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Post by Otaku on Jan 8, 2008 15:57:53 GMT 8
This article won't come as a surprise to many people who have lived in Japan for a while, but it is encouraging to read articles that bring these types of things into the limelight. When I recently questioned the local BOE why they hire ALTs from Interac, along with the JET Programme and private ALTs, they responded with much of the same response as the newspaper article points out: "It saves the us [BOE] from having to deal with the ALTs." Well, my response to that BOE and other BOEs who subcontract to make their jobs easier is: "Stop studying English in school!! Replace it with those brainwashing 'moral education' classes you think are so damn important. If you are more worried about making your jobs easier at the expense of reducing the flow of communication and reducing the quality of English education, shame on you!! Do your future generation a favor and find a new line of work. Either that, or cut the 'E' off of 'BOE'. search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080105f1.html
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Post by hellndie on Jan 9, 2008 8:57:32 GMT 8
i'm loving that article. 3 years of working for the company and this is how she is treated.. wow!
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Post by regi2 on Jan 9, 2008 14:55:38 GMT 8
"If (the government) wants to improve the quality of language in the public and private school system, the best thing is to hire qualified teachers, compensate them well, give them opportunities for training and give them job security so they'll want to keep working here," Ashton said.
My reasons for leaving. There is no attractiveness to someone who has a background in teaching; no development and being shipped from school to school.
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Post by jed on Apr 25, 2008 15:32:44 GMT 8
interesting,...... on the surface it sounds quite bad .... but, lets be honest, we are only hearing one side of the story. We don't know how she has worked and how she has treated/dealt with interac (to make them do this) for example we don't know but maybe she got stoppy over something and has been moaning to HQ? or maybe she has been slack at school? who knows? (she certainly won't say so)
... but yes, dispatch companies won't do anything more than whats necessary and sometimes they don't even do that
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Post by Otaku on Apr 28, 2008 7:56:27 GMT 8
Fair enough...there probably is a little more to the story than what's been told. I wish this was an isolated instance, but it's not: CLICK HERE
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Post by junkdna on Apr 30, 2008 8:23:51 GMT 8
"It saves the us [BOE] from having to deal with the ALTs."
you know what the real crux of this problem is? the japanese hire non-japanese for these jobs and then expect them to act exactly like japanese people and then get upset when they don't and don't understand why there is so much friction. so instead of trying to work it out, they go for the reacharound.
to be honest, i think MANY of the conflicts between the BOEs and the ALTs would be solved by a very simple solution: an intermediate in the form of an expat who (preferrably) has been an ALT in the past, who understands the Japanese language and culture very well.
my reason for this is simple: i believe that many of the problems that occur are simple communication misunderstandings. all too often, Japanese bosses take a heavy handed approach that smacks of talking-down-to when speaking with ALTs, whether they realize it or not. there is a natural aversion to this in the West, and we tend to be an Overculture that is confrontational. thus the rise of problems.
with someone to act as a buffer between the two, everyone can relax a little more. yes, i know that's what the CIRs for JET were but frankly, i never met my CIR in the two years i was a JET. s/he lived far off with the other ALTs and i was stuck in no man's land literally. if i had had someone to help guide me when i first arrived, i think i would have had an easier time.
on the other hand, if many ALTs were forewarned of this, and prepared mentally not to take it personally--it's just culture, nothing to get upset about--then i think the stress levels would drop. i'm not saying that this is the COMPLETE picture of ALT problems, but it is a good portion.
i live with my japanese in-laws (bless their souls for taking me in). it's not easy. for them, or me. but we get along for the most part (98% of the time). most of my friction is with my mother-in-law. she's a natural worrier. she tends to grate on everyone in the family at times and my wife is the one who tends to verbally put the 'smackdown' on her. my father-in-law ignores her, and i am kinda stuck in a fuzzy area. don't get me wrong, my mother-in-law is a FINE person, an upstanding human being, and i clash with my wife more than my mother-in-law. BUT she does tend to treat people like children, always saying things like 'be careful driving', 'be sure to lock the door when you leave the house', 'don't blah blah blah'. you get the idea -- the kinds of things you say to kids when they are 10. IT DRIVES ME INSANE!!!!!!!
or it did, until my wife asked, why do you bother to let it upset you? don't you know you are just supposed to ignore it? i looked at her questioningly when she said it. and she replied, why do you think Father and i say 'hai hai' to her all the time. it's the perfect way to end a conversation you are not interested in. 1) it shows you understand, 2) it indicates you MIGHT comply, 3) it cuts the conversation off quickly.
so... with a little smile and a 'hai hai' (or alternately just 'hai') i think most of us could probably just enjoy our jobs a little more. though i do warn caution when using 'hai hai', it's obviously something you don't want to use sarcastically or use it to cut off your boss midsentence.
anyway, that's my story, i'm sticking to it. hope this helps some of you.
