Enrich Your Teaching Career & Discover the Spirit of Japan

I worked for Interac for 2 years. The salary and benefits are more than adequate because the cost of living is very low. The managers and staff at the Interac head office are extremely professional and helpful. My concerns were always addressed promptly. Working in the public schools in Japan was amazing. The kids are extremely polite and courteous and respectful, far more than kids in America (at least from what I recall from my days as a student).

The best part is making the kids laugh and being able to play sports or play on the playground with them. It's also rewarding being able to help tweak their pronunciation mistakes.

If you're looking for adventure before you start 4 decades in a corporate office, this is a good place to go. Interac is a huge company which is almost doubling it's teaching staff because of the upcoming Olympics. Very stable company, honest bosses. No surprises.

This is one of the biggest ALT dispatch companies in all of Japan. They have many contracts all over the countries and are likely to accommodate a specific location.

I've worked for this company for a few years now and have never had any major issues. They help their teachers settle in and provide a great deal of support after the initial training (car, housing, local area information, etc.)

Employees always have access to English speaking emergency contacts in case the need should arise and are never left alone without anyone to call.

I worked with Interac for 1 and a half years and I can honestly say that it was the best job that I ever had. The staff and managers are friendly and exceptionally helpful, always willing to go the extra mile to help you with any concerns that you have.
Living and working in another country is a challenging experience but Interac endeavors to make the transition easy and comfortable. Interac helped me find an apartment and rent a car. When I first arrived in Japan I did not know much Japanese but I was placed in a school where I could speak English with the staff.
Every day was an exciting adventure and working with the kids was fun in itself. They always added to my day and made me laugh.
In my travels during my time off I was able to explore the culture of Japan. I participated in festivals and visited big cities and ancient shrines. I made many friends who I am still in contact with today. It was the adventure of a lifetime!
I thoroughly enjoyed my work and highly recommend Interac to anyone interested in teaching as an ALT.

The interview and pre-departure process is probably a little nerve wracking for first-time expats since most communication will happen when there are developments on the Japanese side. They do, however, give fairly good information if one reads the materials provided. The hard part is managing expectations. Interac was pretty straight with me on the timeline they were working from once they decided when I should arrive. I still knew several months in advance when I would need to go and could make plans regarding my apartment and then-current employer.

As an Alternate Placement without an assigned placement on arrival in Japan, I went through the same training as the rest of my cohort and was kept in reserve. During that time, the staff of the branch I was temporarily assigned to helped me get settled as far as bank accounts, moving in papers, apartment setup, and the like went. (No one went with me to get a mobile phone but some of the other staff did give me some advice on contracts and a key vocabulary words so I could ask the carrier staff.)

My assignment came in mid-to-late December with a ticket on the Shinkansen to meet my MC and get a ride up into the mountains with one of our Japanese staff members. We only had enough daylight to go to a few of my schools for introductions and to get the keys for my apartment and car. Mr. H. made sure we had enough furnishings in my partial furnished flat to make sure I'd be fine until the weekend. Few things feel quite so lonely as looking outside your window at a town where you don't really know anyone and can only see about 50 feet out due to the snow (disclaimer: the San Francisco area doesn't get snow). If you can make it past that first night, it gets much better and quickly. Ms. I and some of the local ALTs met up with me over that weekend, helped me get my bearings, and how to contact folk in the area.

I'm in my early thirties and most of my ALT colleagues are in their twenties, so that does occasionally keep us separated. We do, however, tend to pass the word for an informal rendezvous or two each month. Due to the scheduling, our book club usually also has a chance to meet before the ongoing training sessions for our region. That being said, if you have a hobby or (school-appropriate) interest, you can find it helps as an ice breaker with some of the Japanese teachers, students and parents. (I was particularly flattered when the parents marked me as an honorary part of the baseball team after the end of the season.)

I'm currently living and working in a town that's very different (half the population, eight times the space) from my home town. There are some things where it's still largely the same, however, like transit time to major cities (trains are slower than highway buses or driving only due to the routes to my semi-rural town). There's not much for nightlife venues here but the town associations are good about having events every few weeks and most people are reasonably friendly.

I have an interesting perspective on this company. Overall my experience has been highly positive. The professionalism and support of the company staff is better than many other companies offering the same thing in Japan. I have no negatives in my situation but many of my friends do. If you have a regular 9-5 contract you're golden. But many BOEs(boards of education) want ALTs to work extra hours for different reasons. The BOE believes interac will compensate you and interac often skirts responsibility for extra hours. That is where many of the complaints I hear about stem from. I myself have a pretty standard contract and only worked a few weeks extra hours for a local speech contest. My school is lovely and the interac company even comes to drive me to places if I need to commute far for a meeting since I don't have a bike. I would highly recommend although I do also realize that my circumstances are quite lucky and standard. Deviation from the norm causes issues.

I would definitely recommend working for Interac. I worked for the Tokyo Kito Kanto branch, based in Ibaraki prefecture. I found the branch staff could not do enough to help me whenever I had a problem. Since I didn't speak Japanese before going, I needed lots of support upon arrival to organise bank accounts and so forth. A gentleman from the office was appointed to me for two days to help me to organise all this. I could never have done this without that support. Throughout my year and a half there, I felt supported to the point of "looked after" by the branch staff. The assistance I required from them varied from having random mail translated for me, to the best place to buy a suit, to having medical notes translated into Japanese.

