Direct hire BOE vs Private HS gig. Which would you choose?

19 comments

1. if you see yourself staying for more than 4 years, HS definitely. it also greatly depends on the work environment at each position, and also your current finances, if you need the money in the short-term etc. or can you last 4 years to get the additional benefits that comes with.

2. If you plan on staying a teacher while you are here then definitely HS. Otherwise choose the option that will allow you to study and pay the bills.

3. Realistically if you’re good then the direct hire will cheat for you during the yearly interviews. I know a guy who works as a direct hire and they tell him to just apply and they’ll make sure his resume gets picked. It’s just going through the motions. That doesn’t mean it’s permanent employment, they will probably let you go when you get older since they tend to like younger people.

   The HS job is probably more work and less money at first but the job security and retirement bonus make it way, way better.

   Are you in dire need of money right now, so much that the 60’000 yen you’re missing out on is going to destroy you?

4. Currently doing high school. Past did BOE which mixed elementary, JHS, and high school. Besides that, the BOE allowed outside work. Because of that, the pay for me was about the same. Job satisfaction was far higher in the BOE mostly due to diversity of work and more control over a wide variety of classes even though I was just an ALT. I tend to very much enjoy more experimental strong communicative learning stuff like full tasks-based stuff, CI stuff, content based learning, etc. Could do a lot of stuff like that at the BOE, less so at the high school which is far stricter due to test kids have to pass, textbooks needing to be gotten through, and working in conjunction with everyone. I am also not a big fan of Japanese high schools in general, and if you are hired by a high school you have to play that game it’s what they are paying you for. As an ALT you can kinda hover on the outside. Luckily my high school is pretty good but still preferred the ALT work.

5. [deleted]

6. I worked full-time at a private JHS/HS for 5 years. The long meetings, overtime, weekends, general office politics, dealing with students and parents outside of class, and all of the other added responsibilities and stress did not make the salary worth it to me. I was much happier working there part-time so I only had to focus on teaching. I think an ALT position is better if you want to teach but don’t want any of the other BS.

7. Where tf are these 360,000 yen alt positions advertised?

8. My considerations would be…
   – Which school/location I like better.
   – What does the work entail? Do you want more or less responsibility?
   – Which paycheque’s gonna go further? (For example is the BOE gonna ask you to drive around a lot, meaning you end up spending a lot of time/$$$ on travel).
   – What’s your goal? Not attacking salaries but long-term I reckon you’ll wanna earn 2-3x that as your career progresses. Which is the better stepping stone?

9. Is the direct hire ALT position also HS?

10. Private HS for sure. Think long term. The ALT will get old real fast and you will regret it after a couple years.

11. Surely, you don’t have to “interview” yearly; you usually just have to resend your resume with an updated statement of purpose. I would take the Direct Hire ALT if you value your mental health and light workload.

12. Direct hire ALT. The work balance is so much different. If you have a family/spend time with kids, or want to do things with your life becoming a full time teacher isn’t the better option. I switched to full time teacher at a private junior high school, and I’m at school until a minimum of 6 every day. I wish I would’ve stayed as a direct hire ALT. I thought I’d feel better being “a real teacher” and progress, but it fades so fast. No one cares what your job is, so I’d do the one that gives you more free time and more money. You never know if the HS will keep you after those 4 years so it may even cost you the ALT job and that HS job.

13. I’ve done both and would pick the high school. As an ALT, you’ll always be the assistant to another teacher, whether it be with a veteran teacher, someone just out of uni, or the guy who sits in the back and lets you run the show. Therefore, you’ll have to often compromise about what you teach, and let the JTE do some activities that you don’t think are beneficial. Think about being an ALT in a few years when you have the entire year of lessons prepped for all classes, will you get bored?

    On the other hand a private school is a neverending grind of classes, homeroom, club, meetings, you name it. Working too much is common and it’s easy to get into the mindset that it’s good because its helping children. Burnout is also not rare so if you choose this route I’d be very judicious about what you volunteer to do.

    If you did have to find a new job in five years which do you think would look better on your resume? Assistant language teacher or high school teacher who also had a homeroom, managed a club, and ton of other responsibilities?

14. Both are gambles in terms of security, the HS is private, and if student numbers dwindle too much they WILL cut pricier staff. I am in a similar BOE situation as another poster mentioned (direct hire ALT, position not released to the public yearly as prescribed, cuz small cities lol at pointless laws if they are happy with their situations). I’ve greatly enjoyed the security I’ve had (and the bonuses come out to about 900k extra a year), but would probably take what you’re being offered given the chance IF i felt the school was looking long-term secure enough.

15. Dang, both of those positions are pretty solid. Consider me suitably jealous.

    Upsides of ALT:
    – Less/no overtime / better work life balance.
    – Fewer responsibilities.
    – Easier.
    – Potentially longer vacation*

    Downsides:
    – Less control over classes (you don’t get to decide the curriculum in most cases, usually T2 position).
    – Potentially boring at times (too much downtime).
    – Your enjoyment/experience depends on who you work with – could be a fun challenge, could end up doing nothing but pronunciation practice.
    – No career advancement.
    – Potentially wasted summer vacation, depending on the BoE*. Many expect their ALTs to still “work”, which could mean anything from teaching summer classes to warming a desk at a school/BoE with absolutely no work to do. Double-check before accepting the job, it makes a massive difference.

