Do dispatch ALTs see other ALTs in rural Jpn

Just wondering what the contact is with other foreigners as an ALT in rural Japan? I am applying for a position with a big dispatch firm and interested in hearing other people's experiences. They say that accommodation will more than likely be private so just seeing what it's like socially in rural Japan.
Cheers!

It really depends on the people in your area. Experiences can vary a lot depending on what their personalities are like. I moved to a medium sized city and have had trouble socially as there were already established cliques that were hard to break into. I think rural ALTs tend to be a bit friendlier because their communities are small and they only have each other for support, but not all rural ALTs have regular meet-ups. If there aren't regular social events in the town you're placed in you can always become the person who organises them.

Thanks Jinx!
And another question, how much contact do you have with other ALTs when teaching? How many ALTs are at any given school in your experience?
Did/do you like the ALT experience?

I'm currently an ALT with the JET Program. I teach at one high school only and I love my job because I'm allowed to plan and teach my own lessons. Most ALTs are assigned a Junior High School or High School as a "base school" and also visit 1-3 other schools in their area, including elementary schools. It's rare for rural ALTs to teach at just one school.

Most schools have one ALT, unless they're a special school or an academic school then they might have 2-3 ALTs.

I don't have much contact with other ALTs because I'm the only high school teacher in my area who is employed by a municipal Board of Education. But this isn't so common. Most ALTs interact with each other at interschool sports competitions, speech contests etc. Even if your job is isolating there are always chances to socialise outside of work. There are Facebook groups for JETs and Exchange Student Groups in each prefecture so if you get lonely just join those and go along to the AJET functions in your area. Your town civic center will probably have activities to join too, like sports, taiko and tea ceremonies.

Is the job for Junior High or High School?

Well it's with interac and I selected a "strong preference" for JH and SH. So I have no idea what will happen with my preferences. I am yet to do the interview via Skype but I am just trying to get as much info as possible.
There's lots of debate concerning the integrity and reliability of interac on the web...but I am happy to experience Japan regardless.
I would like to learn japanese so don't want to really fall into the trap of meeting english speakers and only hanging around english speakers...however I have basically no japanese language skills.

You should get JH or SH no problems if it's for an ALT position. Elementary schools don't hire ALTs but if you're an ALT at a JHS you might be invited to visit the local elementary schools once in a while. I haven't heard of that company, do they hire ALTs mainly for public schools or private eikawas as well?

When I came here I knew no Japanese, aside from the study I did while going through the JET process. Now I'm self-studying and taking lessons, it's a very slow process. Japanese is hard to learn but not impossible if you do a little at a time and have some patience. You can get by with basic conversational Japanese most of the time, most people here won't expect you to know it. However I think you should at least learn Hiragana and Katakana before you come, and some basic phrases to help you get through everyday life.

Realistically if you don't know much Japanese it might be hard to make friends outside of the foreigner/English speaking community. Japanese people are nice but it can be difficult to develop close friendships as an "outsider" especially with a language barrier. It's not impossible, but just remember there's nothing wrong with having mostly Westerners as friends, after all they're going through the same experience as you!

Good luck with the job application!

I think it is completely different between the JET program and Interac.
Interac is a company which sends foreigners to many places, while JET is the program organized by Japanese government.
Interac is doing their business for money, while JET is non-profit.

Hi

I currently work with Interac, in a rural area.

I do meet up with other ALTs in my town (although mainly JETs, as there are more of them in my town than people with Interac). I met them through just becoming active in my town, joining interest groups, going to restaurants and at volunteer Japanese lessons etc.

I don't have any contact with ALTs while teaching - I think it is the case that most school just have one ALT (although I could be wrong).

It can also be quite easy to make Japanese friends too, even if you know no Japanese, as long as you show a willingness to learn!

Also, with Interac, teaching elementary is definitely a possibility, I know some people who only work in elementary, but I'm sure they would take your preference into account! (Although, I love working at elementary school, but obviously it's not for everyone)

Also regarding 'debate concerning the integrity and reliability of interact on the web', personally I have been happy with Interac. I think it is a slightly different experience to JET, and certainly there are some negative aspects, but I recommend this company.

Thanks for your response regarding interac guest.!
Can u tell me more about the rural aspect of your town? As in how many people live there, is there anything you can do at night? Do shops close early? Just any general info about the rural aspect of towns would be great cos I am thinking of going to one.
Cheers

Sure
My town isn't the most rural of places, population of just under 50,000, 50 mins on the fast train to a big city, but lots of farm land all around, and I work at some very small schools.
There's a mixture of places, most shops shut before 9 or 10, but we have a couple of 24hr supermarkets, a McDonalds, and of course many convenience stores. There are also plenty of restaurants and izakayas, some of which are open very late on weekends. No nightclubs as far as I'm aware.
But I'd imagine even places more rural than my town will still have a few good izakayas, and a convenience store. I really recommend rural town life in Japan!

Oh ok.
So do you live in your own apartment? How much is rent? Are you able to save money taking into account all expenses?
Do you have a car?
How often do you meet up or see the other ALTs?
Do you have the teacher drinking parties I have heard about? Do u become friends with the JTEs?
Was the interac training helpful?
Sorry for all the questions! But would love some more information before stepping into the unknown!