today, so you're fine by yourself, right? Cue quiet rage.
Teach classes while HRTs stand around doing nothing... When they're even around. Try to get them involved but usually fail.
Eat lunch with the kids.
Clean with the kids.
Play with the kids.
Teach more classes. Have usually given up on the HRTs at this point and just do everything in English/Japanese myself since they don't want to do anything.
3:45PM: Finish classes. Have all of half an hour to do planning and material-making.
4:15PM: Go home.
Waste two hours of my free time at home doing more lesson planning and making things since I don't actually get time to do it at work.
Finally get to enjoy what little is left of my day. |
Sounds rough. Is this every day? I go to an elementary school every Friday which is to a lesser extent similar to what you described, although it is rare to get my schedule changed. Are you often in the classroom alone with the kids? I know there has been debate on here about whether or not it's illegal to do such a thing, but it has happened to me a few times as well. |
Illegal or not, it happens to most ALTs. And ES HRTs often seem to be the worst offenders; not only expecting the ALTs to do all the planning and prep, but also not participating in the classes instead choosing to sit at their desks (looking) busy with other things or not in the classroom at all. In almost every ALT training session I've been to over the years, there has been at least one ES ALT bring up this issue.
It does seem that some ES HRTs have misunderstood that just because the ALT is described as the "main/lead teacher" in guidelines, it doesn't mean that they can go on a break whenever the ALT is around.
As for schedules; again, ES ALTs tend to have most packed schedules whilst HS ALTs tend to have the lightest - I have 8 or 10 per week out of a possible 27 periods and never more than 3 lessons per day... I rarely have any prep work to do come 3.30pm which is hometime for me.
And the more schools an ES ALT has, the worse it is. One ALT from my last city served seven schools and on a good day had 5 lessons... on a bad day could have 6 or even 7 booked periods and still be expected to eat with the students! - One of her schools either didn't understand or delibrately ignored the fact that if she was required to eat with students or be on the premises during lunch, then that time had to be counted as work hours. The less frequently she visited a school, the more likely they were to try to squeeze as many classes out of her when she was there. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
|
| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 2:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| rich45 wrote: |
| Amarok wrote: |
ES "ALT"
6 AM: get up
7:30 AM: go to work
8:00 AM: Arrive at work expecting to have 1st period for planning or expecting the HRT for the first class to show up for class, but be told the whole schedule is flipped around so I have to teach a marathon of 5 classes in, oh, 5 minutes. Oh, and the HRT is gone today, so you're fine by yourself, right? Cue quiet rage.
Teach classes while HRTs stand around doing nothing... When they're even around. Try to get them involved but usually fail.
Eat lunch with the kids.
Clean with the kids.
Play with the kids.
Teach more classes. Have usually given up on the HRTs at this point and just do everything in English/Japanese myself since they don't want to do anything.
3:45PM: Finish classes. Have all of half an hour to do planning and material-making.
4:15PM: Go home.
Waste two hours of my free time at home doing more lesson planning and making things since I don't actually get time to do it at work.
Finally get to enjoy what little is left of my day. |
Sounds rough. Is this every day? I go to an elementary school every Friday which is to a lesser extent similar to what you described, although it is rare to get my schedule changed. Are you often in the classroom alone with the kids? I know there has been debate on here about whether or not it's illegal to do such a thing, but it has happened to me a few times as well. |
My schedule gets changed about 30% of the time. Not a big deal for the most part.
I do hate the whole 'JT not preparing anything' part. I am not going to make 400 karuta cards. So, the game in the curriculum just isn't going to happen that day.
Every time I teach at ES, a JT just rolls out for 10-30mins. Doesn't bother me, but if something happened, I would prolly be up the poopy creek. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 10:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| ALTs need to talk to their employers about such situations, IMO. Most probably just suffer or quit. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
geekpie
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 31
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
| rxk22 wrote: |
In Kanto, ALTs don't normally have 100,000 in extra cash every month. From my single friends, seems like saving 20,000 every month, in my company is more of the norm.
Also, before Nova went under, seems like people had more money to throw around.
Also JET is cushy, and some people take advantage of the benefits.
But still, I think the whole ALT partying it up image is more image now, than reality. There just isn't the money in being an ALT/eikaiwa goon anymore. |
Do you mean at the end of the month they have 20,000 left over from their disposable income?
