Being a BoE JET

[DjinnWired]

Everything I've been reading about work seems to be for school based JETs and things will be a bit different for me as a BoE JET, but I'm not sure quite how different. For example, when I arrive there will be five other new JETs as well, so if we all bring omiyage on our first day it's going to be crazy! Does anyone have any comments about differences for BoE placements?

[Sloshed]

Pretty much every ALT will have a BoE above them. So... unless you mean an ALT compared to a CIR?

There tends to be prefecture BoEs and city BoEs if that is what you are referring to?

Or are you talking about just being a JET who tends to get sent out from the BoE and spends their downtime there rather than at a school.

Myself I tend to be at my one school and every month I head to the BoE for a meeting to see the other 8 JETs there. (The BoE also employs non-JET ALTs but they have different meetings and support schemes)

[sorccy]

I'm BoE based. The situations at a BoE vary just as much as they do at schools.

Some BoE's don't really want their ALTs around and let them go home instead of coming into the BoE. Some want the ALT to check in, or come by for a few hours at least, and others don't care if you don't show your face at all.

Others, like mine, want you there in every spare second when you're not teaching (certainly fair, but a bit annoying when you watch other ALTs getting off early and not having to sit there for 3 weeks over breaks).

The same is generally true of schools, though.

In some cases, you're "based" at a BoE, but you spend most of your time at a particular school, anyways.

If you spend a lot of time at the BoE, it may be a little more difficult to find things to do. At a school, you can often make an English board, walk the halls and talk to students, etc. In my BoE, at least, there isn't a lot for me to do when I've finished planning lessons, and people are too busy to chat too (but they're all really nice).

Anyways, as usual, it's still really ESID. I think it will be nice for you to have other ALTs around, too, to share ideas with whenever you with, chat with, be bored with, etc. I'm the only one at my BoE. Good luck to you!

[joshTochigi]

I think that the OP means that they will be a Municipal JET, who is contracted by the local Board of Education, rather than the Prefectural Board of Education.

I am contracted by my city, and they require me to come into the Board of Education at certain times - to organise my taxes, hanko things for my salary, that sort of thing. It doesn't particularly have an effect on my day to day workings, other than that instead of going to a school during the holidays, I go to the Board of Education.

In my case, I have to go into the Board of Education every day, but if I am there in the morning and the afternoon, they don't seem to mind if every now and then I go shopping or get some of my errands done. I also can ask to go to my schools if I should so desire. However, they do prefer if I spend my time at the BoE, rather than impose on the schools. We also have meetings every 2nd and 4th Wednesday... that are sometimes pointless and go until 6pm because the city wants to buy some Da Vinci notebook replicas from America and needs a legalese-sounding document... *cough*

Whatever experience you do end up having, I would avoid comparing your experience to the ones of people on this, or any other forum. While other ALTs might seem to be getting three weeks off in the summer, it may be because they are required to stay until 5:30 every night, rather than 4:15... There are so many things at play.

Best of luck, and I hope that it all works out for you! Remember we're here if you need us.

Josh.

[DjinnWired]

Or are you talking about just being a JET who tends to get sent out from the BoE and spends their downtime there rather than at a school.

Yes, that's what I meant. Sorry, it's hard to be specific when I haven't started yet! It seems as though my first week will be pretty different to what has been described in most of the material I have read, that's all. Most of the advice has been things like- bring omiyage, make a seating plan so you can meet everyone and remember their names, self-introduction etc. Of course I'll still be doing all those things, but with a whole heap of JETs it seems a bit different. It'll be so silly if everyone turns up on our first day and tries to hand out gifts... and as far as a seating plan, I get the impression that all the JETs get seated near each other in the office so I may have to venture far to met Japanese staff that way! That's the kind of stuff I was wondering about. I have no idea yet how soon after I arrive I'll actually go out to the schools where I'll be teaching. I've been given the impression that a decision hasn't been made about which JET will be going to which schools yet so I can't get too much info.

[okayamathomas]

I've always been seated next to the English teacher I've been working most with for that academic year. My JHS is small - so theres' only a couple of English teachers at most.

The other teachers don't sit acording to subjects they sit in groups according to which yeargroup of students they're homeroom teachers for. I have no idea if this is how it is in all JHSs or not.

[Sam]

I am an office based ALT. I am contracted by the Prefectural BOE but work not at the BOE but a prefecturally funded Education Centre.

I have 6 main visiting senior high schools plus one special education school which i usually visit 3-4 times per year.

The Senior　High schools I usually spend 2-3 days per month at each school. So unfortunately that means i don't get to see them a lot and I have a lot of free time left over each month.

During this free time, I have a desk in the English department of the education centre, where my supervisor is based. i sometimes help him as he is a former JTE doing research on English education in Japan and runs seminars for teachers on better teaching techniques and ways to better utilise the ALTs.

But too be totally honest i have way too much free time! I have petitioned the BOE for my work to do, my requests have pretty much been blatantly ignores, although I know the schools have requested for me to visit more often it just never happens.

My schools are spread throughout the prefecture so they bonus is I7ve met a wide range of kids from a variety of background and academic levels and Ive seen a lot of the prefecture in the process. More than the municipally based ALTs.

I just really wish the BOE communicated a a lot better amongst us high school ALTs in this prefecture as i often envy the monthly meeting held by the municipal ALTs at their BOE.

[DjinnWired]

Thanks everyone

[chomuch]

Bumping this!

I got assigned to be a "BoE ALT" and I would like to know others' experiences being based in the BoE.

