DISQUS

katexgg · 7 months ago

Dang. Now, my question is, what's the JET programme like?

Koichi Ko · 7 months ago

I hear decent thinks about JET. A lot more laid back than this, because you're working in actual schools, and not a cram school like this... but a real JET person is better to ask - You should talk to Jason - he is pro in all things JET: http://www.jasoninjapan.blogspot.com/

masterman300 · 6 months ago

koichi you rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PC · 7 months ago

I'm a JET employee and I have to say it is one of the most rewarding jobs you could ask for. You're working in the public school system and CLAIR, the organization that oversees JET, is really good about providing its employees with all the information they need. The contracting organization you work for (usually the board of education of your town) is very helpful, setting you up with a residence and being available almost around the clock for any difficulties you may have. Also, the job pays very well, the hours are great, and I feel it gives you a better opportunity to experience Japan as you're encouraged to learn Japanese and encouraged to associate with the students and your coworkers. And since it's a government job, it lacks the stigma you'll find with eikaiwa.

However, if you're hoping to be somewhere like Tokyo, you may be better off with an eikaiwa. Most people who work with JET tend to end up in more rural areas.

masterman300 · 6 months ago

i had a girl friend named kate she was awsome and yes she broke up with me not the other way around

masterman300 · 6 months ago

i had a girl friend named kate she was awsome and yes she broke up with me not the other way around

Guest · 2 weeks ago

I tried G education/ Nova. You can paint a dump, but its still basically a dump. The recruiter is an bitter and arrogant British guy called Fleming, doesn`t provide his last name and barely looked me in the eye at their plush Kansai office. G-Education is Nova on a small scale according to all news reports I have since researched, reduced to scavenging a weary Japanese market. When I applied, I actually did not know they were associated with the name Nova, but kept positive until the last, things can change, but seems they have not. Dont work for this company, they will close down I have no doubt, and you will be out of pocket. The Japanese for the whole are not going to forgive the brand, and they are presently struggling to gain market share, which one of the interviewers inadvertedly shared, the warning bells are a ringing. Who would want to tell their Japanese friends they are a NOVA teacher or recruiter anyway???????? I was hired for the Kobe area, I turned down the job, and now work in a JH ( hard work, but satisfying if you put in the effort, and some pride for the position), dont give up, there are good jobs, and Novas pay schedule is dicey in the extreme.

peteT · 2 weeks ago

I tried G education/ Nova......you are in a Nishonomiya JH right? and nites in berlitz?
I am right eh? whats your beef really?

Guest · 2 weeks ago

Maybe so, but I dont know any Pete T, do I? I know a Tom P........, is that you dog?

Ku · 7 months ago

I had a friend in the Nova program is was very displeased with it but what's going on now is far worse then anything I had heard. I'm currently studying to be a translator (this fall) and reconsidered taking a job as a teacher but ... eeeh. I'm still sketchy on the whole thing. Thanks for this valuable info and good luck to those still dealing with this.

zach · 7 months ago

Thanks for the great post Koichi. I'm due out as a teacher in fall of '10 most likely and this is just what the doctor ordered. At least I feel like it won't be too tough to get a job.

rainbowhill · 7 months ago

I always feel slightly nauseous when I hear how my former workmates are still being treated. I got out of Nova in it's death throes and was glad to come home to Oz without requiring extensive therapy. I was happy to be mentioned in PhD theses written about sense making in the largest Japanese corporate collapse since the second world war. I blogged about it plenty towards the end of 2007, if anyone is interested in an insiders perspective the archives of my tumblr tell of a pretty torrid time.

Facebook User · 7 months ago

um, being a teacher in Japan isn't in my list of top ten jobs I'd like to have. I'd rather be a hostess at some foreign host bar before even going into a classroom.
I ROFTL at "... they’ll take anyone with a beating heart, dumb apes included".

Ace · 1 week ago

a hostess at a foreign host bar? Basically a gateway to the sex industry in Japan? I'd do some more research on that one.

Namekuji · 7 months ago

Thanks for the great post Koichi, it would be interesting to see/hear a perspective from the Japanese staff still there as they too cop a fair shlacking from the management too. Rainbowhill's blogs and videos were also a great documentary leading up to the (initial) collapse. For us who were in the Shikoku area at the time, they were an interesting perspective on how the situation was going around the country. All in all though, sad to see that nothing has changed and things have actually become worse for all still there. Good Luck to the folks still in it.

Bridget · 7 months ago

This was an amazing post for me to read. Absolutely incredible.
I work for a private company that contracts English teachers to boards of education (and then ultimately to schools). It operates very similarly to JET, but is not a government-sponsored program. Prior to applying to my current company, I had considered working at eikaiwa schools like AEON or NOVA, but I realized early on that whole "gaijin product" factor. I couldn't see myself enjoying my job or life with that hanging over my head. I'm glad that someone else has realized it too.
My company (as far as my experience with them goes) has given me a fair contract, and amazing lifestyle support (finding an apartment, transportation, etc.).
The difference here is that they treat me like a human being, but I personally think that the reason they were so good to me so early on is because I speak Japanese, so it's very easy for them to... "deal" with me.

anyway. sorry to carry on. Once again, great post!

kanmuri · 7 months ago

I used to work for a small independent Eikaiwa and it was sh*t, really. As for the JET, I'm going the same job but outside the programme and the job is better. However, I teach in junior high schools and it's easy to see that the Japanese Ministry of Education doesn't want its people to speak English. The textbooks are bad and the lessons are about learning everything by heart to pass the high school entrance exam. Understanding is not required.

