ALT vs. Eikaiwa

I used to think that being an ALT was hands down the better job.

Lately, I've been told that the salary can be as low as 18 man a month, as an overseas applicant you will not likely be place anywhere near Tokyo as all the good locations are taken by domestic hires and transfers, and you will likely be shipped around to several different schools each week.

The schedule is terrific, though, with a normal work week and lots of holidays.

On the other hand, if you work for an eikaiwa, you can get 25 man a month near or in Tokyo, and go to the same branch everyday. But, you work nights and weekends and teach a lot of young childrens classes.

So ALT'ing will leave you with a life outside of work, while eikaiwa'ing doesn't really, unless you count your mornings, days off in the middle of the week, and ten days of vacation after six months.

Living close to Tokyo is important, but so is having a regular schedule. Which is the better job to you (assuming ALT in Tokyo is not an option)? Thank you.

Hi, I have a job as an ALT, which I haven't started yet so sorry - I can't really help you! I was just wondering exactly what an eikawia does though? Who are they employed by? I keep hearing the word but am none the wiser now. Thanks!

ok let me just clear some things up for u (and others).

eikaiwa=conversation schools
ALT=assistant language teacher

generally, eikaiwa refers to working in some small, local school (or tiny office space) and u are working part-time for them on an hourly basis.

generally, ALT jobs are either sponsored by the school you are working for, if your lucky, or a company that dispatches you to wherever they need you to go.

on the other hand, there are the big Eikaiwa companies, such as Aeon, Geos, Nova, Berlitz, ECC, etc. while the term 'big' may sound like a good thing, usually these jobs suck ass. ive never worked for one of the big eikaiwas, but a ton of ppl i know have, and almost always tell me bad stories about them. almost all will offer 250,000, with one or two offering a little bit more. they have fixed contracts, usually fixed curriculum, and its boring as hell. most ppl get sick of them in a year, or less. but they are 'stable' for the most part. (but then u have to consider that NOVA was one, if not the biggest english conversation school, and now almost extinct).

ok, back to ALTs. if you do get really lucky, u can work directly for the school that hires you. you may be able to work at the same school everyday, see the same teachers and students, and actually build up friendships. there are no set salary base, but most ALT jobs are the same as the big eikaiwa, ie around 250,000. yes, ive seen some too at 180,000 but this is most likely working for a dispatch company who hires at the rock bottom price.

usually, ALT jobs require you to teach teach with a Japanese teacher. At times, you may do hardly anything more than speak a few words when asked to, hence the 'human tape-recorder' expression comes into play. at other places, u may be asked to teach on your own; it all depends.

JET program. (ALT)
bar none, the best/highest paid/most fun way to teach english in japan. period.300,000 + bonues + a hell of a lot of other things.

eikaiwa schools. hourly rate was pretty good(3-5,000/hour), but its part time. i didnt get enough hours, and didnt want to go searching for private students to make it all match a full-time paycheck. on top of that, the schools gave absolutely no structure. they didnt even give me books. they just expect you to speak english, and keep the students coming back for more next week. it was by far, the most boring and unsatisfying jobs ive ever had. now, it wasnt all that hard though. there were no expectations. but it was not fun at all.

ALT for a specified elementary school was a good(lucky) gig i found. it paid 300,000. but unfortunately they lied about continuing our contracts, and the next year they hired JETs to replace the experienced teachers since they could be paid by the government, instead of the local school district.

last job. i worked as a full time teacher, everyday at the same elementary school, though was hired through a small company. starting salary was about 280,000 but over the years i got raises to 296,000. i taught solo. had lots of say in the curriculum/teaching styles. but i didnt get along with management. thats another story.

i realized i didnt really say which one to go for:

JET ^ ALT ^ Eikaiwa

fully supported job, great paycheck for newcomers, most fun, best experience

vs.

bad/decent/good experience, depending on the contractor or school that hired you

vs.

either a terribly boring, unmeaningful, part-time job OR
a terrbibly boring, unmeaningful, full-time job at 250,000 working for a company that could care less about their employees/students.

make your choice wisely!

Yeah, basically it comes down to taking a sure, although not so great, thing (eikaiwa) and being somewhat close to Tokyo (but not having the schedule to enjoy it), or rolling the dice with a dispatch company and crossing my fingers for a decent location and salary.

