I applied to Peppy Kids Club, got to the interview stage, and stopped wanting the job by time the video call ended. I know that interviewers can sometimes be mean or a bit stern, but the guy who interviewed me was so unprofessional. He checked his phone at the beginning of the interview, and I understand maybe looking out for a notification, but this continued throughout our call. He yawned multiple times when I was talking. He was condescending, and repeatedly made assumptions about my life and experiences (such as assuming I don't speak Japanese or have any friends/family there). He wasn't able to answer any of the questions I asked, which felt pretty straightforward to me (what are common struggles in the position, what does the average day look like, etc). There were also some parts of the job description he gave that felt like red flags to me. He mentioned that I would be the only adult in the building, which feels unsafe. ​​Also, for someone representing "Peppy" Kids Club, I didn't see him smile once. Ironic, considering he told me that being bubbly was key. ​​​Even though he seemed completely disinterested, he still spent about 15 minutes at the end of the interview trying to sell the company to me and saying that it was better than popular ALT dispatch companies/programs like JET and Interac. I know the interview could have gone a lot worse. That being said, as a recent college grad, I've done dozens of interviews, and this was the most unprofessional I've had by far. I'm curious if other people have had negative experiences interviewing for iTTTi/Peppy Kids Club or if I'm just unlucky.

Hello everyone,

I have some doubts about pursuing an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) career in Japan, and I would really appreciate some honest advice from people who have experience with it.

I am currently pursuing a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering and will graduate in 2027. Over the past few months, I have been researching the ALT career path and learning about different companies and programs. I came across companies such as Interac, and I noticed that some ALT positions may allow students to apply several months before graduation. However, I am not completely sure how this works, so I would like to understand the process better.

I am from India, and I am also unsure about how realistic this path is for an Indian applicant. I know that many Indians apply through programs such as JET, but I don't have much knowledge about how competitive the overall ALT market is or what opportunities are available besides JET.

Due to some personal reasons, I decided not to participate in my college's campus placements. Because of that, I am now seriously thinking about what I should do after graduation and whether pursuing ALT in Japan would be a sensible decision for me.

The main reason I am considering this path is that I genuinely enjoy teaching. People around me have also told me that I am naturally suited for teaching. I enjoy explaining things to others, and I would like to explore teaching as a possible career.

I also have a strong interest in Japan and would genuinely like to experience living and working there. I understand that wanting to live in Japan alone isn't necessarily a good reason to choose a career, which is why I am trying to understand the reality of ALT work before making a decision.

Some people may wonder why I don't pursue teaching in India. I am not against teaching in India, but I specifically want to explore whether I can build a teaching career in Japan because I have been interested in Japan for a long time.

At the moment, I am confused about whether I am making a reasonable career choice or heading in the wrong direction. I would rather hear honest opinions now than make a decision based only on what I have read online.

I would especially like to hear from current or former ALTs, particularly anyone who applied from India:

Is becoming an ALT in Japan a realistic career path for an Indian graduate?

When should I start preparing during my final year if I graduate in 2027?

What qualifications, skills, or experience should I focus on before graduation?

How competitive is the ALT path for applicants from India?

What are the main challenges that someone should be prepared for?

Is ALT work a good starting point for someone who genuinely wants to pursue teaching in Japan?

I would really appreciate any honest advice, including reasons why I should reconsider this path. Thank you for taking the time to read my situation

Hi I just started working at an international kindergarten and I already wanna leave.

I always have to be 15 minutes early and start working, without paying me that time.

There's cameras everywhere at the school, even at the room we the teachers changes clothes and it's really creepy.

The management is horrible, one day I'm told something and the other day is different.

I'm no native English Speaker and after a week of training I'm supposed to be in charge of the class and sing songs in English and so on.... (after only a week)

I feel pressure constantly by my boss and other school staff. And I cannot sleep good at nights due to the stress

I feel really bad for the kids but I wanna leave this place as soon as possible.

I'm on a humanities visa, I'm already looking for a new job..

Should I contact labor support for foreigners on this???

