So recently i received a comment on my Tokyo blog (click here to view) about a JET forum and how famous I was. One person had decided one afternoon to spend his time trolling through endless blogs trying to find suitable material that he can upload to the forum in hope that it will generate publicity for his site.
Luckily for me not everyone is an idiot and some saw through his stupidity whereas others, they just decided to jump on the band wagon an follow him along...i just hope the wagon doesnt go over a cliff because that would be disastrous for the people on the forum and the forum site itself.
I must admit i was shocked and hurt at first that someone could do such a horrible thing because after all I am far away from home doing what i dreamed of doing and i am happy... i am well and truly happy, more so then what i was back in the UK.
The reason I write is because i have friends and family who want to know what is going on - so rather then having to repeat the same info over and over and over again they can all come here. At the same time other people who are about to embark on a great adventure, thinking about it or are already there will hopefully gain something from this. After all we are all in the same boat and all need help from time to time and thats way we have this online community...not just to blog but to give and ask for advice.
Now for my new found fans at the JET forum there are a few things i would like to clear up!
Most of the time, to save on confusion I will refer to myself as an ALT (assistant language teacher) - they assist the main teacher. When in fact I am a NS (Native Speaker) - I dont assist and prepare all my lesson and the JTE sits in the room incase of an emergency because we are guest teachers because we are not employed via the BoE or the schools.
The differences between working for JET and interac are vast...but here are a few:
JET have to work the times dictated by the BoE or School - which includes over time - some teacher work 40-50hours +
An interac teacher can only work a max of 29.5 hours - the weekly scheduled is agreed upon and if it needs changing during the week the school or BoE have to contact interac.
Most JETs get paid less but some are given low cost accommodation.
Most JETs start mid school year (August) - interac start at the start of the school year (March/April)
There are many other differences - sometimes the JET program is better other times the interac program is better - the only reason why JET is harder to get on is because there is far fewer places
As for a foreigner attending a japanese wedding - sometimes you are a "trophy" item but where i live i have a close group of friends that include japanese people - they would not invite me to a wedding as a trophy item - i was treated the same as every guests and was also invited to the after party - most of the guests were asked to perform or give a speech and so we did.
As for spelling - for most people on a blog they are not really concerned about it...as long as when im teaching its ok - but every teacher makes mistakes, no matter what they are teaching and if any teacher says they dont make mistakes then i know never to trust them because they are lying.
but just for my new found fans...try reading this!
Smoe plopee hvae to selpl tnighs crerolcty buseace its the only way tiehr barin wrkos.
Ohetr plopee olny need the cerorct nmbuer of ltrtees and the fsirt and lsat ltrtees to be in the cerorct odrer.
So slilepng is not as itmopnart as you may tihnk!
I have now gotten over it all - still a little hurt he chose a blog about my aunt who died BUT that just shows what kind of person he is...i have now began to see the funny side of it all and I will move on and continue to write as i was before...only this time i will try and set time to proof read but i cant promise this
More from me soon
Paul
Oh please complete the poll - Are you ever too old for Disney? OR Disneyland/world?
Comments also welcome
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It seems you or someone else deleted my last post. How are you making a correction? I stated that JETs make more money (Which is true) contrary to your claim that they make less? You post incorrect, misleading information and then get upset when someone calls you out on it? Saying "Yes... But it's because the government pay for it!!!" isn't an argument. You were wrong.
As for contract renewals that is true, you can only stay on JET for a maximum of 5 years. However, who is doing the ALT gig for more than that? Also, it is almost impossible for the contracting organisation to refuse re-contracting unless you have done something seriously wrong or there are strong, legitimate reasons to refuse. if you stay on JET for 5 years there is a very good chance that your BoE will hire you directly.
JET has its problems, mostly the uncertainty about where you will be placed. If you want to work in a specific location it is better to find a school or company in that area and apply directly to them. JET still remains the best option for teaching English in Japan however.
Just to make one correct for the above...JET do get paid more but this is due to government funding and it is possible to renew your contract BUT the numbers of places are reduced significantly for following years and you can only renew a max of 4 times.
Also if you are from the UK the percentage of intakes is much less then that of other companies...
To find out more on JET down load the pamflet http://www.jetprogramme.org/documents/pubs/2009_Pamphlet_e.pdf
Why is it that people have to needlessly spend their time Trolling through the internet? They mus seriously have nothing better to do with their time. I say forget whatever negative feedback you've got from those folks on the JET forum, it seems they've made a hassle out of nothing.
Everyone is different, therefore, what others find good in one company another can dislike. It's just the way it goes! If you're enjoying yourself, that proves something, right? Seems like Interac have beent reating you well so far and you have done your research.
As for Disneyland, I studied Illustration for Animation and have a BA hons degree in it, I watch animation pretty much 80% of my life and I'm 24. Animation isn't always for kids, thats been proven with the vast majority of adult animation there are available. Animation is simply an art form that is used to explain a story, rather than filming real life studies. I adore the character design and flow of movement in animation, so why stop watching it? Disney and it's parks rock my world! Speaking to someone who has visited Disneyland paris 12 times :D Rock on with the Disney times!
I should add that when i put Disney...i also mean Disney world and Disney land...
NO! I'm lucky enough to have a 5 year old brother as an excuse, so i can get away with watching Disney films on a regular basis! :D
OK, so 3 votes in and already someone has put "yes"...
So...if you vote "yes" please write a comment and tell me why???
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