Job Discussion Forums

[ciccone_youth]

Hi!

I'm new on the Japan forum, but I was on the Korean forum last year. I taught a year in Seoul, came home, and decided to go back, but Japan this time.

I had an interview with Peppy Kids Club a few months ago, and they offered me a position starting in November.

Anyone has any updated info on PKC? And anyone has had the experience of teaching in Japan after living in Seoul? I loved Seoul, but I fell in love with Japan when I visited. Is it safe for a girl on her own? I was in Seoul with my (then) boyfriend, so that made things easier.


Thanks!

[beach_lover]

Hello,

I am a girl, I have worked for PKC since Spring this year so hopefully I can answer your questions.

I would PM you but haven't posted enough. If you could PM me that would be great as there are some things regarding safety in Japan I'd rather not say in a public forum.

As for the company....it's not perfect, there are gripes as in any big company but on all the major issues namely, pay and conditions, it's fine. I had no teaching or TEFL qualifications/experience but the training was sufficient and there is support on the end of the phone.

Main things to note are that you teach on your own. You will not see/speak to any colleagues Japanese or Native speakers on a daily basis. You open up the school, you deal with all the kiddies and the parents chattering away to you in Japanese (I don't speak any) and you lock up the school. This can be a bonus if you have a hideous class....there was no one to witness your humiliation!

You will also live alone. Bssically what I'm trying to say is that it is highly plausible that you will speak to no one but the conbini staff and your students for a few days, especially when you are new and haven't got your friends/support network up and running, no internet or phone. If you are in a rural area it can get lonely, especially as we have alot of downtime, not starting work until the afternoon. One day I start at 19:30. The problem is exacerbated if, again in a rural area, the other foreigners are all ALTS and work nearly opposite hours. I'm not trying to put you off, it's merely something to consider, particularly if you are not conversant in Japanese.

This has been my experience but people I trained with live much nearer their colleagues and can socialise with them, or are in areas with other eikawas. A few rare examples even live in the same apartment block. I ignored this point when I came out and was REALLY REALLY lonely at first. It might not be your experience at all. That said, now I am settled, loneliness isn't such an issue.

The other big thing about Peppy is that you'll teach toddlers through to 15/16 year olds. I'd say the majority are aged between 5-11. People say therefore that you have to really like kids. I DIDN'T like kids back home but have found Japanese children (or at least my students) a real pleasure to work with. They can always cheer me up. Maybe because I don't understand what they're saying.

I could go into much more detail if you like. Feel free to PM me!

Hope this helps.

[ciccone_youth]

That is very helpful, thank you so much!! I haven't posted enough either to PM, but as soon as I'm able to I will- I hope you don't mind.

Everything you said was pretty much what I expected to hear. I actually like being able to teach alone. In Korea, I always had Korean co-teachers watching, and it made me nervous, because I knew I had to please them. Being alone is a big advantage for me, as for teaching.

I've had a year of experience in Korea, and I love kids (especially young ones), so I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it. Glad to hear you do too.

I know life can get lonely, and that's what scares me the most. I'm quite independent, but I really need a group of friends. I specified "Non-Rural" so many times to my PKC recruiter, so I hope they consider it and put me in a medium or small-sized city.

Like you said, it can be different depending where you are. Which location are you, and did they consider what you asked for? What are the popular locations for PKC?

I'm getting ready to deal with loneliness if it happens for a bit, but like you I think I'll be alright after a bit.

Thank you so much for your feedback, it's very helpful, and I'll definitely have more questions... And oh, before I forget, they ask to bring about 2,500$ to settle for the first few months. Is it enough?

[desu]

250,000 is technically enough but expect things to be tight for the first two months until you get your first full paycheque. Most training periods start at the beginning of a month so you don't get a paycheque until the end of the 2nd month, others start mid-month so you get half a paycheque the next month and a full one the one after.

I think you will like the job too, if you are fairly independent and can hold tight until you get your network. I definitely recommend searching out some penpals at the very least in your prefecture once you know where you'll be posted, and be sure to get a keitai so you can keep in touch with people once you can hopefully get past the acquaintance stage. Usually you are not too far away from where other teachers are (unless, again, you are somewhere rural), so it helps to stay in touch with them as well, especially after the first staff meeting once you get to know them a little.