[teabot]

i've honestly never considered myself a BoE JET, but as a municipal, i guess i fit the bill. my situation is one that hasn't been mentioned yet, though, so i'll throw it in as yet another possible configuration.

the BoE is considered my base for travel reimbursement purposes, but i really only go there once a month for a meeting and during school breaks. the ALTs i work with are pretty much all JHS/ES (with a few city HS exceptions that solely go to their HSs and have no visit schools). the rest of us have JHS "home schools" that change on a rotational basis and ES visit schools. there are a few ALTs that are ES specialists and only have ES visits and go to the BoE on days when they don't have school visits.

at the BoE, none of us have desks or anything like that. every time we go to the BoE (for a meeting or during school breaks), we'll be told which room we're meeting in, and the room number frequently changes. we have more or less no interaction with Japanese BoE staff other than our supervisor in charge of ALTs and his assistant who also helps us out.

[LilyTook]

My husband and I are based at a BoE. Our desks are across from each other, and we keep some of our less-used supplies there. We have 14 schools between us (11 elementary, 3 junior high). We each go to a different elementary school every day, save during the small blocks of junior high school time. The rules are that if a school is within 2 miles or so of our apartment, we go straight there in the morning because we can just walk or bike there. If the school is further than that, we go to the BoE first and then one of our co-workers drives us there and back. If we're scheduled until 3:00/3:30 at a close school (depending on which school it is), we can go straight home afterwards; otherwise we go to the BoE directly after school. We used to have an "office day" once a week every other month, but that was cut, so we've started keeping all of our materials at home. We also bought a printer and a laminator, which means we can do most of our lesson prep at home, too. Between all of this, we spend an average of 3-5 hours at the office a week during the school year. We do need to go to the office every day when we don't have classes (including summer, winter, and spring vacations), which provides lots of time to make materials and revise curricula.

Unfortunately, since we're the only two ALTs at the BoE, I can't give much advice on the omiyage situation. =/ I wouldn't worry too much about overloading them, though; BoEs are used to it. After all, in April, when the school year begins, every single new principal comes into the BoE with armloads of gifts. Within a few days the place looks like a sweet and senbei shop. And if nothing else, people will appreciate the thought.

[Lianwen]

i've honestly never considered myself a BoE JET, but as a municipal, i guess i fit the bill. my situation is one that hasn't been mentioned yet, though, so i'll throw it in as yet another possible configuration.

the BoE is considered my base for travel reimbursement purposes, but i really only go there once a month for a meeting and during school breaks. the ALTs i work with are pretty much all JHS/ES (with a few city HS exceptions that solely go to their HSs and have no visit schools). the rest of us have JHS "home schools" that change on a rotational basis and ES visit schools. there are a few ALTs that are ES specialists and only have ES visits and go to the BoE on days when they don't have school visits.

at the BoE, none of us have desks or anything like that. every time we go to the BoE (for a meeting or during school breaks), we'll be told which room we're meeting in, and the room number frequently changes. we have more or less no interaction with Japanese BoE staff other than our supervisor in charge of ALTs and his assistant who also helps us out.

My situation is very, very similar to yours. The only exception is that I do have a desk at the BOE, but when I@m not there it becomes the `desk-where-all-the-spare-bits-and-bobs-go`. I usually go to the JHS as a base, and from there, ESes or I stay at the JHS. During school breaks and once a month, I go to the BOE and sit there.

[Pyrography]

I'm a municipal JET in a city with three JETs. I'm the elementary school JET; there's a JHS JET who also works at the BoE, and a HS JET who works at the high school.

The BoE is my "home base". This is where my supervisor is, and where I get my schedule, etc.. I don't have a base school. On most days I don't go to the BoE at all; school starts at 8, and the BoE doesn't start until 8:30. On the odd day I don't have school, I'd go to the BoE, and one of my schools doesn't request me until noon - so on that day, I go to the BoE before class.

I generally don't go after school. I try to stop by at least once a week just to see if they need me for anything or if there's any mail (or omiyage!) on my desk. If I have a problem with something that isn't class-related, I go to the BoE for it. I also generally get invited to BoE enkais and other events, which I go to if able. If they really need me for something, they have my phone email and number.

During summer break or other long breaks from school, I'm expected to be at the BoE. I don't have internet access there, however, so if I need to go home to use the internet for class preparations they let me - it's across the street. I also can go to my schools at any time if I need to use materials or talk to the teachers, or whatever.

[positivity]

In my situation I only go to my BoE for administrative stuff. Once a semester I get a schedule from my BoE showing what schools I am at on which days (I have 2 JHS and I visit an elementary school ~once a month). In my situation I spend ~3 weeks a month at my "main" JHS and 1 week a month at the smaller JHS.

Every morning I will head straight to the school and head home after work -- I don't have a desk at the BoE but I do have a desk at my Junior High Schools. There is a general ALT desk at my elementary schools, but I'm not the main ES ALT so situations may vary if you are more involved in ES than I am.

Some months I might visit the BoE every week for something administrative (them giving me forms, informing me about business trips, passing on information from the prefecture/CLAIR) or if I have any questions or problems, but generally I might only go there once every 2 weeks/month. I consider my JHS my workplace and the BoE where non-curricular things are discussed.

In the holidays I go to the BoE every morning but it is literally a case of "Good morning! Today you don't have any commitments. Goodbye!". I will literally be in there for ~1-5minutes depending on how chatty my supervisor is. Very occasionally they will tell me that actually, they want me to do something today but as soon as that thing is finished I will go home. It's a great setup with the only slightly annoying thing being that I have to get dressed up every morning simply for the short trip to work! (smart trousers and a shirt)