Alternatives to JET

[KIKKI.K]

I believe it's possible for Europeans to get British citizenship. You might have to move to the UK for a couple of years, but that could be one way.... Or you could try the same thing with NZ, Canada or Australia... (I think the US might be a bit of a no-go though...)

[histgirl]

A little surprised about EPIK, I known a Bosnian native that works in Korea teaching English through EPIK. Maybe he holds duel citizenship with the US...


Also, has anyone mentioned Interac yet? I know plenty of non-JET Interac ALTs, but none from other companies.

https://www.interacnetwork.com/recruit/

[AVN]

I'd also love to work in Korea with EPIK, but it's the same problem again because they only accept applicants holding passports from English speaking countries.

I know NOVA went bankrupt, but apparently by now they're back and they've been integrated into another company called Jibun Mirai. At least that's what a German guy working for NOVA told me a couple of months ago in a forum. He also sent me a link to the company's site web site, which also has an application form. I don't much about GEOS, but I guess they are all also still around because my internship in Tokyo was just one year ago and my roommate was working for them at the time.

It's not really NOVA or GEOS though... it's all just in name. They went bankrupt then a company bought the name and pretends to be them. That's why most people call them Neo-Nova and Neo-GEOS...

[Gekishinken]

That and I believe I read that Neo-Nova has changed owners like every year since they came out of bankruptcy. Not a good employer at all.

[Heather]

I'm a bit worried about the interview, so I've been looking at other options. Does anyone know anything about the A to Z school or the Heart English School?

[AVN]

That and I believe I read that Neo-Nova has changed owners like every year since they came out of bankruptcy. Not a good employer at all.

This is correct. Same with Neo-GEOS which actually has been owned by the same people as Neo-Nova at times.
Not a secure or safe option if you plan to take your time seriously/stay longer than a year.

[Lichtgestalt]

So would you say I'm ok with Neo-NOVA as long as I have a contract before coming to Japan? I don't necessarily plan to stay longer than a year and since I'd be using a Working Holiday visa anyway, my visa wouldn't depend on the employer. It's just that I'd like to avoid coming to Japan and finding out that the school or even the whole company doesn't exist anymore.

[Gekishinken]

So would you say I'm ok with Neo-NOVA as long as I have a contract before coming to Japan? I don't necessarily plan to stay longer than a year and since I'd be using a Working Holiday visa anyway, my visa wouldn't depend on the employer. It's just that I'd like to avoid coming to Japan and finding out that the school or even the whole company doesn't exist anymore.

There were many people who worked for regular NOVA that had contracts and that didn't stop them from being borderline homeless after NOVA went under.

[Smasha]

Hi everyone,

I remember there used to be a forum for alternatives to JET, but somehow I can't find it so I'll just post in here. I'm not an English native speaker and I don't hold a passport of one of an English speaking country either, so JET is basically not an option for me. However, I'd still like to teach in Japan and since I studied both English and French (I'm a German native speaker), I thought it would be best to try schools that teach several languages in order to improve my chances because English-only schools would probably prefer a native English speaker no matter how qualified I am as a teacher (I'm qualified as a secondary school teacher for English, French and philosophy in Germany).

The problem is that when it comes to schools that teach several languages in Japan I basically only know Berlitz and I also heard that some NOVA branches teach French and German. So I wanted to ask you if you maybe know other schools that teach several languages in Japan and hire from overseas. It would be good if the whole recruitment process was in English because my Japanese isn't good enough to do more than just everyday conversations and basic reading. Well, maybe someone can help me nevertheless. Thanks very much in advance for your answers.

I don't think your english ability would be a problem for JET, it's just that your country does not offer enough positions. I am not a native speaker myself( I am Russian), but because I live in Canada, and speak english fluently, it might be easier for me to get into JET. I hope you can somehow get in, JET would be a great experience.

There is a company/site called Teach Away(run by Disney) that offer teaching posts all over the place, some even in Japan. You should check it out. Good Luck!

[Ertai87]

I'd advise JET and Interac and nothing at all else. Most of the other companies (NOVA, AEON, ECC, Berlitz, etc) are what are known as "Eikaiwas", which is basically Kumon for English, rather than public school. As a result, you are not beholden to actually teaching, you are responsible for making it look as though you are teaching. The two may sound the same, but are actually quite different. In the former, you can use well-known and well-accepted methods of teaching such as interactive games and activities, bringing in your own materials, etc, and change your methods as the curriculum/class/situation dictates. In the latter, you must work according to the company's methods, and if you don't like it, that's too bad. It doesn't matter if the kids actually learn anything, so long as you're doing things the company way.

Basically, if you want to feel some sort of fulfillment as a teacher, do not work for an Eikaiwa. AFAIK, only JET and Interac hire for public schools, and everywhere else is Eikaiwa.

BTW, my background is having taught at an Eikaiwa in Korea (it's not called "Eikaiwa" there, but it's the same thing) and having run into this situation personally.

EDIT: Just realized: As a non-American, you might not know what Kumon is. It's an after-school tutoring program.

[Namisuke]

I'd advise JET and Interac and nothing at all else. Most of the other companies (NOVA, AEON, ECC, Berlitz, etc) are what are known as "Eikaiwas", which is basically Kumon for English, rather than public school. As a result, you are not beholden to actually teaching, you are responsible for making it look as though you are teaching. The two may sound the same, but are actually quite different. In the former, you can use well-known and well-accepted methods of teaching such as interactive games and activities, bringing in your own materials, etc, and change your methods as the curriculum/class/situation dictates. In the latter, you must work according to the company's methods, and if you don't like it, that's too bad. It doesn't matter if the kids actually learn anything, so long as you're doing things the company way.