Mrwindupbird · 7 months ago

This was a great read! I was never interested in working at a cram school to be honest and this article has just pushed me even further away from that. JET and just teaching at a public school is fine by me. I really don't mind about the rural area thing because if you look past Tokyo and the big cities, there is still a lot to be seen in Japan.

Very interesting stuff as always !

Cheers!

Jonny · 6 months ago

Just an FYI, an eikaiwa is very different from a cram school.

An eikaiwa is a conversation school. People learn how to actually speak in English rather than translate— which is what most kids learn in the school system.

A cram school is like a tutor. You can learn English, but mostly you learn about other subjects like Science, Math, History, and Japanese.

jhs · 7 months ago

I read that JET is immensely better than NOVA

Mr Grumpy · 7 months ago

JET can be a lot better than Neo-NOVA. But beware of ALT contracting agencies like Interact and OWLs. They take gobs of cash from the local Board of Education and then pay the teacher a salve wage. The teacher is expected to attend meetings, after school activities and so on, but isn't paid for them. Also, some outsourcing agencies don't pay teachers during the holidays. And to top it off, the company will take the money to pay the insurance and pension, but the teacher isn't covered. So, if you want a proper ALT, make sure you are directly employed by the Board of Education.

Owl Stooge · 5 months ago

Owls, based around Kitakyushu should be avoided like the plague.

CoconutMonkey · 7 months ago

Ah memories. So many good times.

Seriously though, this was a great post. Whoever that G-Com guy is, he hit the nail right on the head with the description and managed to do it clearly without being too bitter about it (as I probably would be). Classy all the way.

Gabe · 7 months ago

Gaijin Smash, anyone.

Grant · 6 months ago

What the hell iis ithe the demon thing with the dick?

Jimmy · 6 months ago

yeah I thought it was gross too!

masterman300 · 6 months ago

yes it was

masterman300 · 6 months ago

whoo hoo fight the horny bunny

Ariana · 6 months ago

I heard somewhere that the JET programme only hires ALTs, is that right? And if it's true, can anyone suggest good companies to investigate to be a full-time teacher? I'm only a sophomore, but so far as I can tell it'll serve me well to check up on these things early! :]

koichi · 6 months ago

There's another thing that they hire for... don't really know what it is,
but go talk to Michael at gakuranman.com because i know he's applying for
the other thing that's not the ALT position.

radom JET · 6 months ago

ALT or CIR positions.
The CIR position is not a full time teaching position, tho.... it's more of a document translation/ spokesperson/office work/JET organization/etc position.
The ALT position varies so widely from school to school. in some schools ALTs are overworked and stressed... moving on a rotation of many schools! and some have 1 school and they spend most they're day on facebook. ....the average JET is somewhere in between.
Really, to be a full time teacher, i would suggest getting your teaching qualification, and then apply to the private school system. i know a few people working as "proper" teachers through this method.
As for JET... vs NOVA..... i'm a JET and trust me.... i'm a part of the school, the local community and i get paid sick leave and holidays. i love it. although, i work my butt off... get only 15 days holiday a year and have to deal with my town's crazy bureaucracy (although, in the land where they get up early just to make some extra red tape to deal with, that's not wholly unexpected).... you have to choose... whether your in it for the money and the weekends.... or the "community" . .... and that having been said, i'm out here in deepest darkest inaka..... soooooooo maybe the city is a different experience again.
lastly, JET is awesome, but positions are being cut back all the time. we are fewer every year!!!!

AliseoFlex · 6 months ago

Thanks for sharing this information.

Terrintokyo · 6 months ago

great post, thanks for sharing, and good luck to all the folks who are trying to deal with this!

Jimmy · 6 months ago

I wold change the horny bunny into horny robot

Jimmy · 6 months ago

I dont know how to put a picture on my account

masterman300 · 6 months ago

Hi grant

masterman300 · 6 months ago

hi grant

GJB995 · 6 months ago

Hi I am Grant but I tryed to make n acount but it did not work so I am stuck as GJB995

masterman300 · 6 months ago

dat is sad ) :

narutobleach111 · 4 months ago

hey grant i tried too i guess i made one{wich is sweet}

GJB995 · 6 months ago

Yeah, But I got to use this cool anime pic

masterman300 · 6 months ago

I gave you that pic!

masterman300 · 6 months ago

boobies

GJB995 · 6 months ago

oh, wait, who are you again?

masterman300 · 6 months ago

kung pow chicken

GJB995 · 6 months ago

OK akwad

masterman300 · 6 months ago

i saw a horny bunny

masterman300 · 6 months ago

the bunny is creppy

masterman300 · 6 months ago

i need to stop posting comments on this page it si adicting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GJB995 · 6 months ago

um, yeah we do, anf eh it is.

andy · 6 months ago

comment

masterman300 · 6 months ago

what idot put that? actually i did ( :

mastercheif1740 · 6 months ago

my balls hurt now

masterman300 · 6 months ago

T.M.I. bisexual and or chesticle owner

GJB995 · 6 months ago

Good one.

But realy What the heck?

mastercheif1740 · 6 months ago

japan rocks awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!! :)

masterman300 · 6 months ago

why yes it does ! ps screw the horny bunny

masterman300 · 6 months ago

that is a hot chick

masterman300 · 6 months ago

dawmn the horny bunny |^|
< >

masterman300 · 6 months ago

who has a picture of a hot chick (couging) -kalyn,does-

narutobleach111 · 4 months ago

who put 20 comments jimmy did

JayIzUrGod · 4 months ago

Well this helped out a lot...was always curious about the JET program..now I know I should really try for it. And now i know what to avoid on my decisions for Japan.