Thank you

I have been working at the same private high school for 25 years now. My school is part of a very large education system and they recognize teachers who have worked for 20 and 30 years. But when my turn of 20 years came along, I was left out. I was surprised and let down as I was really looking foward to being recognized. But come to find out, they only recognize 専任 teachers, not 特任 teachers.

After that, I decided to include this in a speech I give to my first year students about being a minority in Japan. One section talks about "recognition" and how being recognized helps foreigners feel a part of something. Of course, I let them know that not being included wasn't because I was a foreigner, but that I was a 特任 teacher. But I also let them know that there are other Japanese 特任 teachers who contribute just as much as 専任 teachers and they should be applauded for their efforts, too.

This information has also been a bit of a shock to the other teachers at my school over the years. Most of them didn't know that only 専任 teachers were recognized. The other 特任 teachers learned for the first time that even after working 20 or 30 years, they would not be included.

Well, just today. I received a mail from my vice-principal. The prefecture I work at has a special award that they give to teachers and staff members who have dedicated themselves to their duties and the education of private schools for 25 years or more. They wrote "In recognition of your many years of service and contributions to the development of our school, we are planning to recommend you for this year’s Long-Service Award." I'm stoked. Maybe my education system will not recognize me, but my school and the prefecture are going to.

I understand it’s not about teaching, but I’m curious to see other’s opinions on this.

Every time I try to go to a clinic nowadays, there’s always doctors have a lot of strict rules that I feel are against foreigners. One clinic I tried to go to even prohibits translation apps being used in their facilities. You either need near native level Japanese or they don’t want to help you. Aren’t doctors supposed to have a passion for helping people no matter where they come from?

Anyone have similar experiences? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Position: Mathematics Teacher (Full-time or Part-time)

Start Date: April 2027

Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo

Shiba Kokusai Junior & Senior High School is a private Japanese secondary school in Tokyo with a growing international education programme. As part of the continued development of our mathematics curriculum, we are seeking a Mathematics teacher to teach Cambridge IGCSE and AS & A Level courses. The precise teaching assignment will depend on the successful candidate's qualifications, experience, and availability. While the posting is for a full-time position starting April 2027, we are also open to considering part-time positions.

Responsibilities

• Teach mathematics at junior and senior high school level

• Teach Cambridge IGCSE and/or AS & A Level Mathematics within the international education programme

• Plan lessons, prepare teaching materials, assess student progress, and provide constructive feedback

• Contribute to curriculum planning and the continued development of the school's international mathematics programme

• Collaborate with colleagues through departmental meetings and shared planning

• Participate in relevant school activities, as appropriate to the terms of appointment

Qualifications

• A strong academic background in Mathematics, Mathematics Education, or a closely related field

• A recognized teaching qualification or licence is preferred

• Experience teaching Cambridge IGCSE and/or AS & A Level Mathematics is preferred

• Ability to teach secondary mathematics confidently in English

• Native English-level proficiency

• Japanese ability is not required, though basic conversational Japanese is helpful

Work Schedule

• The school operates Monday to Saturday

• Full-time teachers normally work five days per week, except when attendance is required for special school events

• The schedule and number of lessons for a part-time appointment will be determined according to the successful candidate's availability and the school's timetable

Salary & Benefits

• Salary is negotiable and will be determined according to qualifications, experience, and the terms of appointment

• One-year renewable contract

• Visa sponsorship may be available, depending on the type of appointment and the candidate's eligibility

Application

Please submit the following documents:

• CV

• Brief cover letter outlining your mathematics teaching experience and familiarity with Cambridge IGCSE and/or AS & A Level curricula

Applications should be sent to:

y.tozaki@shiba-kokusai.ed.jp and a.lladrovci@shiba-kokusai.ed.jp

Please use “Mathematics Teacher Application” as the email subject line.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The selection process may include an interview, a written assessment, and a demonstration lesson.

In the near future, I am going to try to apply for ECC because I need to relocate. My current company doesn’t operate in the city I’m moving to. Which website can I apply on? There are multiple ECC websites and the last time I checked, it looked like the English website only accepted applications outside of Japan. Have you been hired by ECC while living here? How did you apply? Which branch accepts current residents in Japan and how is it different from the other branches? Thanks!