As far as there not being any money in it anymore, sadly I think that's pretty much universal :/ |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rich45
Joined: 26 Jan 2006
Posts: 127
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
| geekpie wrote: |
| rxk22 wrote: |
In Kanto, ALTs don't normally have 100,000 in extra cash every month. From my single friends, seems like saving 20,000 every month, in my company is more of the norm.
Also, before Nova went under, seems like people had more money to throw around.
Also JET is cushy, and some people take advantage of the benefits.
But still, I think the whole ALT partying it up image is more image now, than reality. There just isn't the money in being an ALT/eikaiwa goon anymore. |
Do you mean at the end of the month they have 20,000 left over from their disposable income?
As far as there not being any money in it anymore, sadly I think that's pretty much universal :/ |
Obviously not as lucrative as in the old days, I could still quite easily save 100,000 yen in a month, which with the current exchange rate as it is, translates to about 750 GBP.
This rarely happens of course as Japan has so many great places to visit, and in all seasons as well. But I simply have a quiet month when my Masters tuition fees are due, and just one month's savings will take care of that for a few months.
Admittedly those on say 220,000 are in a worse situation, but i could still easily save 50,000 a month on that wage. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 11:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
Depends on where you live. In kanto, it's a bit harder to save a lot, as just rent is pretty expensive. And the cheap places, are pretty bad. In my cheap place, I had slugs
22万? Be nice to make that much a month. I avg 19万 a month, if you take the massive contract gap, and unpaid holidays into consideration.
But still, I think the stereotype has already been set. I don't know of anyone who drinks on a frat like level. Most people simply don't have the disposable income to do so anymore. And the type who would drink themselves silly all the time, prolly can't live in a way where they have 10万 worth of disposable income a month. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 11:18 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Glenski wrote: |
| ALTs need to talk to their employers about such situations, IMO. Most probably just suffer or quit. |
Well, from what I have seen, talking to the company does nothing, if not makes things worse. Best to not bother, unless it is sexual harassment, or violence, anything less, and I would bet that the company would just wink and nod, and then they and the JTs would be mad at you. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| rxk22 wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| ALTs need to talk to their employers about such situations, IMO. Most probably just suffer or quit. |
Well, from what I have seen, talking to the company does nothing, if not makes things worse. Best to not bother, unless it is sexual harassment, or violence, anything less, and I would bet that the company would just wink and nod, and then they and the JTs would be mad at you. |
I am curious about the attitude of not doing anything about this. ALTs are assistants, not solo teachers. I would suspect that their language fluency is insufficient to handle emergency situations--students fighting, epileptic seizures, earthquake or fire, etc.--and even if they are capable, there is the matter of liability. ALTs are not usually hired by the schools where they work; rather, they are JET program employees of a sort, or they are hired by dispatch agencies. If an ALT of that type injures someone or is some other way at fault in causing harm, who should take the blame just because the HR teacher is not there?
This is just my opinion, but to say "don't bother" is the wrong attitude to take. JTs who choose not to do their job of being in the classroom ought to change their attitudes or get out of the teaching biz. ALTs in this position of being left alone should at the very least contact their employer with concerns of liability (toward the company), or see what the Labor Standards Office has to say. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rich45
Joined: 26 Jan 2006
Posts: 127
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Glenski wrote: |
| rxk22 wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| ALTs need to talk to their employers about such situations, IMO. Most probably just suffer or quit. |
Well, from what I have seen, talking to the company does nothing, if not makes things worse. Best to not bother, unless it is sexual harassment, or violence, anything less, and I would bet that the company would just wink and nod, and then they and the JTs would be mad at you. |
I am curious about the attitude of not doing anything about this. ALTs are assistants, not solo teachers. I would suspect that their language fluency is insufficient to handle emergency situations--students fighting, epileptic seizures, earthquake or fire, etc.--and even if they are capable, there is the matter of liability. ALTs are not usually hired by the schools where they work; rather, they are JET program employees of a sort, or they are hired by dispatch agencies. If an ALT of that type injures someone or is some other way at fault in causing harm, who should take the blame just because the HR teacher is not there?
This is just my opinion, but to say "don't bother" is the wrong attitude to take. JTs who choose not to do their job of being in the classroom ought to change their attitudes or get out of the teaching biz. ALTs in this position of being left alone should at the very least contact their employer with concerns of liability (toward the company), or see what the Labor Standards Office has to say. |
It is a difficult balance between speaking up, and keeping quiet.