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Post by jed on Apr 30, 2008 14:17:56 GMT 8
Fair enough...there probably is a little more to the story than what's been told. I wish this was an isolated instance, but it's not: CLICK HEREOh, I know there are many more cases. But as always, we must try to see both sides. Lets be honest a lot of ALTs are straight from school and have never had a serious job. They come for a good time and why not. Its speculation, but I imagine a large number of problems could have stemmed from their work ethic? attitude? etc But certainly not all. I am sure they must be quite a few with real greviences. But for the life of me I can't understand why it would be in the BOE or dispatch companies interest to treat good teachers badly or fire them? There has to be more to it? surely? and again, who really knows? I know a few teachers in dispatch companies and they are happy
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Post by grumpyoldbastard on May 7, 2008 15:21:43 GMT 8
I work for a dispatch company. I'm happy.
The BOE's are forced to use dispatch companies because they are obligated by law to have a foreigner teach at their school, but they aren't given the money or resources to go and find foreigners. And be as idealistic about cross-cultural relations as you want, most BOE's aren't going to have the staff or resources to deal with fresh-faced foreigners. I realize your frustration, Otaku, but BOE's don't have tons of money to throw around and dealing with foreigners is an expensive process. Even if they go with the JET program, they have to pay with that out of their own budgets.
The reason these dispatch companies are springing up and doing so well financially is because Japan wants to be able to say that they have an ALT in every school, regardless of how it gets done. It's a surface thing, but as we all know that's what is paramount in Japan (especially if digging any deeper means taking care of/respecting foreign workers, which is a hilarious concept).
Look, we are pawns, we're the bottom of the ladder, if you're not smart and careful and independent (okay, sure, and also a little lucky) things aren't going to end well. There are obviously better ways for the ALT system to be implemented, but they're mostly going to be expensive and I don't see the Japanese government giving a fat fuck.
Like I said, I work for a sleazy, money-grubbing private ALT company, but I'm having a great time and I'm on my 3rd contract, have had a lot of fun (and made bank in the process, actually). My tip: it helps a ton if you have the uncanny foresight to actually learn a decent amount of Japanese before coming to live and work in Japan (a shocking thought, I know).
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Post by junkdna on May 16, 2008 9:38:22 GMT 8
I work for a dispatch company. I'm happy. The BOE's are forced to use dispatch companies because they are obligated by law to have a foreigner teach at their school, but they aren't given the money or resources to go and find foreigners. And be as idealistic about cross-cultural relations as you want, most BOE's aren't going to have the staff or resources to deal with fresh-faced foreigners. I realize your frustration, Otaku, but BOE's don't have tons of money to throw around and dealing with foreigners is an expensive process. Even if they go with the JET program, they have to pay with that out of their own budgets. The reason these dispatch companies are springing up and doing so well financially is because Japan wants to be able to say that they have an ALT in every school, regardless of how it gets done. It's a surface thing, but as we all know that's what is paramount in Japan (especially if digging any deeper means taking care of/respecting foreign workers, which is a hilarious concept). Look, we are pawns, we're the bottom of the ladder, if you're not smart and careful and independent (okay, sure, and also a little lucky) things aren't going to end well. There are obviously better ways for the ALT system to be implemented, but they're mostly going to be expensive and I don't see the Japanese government giving a fat fuck. Like I said, I work for a sleazy, money-grubbing private ALT company, but I'm having a great time and I'm on my 3rd contract, have had a lot of fun (and made bank in the process, actually). My tip: it helps a ton if you have the uncanny foresight to actually learn a decent amount of Japanese before coming to live and work in Japan (a shocking thought, I know). If you are happy with your situation, then I see no problem. As it happens, I don't see the Japanese govt ever giving a fat fuck either. But I was surprised to hear it's law. Are you sure? I mean, I hate to ask such a question, but I didn't think it was mandatory, after all, there have to be far more many schools that simply in a position to have an ALT because there aren't any *cough* 'qualified' foriegners in town. Lastly, I agree with you 100%, it helps to have a good deal of Japanese before coming. Frankly, I'm shocked at the number of people who come here NOT knowing Japanese, thinking English will be alright. Boggles the mind.
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