久しぶり

From personal experience I can attest to the fact that stopping reviewing on this site (for over a year) does harm your kanji ability

I've been busy setting up a site to help prospective ALTs find much higher paying jobs than working for dispatch companies.

Check us out at http://www.altdirectory.net

You can see a picture of me and my boy on the 'about' page.

Word

What about guys without degrees?

Very nice. This is a great resource for ALT's.

kazelee Wrote:What about guys without degrees?

Hey kazelee,

As you may already know, the degree requirement is not actually to be a teacher, it's for the visa.

So if you're married to a Japanese you'll have no problem

In all seriousness, if someone is already in Japan with a valid visa of some sort and has done some kind of post-high school education course e.g. 1 year diploma of some kind, depending on how much a Board of Education wants you, they can dress it up to get you through the visa application process.

Applying from outside Japan in that kind of situation might not be as successful.

It's kind of a shame really coz 20 year old ALTs, say could be like big brothers to the kids...I'm more like an uncle!

You can get and ALT job without a degree? I have a marriage visa (when ever I need to renew it). Working for NOVA only required I have college transcripts. I have those but never finished and got a degree.

bodhisamaya Wrote:You can get and ALT job without a degree? I have a marriage visa (when ever I need to renew it). Working for NOVA only required I have college transcripts. I have those but never finished and got a degree.

*scours the earth for a native Japanese chick*

bodhisamaya Wrote:You can get an ALT job without a degree?

In a word, yes!

College transcripts are often enough to get a visa - as you found with NOVA.

Having a marriage visa is the equivalent of a green card. You're in!

I might be returning to Japan this summer so I will definitely look into your site

Um...20 year old ALTs would be a disaster.

A 20 year old guy, put into a situation where every single 16-18 year old girl in the school thinks you're the coolest person they've ever met. haha, oookay...

Last year, I met a kid who was 18 and on a student exchange. I couldn't imagine a better situation for an 18 year old guy and he pretty much agreed. heh...

Anyways, keep in mind I'm a 26 year old currently working in a public high school... an age gap seems like a necessity, at the very least from the employer's point of view if not for the ALT's sanity/legal situation...

I took an ALT position a few months back for 230,000 a month (no reductions) on a short term contract. Just trying it out.. I can definitely see where something like your website would be handy. But, and I mean no offense, I'd be leery of ponying up ￥5000 yen for this. Sometimes it's hard to believe a website with no track record that they're actually providing a service. Then again, a ￥5000 yen gamble to get a sweet job might be worth it.

Anyways, I also don't really feel like working at a HS again after this contract so not so useful for me.

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Oh yeah, as has been discussed to death in another thread, good luck actually getting a VISA with only college transcripts. I think what he meant was that he showed his college transcripts to Nova to get hired (the company didn't require a degree) and used his marriage visa to stay in Japan. Either that, or he was in Japan some years ago. Or both.

It is virtually impossible to go work in Japan degree-less, unless you're married, doing working holiday visa, or have years of prior provable ESL experience. (Specialist of Humanities and Instructor visas both require the Degree or Experience, the two visas issued for work in conversation schools and public schools).

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but it seems impossible to kill this "can work in Japan without a degree" idea.

Ben_Nielson Wrote:Um...20 year old ALTs would be a disaster.

I'll be updating our FAQ. From the data we've collected so far, the majority of direct hires are in the Junior High, Elementary schools. The direct hire open positions that we are aware at present of all fall into these categories.

Ben_Nielson Wrote:I mean no offense, I'd be leery of ponying up ￥5000 yen for this. Sometimes it's hard to believe a website with no track record that they're actually providing a service. Then again, a ￥5000 yen gamble to get a sweet job might be worth it.

Fully understand this feeling. Part of our credibility drive is the About page. And here's another bit of self promotion, from the Archive: when we met Fabrice (see post from 7th May 2007).

I know I would rather have found the job I am doing now sooner rather than later...In fact it's the exact same job I did when I first came to Japan 6 years ago. The difference being I now make 360,000 yen/month vs. about 250,000 yen/month with some months being reduced.

Good point about track record. This is definitely something we want to display. And will do when subscribers who find jobs write testimonials for us.

I have loved ALTing and there are some great packages out there. It's just a case of knowing where to look. Helping people find sweet ALT gigs is offering genuine value at, in my opinion, a fair price.

We had our first sign up today. I'll let you know how it goes.

Out of curiosity, is there an age requirement for ALTing?

I signed up last night and woke this morning to a nice personal email from Andrew. Props on the customer service. I would say to anyone thinking about it, be realistic. He is not going to place you directly in a job . He is merely providing resources for people trying to get involved in something he obviously loves. There are a million easier ways someone could try to make money. To me, it is worth what I paid.

Ben_Nielson Wrote:Oh yeah, as has been discussed to death in another thread, good luck actually getting a VISA with only college transcripts. I think what he meant was that he showed his college transcripts to Nova to get hired (the company didn't require a degree) and used his marriage visa to stay in Japan. Either that, or he was in Japan some years ago. Or both.

