Hi there:)

Thanks that u accepted my offer for friendship:) I am from Uzbekistan. I teach English to adultrs in Tashkent. I have never tried teaching abroad. I would love to have an experience in teaching abroad. How about u? Are u teaching abroad? Where are u? How is it going?

I am looking forward to hearing from you,

Zulfiya:)

 I'm applying for South Korea but I won't find out till November so the wait is making me crazy haha. Good luck with Japan! :)

Hi again.

When you both apply, apply together and state that you want to be in the same area...generally speaking you will probably end up in a city where theres plenty of schools so it will be fine...the only reason why i state that you wont be in the same schools is because the schools only have one ALT, unless its a E,JHS and HS combine (which is more likely for private schools then government schools). 

If you are concerned about finance and want a space that big enough then maybe ask to be somewhere rural or in the north of japan (Hitachi branch operate the whole fo the north). In most of these locations you rent a private place (check out my apartment tour)...in other locations you will be in a leopalace which are very small.

again if you live in a rural location, not only are the apartments bigger but cheaper...my monthly outgoings is about 70000yen - which includes all bills including my mobile bill (phones here are expensive so expect to pay about 10000yen a month for the contract alone - phone you either pay in installments or up front, cheapest phone is about 100000yen and nearly all UK phones wont work so dont bring one)

as for starting you course in a week or two...it will give you plenty of time...it was around this time last year that i was thinking about doing it and started looking into it all and then started in July...is your partner doing the course as well 

Paul

Hi,

Interac does have its problems but all companies do...the main problem it has is japan is a big country and more and more schools are preferring interac over other companies, more ALTs are realising that interac is a better complany but unfortunately interac need to have more offices and more staff. Generally though if you have a problem it can take time to be solved but then that is also because its japan.

Interac do accept couples and are normally quite good placing them together...you will probably end up in a city but you will both have to be flexible as to where you will go because its harder to place 2 people together then it is just 1 person. There is also no guarantee that you will both be accepted together BUT again interac is normally good about this compared to other countries. Also you wont be teaching in the same schools.

As for the TEFL course i started the course about 9months before and took 6months to do because i did it part time. I also wanted to get the application for interac rolling because it can take time...The main in take for interac is March, so this will be the best time to apply for, epsecially if you are applying as a couple - the other dates are for people who dont care where they go, who they teach and are not a couple.

The weekend course is very well organised and to me goes hand in hand with the online course and in fact it helps...my advice is to do it whilst your doing the online course because you meet other people and can help each other. the weekend course also allows you to ask more specific questions and they normally go through it as a group bcause other people will be interested, furthermore you also try out some of the techniques you learn.

All in all, for me, i-to-i offer the most complete package and along with the job support i think the money is well worth it.

if you have nay questions just message me

Paul

I lived just outside Tokyo where house prices were alot cheaper. Your school should help you find an apartment, mine cost around 40,000 yen a month. I did private teaching along private school teaching but I always met in cafes.

@PDixion It was with quite easy to find a job in a private school but like I said before I wouldn't recommend it. I have a friend who has been in Japan for 2 years now without a TEFL ceft but I feel that she was lucky as the school gave her training.

It was my first time outside Europe!! haha. I had just finished university and booked it 3 months before I left :) When you hoping to go?

I lived just outside Tokyo where house prices were alot cheaper. Your school should help you find an apartment, mine cost around 40,000 yen a month. I did private teaching along private school teaching but I always met in cafes.

@PDixion It was with quite easy to find a job in a private school but like I said before I wouldn't recommend it. I have a friend who has been in Japan for 2 years now without a TEFL ceft but I feel that she was lucky as the school gave her training.

It was my first time outside Europe!! haha. I had just finished university and booked it 3 months before I left :) When you hoping to go?

@beehappy86  Some of the advice is good but it sounds like it was very risky. Im surprised you managed to get a teaching job with no qualification - was it at a school...if so then you should not have been lone teaching because if there was an incident such as an earthquake then you would be responsible for the students.

Private teaching is ok but always do it in public like a cafe and never at yours or their apartment, regardless of how long you have known them (its unproffessional and risky). Also group tuition is better then one-on-one. Also in big cities you will find private tuition easy to do but in other location it will be more exchange langauge learning or they will provide food instead of payment.

Also if you do the 120hrs with i-to-i they give assistant in getting a job with Interac which is the leading private company here. They employ more ALTs across the country, pay excellent rates and provide more help then any other company...they are much better then JET because you have a cap on your working hours. with jet you are required to work as long as needed which means alot of unpaid overtime.

Hello from glorious hot and humid Japan...

I've been in Japan 3months but to be honest it feels much longer and at times England feels like a distant memory. I miss my family but skype makes it so much easier and im normally kept quite busy.

My first bit of advice to find out more about teach etc is to check out my blogs and also the japan group...im a regular blogger and try to answer peoples questions as best i can and also create post that i think will help. But if you have any question and cant find the answer or just want some advice etc then please send a message...

the best place is on here because

So i hope to hear from you soon...

BTW i did a lot of research into companies for TEFL and my choice was between a local CELTA course or i-to-i...i-to-i does have a very good rep, have been around, have experience, most of the employees have experience in teaching or volunteering abroad and i-to-i is also known world wide...when i came to japan and had my induction we had people from canada, america, australia, UK, ireland, europe and nearly all had gone through i-to-i...also i-to-i is very well known in japan as a recognised teaching certificate.

Finally, i think you have made the right decision about coming to japan...most people who want to come to asia come here. Normally they plan for 1 year but most stay 3years or longer (i plan to stay for as long as i can)...people who go to other countries rarely decide to stay on...japan is very safe and friendly and has everything...when i was in england i was so stressed and feeling down and just wanted out...now im relaxed, stress free (more or less) and enjoying life...

so hopefully see you here soon

Hey, I was in Japan for 8 months with the working holiday visa. It's the most easiest visa to apply for and it allows you to work and travel in Japan for one year. Kimi Info I found was a great agency in Japan for helping find work. I went through realgap and it was a utter waste of money and time. I went to Japan before doing my TEFL and the school I went to gave me no training and threw me into teaching alone on day one, so deffo do the 120hr TEFL. There are so many private teaching websites, so if you join one for free then you can easily get private students and charge 2000 - 4000 yen a hour.

Also go on facebook and meet Japanese friends!! There are so many international groups in Tokyo where you can meet friends. Sakura House is great for housing as you don't need a reference in Japan (if you rent an apartment you normally need a reference from a friend in Japan) and you can get great flatmates.

Japanese parents are very strict so don't be suprised if some listen outside your classroom! I think that's everything I can remember haha I've been back a year now but hope to go to South korea or Taiwan next :)

Hope this all helps.

Laura