Speaking on ESID ((Names have been changed to protect the innocent and guilty)

I've worked at the BunnyCo English school (You know what I'm talking about) Work wasn't bad, their method of working is pretty okay, easy lessons, easy teaching but unless you go up in the ranks one year of teaching the same lessons again and again and again and again will drive you NUTS. Especially since you're not really supposed to deviate from the textbook.
The reason for this is because with the Bunny system students can have lessons whenever THEY want. Brilliant on the one hand, terrible because they're getting a multitude of teachers each expecting something different with a different style of teaching. Hence, cookie cutter lessons.

A friend of mine works at GeeOllys school (*WINK*) is generally permitted to teach her class any which way she wants. In fact is encouraged. Unlike Bunny, she makes her own classes and has the same students every week, so she can help them progress.

At my current Eikaiwa, it's more like GeeOlly, I get set classes and usually I can choose which books the students are in, but sometimes they have books they want to be taught from. I can teach writing or grammar or just spoken English.

I also part time at an all girls high school. ALT work.
In one class I'm the talking parrot, only good as a human recording device.
In one class I'm resource material, so the teacher can check what's current.
In another class I AM the teacher. The other teacher sits down and only translates what I say when the students get really lost (Because it's a current events debate class so it's HARD)
In my last class I am just a marking device, and Human recorder but also for 1/2 of the class (2 hour class) I'm the teacher, giving homework (That I then have to mark >_< bah!) and asking questions. The other teacher is there to bail me out when the students get lost (Because this is a writing class not a spoken one so a lot of them can't talk)

I could totally teach the writing and debate class forever. But the other two classes, well if I'm not being used I tend to sit on a stool in the corner and doze off. Which can't look good. ^_^;

For the most part, I've had a good time in Japan, the work itself is nice, easy and usually fun. I've had bosses whom where hell and I've had co-workers I've wanted to choke. I've had stranger roommates whom I wish I had a lock on my door for and roommates I'm still good friends with. I LOVE my boss now. I want to take him home with me he's such a nice guy. At my ALT job my boss is super nice, but a bit scatterbrained but I think that's because the school had the same ALT for 7 years so he has no idea what to do with a new teacher so he forgets to tell me... well everything. >_>

Each experience is different and a lot of working here depends on what you're looking for. Quick cash, Culture Love, Actual teaching.

I'm planning on going back to my home country come March when all my contracts are over, but that's just so I can get my TESL and TOEIC training and maybe even finish my teaching degree. I think I might stay in Japan for another 5 years. Or at least until I complete my original goal of saving 2grand

Agreed if it's referring to JET/ALT

I have my own gig and make about 150-200,000 yen per week currently. I goes up and down during the Japanese "Changing Season"

I'll agree though that most peeps are pretty well fu__ed though.

You are making great money. Keep it up.

And you can do it as a career...I have a friend in Osaka who has been teaching English at a private school for nearly 20 years.

Though most people only do it for a couple years.

I have been blessed!!

***Knocks on Wood***:)

wanna work in japan but i wanna come to japan
 

on a tourist visa then found A job in japan is it easy to dooo sooo????

Couple of quick questions! My best friend decided that she wants to go to Japan for a year to teach as well, so now we're kind of hoping to go together. Only thing is she doesn't seem enthusiastic at all about the countryside, and I haven't heard of JET giving much leeway to friends who want to live with/near each other, so that option might not be the best for me. So now I'm looking into private ALT options - would Interac for example place people who request it together? Anyone gone the teaching route with a friend?

Great post, but I loved these two the best, no harm intended.

This is why the system sucks sooooo hard. People coming over to teach like it's some kind of meal ticket. Go work at Lawson to get your train pass and you and your friend keep staying where you are now. A selfish AJET is a nasty creature indeed.

I'm not attacking you. I'm attacking your blindingly selfish thought process. Japan, sadly, lets people like you get to fulfill your backpacker dreams.

Recently the local AJET's are of far higher quality than before. Market saturation and NOVA's collapse have helped to improve the quality and quantity of the "Teacher Pool".

I hate it when people make assumptions. Ever think that she and her friend are genuinely interested in teaching in Japan or would like to try their hands out at it? That aside, last I looked, unless mixing her up with another user, and I'm sure I'm not, she's been to Japan before and is well-informed about it for the most part. She wouldn't be your "backpacker" like you're assuming imo. She's also not American; she is from Australia and I can assume her friend is as well. At least she knows there's more to the country than just Tokyo.

I don't see anything wrong with what she asked. What's wrong with wanting to teach with a friend or with someone you know nearby? At least with that you'll have your own personal support system. The same can be said for couples who want to teach in Japan, but would like to be near one another if both get a job there. I don't see what's wrong with wanting to apply to something with a friend, where there's more of a chance of them ending up in the same area. Seems that the Eikaiwa choices would work better with this as opposed to something as unpredictable as JET.

I thought this might be useful. This link directs you to a Listomania! list of books that might be helpful for prominent or current english teachers. I ordered some of these books and read through some of them and I think that they are pretty helpful. Hope this helps!

Amazon.com: So You Want To Be An English Teacher In Japan