Dispatch Companies Interviewing JET Program Alternatives The Application Process

Interac. Japan – ALT Guide

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By now you’ve probably exhausted all your resources and time applying to the JET Program. You’ve either failed outright or learned that you were put on the “Alternate List.” Either way, you are still determined to go abroad and teach in Japan!

I know exactly how it feels. I was in the same predicament. I was put on the alternate list and was going nowhere. I just had to feel some stroke of victory, so I went ahead and applied to Interac (dispatch company), and became an ALT. What luck?!

I want to share my experience with the application process and experiences with Interac: enrich through education.

Interac: The (3rd) Best Teaching English Company in Japan

“As Japan’s largest private provider of ALTs, Interac’s mission is to enrich people’s lives through the sharing of languages and cultures. We bring the world closer together — one student, one school, one community at a time. With our ongoing training and support, you’ll soon be thriving in an authentic Japanese school experience.”

Interac Network, a private company, is like the JET Programme, a government program. They both accomplish the same goal of sending foreigners abroad to teach English as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in Japan. However, JET also provides CIRs who is in charge of international relations at local government offices.

Either way, they are both acceptable outlets for getting your foot in the door to Japan.

Interac Requirements

Both Interac and JET have similar requirements. Review both before applying, so you aren’t wasting time. Interac is very direct with all the requirements where JET is sometimes unclear.

Interac’s Requirements:

  • Be a native-level speaker of English.
  • Have received an education conducted in English for at least 12 years.
  • Have at least a bachelor’s degree in any subject from an accredited university.
  • Be a team player that is professional, flexible, cheerful, and energetic
  • Be under 60 years of age (the age of retirement is 65 in Japan and ALTs providers don’t seem to care anymore. It used to be around 40 years old for cut-offs*).

Interac’s requirements are less strict than JET’s as you can have/be living in Japan for 6 or more years. Also, there is no formal FBI background check required, just a local background check that is easier to do online.

From experience, I found it to be a breeze compared to JET! That was the great thing about Interac’s process which I liked the most.

How up your chances for Interac

Having one or more of these qualifications will make becoming an ALT just a bit more likely.

On top of these requirements, it’s best to write a good SOP for their essay portion. Remember, this is not as intense as the JET SOP so you can stress a little less!

  • Hold a driver’s license (you are willing to drive in Japan).
  • Have teaching experience (makes you more dependable).
  • Have a teaching qualification, e.g., CELTA, DELTA, and TEFL (show some teaching qualifications, not necessary but makes life easier).
  • Have studied a second language at school or university
  • Can speak some basic Japanese (again, makes life easier).
  • Have $5,000 in cash ;)

At the time I applied, I held a driver’s license, had tutoring experience, spoke some Japanese, and studied abroad in Japan. These were beneficial but not necessary.

I believe meeting some of these requirements will instantly guarantee you a position or an easier time with the application process.

Recruitment Seasons

Interac recruits two times a year, plus off-season recruitment.

“When’s the best time to apply to be an ALT? Interac accepts applications from outside Japan all year round. However, in general, Interac annually recruits from outside Japan during two seasons: spring and fall. These seasons coincide with the Japanese school year, which begins in April, and the end of the extended summer vacation which ends in late August.”

Fall is the usual intake for ALTs as most students graduate by summer. If you’re already in Japan and need a job, you’re in luck! They constantly hire teachers already in Japan.

All credit to Interac Network

Interac’s recruitment page is very detailed on all steps of the process. The process is very streamlined like JETs except with less paperwork and waiting. Expect it to take around 6 months from start to finish.

  • Online application – all your basic information and essay about why want to teach abroad. It’s straightforward, easier than JET.
  • Phone interview – you’ll talk with a recruiter about your application and why want to teach abroad. Usual last 15-20mins. (TIP: be outgoing, courteous, and show your interest in the company and its vision.)
  • Seminar/Interview – be ready with everything they need! Have all the required documents and be prepared for the lesson (follow exactly what they want for the 3-4 min lesson). Be a “YES” kind of person in that you won’t abandon them once hired (same with JET). Be nice to everyone, your recruiters, and potential colleagues.
  • Offer of employment notice – decide whether you really want this job or not. Be serious as it is a life changer for many. If you accept and then decline later, it could have consequences if you decide to apply and work for them in the future. Same for JET.

After you pass the interview/seminar, which was pretty lax, the rest is all the waiting game.

The real fun doesn’t happen till you know your placement, which is after you have accepted their offer… Placements are normally in big cities or outskirts, not usually super rural like JET.

Once you’re in, start packing and figuring out what you’ll need before moving to Japan. DO NOT buy tickets till you know your placement!

4 Month Waiting Game

“If you accept the written offer of employment, you will move into the placement phase. For many new ALTs, this is the longest phase of the recruiting process, beginning up to four months before you arrive in Japan.

Two main things happen in this phase. First, this is where we submit the documentation to apply for your Certificate of Eligibility, which is the first step to securing your visa. The visa process could take up to eight weeks starting from the submission of the application and will be taken care of by Interac’s Global Resource Management Division. 

In the second placement phase, we discuss the specific positions with you, place you on either the regular or alternate track, and provide details on your arrival in Japan.”

Training and Orientation

Only time Interac will cover your hotel! Usually, training takes place on a weekend for incoming ALTs. I remember it taking place from 9-5 pm. This is also you’re first paycheck, a very small amount, around 30,000 yen; this was in 2012!