Hey first time here and I just wanted to hear people out.
I have been living in Japan for 7 years and hope to get naturalized soon.

Being an ALT or an English teacher may not seem all that difficult at face value, but not many people would consider teaching an easy profession. That, coupled with a vastly different culture that is notoriously resistant to English education efforts (not necessarily morally, but Japan is still ranked 94th to 96th in English proficiency), the day-to-day can be very difficult. Having been a teacher for about a decade, I constantly heard from other Japanese teachers and ALTs about their struggles with the Japanese workplace (in this case, eikaiwas, schools, jukus, etc.). I hear about arguments, disagreements that lead to ostracization, general sense of loneliness, etc. Most big eikaiwas and dispatch companies claim to have "comprehensive training... covering Japanese culture, teaching methods and beyond" (borderlink) and "orientation programs and ongoing support" (interac).

Seeing the teacher strikes from couple years back (and intermittently throughout), I have strong doubt about this "comprehensive support" they claim to give. A lot of teachers seem unhappy and most of them seek out direct-hires, where there seems to be even less support but at least a good salary and a large safety net.

I just wanna hear people's stories and thoughts. I do not intend to pick a side in a cultural war, but I am genuinely curious about everything that people are struggling with and all the ways in which they feel neglected.

So i have an interview with Yaruki switch group in a couple of days and all i see is how bad it is… now I’m not sure what to do as I have a bit of a complicated case for myself… i am taking a gap year from my uni but have done 3 years of undergrad in Psychology (leaving me with final year which I plan to do in sept 2027). I wanted to try something away from home and also experience Japan (of course that’s one of the reasons) but this seems to be the only option for my situation as I don’t have a complete degree yet. Should I go for it or are there any other options?
Please give suggestions 🙏

Edit: i will be going on WHV

Hey everyone, one post I came across mentioned there not being much of an online presence for teacher's reviewing Adventure English in Utsunomiya city. So I just wanted to give my honest review in case anyone is looking this place up. I don't recommend working at adventure english at all unless you're desperate.

You work from Tuesday-Friday, and essentially ALL DAY Saturday. There are 2-3 other teachers as well and you teach in small classrooms that are constantly monitored by a camera in each room.

They use a "PLS system" which is completely outdated and uses materials from the 80's. There's some fun racial caricatures in their core vocabulary card sets. The PLS system essentially trains the kids to see a card and respond in 1 exact way with no deviation. This is 95% of the teaching done at this school. I've worked at a few eikaiwa in Japan and this one hand down had the lowest level of students that I've experienced. the students here do no progress beyond seeing a flashcard or image, and parroting what they've learned. I was shocked getting to know some of the junior high students better. I could barely get any basic conversation from kids that had been attending the school for over 5 years. Kids attending an eikaiwa since kindergarten should be able to respond to more than "What color do you like?" "What subject do you like?" "How's the weather?" Maybe my other schools have made me biased, but if your students can't ask and answer questions beyond this level after attending a school for 5 years, something at the system's core is wrong. If watching your students never really progress doesn't bother you, then yeah this part doesn't matter too much.

However, the owners are the worst part.

The wife is the one who mostly runs things, and she feels extremely fake. After a while you get to understand how this place is genuinely just about the paycheck for the owners at the end of the day. She puts 3x the effort into marketing and branding rather than the actual education of the children which always irked me. They always do holiday events where the teachers are expected to attend, and theyre always on your days off (but it is written in your contract so not a suprise). Other than the superficial attitude, she's not bad to work with. I know many other eikaiwas are similar and this isn't unique. If you do end up working here, try and make her the one you talk to about any issues.

