The conditions of ALT's?
 

if you've read my previous posts, I'm passionately wanting to go to Japan someday, and it appears that the job that is most popular for foreigners is as an English teacher or an ALT.

Then, I saw news about it on youtube from 2009 just half an hour ago and....well, let's just say it was very depressing.

My question to anyone who is experienced in the ALT field: is the ALT position worth it anymore? I want to believe it is because I love Japan (and I've got a few more years before I actually get my BA still). I'll gladly take the risk, but I want to know if the ALT jobs are better now or does it look like they'll get better in the future?

The question you should really be asking is if the potential you have in whatever career you're passionate about is worth throwing out the window to be a monkey in a suit at an eikaiwa, making crappy pay and putting up with appauling business injustices, just for the sake of living in a country you idolize.
That's a lot to sink in, but at least from what I understand, ALTs have it somewhat better, albeit being stuck in bum@^$& nowhere.

What sort of news did you hear. As long as there are fewer students and schools are shutting down, there will be less opportunities. However, I enjoyed my three years as an ALT. The job is what you make of it.

What kind of video did you watch?

Either way, the only thing I can suggest to you is to get a job which you enjoy doing. Don't become an ALT or Eikaiwa teacher because it's the easiest way for a foreigner to stay in Japan.

You mentioned you were studying computer programming. If you enjoy doing that, why not join a company like Microsoft or IBM which has a huge presence in Japan? Your starting wages will probably be double of an ALT and you can always request a sabbatical and visit Japan for 90 days before you request a job transfer.

I'm not sure if I can post the link or not, but like I said it's on youtube and it's title is "alt in japan" and it's in two parts.

spicytuna: Thank you for that. Actually, I think I may do that. Going to Japan was the main reason for me wanting to try out for the ALT job, however, even though English is still one of my favorite courses (but mostly because I get to write and I love to write), but I'm also pretty good with computers (mostly programming and designing). All I need to know though are the requirements for that besides being fluent in Japanese lol!

Thank you everyone for your responses.

EDITED:

WingsToDiscovery, your words also helped me me, too! Thank you!

If that helped, then that's good. I know I seem to come off as brash, but there really is a line between fantasy and reality that people who are interested in Japan tend to blur to fit their liking. I've met several people with high profile degrees who have tossed those 4+ years of schooling away to partake in ESl type work overseas. Not that there is anything wrong with teaching a foreign language, but it would definitely help if you're actually a teacher and/or care about teaching. To use something like that as a vessel for a means to and end (in this case just getting to a foreign country) doesn't sit well with me.

My father still tells me (even though I have a job/attend university) "Find what you love to do, and learn how to make money doing it." If your interest is in computers, and you want to go to Japan, something as simple as what spicytuna proposed as your plan of action for making your dream come true. If your heart is set on teaching English, then more power to you. There needs to be more people like you who actually care to do the job they signed up for.

How about combining your two passions and getting into technical writing (while obtaining a bachelors degree?)

Join a good solid company, publish some papers/documents/manuals, keep up your Japanese skills and I'd imagine that you'd be very marketable if you decide to make the move overseas. You could always resort to teaching English if all else fails.

I remember seeing a job ad for Toyota last year which involved proofreading manuals. Being a car fanatic, it would've been a dream job but it wasn't enough to pry me from my current I/T job.

Best of luck whichever route you choose! :ywave:

I was recently talking to a friend who was in a similar situation.

My friend graduated with a degree in Finance before moving to Japan shortly afterwards to fulfill his dream of living in Japan. He had dreams of living well in Roppongi Hills while earning the big bucks at a company like Goldman Sachs. Of course he came to realize that he wasn't the only one with that dream as he encountered dozens of other applicants who were far better qualified than him. So, he became an Eikaiwa teacher and continued doing that for several years before returning home. (His turning point occurred when several of his ex-classmates visited him in Tokyo with their families, photos of their new house, car, etc. Meanwhile, my friend was just living above the poverty line with no clear future.)

