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+--- Thread: Life in ALT Limbo (/thread-4829.html)
Life in ALT Limbo - vrtgo - 2010-01-16
Hello Beloved RtK Forumers,
Keeping this post as concise as possible, I hope for some words of wisdom regarding ways forward for me and other ALTs in my shoes.
The ALT business is a dirty, corrupt one: dispatch companies (who are responsible for recruiting and managing ALTs) are a drain on society, and they take an unjustifiably large cut of their workers' compensation. Because of that, getting through the days means suppressing feelings of being exploited by the dispatch company as well as resentment of Japan's appalling English education system. The system, however, is a subject for another post. I'm nine months into an ALT contract in Nagoya, which expires next month.
I'm running out of contract time and feeling quite in limbo. The language and cultural barriers leave such a huge disconnect between me and the teacher's at my school, I feel like a ghost, invisible and marooned in the wrong world. But me feeling stuck, mon! Being an ALT left me with months of school vacation, unpaid, with nothing to do (enjoying vacation is tough when you are unpaid and living hand to mouth). I've received numerous invitations to interview with eikaiwa and ALT dispatch companies, but I am averse to teaching again, based on last year's experiences.
Finding direct employment through the local Board of Education, which would be a much happier deal, has proven impossible. After nine months, my Japanese is improving, I'm becoming conversational, but still far from proficient enough to seek entry-level jobs in a better line of work, dealing bilingually. Doing so would take at least another year or two of intense study.
Sadly, looking through the job listings on GaijinPot and other sites, it seems like, besides English teaching, there's not much else in Japan for someone like me. I was an art student in college, which makes me all but unemployable, but I don't want to leave Japan yet--I've hardly seen a thing, I'm just getting into the swing of talkin' Japanese; it's much too soon.
Am I wasting my time studying Japanese so much? Should I be studying something more marketable instead, something dry and technical (and lucrative) like a DBA certification? The status fixation so common in urban Japan has crept into my conscience, and I'm quite anxious about the prospect of whiling away another year as an ALT. It's a dead-end job, after all, even if it is an easy job.
For sure, I should take the interviews and see how I feel about the potential employers. But is anybody out there able to offer a little more perspective about adjusting to Japan, or finding opportunities here that will be a little less adverse? It seems that, after nine months, I'm still in a culture shock. This business of underemployment and alienation takes a toll on my heart as well as my pocketbook.
Life in ALT Limbo - activeaero - 2010-01-16
vrtgo Wrote:After nine months, my Japanese is improving, I'm becoming conversational, but still far from proficient enough to seek entry-level jobs in a better line of work, dealing bilingually. Doing so would take at least another year or two of intense study.There is your answer. No matter what country you are in if you're not proficient in the native language you will always be extremely handicapped.
Life in ALT Limbo - thistime - 2010-01-16
Could you take a job for six months or so and try to save up some money then go to a language school on a student visa? I teach between 5-10 hours a week in coffee shops and stuff and make between 100,000 and 150,000 yen a month. If you had a little extra saved up to live on every month on top of that, it should be managable financially and time wise with your studies.
Life in ALT Limbo - Womacks23 - 2010-01-16
thistime Wrote:Could you take a job for six months or so and try to save up some money then go to a language school on a student visa? I teach between 5-10 hours a week in coffee shops and stuff and make between 100,000 and 150,000 yen a month. If you had a little extra saved up to live on every month on top of that, it should be managable financially and time wise with your studies.You're pulling in 15,000 an hour tutoring?
Life in ALT Limbo - RisuMiso - 2010-01-16
You could also always try working for a small private eikaiwa. I work for one and it's nice not being a number. Unfortunately it's something you just have to live with until your Japanese is at a level where you can do something else. Also it may help if you just search for schools on google and apply to them directly even if they aren't looking.