ILm leaning toward rolling the dice, because ILve already worked eikaiwa and want to have a life outside of work. ILve been hearing that thereLs little chance to get anything near Tokyo or near a decent salary, though. Still willing to hear more opinions, though.

Hi, I'm being placed as a ALT in Yokohama, but am wondering about the location. Is it a place to live and save? Whats rent cost there? Is there anyone who lives there who can contact me?

Where in Yokohama, candy? I lived there for 3 years, and like any city, Yokohama has its cheaper and more expensive areas. Rent is higher than out in the countryside of course, but as long as you live in a normal residential area, your rent won't eat up your entire salary. You should be looking to pay around 50,000-70,000 yen a month- be warned that your apartment will probably be pretty small. The further away from a train station you are, the cheaper the rent in Japan.

Food is not especially expensive in Yokohama. If you are frugal and don't go drinking or shopping too much, you will be able to save, but as I said in another post, probably not for the first few months.

Been here 9 years and done all three. Each one was a great experience, but that's because I enjoy working. For introverts and people who need to be told what to do, I HIGHLY recommend experiencing Japan on a tourist visa. That way you can see the country on your own terms. If you come here to work, they think you're here to serve, and they expect you to already have that mindset when you set foot in the office place, no matter who you work for. They won't guide you by the hand, they won't tell you what to do, and they won't tell you how you're doing. To succeed, you have to be proactive.

Anyways, JET is an exchange program set up to leave you with a positive impression of Japan, yet your co-workers expect you to be a highly-trained professional, so it's really a crazy setup -an accident waiting to happen. It certainly paid well but I was spread out between 15 different schools at one point (ESID). No real training, but LOTS of meetings that never went anywhere, mostly beer-party announcements. The "meetings" are nothing short of popularity contests -people comparing wit on taxpayer's money. Riding my bike every day, sometimes 40 min. one-way through typhoon and lightning storms got a little old after awhile, especially while loaded down with toys and flashcards. But the connections and friendships I made at the B.O.E. have been priceless and long-lasting. I had plenty of money to see the country from top to bottom. That was the best part.

Being an ALT for a private non-JET company, I was paid much less for the same job but had fewer schools (ESID). That helped a lot and I could dedicate myself to my students. I never sat at my desk and read books -I stayed busy -that made the lack of responsibility bearable. The training with my company was way better than JET and I felt like they had my back, but the government-mandated benefits aren't there and the whole system is unstable now. It's all about the lowest bidder. Most companies don't give a beep if you're a native speaker of English, anymore. So by this logic, even if your native language is Swahili, you can do well to go teach French to the Chinese. If you go this route, you'll have a job, but be prepared to be shuffled around after a year (or less) as your position gets cut over and over again. Oh, and your pay will be cut the longer you stay.

As for direct-hire jobs, once the B.O.E.s start obeying the Ministry of Ed. again and do away with dispatch ALT companies (give it about 4-5 years), it'll be easier to find these jobs, but I guarantee you -they'll want Masters of Ed degrees, CELTA or other certification- and referrals. You WON'T be able to pick up these kinds of jobs up online without experience or credentials. B.O.E.s are already being picky with the credentials of their own kind (P/T counselors, school cooks, etc). When they can get their own kind to do what an over-paid, untrained foreigner does now, the whole industry will change yet again.

Eikaiwa -In with one of the "Big 4." Yes, it's corporate, yes, it's money-oriented, but so is the public school system (check your Japanese school's PTA financial reports if in doubt). The hours are changeable and they work you hard. But if you've ever had a real job before in any country, this should be no surprise. Training: awesome! It sure helps to have the tools to do your job right. You're not just a sidekick, either. You're in charge of your own class. If you like to talk and enjoy meeting people, it's never "boring." There's a lot of Japanese corporate group-think and some silly customs that go along with it that defy logic. And the suit gets horribly stuffy in summer (as do windowless cells to work in). But hey- it's a job, right?

But again, if you don't like to work, don't come to Japan to work. This is, after all, a country where the average person still puts their job over their family. If you're one of those "I'm not gonna work more than what's in my contract" kind of people, save yourself the stress and just come here on a tourist visa. Hope that helps.