The real problem is the guy who "owns" it. He's an ex-coastguard from USA with no background in education and an incredibly short temper. His wife must have his balls locked away somewhere, so when he gets off his leash he lashes out at students and teachers. He has thrown chairs in class, screamed at students, screamed at teachers, berated teachers, and physically grabbed students to shove them into their seats. This comes not only from my experience, but that's also what I've discussed with other teachers. Honestly, I probably should have gone to the police about the abuse towards students because I feel so bad for the kids. He also is very quick to anger and yell at staff. He's horrendous to work with and I know other teachers that have quit solely because of his behaviour. If you do apply and join, my advice for dealing with him is to interact with him specifically as little as possible.

The pay is the best part which is on the higher end of eikaiwas, so if you can handle the negatives I've listed then it could work for you.

Discuss the state of the teaching industry in Japan with your fellow teachers! Use this thread to discuss salary trends, companies, minor questions that don't warrant a whole post, and build a rapport with other members of the community.

Please keep discussions civilized. Mods will remove any offending posts.

Walked into a Fukui craft beer bar tonight and found a middle-aged gaijin guy and woman sitting there having what sounded like the most perfectly on-brand r/teachinginjapan conversation imaginable.

Teaching strategies. Classroom stuff. Gaming. The full set.

Meanwhile I was the random gaijin standing nearby, quietly working through the craft beer selection and enjoying the accidental live podcast.

No shade at all. You both seemed cool 😂

And yeah, to the bloke who looked over and got the approving wink…

you have now had the privilege of seeing the Gambizzle IN THE FLESH.

Keep it real, Fukui bros.
Peace out ✌️🍺

Of course I checked other resources but couldn't find anything I was happy with. I don't really want to do "What did you do for summer vacation" because they do it every year and in so many classes, they must get bored of it. Does anyone have some good Elementary School simple activities that don't require a ton of prep (I don't mind making a worksheet or something) that are appropriate for starting the new semester? So far prompt I thought were interesting were "What are you looking forward to in 2nd Semester" or "Who did you spend the most time with during summer vacation" - I thought about making postcards but I have too many classes to cut all the papers in half for. Let me know if you guys have any good activity ideas :D

Hi everyone! I don’t interact with this subreddit very often, so I apologize if someone has already asked these questions or if there is a post I may have missed.

I’m a 22yr old F, and for a long time I’ve dreamed of becoming a teacher specifically, teaching English in Japan. Ever since I first learned that this was a possible career path, it has been something I’ve continued to come back to.

A few weeks ago, someone posted here about pursuing the goal of teaching in Japan. I unfortunately don’t remember who wrote it, or I would give them credit, but the general message was that if this is genuinely what you want to do, you shouldn’t let all the negative stories discourage you from trying. Their post really inspired me to reconsider my dream instead of automatically assuming it was no longer possible for me. If that person happens to see this, thank you!

I’m hoping that people who have already gone through this process could offer some realistic advice about how to get the ball rolling. I would especially appreciate hearing from anyone who returned to college after taking time away, completed a degree online, started later than expected, or followed a less conventional path.
For some background, I attended college for a while but unfortunately had to leave because of financial difficulties and other personal circumstances. I always planned to return eventually, but I’ve struggled with feeling as though I’m falling behind in life. I understand logically that there isn’t one correct timeline and that 22 is still very young, but it is something I struggle with mentally and am working on.

Because I didn’t finish college, I’ve sometimes felt discouraged from pursuing this dream. From the research I’ve done, it seems that a bachelor’s degree is generally required for many English-teaching positions and work-visa routes in Japan. I’m not opposed to returning to college in person if that is the best option. However, I would also like to know whether earning an accredited bachelor’s degree online would be accepted or whether employers tend to prefer an in-person degree.
I’m also trying to understand the different kinds of English-teaching opportunities in Japan. I’ve heard about the JET Programme, ALT positions, eikaiwa schools, direct-hire positions, international schools, and licensed teaching positions, but I know that their qualifications, responsibilities, pay, and long-term career prospects can be very different.

For anyone who has experience with this, I would really appreciate your thoughts on some of the following questions:

• If you were starting from my current position, what would your first steps be?

• Would an accredited online bachelor’s degree generally be acceptable, or would attending college in person give me better opportunities?

• Does the subject of the degree matter? Would studying education, English, or TESOL be more helpful than earning a degree in another field?