Life in ALT Limbo - Womacks23 - 2010-01-16
vrtgo Wrote:Sadly, looking through the job listings on GaijinPot and other sites, it seems like, besides English teaching, there's not much else in Japan for someone like me.Cold hard truth.
vrtgo Wrote:Am I wasting my time studying Japanese so much? Should I be studying something more marketable instead, something dry and technical (and lucrative) like a DBA certification?Yes you should study something marketable in your free time. Being bilingual isn't good enough to get a good job here.
Life in ALT Limbo - Jarvik7 - 2010-01-16
vrtgo: See you on Monday at 東別院会館
Life in ALT Limbo - thistime - 2010-01-16
Womacks23 Wrote:You're pulling in 15,000 an hour tutoring?150,000yen/40hrs=3,750yen/hour
For the record I make 3,000 yen an hour for private lessons but also have a couple of company classes that pay considerably more.
Life in ALT Limbo - Grinkers - 2010-01-16
thistime Wrote:How did you start out? Where are you in Japan?Womacks23 Wrote:You're pulling in 15,000 an hour tutoring?150,000yen/40hrs=3,750yen/hour
For the record I make 3,000 yen an hour for private lessons but also have a couple of company classes that pay considerably more.
I'm trying to figure out what to do this year, and tutoring for that much money wouldn't be bad at all! I'm a native English speaker, but I have no professional tutoring/teaching experience, so I'm not sure what kind of part time work is available for me. Thankfully visa issues shouldn't be a problem for me, so I don't need to have a "real" job.
Life in ALT Limbo - thistime - 2010-01-16
Grinkers Wrote:How did you start out? Where are you in Japan?I'm in Chiba. I just posted my profile on all those findateacher.com type sites and got contacted by students.
I'm trying to figure out what to do this year, and tutoring for that much money wouldn't be bad at all! I'm a native English speaker, but I have no professional tutoring/teaching experience, so I'm not sure what kind of part time work is available for me. Thankfully visa issues shouldn't be a problem for me, so I don't need to have a "real" job.
Life in ALT Limbo - Tobberoth - 2010-01-16
You all know it's illegal to be a private tutor in Japan unless you have a license, right?
I'm guessing thistime has it since it seems he's been there for a while. I wouldn't recommend tutoring without it, if you get caught you could lose your visa or even worse, be thrown out of the country.
Life in ALT Limbo - Jarvik7 - 2010-01-16
@Grinkers: Students are pretty easy to get. Experience and qualifications are not required. Being somewhat attractive/well dressed and having the ability to keep a conversation going for an hour are the two most important qualifications.
The pay is pretty good since all you have to do is chat at a cafe for an hour, but consider that it isn't a 9-5 job. 3000Y/hr doesn't look so good anymore when you're only able to work 3 hours per day. Most of your work is also going to be on evenings and weekends. Unless you get serious word of mouth going with housewives for daytime lessons, you're not going to be able to make it a full time job. There are lots of students out there, but none of them have very flexible schedules. Finally, the average pay for most tutors outside of the kanto region is only 2500Y. You have to buy a drink when you goto a cafe, so subtract 400Y or so from that too.
I currently have about 10 students split between 3-4 days (after my day job). I've been pretty lucky in that I can get all but one of them to come to one train station near my apartment. Having students all over the place really eats into your time thanks to transportation. I'm considering dropping my one student I need to take a train (which he pays for) to meet. I've been adding students at a rate of 1 per week, but I'm starting to look into getting some business lessons, since they pay almost double.
@Tobberoth: This is the first I've ever heard of a "tutoring license". Do you have a link? afaik it's only illegal to teach if you:
1) Don't have a work visa/marriage visa/permanent resident status
2) Have a work visa, but it's not of the appropriate type (aka not a teacher or humanities visa)
3) Don't declare your income for taxation (issue and retain receipts!)
Life in ALT Limbo - Grinkers - 2010-01-16
I know there was restrictions, but I haven't looked into it. Do you have a link, or name, of the license? I thought it was just related to visas, not licenses...
At 3000yen/hour, I'd only need 5-10 hours/week for me to live comfortably for the next year. Until I enter a university this fall, or next year spring, I just need to stretch my savings. I'll figure out what to do after I enter a university, after I enter
Edit in response to Jarvik7's edit. How is it saving receipts and paying taxes (and how much do you generally pay?)