I lived in Japan for one year back in 2007. A cute Brazilian/Japanese tourist came to Hawaii on vacation and I got her pregnant. She asked me to help her financially with the child for a couple of years and so we got married and I moved to Japan. I got the NOVA job while in Japan. When NOVA went belly-up and there where thousands of English teachers out of work, I returned to Hawaii. Just been waiting for the right time to return and re-new the visa.

playadom Wrote:Out of curiosity, is there an age requirement for ALTing?

The youngest ALT in my city was 21 and the oldest, mid 40s. We've had singles, couples and a single mum with 3 kids!

baldy514 - Thanks for putting your faith in us. I look forward to working together to provide you quality information you can use if you so desire.

Ben_Nielson Wrote:Um...20 year old ALTs would be a disaster.

A 20 year old guy, put into a situation where every single 16-18 year old girl in the school thinks you're the coolest person they've ever met. haha, oookay...

So you're assuming that all ALTs are male or what? ;P


I think your site is great. Actually it's something I've been looking for. I can't sign up, though, as it sounds like you're only putting job offers on there that are for English native speakers, right?
I'm German, I'd need an AGT (Assistant German Teacher) position, not an AET.
I've seen Interac AGT jobs, but I'd never work for 230.000Yen a month!
Plus they require quite a lot. Native German teacher, fluent in English, intermediate Japanese and then that joke of a salary.
I work for an eikaiwa right now and get more.
I'd like to be an ALT one day because of all the free time and vacations

synewave Wrote:

playadom Wrote:Out of curiosity, is there an age requirement for ALTing?

The youngest ALT in my city was 21 and the oldest, mid 40s. We've had singles, couples and a single mum with 3 kids!

But apart from that, could I do it when I'm 17 or 18? I'm not sure that would be the best idea though.

I'm pretty sure you are going to need to have a 4-year degree in something to find good work in Japan. Without it, obtaining a visa would be rather hard I would imagine.

I'll have one in 2011.

BTW synewave, which guy holding a child are you? There are two photos.

Wish you every success in your venture --business and fatherhood both!

Fact: I personally know of 2 ALTs who didn't have "proper degrees" - they had some kind of diploma though (a 1 or 2 year post-high school course).

Realistically though the vast majority of ALTs I know DO have full degrees.

Supposition: I have never heard of any ALT younger than 21. As 20 is the age of adulthood in Japan I imagine that BoEs desire ALTs over 20. Just my opinion.

I'm the guy holding the older of the two children. Thanks for the wishes

For the guys still at uni, how about looking into uni exchange programs? If you really want to come to Japan I'm sure you can find a way to do it.

As for AGTs, that's not something I've ever heard of. That said, I've never thought to ask before. If I find any promising leads, I'll let you know.

synewave Wrote:For the guys still at uni, how about looking into uni exchange programs? If you really want to come to Japan I'm sure you can find a way to do it.

Indeed, coming to Japan as a student is a lot fun. In terms of earning money, there are always part time jobs and scholarships. You could also come just for the Summer break or something.

I taught English with one of the big language schools and hated it mainly due to the working hours and the lack of freedom. I'd imagine that being an ALT would be a lot better - normal working hours and weekends off right? By the looks of things, it's much better paid too. I got 250,000 yen a month with Shane English Language schools.

If you need further encouragement to work in Japan, check out the exchange rate. Especially for the Brits out there. Right now, GBP 1 = JPY 121! When I started my current job, the exchange rate was about 1:215. That's a salary increase of more than 75% in terms of my home currency. Of course, this means that if you try and negotiate a Japanese salary by comparing it with what you're currently receiving in your home country then you're six months too late. But if you're applying for a standard starting salary then it could be a really good deal.

wrightak Wrote:I taught English with one of the big language schools and hated it mainly due to the working hours and the lack of freedom. I'd imagine that being an ALT would be a lot better - normal working hours and weekends off right? By the looks of things, it's much better paid too.

I agree. I like my job, but I don't have 2 days off in a row, no national holidays off and only 15 days vacation per year. I like my working hours (afternoon/evening), though. I hate getting up early ;P

Quote:I got 250,000 yen a month with Shane English Language schools.

That's the standard salary for eikaiwas.



@synewave: I know, there are only a few positions available throughout the whole country. Not many schools teach their students German in Japan. Why should they.
Thanks, I appreciate it

Would the BoEs for these direct hires also pay the plane ticket like JET does (or, at least for the way there)?

Also, just curious as to the process, do you know why these schools don't try to get a teacher from JET or even from an agency?

synewave Wrote:For the guys still at uni, how about looking into uni exchange programs? If you really want to come to Japan I'm sure you can find a way to do it.

ASU's exchange programs suck. =[

alyks Wrote:ASU's exchange programs suck. =[

You can still come to Japan as a student without an exchange program. You can either take a year out or come out just for the Summer. I went to a Japanese language school and had a great time. There are part time jobs you can get to help you cover your expenses.