Job Discussion Forums

mrjohndub · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 198 Location: Saitama, Japan

I'm sure there are some folks here who have worked in both ALT positions and for large corporate eikawas.

What do you think? Which is better? The scheduling difference is fairly obvious, and I can see the benefit with going for the ALT gig. I currently work for a large eikawa corporation and enjoy having students from all walks of life, from pre-schoolers to retirees, at all levels.

That said, I've given some consideration to moving closer to the city (I now live in suburban Tokyo and would rather live in Tokyo proper...transfers within my company are commonplace, but not certain to impress me), but I'm unsure of what to expect, whichever way I decide.

Does anybody have a decent opinion? Thanks...

dreaming_saturn · Joined: 25 May 2004 Posts: 37 Location: Netherlands

Not an answer, but I'd like to add to the question of the O.P. -
What about working for a small eikawa in a more rural area or smaller city? This option really appeals to me, but what are the experiences of those who have worked for these types of schools with a small staff run by one director in a less central location?

In an attempt not to derail your thread mrjohndub, just my opinion, but after working as a sole teacher, would you be content as an assistant? I have one current colleague who just returned from an ALT position and claims he was used as a speaking textbook, and was easily bored after being in charge of his own class. But, that's just one opinion and there are many positive ones as well in the forum. Just my two cents.

casual · Joined: 13 Oct 2003 Posts: 105

Work as an ALT.

Its much better IMO. The schedule is far easier. I teach a maximum 15 lessons a week, and often it isnt even that.

You sometimes get some negative attitudes from some of the teachers and some students can be frustrating with their reluctance to speak. But really I cant think of many, if any things that I prefer about working in Eikawa.

Willy_In_Japan · Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 329

Work as an ALT during the day, and in the evening as a conversation teacher teaching privates. The money is better, and I still teach less than I did at GEOS.

As far as being a talking textbook.......just don't accept it. Insert yourself into the teaching.....first with related warm ups to the course, and then by creating activities. I find I participate in at least half the class. It is truly team teaching at my Junior High. The ALT I replaced did warm up games that had nothing to do with the course material, and did the talking text book bit. That's it.

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

1. ALTs assist Japanese teachers. Eikaiwa teachers teach alone.

2. ALTs either follow a lesson plan they make alone, or with the JTE, or that the JTE made. Eikaiwa teachers either follow a prescribed format that the school trains him to do, or he makes his own lessons (usually with some sort of mediocre textbook to guide him).

3. ALTs have classes of 35-45 high school kids, most of whom have little interest in learning English. The JTE usually enforces discipline. Textbooks are what the school prescribes, and you usually have to follow them fairly strictly even if you don't agree with the antiquated or arcane English used in them. Eikaiwa teachers have classes of 1 to 6 students usually (sometimes up to 10 or 12), and students usually are adults (housewives, businesspeople, retirees), but could entail kids lessons. Even so, the kids are not in groups larger than the adults, and lessons involve little more than playing around with them to music or such.

4. ALTs usually work anywhere within the 9am to 4pm time frame. They often teach only a couple of classes per day and then leave for other PT work. Eikaiwa teachers usually teach noonish to 9pm and may have 2-4 classes per day (exception is NOVA which gives 7 or Cool

. Some eikaiwas don't permit you to leave the building until shift is over.

5. ALTs are more likely to have homework to grade and tests to make.

6. ALTs these days have less of a chance of getting health insurance copayments made by their employer.

7. ALTs can usually teach Monday to Friday at their designated schools, then use the other time and days for teaching or anything else. Eikaiwa teachers may not get 2 consecutive days off for a weekend. There is not much time free during the day in some cases (see #4).

saloc · Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 102

[quote="Glenski"] Eikaiwa teachers have classes of 1 to 6 students usually (sometimes up to 10 or 12), and students usually are adults (housewives, businesspeople, retirees), but could entail kids lessons. Even so, the kids are not in groups larger than the adults, and lessons involve little more than playing around with them to music or such.