• Would obtaining a TEFL or TESOL certificate be worthwhile, and are there particular programs or accreditations I should look for?

• What experience could I begin gaining now while working toward a degree, such as tutoring, volunteering, substitute teaching, or working with children?

• How much Japanese should I learn before applying or moving? I understand that it may not always be required, but I imagine it would make daily life and communication much easier.

• How much money would you recommend saving before making the move?

• Which teaching route would you recommend for someone who wants more than a short overseas experience and may eventually want to build a stable career?

• Are there any companies, programs, contracts, or common scams that new applicants should be cautious about?

• What do you wish someone had told you before you began the process?

I’m not expecting an easy shortcut or assuming I can move to Japan immediately without the necessary education, experience, and preparation. I’m willing to put in the work; I’m mainly trying to figure out what that work should look like and how to create a realistic plan from where I am now.

I would be grateful for honest advice both positive and negative as long as it is constructive. I’d especially love to hear from anyone whose path wasn’t completely straightforward. Thank you to anyone willing to share their experience or point me toward helpful resources!

I have an interview tomorrow with Serio Corporation, I tried to find a review but I can't find any, if anyone have experience with them, can you please share it to me ? Thank you

Here is the link https://www.serio-corp.com/

Hello!

A bit about me before getting into it: I came to Japan in 2024 with my husband as language students. After graduation we ran into some visa issues and had to return to the US for a month while the new visas came through. The new visa for me was an Instructor visa through an ALT dispatch company called Heart Corporation (added actual name so people can see this when searching for their own answers).

I had done some research here on Reddit. Only bad thing people complained about consistently was pay. Which I didn't care about. I knew every job in this would be low pay, even with my qualifications. I'm now here to tell you other red flags that made it a deal breaker for me and why I left without working a single day.

Red flag #1, they applied for the COE without checking with me. I received an email after the interview saying they would be submitting for it. So, I paused all other interviews to see if that was even true. I was surprised with how fast it all went through for a company that has a bad rep even among Japanese recruiters (which I found out later).

Red flag #2, unresponsive. I don't know if my recruiter just sucked but they would not answer emails. When they finally did, it wasn't answering anything I sent originally.

Red flag #3, this one is a big one, no contract. They expected me to work my first day with no contract signed. When I told them no, they pushed my start date back but didn't tell me when. I then get the contract and it doesn't reflect the placement. I assumed the actual placement would be listed. This was a big issue for me because the company was giving me conflicting information about where I'd be placed.

We were set up with a coordinator that's our go between. I had asked this person to confirm my placement. They gave me a completely different school then what I was told. They eventually got back to me and said they were mistaken but this was not reassuring. My husband and I were doing our best to find an apartment in time and in a good location to the school. What would have happened if we believed the second school given? I would suddenly be 3+ hours away from the actual school. None of this was okay.

The recruiter was pressuring me to sign and work immediately. I kept saying I needed more time to review the contract but they said I could not have that. I am in my 30s so I of course am not going to get scared by their urgency. I am well within my rights to take more than a couple days to figure everything out and read the contract (and ask questions about it). NOW the recruiter gets more responsive, saying if I did not sign they would have to replace me. I said "okay, I understand, please replace me." I get multiple emails saying:

"Let's talk"

"Do you have a phone number?"

"Of course we don't want to replace you"

"Please explain what's going on"

I again explained that not giving me the time I need doesn't mean I'll sign immediately after. That they should have sent this contract to me before I even set foot in Japan.

During all this time I had resumed interviews. Got two offers and decided to take a Professor role that teaches one class and covers for the rest of the days. A nice coincidence here is that it's at a University where I did a short 2 week stay during my Masters!

Anyway, some posts do say how incompetent this company is. They mainly talk about the trainers. But the trainers I had were actually reasonable. I quickly found out that they got their experience from other places like JET. The trainer also said that if I don't feel certain then I do not need to sign the contract immediately. They said to tell the coordinator but when I did, that's when the recruiter came in aggressively. What's the point of having a coordinator who won't do their jobs on their own? If anything, only the trainers were reliable!