Basically, if you want to feel some sort of fulfillment as a teacher, do not work for an Eikaiwa. AFAIK, only JET and Interac hire for public schools, and everywhere else is Eikaiwa.

BTW, my background is having taught at an Eikaiwa in Korea (it's not called "Eikaiwa" there, but it's the same thing) and having run into this situation personally.

EDIT: Just realized: As a non-American, you might not know what Kumon is. It's an after-school tutoring program.

As someone who has worked for an eikaiwa, I have a completely opposite experience. You can even say that JET is like the experience you described above as it all depends on the place you work for and your individual situation. Some JETs complain they never get any work and have to pretend to work a lot, as well as not feel like they are developing professionally. The place I worked for in Kanagawa had me plan lessons based on their curriculum. I had a direct supervisor, 2 days orientation, etc. It was pretty similar to JET but eikaiwa style. It is only a 3 month job, however. I wouldn't go and say that all eikaiwa jobs are poop and all ALT jobs are awesome.

[nb117]

I'd rather not work for an eikaiwa (obviously JET is my top choice), but I've been looking for alternatives if I am not accepted (already applying to Interac as well). Has anyone heard of M.I.L. (http://www.miljapan.com/)? I can't seem to find much on them, but their website makes them sound not half bad..

[AmberBear]

Another option for ALT besides Interac is ALTIA CENTRAL. I am leaving in 2 weeks to start with them.

[AVN]

I'd advise JET and Interac and nothing at all else. Most of the other companies (NOVA, AEON, ECC, Berlitz, etc) are what are known as "Eikaiwas", which is basically Kumon for English, rather than public school. As a result, you are not beholden to actually teaching, you are responsible for making it look as though you are teaching. The two may sound the same, but are actually quite different. In the former, you can use well-known and well-accepted methods of teaching such as interactive games and activities, bringing in your own materials, etc, and change your methods as the curriculum/class/situation dictates. In the latter, you must work according to the company's methods, and if you don't like it, that's too bad. It doesn't matter if the kids actually learn anything, so long as you're doing things the company way.

Basically, if you want to feel some sort of fulfillment as a teacher, do not work for an Eikaiwa. AFAIK, only JET and Interac hire for public schools, and everywhere else is Eikaiwa.

BTW, my background is having taught at an Eikaiwa in Korea (it's not called "Eikaiwa" there, but it's the same thing) and having run into this situation personally.

EDIT: Just realized: As a non-American, you might not know what Kumon is. It's an after-school tutoring program.

As someone who has worked for an eikaiwa, I have a completely opposite experience. You can even say that JET is like the experience you described above as it all depends on the place you work for and your individual situation. Some JETs complain they never get any work and have to pretend to work a lot, as well as not feel like they are developing professionally. The place I worked for in Kanagawa had me plan lessons based on their curriculum. I had a direct supervisor, 2 days orientation, etc. It was pretty similar to JET but eikaiwa style. It is only a 3 month job, however. I wouldn't go and say that all eikaiwa jobs are poop and all ALT jobs are awesome.

To be fair Westgate seems to be a special case. It also requires one year of teaching experience which not everyone has.
I know that Westgate is an eikaiwa but I don't think it's quite the same in terms of working environment/expectations.
Did you work with kids or with university students? Were you on campus? Is it a small building that students come to or?

[Namisuke]

I'd advise JET and Interac and nothing at all else. Most of the other companies (NOVA, AEON, ECC, Berlitz, etc) are what are known as "Eikaiwas", which is basically Kumon for English, rather than public school. As a result, you are not beholden to actually teaching, you are responsible for making it look as though you are teaching. The two may sound the same, but are actually quite different. In the former, you can use well-known and well-accepted methods of teaching such as interactive games and activities, bringing in your own materials, etc, and change your methods as the curriculum/class/situation dictates. In the latter, you must work according to the company's methods, and if you don't like it, that's too bad. It doesn't matter if the kids actually learn anything, so long as you're doing things the company way.

Basically, if you want to feel some sort of fulfillment as a teacher, do not work for an Eikaiwa. AFAIK, only JET and Interac hire for public schools, and everywhere else is Eikaiwa.

BTW, my background is having taught at an Eikaiwa in Korea (it's not called "Eikaiwa" there, but it's the same thing) and having run into this situation personally.

EDIT: Just realized: As a non-American, you might not know what Kumon is. It's an after-school tutoring program.

As someone who has worked for an eikaiwa, I have a completely opposite experience. You can even say that JET is like the experience you described above as it all depends on the place you work for and your individual situation. Some JETs complain they never get any work and have to pretend to work a lot, as well as not feel like they are developing professionally. The place I worked for in Kanagawa had me plan lessons based on their curriculum. I had a direct supervisor, 2 days orientation, etc. It was pretty similar to JET but eikaiwa style. It is only a 3 month job, however. I wouldn't go and say that all eikaiwa jobs are poop and all ALT jobs are awesome.

To be fair Westgate seems to be a special case. It also requires one year of teaching experience which not everyone has.
I know that Westgate is an eikaiwa but I don't think it's quite the same in terms of working environment/expectations.
Did you work with kids or with university students? Were you on campus? Is it a small building that students come to or?

You can teach with both kids and adults at Westgate. There is a young learners program and a university one. The corporation rented rooms in universities to us to teach in so that we could be on campus.

I have also heard good things about Peppy Kids. My boyfriend also worked for 2 eikaiwas. Both were pretty decent but one had so-so management. My point was that you can't say they are all bad. There are many smaller eikaiwas out there that have good reputations. There are a few small operations in Akita that do alright for themselves and have good reputations also.