Program Reviews

I really appreciate being in this position. It is wonderful to be working full time and exploring the Japanese culture at the same time. In the school, I am very fulfilled to see the progress my students make on their own. I enjoy being part of their journey in learning the English language. I am also very grateful for all of the support from the company. They helped me establish my career as an educator in Japan. On top of that, they made sure I am well guided from settling at my actually placement to securing my Japanese driver's license.

Working as an ALT for Interac should only be a short-term endeavor. The quality of your assignment will more or less entirely depend on the school(s) you are placed at, because every school is different. Salary is just enough to survive; you will be most likely breaking even at best at the end of your contract. That being said, my experience as an ALT gave me the opportunity to make a positive impact in the local Japanese community. Teaching English was simply just the medium in which I did it. Although my placement was enjoyable, I know of many coworkers who had terrible assignments due to difficult teachers and/or students. However, as long as you find ways to keep your schools happy, you should have no issues. As far as the actual company goes, do not expect much assistance from most of the staff, as they are very unorganized or busy. Learn as much Japanese as you can before coming here, it will save you. Also do your due diligence on fax pas in Japan beforehand. The Japanese are very non-confrontational people and won't let you know if you do something taboo in their culture. This job is for you if you want to live out your dream of living in Japan for 1-2 years, or if you just want to get your foot into Japan before starting a career with another company. Do NOT do this job if you want to make money. You won't have much to work with at the start, but like any job, it will be what you make of it.

Working for Interac has been great, especially having non-existent Japanese language skills. I am especially impressed with their "Life Support", dedicated members of staff who will help you with anything that you don't know how to accomplish. Whether you are trying to find which bus to take to Fuji-san, or don't know how how to pay an overdue gas bill, the Life Support team will help you with step-by-step instructions. It makes living in Japan way easier than most programs who don't offer this.

Living away from your home country is a big leap of faith. ALTs share the same struggles relocating in Japan: language barrier, homesickness, culture difference and the like. Indeed, these may cause some to falter and eventually give up. However, there is no such job as rewarding as being an ALT. Sharing your culture and your langauge to Japanese students bring so much joy to me. And that is LIFE. Life without joy is no life at all. Having fun and sharing happines to my students make me a proud ALT of Interac.

For me it was a dream to be able to come to Japan and teach English. Though when that dream starts you must take steps that make sure you can enjoy it to the fullest.

I will say you will want to do some research on your housing and how to setup utilities for your home. You may need to look for specific internet providers depending on your location. You should also look into restaurants or grocery stores. Whether you cook or not we all need to eat so its good to know where you can obtain food and supplies from. If you are placed in a more rural area then this becomes bit more important as open times may be difficult to reach in-between work and going home. My first month was a fairly difficult due to my unfamiliarity with my area and utility workings so try to look ahead.

For teaching well...I was fairly new to teaching so I had a lot to learn. Thankfully you will be provided with resources which you can use to base your lessons off of and learn from. We also have training sessions periodically which can help your understand yourselves and your students better. The goal is to have fun. The students can be awesome if allowed to be so, have fun in your classes while also learning from each other.

It's all about communication. There are many ways to communicate with students, co-workers, and the community and while you may be teaching English you will need to learn other ways of communication so you can be effective in and out of the classroom. There are translation apps like "Google lens" which can be extremely useful if you need it at first but if you can slowly improve yourself with the language it'll benefit you overall. Use gestures and learn key words to help support your communication.

So what do you do after a work day? What ever you like, your in Japan so lets enjoy it!
There are tons of tourist attractions to visit, events to attend, sights to see. Everyone's version is different but when your done with your work day, you are free to explore to your hearts content. You will also will have a decent holiday during the summer and winter so plan out trips if you can. There is soo much to experience while in japan so take it one step at a time.

Live your dream that you've wanted to experience, with a bit of effort you can see it all.

My role in Interac as an assistant language teacher allows me to be fully equipped in class with enough preparation time and resources for my classes. Because of this, I don't take any work with me at home and I can fully focus on my life outside of my career. I personally love outdoors and sports and I'm able to fully immerse myself in those activities after work and during weekends. Time is so important to me, especially time I spend outside of work. I love that both my Japanese co-workers and Interac respect my personal time and are actually supportive of my hobbies.

My transition from The Philippines to Japan has been very smooth thanks to Interac's team who provided housing assistance (we didn't have to apartment hunt because of them), and the information provided regarding living in Japan. I remember they also gave us one week of paid training and one week of break to fully adjust before being dispatched to each of our schools.

If TIME and SUPPORT is very important for you, Interac is a great option.

I believe becoming an ALT is the best way to experience Japan to the fullest. You get to delve deep into Japanese work life, discover Japanese culture by learning from your students and peers, and become a part of the community. There is also time on the weekend to have your own adventures.

There will be bad times but that is part of the experience. If you are able to tough through it, you'll find that Japan is a place of wonders.

If you want to fully immerse yourself into Japans culture, I recommend giving Interac a shot.

I have been working for Interac for almost 2 years now. I applied from overseas and my first taste of Japan was through them. The whole onboarding process was so easy and straight forward. The staff at my branch is really kind and helpful. They always assist whenever I have questions or uncertainties. We also often have meetings with other ALT's who teach in the same city, it is great to learn from each other and share stories. My ALT-life has been great so far. I teach in JHS and can enjoy a level of flexibility in my lessons, alsways doing new activities and thinking of ways to make English fun. The job is not stressful or too intensive at all so I can enjoy my free time to the full and travel around Japan.

My role as an ALT I have found to be very fulfilling. I work mainly in senior high schools, but get to work in Elementary and Junior High Schools on occasion. I love this variety and exposure to new schools and students. I enjoy my time with many keen and fun loving students. They are fascinated by my foreignness and eager to learn about life and ways outside of their homes. Their youth and zest for fun keeps me young in mind and heart as well.

The great thing for me is that the work stays in the workplace. I don't take work home with me. My weeknights and weekends are my own and thus teaching allows me the opportunity to explore many restaurants, famous landmarks and local events.
And I get to experience it throughout the full year with all its seasonal offerings.

The first year of life in Japan is a big shock, both culturally and work wise. It can be very overwhelming. However, this is overcome by Interac's great support system to ease people into their new life here. From gaining Residency, obtaining a Driver's Licence, apartment assistance, insurance and medical support, I have overcome many such obstacles with Interac support. Also, they give great work support with resources, materials and ongoing training sessions.

Once you are settled in you get to enjoy Japan both professionally and socially via a complete immersion within the system. It has so much to offer.
It's been worth it all the years I've been here.

Whether your interest lies in language, anime and manga, history, nature, food or anything else, visiting Japan on an extended stay as an ALT is a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the richness of Japanese culture.

The job as an ALT can be extremely rewarding in itself as you play a part in the education of young people. Every day can be a new adventure!.

I highly recommend considering Interac as a partner to work with in the ALT industry as they have a trustworthy reputation with their clients and they value the people they work with. They also provide on-going training and optional opportunities for you to take on more responsibilities. This allows you to expand your experience, increase your knowledge, develop your abilities and learn transferable skills to use throughout your career and life.