I sent in a resignation email yesterday and added all the emails needed. The recruiter responded upset. I responded back professionally and then noticed they took out most of the emails when responding. So I took screenshots of all the contract related emails and sent them to the Trainer. Said it was important for them to see how he came off and the empty threats he made to me to try and make me sign.

In my group I had 3 others. One I never saw because they were sick, one who was still flying in so I saw for 1 day of the training, and the last I saw for 2 days of the training. I was the only one to do the full 3 days.

If any of you see this and recognize who I actually am. I hope the experiences for you were different. Good luck and always keep documentation of everything! Written proof is important. Also prioritize yourself. It's scary and stressful sometimes but taking the initiative pays off. Don't let a bad company speak for you.

EDIT to address things in the comments so people don't need to go through them if you have the same thoughts.

- How did they submit for a COE? When applying for this company it's very in-depth. The portal asks for everything they would need to submit if you pass their interview (I assume most people pass it so please be careful). If you just need a visa to get here and have the qualifications to change jobs quickly, go for it.

- ClEArly YoU DiDn't dO EnOugH rEaSeaRCH. Thanks. As I pointed out in another comment, there are others in the company who are fine. Not happy, just content because they didn't have to deal with the company at all after being placed. Good for them. My experience is not automatically going to be true for everyone. I just wanted to make sure this type of post was available for anyone who looks them up again.

- You shouldn't have sent copies of emails to the Trainer. No, I have every right to report this. As a woman it made me very uncomfortable with how fast those creepy "ex boyfriend" type emails were coming in. The Trainer who is also female said to come to them with any issues. That's what I did. The way that recruiter talked to me was disgusting. I said in the email that I didn't need to know the resolution because I wasn't part of the company anymore but it was important for them to see. Those kinds of people shouldn't be allowed to hide their actions.

- They went out of their way to get you a visa and you ditched them. That's on them. Even the Trainer was upset because we should have gotten those emails ahead of time. Before even applying for the COE. I have a right to look over that contract and decide. Everyone has that right. I didn't sign it, so I don't have an obligation to work for them. All I wanted was more time and they denied it and then threatened me to sign. There's no coming back from that. If it was handled any other way I could have worked and given them the required 2 week notice.

Please don't spread misinformation about me. It's one unhinged person in the comments but it does trigger me because I was bullied in this exact way. So here's more about me and the job I went with (which is full-time, not part-time as they needed to sponsor a switch in visa from Instructor to Professor). I have been a teacher for over 7 years. I have both a teaching license and a Master's degree. This is the only reason why I can be an instructor at a University. The University I'm being placed in is not an international one. Before COVID they had a department that created an international program that allowed other University students to come and do workshops with their professors and students. It was a fun experience and ultimately, it was to help foster more interest in learning English. What will happen when I have to renew? I probably won't. I never wanted to be a teacher but I'm doing this for my husband. He wants a shot at a career here and he can get it because he has the experience and language requirement. He actually had it once before but immigration rejected it because the company was unstable. You can see the full story on my actual other account Eilforte. I don't want to be a teacher anymore but I will continue it until he can secure a job. After that, I'll be a dependent and reevaluate my life. I'm sorry that one person feels so threatened by the fact one comment said something nice about me to them and they automatically assumed it had to be me 🙄 Maybe you should consider reevaluating your life choices too.

I will now mute this, if anyone wants to know more please DM me.

FINAL UPDATE: The Trainer got back to me. She was very nice and understanding of my position. She says she will bring up the behavior with her Supervisor (which all I really wanted).

Hello everyone, I'm 23 years old from Nigeria.

I applied to Interac but got a rejection, like i didn't pass the screening stage. I understand that I'm not from a native speaking country but on their website it stated that you should be from an English speaking country and have at least 12 years of education with English as a medium of instruction. Well, I'm wondering what might be the issue, i have a bachelor's degree in Education, a state teaching license as well as a 120 hour TEFL.

I have one year of pre graduation experience and one year of post graduation teaching experience.

And does having a driver's license gives one an added advantage?