quote]

Agree with most of what Glenski wrote, but disagree with the above. I would say that most eikaiwa students are kids these days and in many school the lessons do not simply involve playing around with them to music or such. Perhaps I've misunderstood Glenski's meaning, but to me this suggested that with the kids there is little serious teaching or planning going on (sorry, if that's not what you meant). A lot of eikaiwa schools have programmes which involve a great deal of thought and planning, and where serious learning takes place. Eikaiwa has a fairly negative image but you only need to look at the ETJ owners forum to see that Japan has a lot of places dedicated to serious kids' teaching.
These days, if you don't want to teach elementary aged kids, I would probably stay away from most Eikaiwa schools.

craven · Joined: 17 Dec 2004 Posts: 130

Did 2 years at a big-box eikaiwa company (Aeon). Am in my second year as an ALT. In my opinion, the later is far better IF, and it's a big IF, you are on the JET program. Good pay. Good holidays. Full health insurance (National plan, plus the additional 30% covered by your prefecture...you don't pay the premiums for the later).
If you're working for one of the dispatch companies, it can be a whole other ballgame. Much greater chance of "human tape recorderism" because you won't be aligned with only one or two schools, but will visit many, lower salary, and completely illegal health insurance (if they give you any at all).
The only downside of JET is that there is a chance you will be placed on some small island north of Hokkaido with a population of 23...

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

A lot of JET Alts end up being human tape recorders. Generally, the more the JTE plans lessons (or allows the ALT to plan them, or the lessons are planned together) and does not try to use a lecturer role, the more likely it is that the ALT will not be a human tape recorder.

A lot of JTEs say they 'don't have time to do lesson plans' (club activities and home room are seen as more important than classes or class preparation for some JTEs). Some say that 'real teachers don't have to do lesson plans'.

Some people love living in small towns because if you have a problem (a broken bike, for example), the chance of there being somebody to help you is very high (they'll call up the repair shop, the guy will come in, take your bike away, fix it, bring it back and the BoE will pay for it because it is a work related expense- you need it to get to work). If you are in a big city, your supervisor may nod his/her head thoughtfully for up to thirty seconds and then say 'Maybe you should bring it to a bike shop...no I don't know where any bike shops are around here...yes I realize you just got here and your Japanese is limited to 'hello' and 'one beer please'....hmmm...it's a problem isn't it....well, tough it out. Try your best!" Result: you will be probably be walking to school for a very, very long time if you have to rely on this person.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

To add to what others have said.... to Glenski's comments I would add: "in general" but very often those rules are not the case.... I've definitely worked for an eikaiwa where I designed my own lesson plans, and as an ALT where I had zero part in designing/grading exams, for instance... As a general set of guidelines though, Glenski's list is fairly valid.

To add to what Gambate wrote: Yes, many teachers DO become human tape recorders, BUT I would also say that a lot of it has to do with your own ability to assert yourself (in such a way) as to escape that fate. You have to remember, that unlike Japanese teachers, we are much more transient. As such, many teachers have experienced all breeds of ALT. The good, the bad and the ugly. Because of this, many teachers have taken the path of least resistance (how Japanese of them Wink

) and eliminated any chance for inconsistancy. ALT 1 is good, always comes prepared with his own lessons, but in 6 months he leaves, and his replacement is a complete moron! Now they've got YOU and they don't know you from Adam (and at this point may not even want to) so it's best just to limit your role to something non-critical -- like being a language model... So if you have a nervous breakdown and leave, they won't be stuck trying to continue a project you started and left unfinished....

Always remember, you are constantly being compared to the teacher(s) who came before you, and you may have to repair many broken relationships and breaches of trust in order to prove to them that an ALT can be a positive experience.

