Job Discussion Forums

[Stupot815]

Hi all. I've been lurking a while. I guess it's time to come out of the closet.

I'm in the process of looking for work in Japan and have been researching a lot of different companies, both Eikaiwa and ALT positions, as well as others. I have already had a skype interview with CocoJuku (which I failed) and have yet to hear back about my interview with AEON (fingers crossed).

Almost invariably, when I start researching a company I come across all kinds of horror stories. I'm sure you're all aware of the kind of thing I'm talking about, fines for being ill, money being withheld for various reasons, being fired because of having to go home for a family emergency, etc.

The thing is, people on the internet only talk about the bad things, and admittedly a lot of the bad posts I've been reading are rather dated. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have worked for various companies who have had a wonderful time and have not been ripped off or abused.

My question here is, which companies have you worked for (or are working for) and what was your experience? Were you conned, or denied money, or fired for wrongful reasons? Or was working for that company the best decision of your life and you wholey recommend them? Also, 'when' did you work there? the more recent your experience, the more appropriate, I suppose.

If possible, try to give pros and cons, I'm not after responses like "Avoid X like the plague!!1!" I hope this thread serves to help others, as well as me and may be kept up do date.

Thanks in advance for any information. I hope this thread proves popular, and I look forward to chatting with you all.

[Ryu Hayabusa]

PM sent.

[fluffyhamster]

Responses like "Avoid X like the plague!" shouldn't be discounted if they are practically all that one reads about certain employers (especially as not all online posters will have had the time or inclination to go into "sufficient" detail).

I've posted a number of times regarding the antics of dispatch AET agencies, especially RCS and Borderlink. I think the details I've provided are compelling evidence enough, and are balanced out by the far greater number of posts that I've made regarding actual teaching, grammar etc. (Believe it or not, I've ultimately enjoyed teaching in Japanese public schools. Especially when directly employed on JET - a programme always well worth applying and trying for).

Anyway, the pros outweigh the cons even with the less desirable~bad employers. But the biggest single bit of advice that I can give is this: with the entry-level wages in ELT in Japan approaching subsistence-level or frozen now for decades, it'll be best if one has money saved or available to subsidize things and/or fall back on, especially if (when) any shenanigans start over paying you what you're owed. Provided you have sufficient funds (I'd say a minimum of a few thousand dollars, beyond and in addition to airfare and apartment set-up fees), the employer's actions or yen-pinching won't be able to affect you too much, and you'll ultimately have the option of taking time out to take them on legally should that become necessary. Exploitation only becomes personal if you have few other options!

[Stupot815]

Thanks Ryu, I trust you've seen my PM reply.

And thanks Fluffy. I guess you are right. To some degree one just has to accept the possibilities that may occur. It's the risk you take for wanting to work in Japan. But I'd most definitely like to reduce these risks as much as possible, by doing my homework and knowing my rights etc.

I'd still love to hear from anyone else. If you have worked for an Eikaiwa, or ALT company etc. I'd appreciate any pros/cons you can offer.

[nightsintodreams]

For all the bad things you hear about interac, I've had a really good few years with them. Someone with a few years experience, decent teaching skills and some Japanese ability can do a lot better, but for newcomer I wholeheartedly recommend them. Another company I've worked for whose name begins with a B and ends with a Z I would not recommend to anyone. They treat you like a worthless cog in their system. Holidays are withheld, you're expected to do a lot of work for low pay and extra work that you won't be paid for. Basically they'll give you the bare minimum and find any sneaky loophole they can to deny you of your rights, holidays and pay. You can have up to 6 lessons in a row with only 5 minute breaks between lessons. So you best hope you dont ever have a dodgey stomach, how can you take a shit I 5 minutes?

[judoka]

Avoid dispatch companies.

[ssjup81]

[fluffyhamster]

I'll second the 'Interac not bad/being OK' line. The only "bad" thing I can say about them is that they they weren't of much help when it came to securing accommodation. I don't know how they are with advances and lending money generally, as I was in reasonable financial shape at that time and didn't need to borrow any from them.

[kah5217]

[JerkyBoy]

Current/ ex Interaccers, please tell us more

[nightsintodreams]

I am a soon to be ex-interacer as I'm moving to start a new job as a direct hirer at a BOE in the near future. All the below information is my personal experience and may not match everyone's experience with interac. I don't want to hear from anyone that I'm talking shit. If your experience differs from mine then please post about it.

Interac pros:
It's relatively easy to get a job with no experience.
They give you a week training, after which you're pretty much left alone to do the job (this suits me, but if you're the type of person who wants his hand held then maybe it wont suit you)
Salary isn't so bad. It was 250,000 when I started but after two years I was on just over 260,000.
They pay all transportation costs.
After working with them a year, it's easy to get a transfer to almost anywhere in Japan.
They will lend you up to about 250,000 yen Interest free, if you need it, to help with startup costs.
They supply you with an assistant that you can call to come and help you with any problems, setting up a bank account, buying a phone etc.
The holidays are amazing, mine totalled 3 months if I included national holidays.
You work from 8am-4pm Monday to Friday, so it's very convinient of you'd like to work a second job or do privates.
I generally only taught 4 lessons or less per day which gave me plenty of time to plan lessons and study Japanese.
My schools were mosty welcoming and fair. I've never had any major problems with them or any of the teachers.

Negatives:
You're only paid for 11 months of the year. (August is paid at %60, Christmas %80 and about ten days of march aren't paid, but if you don't take your flexible holidays then you can add this onto your last pay cheque so it roughly works out to be 11 months pay for 9 months work)
Not much in the way of advancement opportunities.
They don't pay shakai hoken even though you're effectively working 40 hours a week.

[fluffyhamster]

Interac gave you a WEEK of training, Nightsintodreams? How many jumped out of the window to end it early? And what sort of stuff did they cover to make it worth not jumping out the window?! (Only kidding, Interac's training was about the best offered among the dispatch agencies I worked for, but it was then limited it to just a day or two. Perhaps that was because I and another AET out of the 3 AETs in our little intake group were already experienced, or Interac was very busy and/or pressed for time. Or maybe they've just upped their game even more since).

[steki47]

In ALT land, Altia Central is not bad. They do the same reduced pay bit in March/August, but the overall experience is OK. I have not heard many complaints from the ALTs.

[nightsintodreams]

One girl fled her apartment never to be seen again, another guy was caught drinking chuhai during the training (his excuse was that he couldn't read any japanese and had only just come to the country. I tend to believe him because he was drinking it openly in full view of everyone) and another guy was told to go home after a few weeks when he took a taxi home with no money, threw his lose change at the driver and escaped to a forest where he hid in, yes IN, a river. No window jumpers though.

During training we practiced our self-introduction, role played a bunch of games and learnt about the various rules and regulations of Japan.

As a newcomer who had never lived in Japan or taught before, I found it very informative to be honest.

[kah5217]