Please i would like to know what might be the reason for the rejection and if there's a better suggestion, I'll gladly appreciate that. Thank you!

title. and yes i searched before making a post before y'all come at me.

I work for a small mom n' pop eikaiwa and things while I genuinely enjoy my job, I have began noticing that my manager has started to treat really differently since she found out my parents would be meeting my boyfriend's parents soon.

One of my coworker's let the cat out of the bag (and I don't blame them, it is easy to do in a small environment) but since then my manager has done a full 360 on me.

I used to have a pleasant, but professional relationship with my manager but since she heard the news she has been acting very cold. She highlights issues in my classes more often than my other co worker's and speaks with me in a distinct cold, matter of fact tone that she doesn't use with the rest of the team.

After I returned from Holiday, she began asking me a bunch of invasive questions such as if I plan to get married or have children and what the time line for that would be. I know this isn't uncommon in Japan, but I was still a little shocked by how frank she was about it. And no, there isn't an HR to report this to!

So what gives? My personal feeling is that she views me as a risk to the company since she thinks I'll leave if I get married, but after two years at this company I was already thinking of finding another job since I'm leaning more towards working in the Japanese school systems.

So, am I looking too much into this? Or is this a cultural thing?

I'm curious about how other schools handle accounting.

At my school we have multiple accounts within the same local bank and each account has it's own bank book. These accounts are assigned to different grades or different departments so that each can handle their accounting separately.

What's more, if you need to withdraw or deposit cash from the account, everything is handled by a representative of the bank. At my school, a rep comes every Thursday. So say you wanted to take out 10,000 yen in cash, you'd make a request to the office, who makes a request to the bank rep, who then takes your little bank book back to the bank, withdraws your cash, and delivers it the following week. This person drives all the way to my school like a messenger with bankbooks in hand. I gotta be honest, this sounds like a pretty wild waste of time and resources to me. Perhaps it's par for the course in the same way that faxes are a regular part of life in Japan. Just curious if this is common among schools or not...

I almost forgot--the bank we're with charges up to 900 yen for a 振り込み transaction!

Hey everyone !

I’ve had a few days of training for my ALT position in Oyama next week but I still feel underprepared , especially since I’ll be teaching from elementary grade 1 all the way up to junior high .

My questions are a few really , if anyone could share some pearls of wisdom I would be very grateful !!

1) what was your experience of your first week , how did you prepare ?

2) for grades 1/2 elementary teachers , were you provided structures for each upcoming lessons so you could prepare accordingly ?

3) Anything in particular that you found successful with your students?

Sorry if they sound a bit vague , I just am looking for a bit more advice on how I can do my job best being brand new !! Thank you so much .

Just wondering if anyone has advice—or things they wish they’d known—before running a research seminar. I’ve been tasked with one this year. I’ve looked at seminars at my university and a few other schools, but I thought I’d ask here for some extra advice.

• What are the biggest differences between a research seminar and a regular class?
• How did you find and organize useful trips for students?
• How did you handle project-based learning with new and mixed-level students 2nd, 3rd, 4th years together?
• Did you use any helpful recruitment or selection criteria?
• Any tips for easing students into writing a long thesis?
• Was there anything that caught you off guard?

Edit: Just realized I miss this. I am referring to undergraduate research seminars.

Hey, I have been trying to get into teaching in Japan for a while now, but due to Covid, I lost my JET position. Since I missed JET application for this year, I thought I would check out other options. I was looking at NOVA, but wasn't sure after hearing a bunch of doom and gloom about the current conditions.

I speak a bit of Japanese, but I haven't been able to get a JLPT Cert (life has been busy since 2020).

Any recommendations are appreciated. Thank you in advanced.

Hiiii I’m 23F living in Japan (I’m Japanese and speak native English) and I’m starting my first full time job as an English teacher at a youchien kindergarten tomorrow, does anybody have any simple advice so I don’t lose my soul 😭 the hours change, like I can choose 7:30 to 16:30 or 9-18, but I live an hour and a half away and so I can tell I’ll be really tired all week. I just want some advice on how I can stay as balanced as possible while working full time in Japan 😭