    Upsides of HS:
    – More control over class/curriculum. Can be a lot more rewarding in that regard.
    – Way better salary in the long term.
    – Actual career progression prospects and greater stability in the long term, looks nicer on your resume, too.
    – More prestigious (if you care about that sort of thing).

    Downsides:
    – Copious amounts of overtime. Don’t expect to be home early very often.
    – Regular Saturday work should be expected too, poor work-life balance.
    – Lots of work unrelated to actual teaching. Club activities, homeroom (potentially, maybe only as support for the grade you will belong to), meetings, etc.
    – Shorter vacations.

    I’m honestly not sure which I’d pick if given the chance. For the long term, HS is way better in some regards, but I also know that most of my full-time (Japanese) JHS colleagues are perennially overworked, with several of them openly mentioning they want to quit their jobs because there’s too much time spent on stuff which had nothing to do with classes.

    As a foreign English teacher, you might escape part of the workload unrelated to actual classes/teaching, at least at first. As you work your way up and get tenure however, expect the workload to increase as well.

    HS sounds like a more fulfilling job in some regards because you have way more control over the curriculum / the method of teaching than an ALT though. Don’t discount that, it’s a very big part of job satisfaction. It’s also a way more stable choice financially speaking in the long run. Like you said, the salary for the ALT position will likely never go up. It could go down in the future, however. I know that happened to a mate of mine.

    I myself am the type who’d rather work overtime than be bored at work (which is how I manage to do overtime as an ALT, I guess), but even then I’m not sure I’d want to move up. A part of me does, a part of me doesn’t. It really depends on the actual role you’ll fulfil as an ALT, and you don’t really know what it’ll be until you’re actually working.

    If you have a teacher’s license or MA in TESOL/education then it might be possible to get more things done even as an ALT, though. I knew an ALT who was the de facto T1 for all the classes he taught. His pay was pretty static though. He ended up going home and working as a fully licensed teacher there. Way more work, but way better pay.

    You could always try private HS for a year and switch to something else/an ALT podition again if you don’t like it. At the end of the day though, you have to decide for yourself. Good luck!

    EDIT: My phone managed to mess up the formatting, no way to fix it until I get home. Looks fine in the editing box, but when posted….
    ¯_(ツ)_/¯

16. Private HS 100%. You potentially have an actual chance of being taken on permanently. They can sort out your teaching licence (for that school) and you can be on the same benefits as regular teachers. The wage and retirement bonus is not insignificant

    I can’t see that even being on the cards with being a direct hire ALT, and you will only ever be an ALT. There is literally no progression and no certainty.

    So, what it comes down to is;

    – More money (for now)

    – Less work (for now)

    – More free time (for now)

    I don’t feel that the “for now” can be overstated. What do you see yourself doing? If you want another couple of years in Japan and then move on, then the ALT job seems worth it. If you want to make a life here, guess what, the work expectations ARE going to increase (along with the potential rewards). If you are happy to live your life knowing there is that uncertainty and lack of progression with ALT work, and there is honestly NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT**, then stick with it.

    ** Seriously. Everyone has their own priorities and if ALT work satisfies yours, then fuck everyone else’s opinions on how you should live your life.

17. If you go with the private school, be careful of the late night “committee” work (unpaid) and Saturdays. Last year FT teachers worked 36 of 52 Saturdays.

18. Choose the private high school. Negotiate more days off than “normal”. As an ALT, you are pretty useless when there are no students around.

19. I want to thank everyone who gave their honest opinions. After much debating, I have decided to go the HS private route. I have done ALT work for 11+ years now, and I think its time to not only challenge myself, but also to advance my career. For those interested, I decided based on the following process.

    ALT job:
    + Initially more money, at least for the first few years.
    + Far easier, less responsibility and work to do, at “work.”
    + Far longer vacations ( 5-6 weeks off in the summer, vs 2 weeks).

    – Longer drive (this place would be 1 hr and 15 minutes while HS is only 35 minutes)
    – No advancement opportunity.
    – Year to year contract (less security).
    – Experience / enjoyment level will forever be tied with the JTE and schools. Having to deal with traveling between 3-4 JHS and 3-4 ES.

    HS Private job:

    + Closer to the house (30 minutes vs 1 hr and 15 min)
    + Advancement opportunity present. Become a real teacher (can be good)
    + Chance to travel abroad yearly with the students (once COVID ends)
    + Salary will increase yearly.
    + If I stay past 3 years, I will become permanent staff (tenure).
    + Retirement money will be give.

    – Less money initially. >> Will beat ALT salary in 2-3 years (maybe sooner)
    – Must work a lot harder. >> Could be good, I do like a challenge.
    – Less vacation days than ALT job. >>> This one stings, but if I want to advance its a must.
    – Unknown job atmosphere. >>>>> This is true, but its also true for all new jobs.

    So overall, it seems HS is the way to go. Thanks again for all your advice / inputs.

    I will let you guys know how it goes 6 months or so from now. So stay tuned!