So far, all the times that schools/teachers have tried to pigeonhole me into a tape-recorder role, I've tackled it head-on with stiff resistance (in a polite, respectful manner of course) but unyielding at the same time. I assure them that I'm both an experienced and capable teacher, and irrespective of the negative experiences they may have had in the past with other foreign teachers, they should give me a chance to show them what I've got. That alone is usually enough to convince them to give me a "shot" at teaching my own lesson while they take a step back... Whenever they've done this, they've never been disappointed. I rarely, if ever have a bad lesson... Especially if it's one that I've already done with other classes in other schools....

If that doesn't work, (I give the first method some time to work though) I usually have a very frank discussion with the teacher about taking advantage of a native-speaker in more creative ways than just as a provider of model language. I then usually assign THEM some homework -- to try and brainstorm several ways to use me in the classroom that do NOT involve using the words, "Please repeat after Dunlop-sensei."

If THAT doesn't work, (and in my experience that has been very very rare) I become a lot more blunt (in case they didn't get my message) I sit them down and tell them that obviously they seem to know how to teach English a lot better than I do, and cannot then benefit from my expertise. As such, my presence in the classroom is really not needed, and if they need to repeat model language, to please use their own CDs and CD players because I'm too busy to do that for them. I try to tell them this sincerely (not sarcastically) because some teachers really DO think they know how to teach the language better than you do -- and this may actually cause them to re-evaluate whether or not they truly believe that and whether a new insight on teaching from a different teacher might be positive.

Please note, that my boss at the BoE (I'm a direct hire from the board) is very supportive of me and my techniques. My direct boss has seen me teach and knows that I'm good.... So if I encounter a particularly tough situation that I can't crack on my own, (usually before resorting to the above blunt method) I usually discuss things with my boss. A phone call from the BoE to the school in question is usually enough to fix many, many problems just like that. It doesn't take much -- just a gentle reminder from the BoE that: "Hey. We hired this guy and we didn't make a mistake in doing so. If he weren't a good teacher, we wouldn't be sending him to you. Listen to what he says and be open-minded. He may be able to teach you something."

I am very sympathetic towards teachers who have fallen into the tape-recorder role.... But making a good first impression also has a lot to do with it. When I first started working in a public school, on Day 1 they showed me my desk and that was IT. No one even spoke to me, no one told me what to do, when to do it, how to do it, etc... It was assumed that I would either: a) know already and do it OR b) sink. And if I sink, no one would ever say a word... They would just adapt, and assign me spare tasks, like human tape-recording.

I thought about it for a couple hours... Then I asked who the English teachers at the school were. I asked them where I could get copies of the textbook they were using. At this point I hammered out some lesson plans. Then, I went back to all the teachers and asked them when we could sit down together and have a meeting to discuss our team-teaching plan. When we did, they showed me their lesson plan and I showed them mine. They were GENUINELY surprised to see that I had made up lesson plans.... But they read them through carefully, and said they were good, and they'd actually prefer using mine instead. At this point, my foot was already in the door. In addition, on the first day of class, I made SURE to enter the class FIRST (before the JTE) and greet the students and introduce MYSELF to them instead of having the JTE do it for me.... From then on, (and from my first lesson with the students) it was all downhill -- and my teachers knew they could rely on me to deliver effective lessons. Every week they'd usually ask me what I I was planning to do, but at that point, I could have said just about anything (within reason) and they would've been game to do it.

NONE of this would have happened if I had just sat quietly at my desk on the first day of work. The English teachers would NOT have come to me to arrange a meeting, and I would have just watched as they introduced me to their students, and then continued the lesson (in Japanese) with me just standing on the sidelines, watching them do the textbook, pausing only to repeat the words that I can pronounce oh-so-well...

