ALTs do not have upward mobility. JALT may help you get connections to find a better job **IF YOU ALREADY HAVE THE QUALIFICATIONS**. If you came to Japan without the qualifications to get a better job, you will have a difficult time getting what you need here.
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The GU is a joke. They take your money to send polite emails to your employer asking them to treat you better, nothing more. If you have a real problem, you will have to pay for the lawyers yourself. An ALT job isn’t worth the money because you will spend more then you will win.
It won’t matter. As long as there is an infinite number of people desperately willing to work in the worst conditions for the lowest pay so that they can live in the land of anime and schoolgirls, conditions and pay will never improve.
Between the two JALT definitely seems better to me. For one thing it offers some good chances to network and share ideas with people in the same field.
The story about the Shane strike that was recently posted on Reddit (here I think) leaves a lot of room to be critical of the Union. I do think they mean well but it has been going on for years without any real progress. Maybe their lawyer or manager is getting paid but the teachers involved with the strike ended up with less money as well as using their free time to protest. It’d be fine if it was working but so far it hasn’t been.
JALT is a professional association of teachers. Like any other organization of its type, people join it for professional development and networking. You don’t need to be a university teacher as it doesn’t focus exclusively on university teaching. Members come from a variety of contexts, including those working as ALTs. The commonality is that members take teaching seriously as a profession and are willing to spend money, time, and effort in learning new skills.
The union fights for teachers’ labor rights, but it is limited in what it can do legally. I’ve noticed that people who criticize the union often don’t have a very good understanding of Japanese labor law or of how unions work in Japan. Whether you personally have something to gain or not, you should at minimum, support what the union is trying to achieve even if you do not join.
If you live in Japan, plan to continue working here as a teacher, take teaching seriously as a profession, and want working conditions to improve, you should join *both* organizations.
The union dues cost about as much as a Netflix subscription.
You don’t have to be a JALT member to join events, and most events are inexpensive. You only need join those that align with your goals and interests, so you can benefit without having to fork over a membership fee.
4 comments
ALTs do not have upward mobility. JALT may help you get connections to find a better job **IF YOU ALREADY HAVE THE QUALIFICATIONS**. If you came to Japan without the qualifications to get a better job, you will have a difficult time getting what you need here.
​
The GU is a joke. They take your money to send polite emails to your employer asking them to treat you better, nothing more. If you have a real problem, you will have to pay for the lawyers yourself. An ALT job isn’t worth the money because you will spend more then you will win.
It won’t matter. As long as there is an infinite number of people desperately willing to work in the worst conditions for the lowest pay so that they can live in the land of anime and schoolgirls, conditions and pay will never improve.
Between the two JALT definitely seems better to me. For one thing it offers some good chances to network and share ideas with people in the same field.
The story about the Shane strike that was recently posted on Reddit (here I think) leaves a lot of room to be critical of the Union. I do think they mean well but it has been going on for years without any real progress. Maybe their lawyer or manager is getting paid but the teachers involved with the strike ended up with less money as well as using their free time to protest. It’d be fine if it was working but so far it hasn’t been.
JALT is a professional association of teachers. Like any other organization of its type, people join it for professional development and networking. You don’t need to be a university teacher as it doesn’t focus exclusively on university teaching. Members come from a variety of contexts, including those working as ALTs. The commonality is that members take teaching seriously as a profession and are willing to spend money, time, and effort in learning new skills.
The union fights for teachers’ labor rights, but it is limited in what it can do legally. I’ve noticed that people who criticize the union often don’t have a very good understanding of Japanese labor law or of how unions work in Japan. Whether you personally have something to gain or not, you should at minimum, support what the union is trying to achieve even if you do not join.
If you live in Japan, plan to continue working here as a teacher, take teaching seriously as a profession, and want working conditions to improve, you should join *both* organizations.
The union dues cost about as much as a Netflix subscription.
You don’t have to be a JALT member to join events, and most events are inexpensive. You only need join those that align with your goals and interests, so you can benefit without having to fork over a membership fee.
In other words, why not do both?