So I started working as an ALT for Interac (ikik) this year, and I’d rather just work directly under the BOE. I’m aware that the school year is well under way right now, but I’m wondering how I can apply for a direct hire position in a different prefecture (Ibaraki > Shikoku area)?
1. Are there any keywords I should look for on Indeed?
2. Is Indeed even good for finding these jobs, or do I need to look into the school/district themselves?
3. Also, anyone who went from an agency to direct hire, how was the workload, pay difference?
9 comments
How is your Japanese? Maybe you could go into the private school sector rather than BoEs.
A lot of schools and even BoEs don’t know about stuff like Indeed.
I went from dispatch to private school. Work load is much more intense. Pay is also better if you can get a permanent position.
Word of mouth or checking the BoE’s website for job postings.
Workload: a little bit more, the pay? Much better.
The “good” ones usually hire people they already know. People that came on a sister city program or JET are the ones that usually get the offers. That means the few left are going to be very competitive and you will need to speak Japanese at a level acceptable for an office. The Japanese level needed drives people off because if you speak it that well, you can find a much better job.
Many districts post their direct hire offerings on their website only – in line with other public servant/teaching jobs. It might be best if you don’t know to call the BOEs around, politely, and inquire if they do such a thing and around what time of the year if so.
I’d advise looking into private school jobs too. They’re all different so it’s not worth speculating too much on what kind of job conditions you would get.
This is a few years old and out of date by now but a Redditor over on r/ALTinginJapan compiled a list of BOEs that used direct hires.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ALTinginJapan/comments/k11c6i/thanksgiving_collectively_working_together_to/
Apply directly to BoEs when they start to recruit for direct hire jobs.
BoEs usually open recruitment in November and December, interviewing in January and February.
The best way to find a direct-hire ALT position is through connections. Failing that, look at the websites of towns/BoEs and look if they’re hiring (the process usually starts in November at earliest). It’s often only written in Japanese however, and regularly they only advertise positions for legal reasons – in many cases they’ve already decided to keep their current ALT(s).
On 3: ESID.
I know direct-hire ALTs whose workload barely changed when they moved from dispatch to direct-hire, and I know people who ended up with a lot more work. A lot depends on what you *can* do, really. Additionally, it also depends on the kind of school(s) you work at, with elementary schools usually (but not always) having a lower workload than junior and/or senior high schools. But again, ESID.
The only thing you can be sure of is that your official working hours will likely be a bit longer. There’s also a high likelihood that you’ll be warming a desk for much of the summer vacation.
As for pay, it’s generally better than dispatch (which isn’t hard), though how much better depends on the general area, with the countryside often paying more. Do note that quite a few cities now offer contracts with renewals up to 3 years, after which you’d have to find a new position elsewhere. This is for them to avoid having to permanently hire people (even though they already put loopholes into the law to avoid having to do so).
Some of the better positions earn well over 300K yen a month and come with yearly bonuses – the best I’ve heard of was 360K a month, plus 2 bonuses a year. I also previously saw positions which offered 300K a month, but no bonuses. That said, salaries have been going down for direct-hire positions too, and starting at 250K or less (with no certainty of raises in the future) is not uncommon. It’s still generally far better than dispatch, however. In addition, depending on your employer/contract, you might get some perks, like housing subsidies and/or even tax breaks. I know I pay a little less taxes now than I used to ever since my contract changed a few years back.
Coincidentally, the worst direct-hire position I’ve seen paid around 200K yen (presumably with bonuses, but I’m not sure). I think it was in Chiba prefecture. At that point, I’m honestly not sure if direct-hire is worth it – aim for at least 250K yen if you can.
Unless you are tied down in a specific location due to family or have an actual Japanese teaching license, working for the public school system is a waste of time and potential salary if you plan on being in Japan for the long haul.
Always go private school direct hire.
Not ALT, but u/Johoku posted some information earlier in the year about Saitama and their push to get more native teachers into the school system there. If you’re interested in taking on additional tasks etc., then maybe take a look at these two posts or send them a DM.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginjapan/comments/tsmelu/job_post_saitama_city_permanent_regular_teacher/](https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginjapan/comments/tsmelu/job_post_saitama_city_permanent_regular_teacher/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginjapan/comments/12mht2o/saitama_permanent_hire_info_session_today_and/](https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginjapan/comments/12mht2o/saitama_permanent_hire_info_session_today_and/)