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+--- Thread: The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? (/thread-12323.html)
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The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - patriconia - 2014-11-13
Yeah, I realize there are tons of ALT positions. I'm on JET, and have no real complaints about my schools or BoE, but I think I'm close to having had my fill of ALT-ing.
The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - Arupan - 2014-11-13
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The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - patriconia - 2014-11-13
I wouldn't say it's a matter of it being "bad" per-se - working with the kids can be fun, the other teachers are often quite friendly, it's certainly not high stress, and the pay is decent for what you do...I guess it's just starting to get a little repetitive for me, and with no particular background or plans for education/certification in ESL, it's something I knew from the beginning I'd want to move on from after a while.
The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - ktcgx - 2014-11-14
It's not that they're bad, but many companies who dispatch ALTs or who hire English speakers for Eikaiwa work have a habit of treating them very badly. There are more people wanting to work in Japan than needed, so the companies can afford to treat them poorly because it's easy to get a replacement. Also, even on JET, I've heard horror stories. I guess it's probably the case that there are similar scandals in a lot of countries, but I think people maybe are naive or trusting when it comes to Japan, and end up leaving jaded and bitter.
The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - ariariari - 2014-11-14
@patriconia I had two more ideas for you.
1. A lot of people I know who studied history wound up going to law school. I've also met 3 lawyers who are fluent in Japanese and use it for work. I don't know the details of their work, compensation, etc., but it's an idea.
2. Out of curiosity, do you have any interest in teaching Japanese?
The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - Arupan - 2014-11-14
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The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - ktcgx - 2014-11-14
No, it's pretty much the same thing all over Japan. For example, I know some real horror stories about how the Hokkaido BoE treats its rural JETs.
The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - vix86 - 2014-11-15
Arupan Wrote:I've always wondered, what's so bad about ALTs anyway?The thing about trying to get an answer to this is most people have something different that irks them about the job.
JET pays well and there are some other side benefits that can't be complained about too much. Some people get their housing completely subsidized or they have an 'ok' place for dirt cheap. It's pretty bad IMO to try and base ALT experience off of JET though due to how difficult/random it can be to get in. It's better to base it off of dispatch companies, where most people are more or less guaranteed to be hired and can continue the job for theoretically indefinitely.
Why does being an ALT suck? For me, it was the pay and the feeling like the job went no where. I repeat my self a lot on here about this point, but ALT jobs and eikaiwa are not careers. You aren't going to really move up into a nice position thanks to all the experience you have. Even if you were a direct hire at a BoE, you'd still see your pay outpaced by regular teachers.
The biggest sign of the state of the "profession" is meeting old ALTs; guys that have been doing it for 20-30 years and are now in their 50's. In my experience, 60-80% were always very bitter and I think it had a lot to do with the job. I wouldn't want to be working the same kind of job for 20 years and barely be pushing $50k a year.
The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - ktcgx - 2014-11-15
Also, foreigners can't get pensions in Japan.. Even if you have been paying in for like 30 years or something... So that probably contributes a lot to their feelings at that age...
But I think teaching in general is a profession where it's so easy to get burnt out. You really put so much into your students every day, and you want so badly for them to succeed, you know?
The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - kitakitsune - 2014-11-15
ktcgx Wrote:Also, foreigners can't get pensions in Japan.. Even if you have been paying in for like 30 years or something... So that probably contributes a lot to their feelings at that age...All residents of Japan, foreigner or not, who pay into the pension system for 25 years get their full pensions.
Maybe you are thinking about welfare which recently became quite a tricky subject. Long term permanent residents are basically eligible for welfare payments from local governments if they need it, but the supreme court said that local governments don't have to pay out unless the recipients are Japanese citizens. However, 99.9% of Japanese local governments ignore the supreme court and pay out to foreigners anyway. The official stance of the Japanese government is to also encourage local governments to keep paying non-citizens who meet eligibility requirements and I believe they are currently trying to close the loop hole that the supreme court opened up.
/end thread derail
The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - ktcgx - 2014-11-15
Well, there was a lot of discussion about the case in Osaka a few years back. I remember reading an article about it. I guess I thought that supreme court decisions were absolute, and local govts didn't have any lee-way, but I'm glad to hear that's not the case, if, indeed, it isn't.
The Post-JET/ALT Job Hunt - Now What? - mutley - 2014-11-15
I think the most frustrating thing about ALT work is the lack of progress. There is basically no career progression and as an assistant, even if you manage to make improvements to class, you could be back to zero once the teachers that you are teaching with change.
The work itself can be fun depending a lot on your individual situation. I had some days where I thought "how am I getting paid to do this?"
Having myself changed from working as an ALT to working as a translator I can maybe add a few words about that. In general it's probably not a great time to think about becoming a translator as rates seem to be on a constant downward trend. It's still possible to make very good money translating, but for each translator doing really well, there are probably a few who are struggling for work or only earning a similar amount to what an ALT might.
Having specialist knowledge of a particular field is a big advantage, and while it's not impossible to pick up a new specialty once you start translating, there are probably going to be fewer and fewer chances to do so. Having a scientific degree was a definite plus for getting into patent translation. Having said that, there was one translator at my previous company who had an arts background and has managed to do very well by studying while working as a translator.