Life in ALT Limbo - Jarvik7 - 2010-01-16
Although it's a legal requirement, I'd estimate the number of tutors who declare their income to be somewhere around 0. Then again very few probably tutor as their only job. If I was going to JUST tutor I'd keep close track of how many lessons I taught, when I taught them, and with what student. I'd also get some sort of log sheet which students could sign. You don't want the tax/immigration authorities asking how you supported yourself and having no way to answer them.
If you get a full-time job, make sure that having side jobs is allowed in the contract. Otherwise if they find out they can fire you with no notice or severance pay. My day-job's contract forbids it but I got written permission.
Life in ALT Limbo - Grinkers - 2010-01-16
I'm on a student visa right now (and can get a part time job work permit with ease). I'll be moving over to a permanent resident once I get around to gathering the paperwork (for my situation, it's been a pain).
Either away, I'm pretty sure that both visas would allow it. I'm currently trying to find a way to get some extra income (aka some) as a student, not as a full time employee, so tutoring seems like a good potential job. I don't know where to get students, what they expect from me, or the legality of it though.
For this thread it seems pretty on-topic to talk about it!
Life in ALT Limbo - Jarvik7 - 2010-01-16
People don't want tutors to teach, they just want to have conversations. If you can talk for an hour with a perfect stranger with 0 awkward silences and keep it entertaining, then you can be an English tutor. To be especially popular you should be able to adjust your English speed and difficulty level etc, and to teach beginners you should be able to explain stuff in Japanese.
Student introduction websites are the best way to get students fast, but you get more money by finding them yourself. If you can get in with some middle-aged housewives you can get 10,000+/hr for an in-home group lesson. You'll probably get fed at the same time.
Life in ALT Limbo - Grinkers - 2010-01-16
What's the general English level of the people who are seeking conversations? Most of my friends who are "studying" English only ask me for help with editing their writing, or meaning of something when written, which sounds completely different than the tutoring work.
Do you have any links of student introduction sites I could take a peek at?
Life in ALT Limbo - thistime - 2010-01-16
Tobberoth Wrote:You all know it's illegal to be a private tutor in Japan unless you have a license, right?You don't need a license to teach guitar or painting or cooking or golf, so why would you need a license to offer private English lessons? It is a private transaction between two parties. As long as the person providing the lessons is honest about their experience and qualifications and they are both in agreement with the terms then there is nothing illegal about it at all.
I'm guessing thistime has it since it seems he's been there for a while. I wouldn't recommend tutoring without it, if you get caught you could lose your visa or even worse, be thrown out of the country.
Life in ALT Limbo - thistime - 2010-01-16
Grinkers Wrote:Do you have any links of student introduction sites I could take a peek at?Google "find students Japan" they will pretty much all pop up.
Life in ALT Limbo - Jarvik7 - 2010-01-16
Of my 10 students, 1 is borderline-native-level, 7 have a level at which it is easy to have a conversation, and two have pretty broken English, but aren't complete beginners. Most of them are in their mid-20s, except for one doctor in his 40s and a university admin in his 30s. Four are women, 6 are men. You can't extrapolate that to mean anything though. The kind of students you'll get are random and I'm just lucky that I tend to get young high level students.
I don't use any student introduction sites, so I can't offer any tips on that. I use a local Nagoya company that advertises, handles student contact, and lets me know when one wants to start shoving money in my pocket. The student covers the company's fees when they sign on, so I get paid the same as if I had found the student myself. The only downside is that I can't negotiate to get paid more down the road.
Life in ALT Limbo - Grinkers - 2010-01-16
Jarvik7 Wrote:Of my 10 students, 1 is borderline-native-level, 7 have a level at which it is easy to have a conversation, and two have pretty broken English, but aren't complete beginners. Most of them are in their mid-20s, except for one doctor in his 40s and a university admin in his 30s. Four are women, 6 are men. You can't extrapolate that to mean anything though. The kind of students you'll get are random and I'm just lucky that I tend to get young high level students.That doesn't sound like a bad deal. If anybody knows of anything in Tokyo, please share!
