Job Discussion Forums

[robinnn]

I've always found it hard get information about municipalities for ALT positions. I thought it could be a good idea to share information about BOEs, schools and so on. If, like me, you want to avoid going for cities or towns with problem schools (student behaviour, staff behaviour) or problem BOEs, you might want to ask for information about a municipality you want to apply for or have been told about by your company. In return you could share information about your current position if you have one.

[fluffyhamster]

The definition of a problem BOE is simple: one that refuses to hire (m)any AETs directly, which'll be obvious enough when applying for jobs through dispatch agencies rather than somehow directly. And chances are that a problem BOE will have problem JTEs, schools and students (i.e. the attitude to English learning will probably be one of suspicion and potential outright hostility, rather than interest and supportiveness, right from the very top down and all the way downwards). So you'd probably ultimately just be building up a blacklist of 99% "quite bad to very bad" BOEs/JTEs/schools/kids, versus the 1% (I obviously made that ratio up, but it probably isn't that far off of the truth!) "reasonably good to good" who hire directly and which would include (whatever remains of) JET, which wouldn't be much more informative than the general situation I've just outlined. (But of course, if and when I see people post asking about jobs in cities where I've worked, I usually send a PM at the very least, if not reply openly on the forum! But not always, because information can of course become out of date as things change (sometimes for the better even!)).

[robinnn]

I'll start the ball rolling with information I did manage to gather about Saitama positions.
Niiza = bad, bad, bad schools. You teach junior high classes alone.
Saitama City= bad pay even though it's direct hire (as from April 2010)
Ogawamachi= Good schools but a rotating system that has you changing schools every three months, or so I heard.
Kawagoe= Bad pay and bad schools
Kumagaya= Mostly good schools but a few problem ones. ALTs often allocated to as many as 5 schools a week (info from March 2009)
Higashi Matsuyama= All good junior highs but 2 shougakkous with behavior problems.
Yoshimi= 1 huge junior high that used to be bad but is getting better.
Fujimino= Low pay. (info from Nov 2010)
Moroyama= Bad junior highs.
Asaka= Junior high in morning, elementary in afternoon. Some bad elementary schools. (info from Nov 2009)
Hanno= Work from 8-5 everyday. Bukatsu participation compulsory for ALTs. (info from March 2009)
Irumashi= Heard something about schools telling ALTs they can go home early and then cutting their pay for the remainder of that day. (Info from Nov 2009)
Kounosu= BOE only want fluent Japanese speaking ALTs (Info from March 2009)

One Gunma position:
Takasaki= ALTs must work during summer vacation and write monthly essays about English teaching. (Info from June 2010)

If you work in any of these areas feel free to correct me as much of this information is second hand. Most of what I hear is the negative stuff as that's what drives people to talk about their areas.

[lila_bet]

I cant really claim a lot of knowledge for my area...which was Fukushima ken. I worked in Kawauchi mura, its a really tiny town and besides 2 or 3 kids in a couple of the grades who actually arent that bad they are just bored and don't pay much attention, then entire school was fantastic. the principal, vice principal and all the teachers at each of the 3 schools were fantastic. Plus the BOE was constantly either visiting me or having me visit them to make sure I was happy and doing ok. If anyone gets placed there....besides the unfortunate location (which is in the middle of nowhere and really small)...count yourself fortunate.

Plus a lot of the other ALTs with JET I met didnt have tons of problems...other than the HS in Okuma machi since the J-league has all their players attending and those kids are untouchable in the school. Apparently gives them the "right" to be little monsters....so says my friend.

[yamanote senbei]

Pretty much all of those BOEs switch to a different shady ALT dispatching or outsourcing company if not every year, it's every so many years.