After returning to Canada, he quickly realized that 3 yrs of teaching English didn't exactly look impressive on his resume when it came to financial jobs. So, he's back at school to get an MBA while living with his parents.

Luckily, he bailed out while he was still young. I know at least a dozen others who are still caught in a trance back in Japan.

As much as I enjoy the many aspects that come with being interested in Japanese culture, there are somethings I'll never understand; one of which includes living in a poverished state while working for a novelty company waiting to go under (NOVA, anyone?), only to lose months of pay and get deported. But hey, those few months where you get to watch Anime early before it hits North Amrerica is totally worth it!

I've seriously considered creating a blog dedicated to why one shouldn't move to Japan.

I got an ALT job in Japan and found myself in a surprising situation of really enjoying it and am given a lot of freedom in my teaching. I think I've read from "the book" only about a hand full of times. I'm in charge of most of the classes I do, so I don't feel at all like a tape machine.

I had a friend though who came here looking for teaching experience and ended up being a "human tape recorder" as it's called.

It's a craps shoot. It depends on where you go a lot of the time. If you want to go and really enjoy your time in Japan, I suggest seriously learning Japanese... that is huge. The more Japanese you know, the more respect you will get and the less bullshit you will have to put up with-- and rightfully so. I think it would be a mistake to come without a lot of knowledge about the language. I can't imagine how helpless I'd feel in that situation.

MMM said "The job is what you make of it" and that is 100% accurate. The more effort you put in, the more your coworkers will respect and trust you. The more Japanese you know the more you can express (in a polite and careful way) that you might want to do things differently, which can ultimately lead to a better situation (but if not done carefully can sometimes backfire).

The biggest problem seems to be that the local boards of education are catching on that they can employ ALTs through dispatch companies (such as Interac, Borderlink, Aita, Westgate, RCS) at a MUCH cheaper cost than the JET programme (which in '96 was costing the Japanese government $500million, and I can't imagine it's changed much in cost). Those dispatch companies have all the problems with illegal contracts and working conditions that you mentioned, but also before you even get to Japan you run the risk of getting dropped at the last minute. The jobs that companies such as Interac advertise for are only speculative (but they don't tell you that) because these dispatch companies enter bidding wars to offer the boards of education with the cheapest deal -- and with cost cuts; service, pay, and all the things you expect from a good employer are lost. At the last minute Interac could lose out a deal with a rival dispatch company and you could get a phonecall at the 13th hour telling you that you no longer have a place (though from the stories I have heard they seem more likely to just ignore you and hope you forget).

It seems that perhaps eikaiwa's have the potential for much fairer pay and better conditions - but only if you manage to find a well run smaller company. The eikaiwa market is in rapid decline and so your position is highly unstable, especially in larger companies.

Personally, I would say your best option would be getting onto the JET programme as that has a large support network, fantastic pay, and has massive resources behind it. But even then, you have to enter it with a very open mindset - some people HATE their time on the JET programme. Could you live in a tiny village, with intermittant internet, no young people, and miles to any conveniences?

One thing to finally say would be the old TEFL adage of ESID (every situation is different). I know many people who saved up some money to start with as a bit of a buffer, went to Japan, worked in an eikaiwa and loved it. People in smaller towns as well as people working for GABA and other companies in Tokyo. There are many people who enjoyed their time with Interac and dispatch companies also. Just be aware that you have almost no job security teaching english anywhere but with JET, and you have little opportunity for career progression unless you have a teaching degree/TESOL qualification.

I've been teaching in Japan for 3 years now, and I've had a good time. The pay for the work I do is quite fair, considering I only work 26 hours a week. My classes are not overcrowded, the students are fun, and I get along with the other teachers and faculty quite well. I just transferred from the countryside to a new school in the metro area of Tokyo, and I find working in the city enjoyable as well.