I don't use any student introduction sites, so I can't offer any tips on that. I use a local Nagoya company that advertises, handles student contact, and lets me know when one wants to start shoving money in my pocket. The student covers the company's fees when they sign on, so I get paid the same as if I had found the student myself. The only downside is that I can't negotiate to get paid more down the road.
I guess I'll get my work permit and give it a try. I realize most people probably don't report any of the income, but I'd like to stay legal. It seems like a great way to make some money as a student in Japan.
Life in ALT Limbo - RisuMiso - 2010-01-16
Here is a list of some teacher student pairing companies. I've never used any though, so you'll have to check them out for yourself.
http://www.ihcway.net/
http://www.teacher-student.com/
http://www.7act.net/
http://www.findstudents.net/
http://www.eigopass.net/
Life in ALT Limbo - gavmck - 2010-01-16
vrtgo Wrote:Finding direct employment through the local Board of Education, which would be a much happier deal, has proven impossible. After nine months, my Japanese is improving, I'm becoming conversational, but still far from proficient enough to seek entry-level jobs in a better line of work, dealing bilingually. Doing so would take at least another year or two of intense study.Hi vrtgo
Sadly, looking through the job listings on GaijinPot and other sites, it seems like, besides English teaching, there's not much else in Japan for someone like me.
I moved to Japan 18 months ago on a haiguusha visa. As my Japanese skills were poor, I did a CELTA ESL course before coming. I don't have a degree. Without one all my applications and enquiries for ALT and eikaiwa were unsuccessful. I did find part-time teaching for a small language school so I didn't see much of the student fees. Still, it was enjoyable but the lesson prep and commuting was very time consuming.
My visa means I can take almost any kind of work in theory. But with limited Japanese language skills I couldn't hope to get a regular job interview. I also found a casual (arubaito) factory job which didn't require a formal interview and the job itself only needed basic Japanese. I had hoped this would be a great chance to interact and improve my language skills but it proved not to be the case. The work environment was noisy and everyone had to wear ear plugs so conversation was limited. And since conversation was difficult (because of my limited skills) people felt awkward and mostly stopped speaking to my anyway. It was like being invisible!
So it's a catch 22. A regular or bilingual job would be great for improving my Japanese but my Japanese is too poor to qualify for such a job. English teaching or a job like the one I described above is a possibility but does little to advance my Japanese.
In the end, I became very frustrated with these jobs which were taking up so much of my time which I felt should have been spent learning Japanese. In September, after discovering RTK, SRS, AJATT, Antimoon and Krashen, I decided to stop work and focus entirely on Japanese. I had a number of problems at the factory which I feel were down to communication so I'm not going to resume job hunting until I feel ready. I'm lucky to be in a position where I can do this. Perhaps I should have tried to achieve language proficiency BEFORE moving to Japan.
I haven't really provided any advice and my situation is not quite the same but I can certainly sympathise with you. Suggestions by others to find a small private eikaiwa or even find your own private students seem like good advice rather than sticking at ALT.
Good luck!
Life in ALT Limbo - Jarvik7 - 2010-01-16
I would suggest that you work on getting a degree by distance education. One can make valid arguments that you can learn just as much on your own as you can at a university, but your options are VERY limited in Japan without having a degree, especially if you have no real experience.
Re: RisuMiso's list
Some of those seem good, some seem bad (one pays only 2000Y/hr, one requires annoying monthly reports, some force lesson plans on you, etc).
Life in ALT Limbo - Grinkers - 2010-01-16
I don't know too much about online/distance degree programs, but there's also Universities you can enter in Japan as an English speaker. I don't know about any of them except for Waseda, but I think there's even a few American universities with branches here, or something like that. A huge downside is they're all private schools, so tuition rates can vary a lot.
I think the main idea of those schools/programs is for Japanese people to get used to using English, not so much for English natives to get an education... but it might be worth looking into for the OP and gavmck.