/japan/ - 日本

If you want to teach English and don't have any other recommendations for privately managed schools or organisations, JET is fine. I assume you wouldn't be asking if you had some connection or advice to look at another organisation.
Also, if your Japanese is good, you could get a CIR position instead of ALT (although you may wind up teaching anyway).

The pay's not very good in absolute terms, but it's a lot for how much responsibility you actually have, and given that a lot of things are covered separate from your salary, it's enough to save or invest, especially if you're out in the countryside where costs are lower.

I don't think there are any problems with JET programme that aren't general problems for teaching English in Japan. On the internet you will see a lot of weaklings sooking about this or that - and there are legitimate concerns, but nothing that should stop you from wanting to come. If you can do something other than teaching, definitely worth looking in to other options as you may earn more, have more choice of location, put it to better use on a C.V., and so on. But if you're not qualified for other things, if you can't find anything, or if you're set on teaching, JET's reliable and about as good as it gets for entry-level stuff.

So I would say that if you want to teach in Japan, and don't have any special options, JET is the way to go.

>>1235
>it didn't show up when I clicked the international or Japan tags

Thank you for letting me know about the tag function. as a matter of fact, I had not set any tags ever, but Now that I've just added japan, japanese, international and more tags to the tag setting page, /japan/ board would appear on the lists by clicking those tags and you can find this board out right away. Sorry for my late update.

>>1236
>I don't think there are any problems with JET programme that aren't general problems for teaching English in Japan

That was one thing I was wondering about, because you're absolutely right about those people bitching about things and I wasn't sure if their problems were actually that serious. I don't speak any Japanese, but that is part of my incentive to go there as in my other travels I learned much more of the language by being immersed in it.

What is the general opinion of JETs over there? Cool foreigners who actually do some good, or lazy annoying white guys?

>>1237
No problem owner, I just want to see good boards prosper.

>>1236
I've got a question for you, I sorta missed the JET application deadline and I'm graduating this year, and I don't have any connections to any places because of crippling autism. What are my other options?

>>1289
Privately-run schools, or working as a tutor, are basically it. The latter I know nothing about and I think it would be difficult to sort out a visa. So your options are to apply for a job at a school directly and try to get them to sponsor you for a visa. A lot of places don't do this unless you're in Japan, though it's illegal to look for a job on a tourist visa. Another option is to get a spot as a student at a language school to learn Japanese, and change your student visa to allow part-time work with an English school once you're in the country. Then they can sponsor you for a working visa if you stop studying. Doing it this way is not illegal but you may still have to leave the country and then come back (a lot of people go to Korea).

There's heaps of information available on-line, probably more help than I can be, so I would suggest that you start looking around at job listings. There are guides written by foreigners who run schools and have been in Japan for decades, also.

If you're really set on JET you could find something else to do at home in the mean-time and apply next round. Actually they might even accept you if you're in Japan for a while in-between. Not sure.

>>1293
There are post-graduate language schools in Japan?
…would any of them take me if I were already a Japanese major? (I can't comment on my JLPT level just yet, taking it tomorrow)

>>1294
You might be able to do post-graduate coursework at a university, though application processes are definitely going to be a nuisance and you'd have to get on it quite quickly.

There are certainly a whole lot of small, private language schools geared towards JLPT preparation or business use. Of course they're not prestigious or professional like study at a university would be, but it's enough to get you a visa. And if you can improve your Japanese while you're at it, all the better.

Frankly, if your Japanese is good enough, you could look in to non-teaching work. But still, that's easier to do once you're in the country.