Best Companies to Apply to teach English
 

I'm planning a move later this year to Tokyo from San Francisco. I very much want to teach English there, and would like recommendations on which are the best five companies to which I might apply. Best in terms of pay, benefits and housing. Thanks very much.

I have only taught under the JET Program, but you can't choose your location. The pay, hours, and benefits are pretty darn good, though.

Depends, are you talking about being an ALT or working at a private english conversation school?

I believe the ideal is to be able to build your private client list during your first year, so that you can reach the 200,000/mo minimum to self-sponsor your visa renewal.

I'm an ALT with similar pay, hours, and benefits as JET.

I don't know much about the private companies but I would imagine JET would be the best choice simply because it is government run so you are not in danger of being screwed over on pay etc.

The language school/alt system seems pretty un-policed over here so far as I can tell from various tales I have heard

JET is more secure, yes. It can be more restrictive, harder to get into. I was turned down for JET based on my limited Japanese skills, I spoke too much and not enough. It was kind of ridiculous, I thought.

Japanese is required to be a JET? That's new.

Naw, it's required to be placed in a government job, at least that's what they told me. To be a JET ALT they wanted no Japanese ability at all.

Now, this is the second attempt I made to move to Japan. I applied to Jet after graduation from college, and that was a few years ago now. Can't say if the situation has changed, but that's what they told me.

Part of my JET ALT interview was in Japanese...but I know Japanese wasn't required, though for the school they placed me in, Japanese pretty much was required.

Huh. Not my experience at all. No telling really. I certainly felt their reaction to me was weak and dismissive.

I wonder if I said or did something to axe the interview, and they were searching for something to tell me. Hope I didn't have toilet paper stuck to my shoe or something equally as embarrassing I never saw myself!

Immaterial now. I know I'm qualified, so it doesn't much matter.

This was also over a decade ago for me, so things might have changed...

I hate to go off topic, but can you please clarify this situation a little further for a future JET ALT applicant like me? All of the information I've gathered about the JET program claims that any Japanese language ability is a plus, and regardless they expect you to show a willingness to develop your language abilities once you're there.

Yes and yes. I believe it is, and knowing I majored in Japanese directed my interview to be partially conducted in Japanese. That is also probably why I was placed in a more "difficult" school where the teachers didn't speak so much, and the students weren't that interested.

I don't know what happened with my JET interview. I only know what they told me at the time, and pretty much influenced me NOT to try to go through them again. Hence why I completely admitted there's a good chance I somehow came off as a complete doofus and got 86ed by the interviewer, even if there was nothing actually wrong with me. I've since been on the hiring side of things back in the states, and some times you get a feeling, and that's all you have, and you move on to another candidate. I hold no grudge against JET. Just not interested in jumping through their hoops.

My Japanese skills, beginner as they are, were a mark in my favor for my current position. My interview for this position was also conducted partially in Japanese.

To actually answer the question, in most cases the smaller the company the better the treatment of the employees. Now I can't exactly give you a 1-5 of the top ones, but I could probably tell you who are the worst of them.

Before that though, a big thing you must first realize about teaching abroad is that everyone has a different experience. I will concur with the general consensus that JET is the tits, but I know more than one JET ALT that hates his or her school for varying reasons or the town they are living in. A trouble is personalities clashing. I have worked with countless teachers, Japanese and foreign, who I couldn't stand.

Anyways, as far as companies go the best way to test them out is to actually talk to the cog in the wheel you're replacing. If the cog is missing already or not wanting to talk to you, that could probably be a sign of what to expect. But, then I have to add this disclaimer. The guy/gal could just be a total wanker to begin with and the company actually nice.

Anyways, the absolute last choices on my list would be Shane's and Heart. People rail Shane's all the time for dealing out split shifts, 9-10 then 14-18 for example, and not reimbursing for travel expenses that should be covered. Heart is just plain cheap. I wouldn't take anything less than 240,000 for ALT work. They try to sucker you in too saying that since they cover a lot of your utilities you are making comparable to other ALTs, not true.

Better companies. I have never heard complaints about Geos and Interac. Some of the teachers I knew from Interac were whiny, but I think there displeasure was misplaced and should've been directed at the schools they worked at. I've heard mixed reviews of Borderlink and RCS, the two big ALT providers in Kanto other than Interac and Heart. Gaba seems to be decent if you can get attract enough students since they choose you as opposed to the company assigning them to you. That is about all I have to say about the big players, but I still would go for a smaller operation given the chance to do so like Fifth Wings who are my former employers.

Hope that helps.

Second the warning on Heart.

Stay away.

By "government job", do you mean you were applying for the CIR position, not ALT? Because CIRs are required to have pretty good Japanese skills, since translation is a major part of their duties. For ALTs, on the other hand, it doesn't matter if your Japanese is only at beginner level.

Well, I thought I was applying for an ALT position. I was not applying for a CIR position that I was aware of.

Thanks for the input
 

Fellow posters, thanks for your responses. Unfortunately, due to my, uh, middle age, I do not meet the JET 40 or less "suggestion". And, frankly, applying to JET sounds like a bit of a hassle.

I am considering private firms such as AEON, Gabba, WinBe English School, and ECC Japan.

Any thoughts on these companies? I don't plan on being ready to go back to Tokyo for at least 6 months.

Lemme know, and thanks.

D. Ryan

if you are not fluent in japanese and do not have many Credentials or experience.

Dont expect to be teaching any where near Tokyo...

sorry but its reality.

Tokyo is the best of the best, and people want their moneys worth and only the most qualified and experienced are able to teach there.

Few cases of private lessons with Very low pay compared to the major companies can be found.



realistically the companies that DO except you are gona send you to the boonies.

JET is designed as a first job experience. That's why it isn't a permanent position. And probably not for you.

Never did the private companies...