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JET Programme Alternatives & Options
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Can't or didn't make it onto the JET Programme? Still want to come to Japan. Here we discuss alternatives to the JET Programme. Please note the following links and/or comment can in no way be construed as recommendations for any particular website or business. You will need to do your research throughly.
| English Schools |
| Some notes to remember. January until March is the prime recruitment time if you are seeking employment as a teacher at one of the small and/or independent English schools (eikaiwa) in Japan. The big English schools like ECC recruit all year round due to their large number of schools and the fact the average teacher at their schools only stay 1 or 2 years or less(i.e. found better jobs or returned home). Also some small English schools also recruit year round. Some recruit for private ALT postions or for conversation classes on sites. Conditions and locations can widely vary so make sure to do your homework. Listed below are links to some of the larger English Schools in Japan. You can find vacancies for some of the smaller school via the job links provided |
| English School Links |
This is a list of some of the larger and well-known schools. ECC FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTITUTE - ECC is growing in all parts of Japan ECC operates various technical and college/university preparatory schools, as well as foreign language schools, in major cities throughout Japan. ECC's Department of Junior/BS Classrooms has branches from Hokkaido to Okinawa, thus expanding the ECC nationwide educational system. INTERAC CO., English School - Japan's leading private provider of Assistant Language Teachers Shane English School Japan - Shane English School Japan (SESJ) currently operates more than 200 Direct Teaching Establishments (DTE) and Franchise (FC) schools throughout the country. Whilst the vast majority of these schools are located in Tokyo and the surrounding area, a growing number have been opened in cities such as Nagoya, Fukuoka, Osaka and Kobe. Gaba - Gaba specialises in one-to-one teaching AEON - Recruits teachers for hundreds of their language schools across Japan. Hires year round, 1-year contracts. Must have bachelor's degree or above, must attend interview process in US, Canada or Australia. Amity Corporation - With over 70 branch schools throughout Japan, Amity has been providing international teaching opportunities for more than a decade. We offer exciting opportunities for enthusiastic professionals who enjoy working with children. BA/BS degree; all majors considered. One year contract. Interviews conducted year round in the U.S. and Canada. GEOS Language Corporation - GEOS Corp. is a global network of more than 510 schools in Japan and 47 worldwide. Offers individuals holding a bachelor’s degree – in any discipline – opportunities to teach English Conversation in Japan, on a one-year renewable contract basis. Westgate University Program - Offers short-term contracts for individuals with a degree and one year of teaching experience to teach English in Japan at a Japanese university or a junior college. Altia Central - Recruiting private ALT's for throughout Japan |
| Job Links | ||
O-Hayo Sensei - A very good source for finding English teaching opportunities in Japan. You can download the current issue online, or for a fee of $12 annually, the latest issue will be sent automatically to your e-mail address twice a month. Teaching-English-in-Japan.net - A site created by a community of English teachers and provides some excellent resources as well as inside articles which only those experienced in teaching English in Japan would know about. TEFL.com - The web site features an extensive list of opportunities for teaching English worldwide, and regularly posts lists of jobs in Japan. ESL Cafe - Check out the Japan Forum JobsinJapan.com - Offers regularly updated, on-line jobs boards for f/t and p/t ESL positions with smaller English and private schools Gaijin Pot - A popular web site that lists full- and part-time ESL positions as well as non-ESL opportunities. Career Cross Japan - This site features a searchable database with which you can specify your preferred location, your field of expertise, your level of experience, and other criteria to find a perfect match. Career Cross also includes many listings for jobs other than teaching. JALT - University teaching positions |
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| Jobs at International schools and kindergartens | ||
If you have a formal teaching qualification (such as a B.Ed) or graduate diploma (such as a G.Dip.Ed) a very good alternative are the many international schools and kindergartens in Japan. International schools generally like to recruit teachers with at least two years prior experience in the position you are applying for. You can try approaching the schools directly (as below) or look for jobs on sites such as TES and TIE Online. |
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| International schools and kindergartens - contacts | ||
This list is subdivided into the following sub-headings (first, Tokyo followed by other regions of Japan) Tokyo: Preschool & Kindergarten Only - English Other Parts of Japan (organized from North to South): There are also international schools in Japan listed here on DMOZ and here on the Standford site |
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| Private or Alternative ALT positions | ||
These positions are mostly staffed through the big English schools such as Heart, Interac and Altia. You may however still be lucky enough to find one advertised directly through a school. Many times these positions are filled through word of mouth. If you have friends already teaching in Japan try to get them to ask around for you. Kurashiki City in Hyogo runs and recruits ALT's directly for their NET (Native English Teacher) Scheme If you are from Wisconsin you can apply for Chiba Prefecture's special sister-state ALT exchange. A number of the ALTs in Chiba are not JETs but actually special Wisconsin ALT's. For the most part they are identical to JETs - the only thing they don't get is a Tokyo Orientation. Placement on this program guarantees placement in Chiba Prefecture at a senior high school. |
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| 'Gap' Programs and Working Holidays | ||
If you don't have a degree the next option is to see if you are eligible for a Working Holiday Visa.There are positions that allow young people to work in short-term positions like golf caddying, ski lift attendants, etc. For information go to www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/w_holiday/index.html. |
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| Internships and Summer Programs | ||
Princeton-in-Asia - Fellowships and Summer Internships Teaching English in Japan. Posts available for college seniors or graduates to teach English. |
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| Some Thoughts on Teaching English in Japan | ||
| Teaching English and Living in Japan by Lindy Sinka | ||
| Live, Learn and Teach English in Japan by Christopher P. Cotter | ||
| Teaching English in Japan: How to Get Started and What to Expect by Jo Ebisujima | ||
| Teaching English in Japan: The Internet Job Search by A.J. Hoge | ||
| Point Your Cursor to a Job in Japan by Celeste Heiter | ||
| An English Teaching Assistant's Introduction to Japan by Gabrielle Wallace | ||
| Short-Term Contracts Teaching English in Japan by Matthew Hernon | ||
| Japan's JET Program: Join Japan's Leading ESL Training and Job Placement Program by Laura Mann | ||
| The JET Program: Teaching English in Japan While Getting to Know it as an Insider by Aaron Paulson | ||
| Tutoring English in Japan by Adrienne McPhail | ||
| Pros and Cons of the JET program (ESL Teaching in Japan) | ||
| Alternative Lifestyles - Life in Japan without teaching English | ||
| How about becoming a rice farmer in rural Japan? | ||
A short documentary from PBS Frontline about an Australian who became a rice farmer in rural Japan on Shikoku Alternatively you could always stay in Japan, get residency and get yourself elected. Check out the website of Anthony Bianchi (Aichi JET, 1989-91) - the first North American to hold elected office in Japan. Another job could be to drive a taxi. In Hiroshima, Stephen Outlaw- Spurell has become possibly Japan's only gaijin taxi driver and somewhat of a local celebrity. Sorry no link available. Phone Tsubame Kotsu Taxi Company - 082-221-1955 Or you could just give up altogether and become homeless like the poor Vincent Dodson. |
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| Other... | ||
Other useful discussion on alternatives to the JET Programme are here and here |
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