Comments | expatsjapan: Is there life beyond eikaiwa?

semitribe in expatsjapan

Is there life beyond eikaiwa?

Oct 27, 2005 23:12

So, I'm in Japan doing the eikaiwa thing, and it's not exactly something I'd consider enjoyable. It feels like my brain is slowly wasting away reciting dialogs and reading drill cards. I often entertain the idea of finding a new job here, but that's only gone as far as flipping through a few Town Work magazines and such ( Read more... )

jet program, visas, non-teaching jobs

Comments 6

joudama99 October 27 2005, 14:58:03 UTC

I started out in eikaiwa for one of the Big Three, then ran screaming after two and a half years. I'm now working as an ALT in a junior high and two elementary schools, and I have to say, I love it. I found the job on gaijin pot, and while I love my job to bits, I abhor the dispatch company I signed with that got me the job, because they, well, suck. The company sponsered my visa, and I've got a nice three-year visa to cushion me if I decide to look for a new job. I love the work I'm doing now so much more than doing eikaiwa, so much that simply being as assistant teacher is actually starting to grate at me a bit, and I'm plannint to get my master's in TOEFL so I can get a real teaching job.

My Japanese improved a *lot* after I started this job--the elementary school kids don't speak a lick of English, and the junior high school kids don't speak much more. Ditto with most of the public school teachers.

semitribe October 27 2005, 15:34:06 UTC

It's encouraging to know that there are teaching jobs out there that are a little more flexible. Though I'm really pretty bad at teaching. :x Do you know if non-JET ALT jobs are easy or difficult to find in the Tokyo/Kanagawa area?

joudama99 October 27 2005, 15:41:37 UTC

Oh, they're pretty easy to find, even though the best time to look is around February/March, since the school year starts in April. There are almost always positions open in Tokyo, so you might want to check out gaijinpot.com and see what kind of job offerings are available.

semitribe October 28 2005, 00:24:55 UTC

Looking around, there's a ton of info about private ALT companies. Now I guess the problem is finding a good one. :)

iamnight October 27 2005, 20:44:05 UTC

Another Anth major - delightful and rare!

I started at an eikaiwa and switched to teaching in the public schools. The difference was pronounced, and amazing. I'd suffered through work at the eikaiwa but always have been excited to go to work at the public schools... and I've oft heard the same from friends who went the same route I did.

There are still down moments, but overall, I'd say that if you can find a job working within the schools, you should take it without hesitation. It's such a different world, being able to be a part of students' lives through the course of a year - seeing them in all their festivals, at work in other topics, playing with their friends out on the playyard. It's awesome to become a part of that rather than just an hour-a-week observer.

There are pragmatic benefits, too. It's just those aren't the ones on my mind right now as I contemplate all I'll miss as it's my time to leave.

semitribe October 28 2005, 00:28:20 UTC

How long have you been working as an ALT? The more everyone keeps talking about the job the better and better it sounds. I might apply soon and skip out on the last half of my eikaiwa contract.. not sure yet!