The reason why many JETs even fall into the tape-recorder trap (I really AM sympathetic to those who are) is because JET does NOT like to hire experienced teachers. Their reasoning is, that you are SUPPOSED to be an assistant, and someone who is used to running his/her own class by themselves would not be happy in an assistant role.... Well duh! That's the problem... Western teachers usually don't NEED an assistant, so why should a Japanese teacher need one? The JTE usually needs assistance like a fish needs a bicycle. They already know how to teach... They don'T need any help.... But now, they're stuck with an assistant (because Mombusho says so) and they don't know what to do with him/her... So they stick em' in the corner, out of the way... The key for the JET then is to either convince the JTE that they have something positive to offer, or that they can take over for the JTE if they are too busy/overworked to teach something themselves. If the JET can't pull that off, they get sidelined.

An experienced teacher -- one with a teaching degree or one who has done a lot of classroom time, has learned to develop their "teaching persona." An experienced teacher simply walks into a classroom and takes charge. If you're not trained to do this, it can be really awkward. I can see it in the student-teachers that come through our schools. For this reason, someone who doesn't have that teaching background may not really think of how important it is to START the lesson (and school year) by yourself and not have the JTE introduce you, for example. But believe me, if you start in an ALT job and get things going right for you starting on Day 1, you will be a happy teacher. The only word of caution I have, is to be REALLY careful of coming across too strong. Many Westerners have no idea how forcefully they actually come across. You don't need to charge in like a bull in a china shop. This being Japan, it's usually enough to simply walk into the class, and politely begin your lesson, without waiting to be told to do so. That shows sufficient leadership to achieve your goals....

Anyway, sorry for the long commentary.... I guess I just had some extra time this afternoon, so I was a bit more verbose than I originally planned.

casual · Joined: 13 Oct 2003 Posts: 105

Following on from Jim Dunlop.

i teach at three Junior high schools. At one school I have a very mixed set of lessons. Sometimes I am a human tape recorder, sometimes I go in and make a short speech, and sometimes I am not needed.

In the other two schools however, I am completely in charge of the lessons plans, and materials. After I have planned the lesson, the teachers check through it and decide whether to give it the Ok or not. They rarely think of any ideas themselves and in the lesson I am the teacher, they basically sit back and tell students off if they get out of hand.

If you have to do everything yourself, like I do in two of the schools, you might be relieved at being a human tape recorder now and again. To be honest its quite relaxing at times and i welcome it occasionally.

There really seems to be no rules when its an ALT, every one seems to have mixed experiences.

mrjohndub · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 198 Location: Saitama, Japan

To everybody, and particularly Jim D, thanks for your comments.

I guess JET is a good deal as far as compensation is concerned. Two questions: If JET doesn't 'prefer' to hire experienced teachers, how does one go about securing employment 'with experience?' ...and...Can you exercise any control whatsoever regarding placement with JET (geographically and/or age-level)?

Willy_In_Japan · Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 329

I was not on the JET program, but my younger friend right out of university got into it. I came to visit him in Japan, and witnessed a group of Jets at their annual conference on their arrival day.

From what I could see, the vast majority seemed to be right out of university 'frat boy' type, with the attitudes to go with it.

My friend was really Keen to get into Nara and/or Kyoto as he was really interested in Japanese culture. However, he ended up in rural Yamanashi. I doubt there is much control over where you are placed in Jet, just as with Geos/Aeon/Nova etc.

madeira · Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 182 Location: Oppama

Why only the two choices?

If you don't want to be self-employed, there's also corporate dispatch teaching. Sure, you may end up with a lot of travel time, but the pay is good and you generally plan your own lessons.

Lots of people end up finding a position they really like/that likes them and get hired directly.

Until you find a company (or in my case, branch of Government) to work for directly, though... it's a bit lonely. Eikaiwa is often like an instant community. And hey, I really liked working for GEOS. But I love my new job!

mrjohndub · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 198 Location: Saitama, Japan

Madeira,

How did you get into that? What steps did you take and how did you find a good employer? What area did you/do you now live in?

And regarding corporate dispatch...what's up with that? Do you know of good companies to look at?

Thanks in advance for additional details...

mrjohndub · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 198 Location: Saitama, Japan

(double post...my bad)