Job Discussion Forums

sked · Joined: 15 Mar 2011 Posts: 5

Basically, how and when?

Me and my fiancee are thinking of teaching in Japan next year (any time after July/August 2012). We've both been teaching in Korea (hagwon and middle school for her, just middle school for me) for the past 2 years. We want to teach in the same area/city/town of Japan where we'd be living together.
From our research this is what we've decided:

1. The JET program takes too long to apply for. We've no problem about living in a rural area, we've just ruled out JET.

2. We don't want to work in an eikaiwa or the like. She worked in a hagwon (private academy) in Korea and she doesn't like anything about the format, i.e. the academy is driven by money, among other stuff. Also, we love the school setting and teaching with another teacher.

3. An ALT job in an elementary/middle/high school would be perfect.

My questions are these:

A. Would it be best to turn up in Japan in a pre-decided area, e.g. Osaka, and hunt for jobs then? As opposed to applying from abroad? How much would this boost our chances of getting a job?

If so, would it be worth having a Working Holiday Visa for this period?

B. I understand Interac and other companies are ways to get into this ALT market. Are there other ways? I keep hearing about 'direct hires' - is this a case of applying to the schools/offices of education themselves?

C. Are these private ALT jobs in schools actually any good? How easy are they to get into? Are they common? I understand that there are 'hiring periods'. Is the start of the fall semester a solid ALT hiring period? We're on the EPIK program in Korea atm, which is basically Korea's JET, and everything with the job is great. We're not expecting that a private ALT job in Japan will be as sweet as it is with EPIK, I just want to get a picture of people's experiences, i.e. would you recommend it?

Any anecdotes on how to get an ALT job in a Japanese school would be great. It sounds quite difficult to get into from where we're sitting...

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

I work as a direct hire ALT at a Junior High School. It has some disadvantages, but the day-to-day experience is pretty good -- far superior to eikaiwa work.

The job was advertised locally, in Japanese, in November. I applied in Japanese. I was interviewed in December, mostly in English. I think they would have preferred to interview me in Japanese, but my language skills weren't up to it.

To my knowledge, all of the people hired lived locally and either spoke fluent Japanese or, like me, had Japanese spouses. Maybe 50% are Fillipina housewives, although I suspect that the Board of Education prefers "authentic native speakers" (U.S., Canada, Australia, etc.) at Junior High and High School level.

Now for the downsides: There is NO job security. I will have to reapply for my job next year, and I am at the mercy of budget cuts. My job is only 3-days a week, so I have to supplement my income with other teaching work. I have no choice about which school I work at: I just apply to the Board of Education, and they send me wherever they will. I am paid by the hour, so my income varies from month to month.

Hope that helps.

sked · Joined: 15 Mar 2011 Posts: 5

Is your situation fairly typical across direct-hire ALT jobs in Japan, i.e. not job security but the working hours, the payment etc (as far as I gather job security is low in any esl job other than JET), or is that just your area?

Are you in that situation by choice or is that all that is available in your town? What I mean is that I gather that you're satisfied, but are there 'standard' 5 day work week ALT jobs around, but you choose not to go to them? How come?

You said your income varies but is it generally liveable and comparable to a '5 day, 9-to-5' ALT's income (which I'm guessing is around 230,000-250,000 yen a month?)? You don't have to give me details Razz

Thanks for your quick reply btw... really helpful Smile

The Japanese interview/advertisement is interesting... especially as they're recruiting English speakers...

G Cthulhu · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 2:47 pm Post subject:

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

First of all, forgive me for writing this, but "me and my fiancee" is such poor English that I hope you don't use it in the job. No offense, and I'm not trying to be the grammar Nazi, but this just jumped right out at me.

You shouldn't rule out JET just because of the long application process. It starts right now and gets you here in August, so my first real feedback question is this: what's the rush?

No eikaiwa? Ok, that's also your prerogative, but you're really narrowing the field of opportunities. What remains is dispatch agency ALT jobs, and if you don't already realize this, they get an awful lot of negative press on the discussion forums, perhaps more than eikaiwas.

As for your questions:
A. Would it be best to turn up in Japan in a pre-decided area, e.g. Osaka, and hunt for jobs then? As opposed to applying from abroad? How much would this boost our chances of getting a job?
Coming here (at the right time, of course) would give a stronger sense of commitment and make you immediately available for interviews. Employers who interview by Skype are few and far between, and such an interview doesn't really give either party a complete picture of what they face.

As for the "pre-decided area", are you limiting yourselves even further with this restriction on where you want to work?

If so, would it be worth having a Working Holiday Visa for this period?

B. I understand Interac and other companies are ways to get into this ALT market. Are there other ways? I keep hearing about 'direct hires' - is this a case of applying to the schools/offices of education themselves?
For ALT jobs, there are 3 routes: JET, dispatch, and direct hire. It is my impression that direct hires are pretty few in number, and it is harder to get them anyway, especially if you are fresh off the boat. As far as I've learned, yes, you apply to the BOE and pray. All of the direct hires in my neck of the woods have been established in the city for many years, if that's any indication of the norm.

C. Are these private ALT jobs in schools actually any good? How easy are they to get into? Are they common? I understand that there are 'hiring periods'. Is the start of the fall semester a solid ALT hiring period?
What is a "private ALT job"? Did you mean an ALT job in a private school (as opposed to public school)? I used to work in a private HS/JHS, and there were no ALTs at all. It is my understanding that they work in public schools far more often.

Start of the fall semester, IMO, is a risk one takes. Technically speaking, if you apply at the actual beginning of the semester, then classes have already begun, and you probably won't have any openings to apply to. If you meant to apply for the fall semester openings, then look in July or August, but I don't think there are all that many around. Other people may know otherwise.

Just so you know, the academic year in Japan starts in April, not fall. That's when most eikaiwa, uni, and ALT jobs begin.

sked · Joined: 15 Mar 2011 Posts: 5

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

sked · Joined: 15 Mar 2011 Posts: 5

Good advice on the JET program. It might be a case of applying to that and thinking more about it over the coming months, that's if we even get past the initial stages...

natsume · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 409 Location: Chongqing, China

Btw, if you really want to apply to JET this year, you better get on the applications TODAY. Letters of reference, transcripts, CBCs, you only have a couple of weeks. You might make it. Barely.

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

G Cthulhu · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 2:14 am Post subject:

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