When I found out the BofE were visiting my elementary school back in March to observe everyone's classes, I was a bit perturbed to discover they would be dropping in on my 6th grade class as they were like zoo animals at that time, and the HRT was poor. So I mentioned it to my dispatch boss after our weekly meeting, and he ended up calling the school and it caused a bit of tension. The situation has improved since then and the HRT is a lot more involved in classroom control, but it took a while before it felt like things settled down.
So now, I am very reluctant to mention anything as it could get blown up out of proportion, and then the chances of being offered a contract in March will decrease. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Glenski wrote: |
| rxk22 wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| ALTs need to talk to their employers about such situations, IMO. Most probably just suffer or quit. |
Well, from what I have seen, talking to the company does nothing, if not makes things worse. Best to not bother, unless it is sexual harassment, or violence, anything less, and I would bet that the company would just wink and nod, and then they and the JTs would be mad at you. |
I am curious about the attitude of not doing anything about this. ALTs are assistants, not solo teachers. I would suspect that their language fluency is insufficient to handle emergency situations--students fighting, epileptic seizures, earthquake or fire, etc.--and even if they are capable, there is the matter of liability. ALTs are not usually hired by the schools where they work; rather, they are JET program employees of a sort, or they are hired by dispatch agencies. If an ALT of that type injures someone or is some other way at fault in causing harm, who should take the blame just because the HR teacher is not there?
This is just my opinion, but to say "don't bother" is the wrong attitude to take. JTs who choose not to do their job of being in the classroom ought to change their attitudes or get out of the teaching biz. ALTs in this position of being left alone should at the very least contact their employer with concerns of liability (toward the company), or see what the Labor Standards Office has to say. |
I think Rich nailed it. basically if you complain, there will def be an underlying tension. As the company is an outsider, and the ALT def is one.
I complained about my HS JTE leaving the room to do whatever, and he ended up being petty about EVERYTHING for the rest of the year. Just not worth the hassle.
Basically as an ALT I am sandwiched between a company that often ignores me, and the BoE/schools that are not sure what an ALT even is. There just isn't a winning option for dealing with complaints. I just carry on.
edit; I almost never speak to anyone at my company. I see them, maybe 3 -5 times a year total. No weekly meeting or anything. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
natsume
Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 409
Location: Chongqing, China
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 10:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Glenski wrote: |
| ALTs are not usually hired by the schools where they work; rather, they are JET program employees of a sort, or they are hired by dispatch agencies. |
Correction here, or obfuscation clearing. JET ALTs are employees of their prefectural or municipal BOEs. Actually, I am not sure quite what you are getting at here, as "JET program employees", in the status of ALTs, do not exist.
In my four years here, I have probably been asked to teach solo 50-60 times, not including 4 small classes I really am teaching solo this term. It has always been with the knowledge of the kyoto/kocho senseis, I have always been asked, and I have said no on a couple occasions in which I have not felt comfortable with that particular class, and asked for a JTE to be present, and it was not an issue. They all tend to know which classes are problematic.
As far as liability issues go, I can get a Japanese teacher (of any subject) into my room in about 30 seconds, at any time, if something were to go awry. I spend a lot of time with students one-on-one. I'm, umm, a teacher.
Last edited by natsume on Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:34 am; edited 3 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 11:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I realize that tensions may arise, but the only other options are quit the job or keep quiet and suffer with the potential for that liability issue. I also realize (as I mentioned earlier) that most ALTs will probably just keep quiet about things.
I'm not an ALT, nor have I ever been one. My viewpoint is simply that risks are there, and I personally believe that something will probably happen where the school will blame the foreign ALT or his dispatch employer for some problem instead of admitting they left the ALT unsupervised. At that point, a lot of finger-pointing will be done, and something big will happen across the country. Perhaps not, but this is just my feeling.
As for having a teacher within "about 30 seconds", all I can say is that a lot can happen in that short time, and that not every ALT has even 30 seconds to dash out and get help.
As for "obfuscation", I did not intentionally try to obscure anything. Thanks for the clarification about JET employers. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
|
| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 2:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I understand that, but in the end do you see the ALT being held liable? They could just claim that they didn't know. Which could be true in many cases. I have never read the exact rule where it says that. So for all I know, it could be company policy, and not Japanese law 
While the JT being trained and licensed to teach in Japan will prolly be held responsible.
What can we do, chase down the JT when they go take a coffee break? Otherwise, as of that second we are liable. Not a lot of options that aren't brinksmanship imho. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