Training Pay: 35,275 YEN

” …initial orientation and training are likely to be held near the airport you arrive at or close to your branch immediately following your arrival in Japan. Most new Interac ALTs arriving on the regular track will attend initial orientation and training events in March for spring starts, and August for fall starts. “

Training/orientation was a great way to meet new ALTs and make friends! Honestly, it’s probably the best time to get everyone’s number who will be near you and in your area.

I found their “training” to be of ZERO help in the classroom

My training was NOT great. One of the speakers spent his time emphasizing appearance and how to enter the classroom rather than what to do in the classroom.

YES, it was BAD, but now it has to be better! JET’s wasn’t amazing either.

I recommend finding ALT resources online from JET ALT pages as well as getting a TEFL certificate to supplement that.

Going into teaching with no experience is a lot of stress, especially if the school is problematic!

Have MONEY before your arrival…like 5k USD in Yen

“For recruits arriving from overseas wanting to teach English in Japan, you will need to have approximately 500,000 yen available to you in accessible cash (i.e. not credit cards!) so you can cover costs associated with setting up your apartment and sustain yourself until the first payday.”

This is a requirement of the application process.
You need to have a good amount of disposable income. Think of it as “studying abroad” funds or funding your “year-long vacation.” Just remember that you will not be getting this money back except for whatever you don’t spend on housing/living and what you get back in key money once move out.

I don’t think they provide housing loans anymore(?) but bring lots of cash. Key money and deposit can be expensive depending on who you get housing through (most likely LEO PALACE*).

Also, you need to wait a while before you’re paid…which I swear took forever!

I had a few hundred bucks before my first paycheck

Although, the YEN is super weak at the moment. It was horrible when I became an Interac ALT and it was 85 YEN to the USD.

Now, $1USD around is 150 YEN, so dollars will go much further!

I highly recommend WISE for sending money to and from Japan. I’ve sent few hundred thousand YEN with them in the past, directly into my US bank account. They give at market rate with low fees.

It’s definitely the overseas transfer!

Benefits & Salary – they can do FAR better

Interac is broken up into several smaller branches/companies. As laws have passed in Japan to protect workers better, companies have gone for the cheaper route and also dissolved into “smaller” workplaces to retain more earnings, rather than help cover any costs associated with health insurance.

The Japanese government requires employers to cover a certain amount of health insurance based on their size. I am no expert, but employees for places like Interac will pay the full premium. Yes, they pass this off to you. Be ready to cough up a hundred bucks every month in healthcare and pension costs. Things you shouldn’t avoid paying as it’s necessary and Japanese healthcare is amazing.

Below is my paystub from 2012. Yes, I scanned and kept all these docs!

After deductions, it was 175,451 YEN
  • Base salary for Osaka – 250,000 YEN (more than rural areas)
  • Transportation fee – 27,390 YEN (Interac screwed up on this and placed me super far away from my school. Their burden at least.)
  • Health – 12,961 YEN (at that time, they had to cover most of the costs because of law changes, but I am not sure if that is the case anymore!)
  • Pension – 21,796 YEN (entire burden on me but at least we get it back)
  • Rent – 60,645 YEN (no utilities included, except water and internet, more like 70k in rent because it was Osaka!)
  • Final payout – 175,000 YEN… BUT, don’t forget living expenses such as utilities, food, and phone bills. More like 100-120,000 left over a month or less.

I usually sent $500-600 USD to America to cover loan expenses. But I only did it about 2 times since I wasn’t making money and other spontaneous expenses – like going to Guam and becoming a JET in 2013.

Vacation time/Sick leave

I only had a total of 5 vacation/sick days as I only did a 6-month contract. It was brutal when I became sick and used up all my days. I took a large pay cut for my final salary, thank flu.

A loss of 37,500 YEN. Even though school was ending and my contract, March was short, so I lost most of that salary…

Break down of hours loss

FYI: save the leave for sick leave as you will get a good chunk of time off in Summer and Fall. Use it sparingly! In my case, it was worth the price.

School Placement

Depending on your placement, schools are hit-or-miss.

My school was a total miss! We had no traditional school lunch (kyushoku). I had many naughty students who were also like, Yakuza. I had around 4-5 classes a week because the school was troublesome. I saw students fight teachers, literally in the middle of class! I was a nice guy, but classes were hella rough at times. Interac could NOT prepare me at all for this.

My school was very far away (1 hour each way) on the Semboku line, which was also freaking expensive. My teikiken (monthly train pass) was over 24,000 YEN, not including the bus!

If I missed the bus, it came every 45 minutes to my school. It was a mess getting back and forth every day. I believe they screwed up on placing me near my school. They had to pay extra for my transit.

Not every ALT gets a bad school. All my friends had schools except for a few others.

I believe I had one of the worst schools and was glad it was my only one.

I had a lot of free time in the staff room and at school to do my own thing. I was only ever stressed because I had to do T1 and play games all the time. Yes, I was a full-time clown and not a tape recorder. Many times, I spent time listening to the teacher yell at the students for being bad. Lovely memories!

My VP
My 3rd year’s, the good ones.

The student with the Softbank bag always liked to yell, ” I love masutabeishon!” to make me laugh in class or in the hallway.

Some crazy kids, but I had a great time with them.

Interac. Stories

I tell a few stories of the ridiculous moments I had with Interac and teaching!

Outlook

For the most part, if you can get around the concept of making a lot of money, it will make for a good time abroad in Japan. Some ALTs find Interac to be their calling and some find it as a pathway to other careers. It is a make-or-break dispatch company; meaning make the best of it!

It’s best to focus on the opportunities you can have with them rather than the negatives if Interac is your ultimate choice.

For now, mata ne.

Sam

Over 7 years of living in Japan, it was my second home. It's a fantastic and magical place with a unique culture that is different from anything else.