Job Discussion Forums

Mark · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 500 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Hi folks,

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on whether it's better for people who are already in Japan to go through JET or to look for ALT work on their own. The application deadline is getting close, so decision time approaches.

Thanks.

Li-ka · Joined: 21 Mar 2004 Posts: 52

Mark, put your application in. JET is a good deal. I'm not really talking from experience, there are others who could help you put much more than I could, but from what I've gathered by being a frequent reader to these pages is... if you'd like to get an ALT position, not just as an English teacher, but an English teacher in a Japanese school, then you need to have some qualifications and some language experience. To get a position as an ALT on your own, you'd need to read the websites that Glenski usually posts regarding job advertisements. They might have more info on job requirements and such too. You would also need to pay your own flight over and have a lot of startup money.

Despite what you decide, it would be a good idea to put your application in for JET. You won't have an interview until February, and won't receive notification of a position until April. When they give you that notification they ask if you are still seriously going to commit to being on the JET program (at least my alternate noticifation asked). Because JET takes a long time and there's a lot of competition, I would suggest starting the application process anyway and having a backup plan (like comming to Japan and finding your own job). If you really want to find an ALT position on your own, most of them would probably hire for April since that's when the school year starts. So, you could put your JET app in and look for a job while you wait the process out. And head on over to www.bigdaikon.com for more answers to your JET questions. Of course, keep asking your questions about private companies here, I'm sure others would be better able to help than I.

Best of luck! (c:

Mark · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 500 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Thanks for the response, but I should have been more clear. I'm currently living in Japan, and I do have ESL training and experience. I taught ESL to kids and teens in Canada before coming here (although not within the public school system). So, what I'm really curious about is whether privately found ALT positions are superior to JET in terms of working hours/salary/job satisfaction and so forth. I'd like to improve my Japanese language ability, so working in a Japanese school would hopefully provide me with an opportunity to do that.

JET seems good because it's a Japanese working environment with lots of free time for study and possibly even language exchanges during the day with teachers and staff who have some down time. From what I understand, ALT positions found outside of JET and Interac seem to pay quite a bit more than the JET salary.

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

Go with the JET program if you can. They overpay you for what you do and pay for you flight, in addition to having the tax treaty. It's a much better deal than working at a conversation school. If you find a better deal while you're on the JET, then quit then.

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

One thing to know...you can apply for JET while you are in Japan, but you will have to interview with them in your home country.

guest of Japan · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 1601 Location: Japan

JET has a higher salary than the majority of ALT jobs. Also it seems that many are lucky in gettine free or cheap housing.

The downside seems to be that you're likely to be placed in the countryside. It'll be good for your Japanese skills, but you'll grow weary of looking at endless stretches of brown rice fields in the wintertime and of losing vast quantities of blood to the swarms of mosquitoes in the summer.

You might want to look into the Kurashiki Board of Ed. I just read they are hiring now, and supposedly they pay pretty well.

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

homersimpson · Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 569 Location: Kagoshima

homersimpson · Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 569 Location: Kagoshima

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

canuck,

True, it is very likely to be the exception. I believe this is the first year that JET has even allowed such applications to be made from within Japan. My main point was that the OP Mark is currently living here, and even though he can easily enough apply, he will still have to fork out for airline fare to return home just to interview with JET.

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

I don't know when it started. In 2001, she was working for Nova in Osaka. It might have been early 2002 when she interviewed for JET in Tokyo (or somewhere like that) and she started in 2002.

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

GambateBingBangBOOM · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan

"Downtime" in the JET ALT context usually refers to the time you have no classes, no class preparation and nothing to do, but are at our school or BoE. Normally, when we talk about it we are talking about the seemingly endless hours spent at your school or BoE where we just sit and stare off into space, read etc (some people are allowed a lot of freedom in what they do during downtime, some are watched every single minute to make sure they only do acceptable things- generally this means lesson planning for non-existant classes or studying Japanese. Most people fall somewhere in the middle, or aren't really sure how ridiculously free they are because they do things that are at least tenuously related to the job out of a sense of duty- probably most ALTs fall into this category).

If you don't have to show up at your BoE or school, we normally don't count it as "downtime", we count it "free time off" (it doesn't count as vacation time in this case).

Some people don't have to go to their BoE or school during the long breaks (like summer, and winter). Some do. It does seem that it's mostly highschool JETs who get the time off (these JETs normally work for their school, not the Board of Education in their town). JHS JETs generally have to go to either empty schools or their Boards of Education.

But EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT (The JET mantra).

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

spidey · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 7:18 am Post subject:

Although I agree that the JET Program is a good one, there is no need for you to feel that it is the only one. Take Interac for example, they constantly have adds running on most of the ESL websites. And if you are turned off by their reputation of not paying on time, there are still other companies to consider. Altia Central is another example. Both of these companies are currently advertising for ALTs.

From a non-JET ALT