In the countryside I rented a small house in a secluded area, and it was quite nice. The commute to work was a little long, but still easily within walking distance. Now that I'm in the city I'm back to living in a small apartment, but I'm looking at getting into something bigger soon.

Since my work schedule is rather easy, I have a lot of extra time to do other things. A few months ago I began exporting items from Japan as a way of making a little extra money. To my surprise the demand has been better than I expected, and now I'm making a lot of extra money; last month this extra money was actually more than what I earned in regular pay at my school.

There are still lots of opportunities for foreigners in Japan both inside and outside English education. In my case being a foreigner has actually helped me quite a bit, and allowed (forced) me to look at options I probably wouldn't have considered had I been a Japanese.

If you can find a job, by all means come to Japan. It may or may not be the place for you, but regardless of how you eventually feel about the place, it will be a good experience for you.

Is the exporting thing something you do under the table (such as just buying novelty items and reselling them), or do you have connections with other businesses? Are there any specific laws (such as products being illegal for individual resale) that you deal with? Just curious. If it's easy, I'd consider that as a lucrative investment while overseas.

I 'used' an eikaiwa to initially get a working visa for Japan. I spent only 5 weeks teaching (if you can call it that) before moving up to Hokkaido to work at a ski resort up here. 5 years later and I am now the reservations and guest services manager of one of the foreign owned property management companies living what is without doubt a lifestyle that I only ever dreamed about when I was younger. Skiing has always been my greatest passion in life.
There are certainly many more opportunities for working in Japan other than being an ALT. Numerous ski areas around the country are becoming ever more popular with foreign skiers and there are certainly quite a few jobs being created to cater to this market.

It seems like every other hotel has their token gaijin for weddings, too. I've always been curious about that. Does anyone on here do that for a living I wonder?

Poverty line?? Don't they pay at least 250,000 a month? That's poverty in Japan?

250,000 yen/month may be possible... assuming your day is fully booked with classes at a huge school like AEON.

That's awesome! :cool:

I have some friends who work at various 山小屋 in Japan and it sounds like a wicked place to work. I'd love to become a hiking or ski guide for a resort someday!

I'm an ALT, this is my third year. I love it. However, I went to university to be a teacher and had previous teaching experience before arriving.

I'm fairly certain this will be my last year, because I plan to return to the US Navy and finish a commissioning program. If this doesn't work out, and at this point, I think it will (had an interview with an Admiral a week ago, and it went well), I will pursue a Japanese teaching license and stay put.

I love teaching, but as I have said elsewhere, I still think I'd rather drive ships. Yar har, yar har a pirate(hunter)'s life for me, etc.

So what I want to ask you guys is this....

So you work at ALT and get paid exactly how much??

22-25,000/ month right?

How much does a plane ticket from Tokyo to China usually cost?

Because I have family members in China and I would love to visit them from time to time.

Is 22-25,000/ month enough to buy a plane ticket and still have enough left to do other things??

250,000 is base. I wouldn't take anything lower. That just hurts everyone.

And if it's enough depends. Where are you? Is transportation paid for? How much is rent? Do you party or eat out a lot? Do you have student loans?

I can pay all my bills on 100,000 but I live in rural Kyoto, rarely party, and have zero debt. So I use the rest to travel. I've been to Korea and Taiwan. Headed to Guam in July.

So yes, it's enough, but not like once month or anything.

I'm planning to live with my aunt for a while so rent is completely free. :D

I understand how being an English Teacher may be the easiest way (and one of the best paying for a foreigner) to go to Japan, but as much as English was my favorite topic in school, I really just don't think it's right for me (but then, the main reason for this is due to my shyness. I don't really like getting up in front of a group of people at times, but maybe if I get over that then it would make a big difference).

I pretty much doubt I'll get a job at anything else, even as a computer programmer, web or graphic designer, or anything else with computers.

All I can do is take one day at a time and see what happens.