The age of the ALTs with whom I worked were considerably younger than I was (I was 34 when I arrived, most were early 20s). I did find the younger employees to be quite cliquey, but this was insignificant to me as I preferred to make friends locally to appreciate the culture better and learn the language. Nevertheless, had I been more of an early 20s "goer outer", I would not have been stuck for people to play with.

In terms of the work, I worked in a small town's junior high school (ages 12-15). I worked with all classes, including those with additional support needs. I was given the opportunity to coach the running team as well as the responsibility for preparing select students for the EIKEN tests and the English Interactive Forum (like a slightly diluted debating competition.) The day to day work was a lot of fun, most of the time. This is very much the kind of work where you have to be seen to be keen and willing if you want the job to be more than reading from a book (no one will ask you to do more, but the job becomes much more fun when you do.)

With regards living in Japan (despite the linguistic challenges it presented in the beginning) it is a fantastic place to live. Eating out is cheap (compared to the UK), the skiing is fantastic, the people are considerate and respectful, everywhere in the country is easily accessible (if you avoid the Shinkansen, buses are fantastically comfy and cheap cheap.)

I miss Japan terribly: it really gets under your skin. Before I moved to Japan I was working back home as a pharmacist. I planned to go back to pharmacy after a year or two out there. The experience in Japan, owing in no small part to Interac, whetted my apetite for teaching and as such I am back home doing a postgraduate course to become a primary school teacher. When I made the decision, I was completely supported by my branch manager, who (once again) couldn't do enough to help.

Japan is a beautiful country with many secrets and the culture is huge on politeness and being on time. If you cannot adapt to being an alien in a foreign land with all it's laws and social codes then you're in for rude awakening. My experience with Interac is summed in one word, serendipity. I had no idea what to expect and found myself in love with life as a Sensei, and Japanese resident.

From my first phone interview, I was pretty much hand held for the entire process up to my departure. Of course, I asked to be hand held because I'm not afraid to ask for help when I'm not confident and I always show gratitude to everyone that is patient with me and kind.

Before I filled out any applications, I did my research and read about the company and the culture so I would not be completely culture shocked. I even went to Japanese Exchange classes where they taught me the magic words in Japan. In Canada, the magic word is "please" but in Japan, they have more and they really are magical!

While there, I learned to document everything especially in an email. If something was unclear, I would ask other ALTs then call my office or set up a time to stop by, bring little snacks and have a face to face discussion. With resolving problems, it can be tricky but it is necessary. You must push your best to go in with a good attitude and various solutions to any problems you have expecting nothing. Some things cannot be helped but that should not deter you from wanting be a great teacher and person.

Many of my problems were common and yes, it's expensive to live in Japan but that's where you have to be creative like finding an awesome roommate or buying your own furniture if you're renting a futon, etc.

There are always disgruntal and unhappy people who can find anything to complain about and it's not easy to stay away from them without isolating yourself which is unhealthy social behavior. However, there was a handful of ALTs and Interac staff that were really supportive and willing to help. No matter where you are in the world, you can attract more bees with honey than you can with vinegar because the world owes us nothing.

I went to Japan with goals of enriching the lives of my students with positive leadership. I had Cedric as my trainer who speaks over 50 languages fluently and was one of the inspiring teachers I had ever met. I had no idea how much personal and professional growth teaching in Sendai, Miyagi with Interac would be. From my main school life at Miyagi Daiichi Koko to my very early morning starts at the Children's Hospital and my Special Needs school, my students and senseis taught me to fall in love with life each and every day.

I really had no idea what to expect but decided to keep an open mind. To my surprise, the opportunity and care Interac gave me as Sensei in Japan is an experience that I highly recommend and so grateful to have discovered.

Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu! \(*^^*)/

I came over in April of 2012. The recruiting process was pretty simple. A couple of applications, a couple of interviews, a trip down to the embassy for the visa paperwork. Nothing too extreme and the company was actually very helpful throughout the visa process. I did get bounced around a bit as far as placement. The first one didn't work out or something so I got shifted before I came over. The transition was seamless in the sense that all that changed was a place and its name.

When I got here, the support was pretty good. I asked to move into my apartment before training so I could drop my luggage off and retool for training and they accomodated my request. The training was good, and I learned a lot from it. The support was pretty decent too, with an IC to help get settled in. The car was also a blessing, though mixed once you realize that it's costing you about ¥30000 a month and the company's allowance is maybe ¥15000.

I'm still in the same place. I like my schools and my city so I don't feel like moving. That said there are some issues with the program. Primarily, the system is designed as a revolving door, such that you tend to feel undervalued if you stay on. A lot of the support that you get fades after you renew. Want to move out of the Interac steered apartment? They won't co-sign unless it's another leopalace, which are expensive. Want to get your own car to save money? They won't do a thing to help you, and you have to file all the paperwork with them and get insurance to their spec.That seemingly small NHS and pension payment you had in your first year when you had no taxation base will grow, but your pay won't and even if you're on campus and working longer than 30 hours a week, your contract and pay are based on 29.5 so they don't have to pay the half that they would if you were 30+.