Regardless of where you end up, nothing is going to beat taking a serious approach to learning Japanese - then the world will open up for you a little, and make life a lot less awkward. Be sure to sign up for the (usually free or cheap) Japanese courses at your local community centre.

All in all, despite having a conflicting schedule with teachers working for other companies, etc., this is probably one of the best entry level jobs available to overseas applicants there is. IMHO, anyone who isn't up for getting together on a Saturday night or Sunday is probably too busy to really get to know in the first place. And I don't need to necessarily go out with other people on weeknights - once or twice a week is plenty enough for me.

[ciccone_youth]

Sounds great, thanks for the tips. I'm serious about wanting to learn Japanese, so I'll definitely sign up for some classes.

I don't mind staying home on weeknights to read, write, and learn Japanese. But I definitely want to do fun things on the weekends.

I'll sign up for more expat forums and hopefully meet some other people.

[desu]

I haven't noticed too many expat forums with decent activity besides this one and of course gaijinpot. Not much activity on letsjapan and bigdaikon is pretty exclusive to JETs. Let me know if you find any others!

[ciccone_youth]

Also, more questions about PKC, hope I'm not too annoying...

* my recruiter told me to buy a one-way ticket only, is that right? or should i purchase round-trip?

* is the apartment alright? i know it's small, but i've lived in korea so i know what to expect. i just want somewhere clean and in decent condition. in korea, i was living with tons of cockroaches and black mold, and i do not wish to repeat this experience!

*when do they actually let you know about your location?

thanks again!!

[desu]

They let me know the location only about a week or two or so before training - I had to email them to get it. They remind you that it may change during training, but most people go to their assigned locations I think.

My apartment is very good, no bugs, no mold, which of course has a lot to do with how the previous tenants kept it. To a large degree you are at the mercy of the previous tenant(s), but PKC are pretty good about making sure they either clean up the place very well, or they have to pay for professional cleaning. I think the standards are a little higher than in your average Korea apt.

Bugs I assume may vary depending on how far North or South you are. I'm a ways above Tokyo so I think the bugs here are pretty minimal - no idea about say, Kyushu, for example.

I don't see where you would direct the other end of a return flight to - your home country? Do you know for sure you only want to stay one year, or would you consider the prospect of renewing your contract? I don't know if it's even possible to book a return flight with a full year in-between. Plus all the hassle in the event you have to leave early for some reason... as long as you have a work visa there is no problem getting a one-way.

Don't worry about asking questions, I wish I had someone to answer a few of my own before moving here.

[beach_lover]

I got a one way ticket. No probs. My friend got a return flight so she can visit home at Christmas. The choice is yours.

From my experience and from what I heard from others, the apartments are, as you say, small (generally entrance hall/kitchen and then living/sleeping space) but spotless. And if it's not you can complain! This happened to someone I know and they were moved to a different apartment and didn't have to pay any bills for the "trouble".

I found out about 3 weeks before flying out where I would be placed. However, whilst on training some people had their placements changed a couple of times, so until you're actually THERE try not to get too excited lol.

[beach_lover]

BTW, I'm down in the dirty south where the bugs are CRAZY and bloodthirsty!

BUT, Japan does have a fascinating array of weapons in the war against the insect kingdom. My personal favourite is freeze spray.

[ciccone_youth]

Good point about the return flight, who knows, I might stay longer.

Thanks again for answering my questions, it's so, so helpful. Are you considering another year in Japan, with PKC?

The apartment sounds good, and I'm not surprised the standards are a bit higher than your average Korean apt. I guess it was good for me to experience Korea first.

All in all, I feel better about my decision after reading from the forum.

[ciccone_youth]

[desu]

I would definitely consider another year, especially if I could relocate a little closer to Tokyo, I'm not terribly far now, but all my interests outside of teaching seem to revolve around that city...

They don't have any schools in Tokyo or Okinawa, but you probably know that already.

If you don't want to deal with the bugs, simple! Just request a place to the North - I did and I'm happy I did (and I'm quite glad I didn't get posted way up in northern Tohoku like a few other people did... I really lucked out!)

cheers

[beach_lover]

Can I be cheeky and ask your home country or where you were interviewed?

[ciccone_youth]