Job Discussion Forums

[rxk22]

[jcook77]

Not to get too far off-topic, but I'm really impressed that some ALTs are able to go out socially with the Japanese teachers. As has been said, ESID, but I worked at a number of schools in Tokyo the past four years and was never able to strike up solid friendships/relationships with Japanese staff. While it'd be easy to say that it's clearly my own fault for my horrid strikeout rate, I made a sincere effort to try and organize nights out, ask about weekend plans, hint at doing something fun ... all to no avail. This may, indeed, be a Tokyo thing (those of us who live here know it's a built-in excuse to be "too busy" 365 days a year). The closest I got to a friendship was doing a language exchange with a young teacher trainee, and she flaked out after about a month. Why? Her words: she was "too busy" cleaning her room/window shopping.

And here's my two cents on Interac's Shinjuku-ku branch: I worked there two years and more or less enjoyed it. Some things are out of the company's hands (bad JTE teachers, bad behavior from students, etc.), but Interac seemed a bit stretched thin at the head office and that caused a lot of miscommunication and overwhelmed branch office workers. It feels like Tokyo is a different animal for ALTs, mainly because your ES or JHS is going to be big, full and fast-paced. I like the sound of a more rural setting, and may make the move out of Tokyo this spring.

Any word on Interac's Niigata and Hokkaido branches? Cheers!