Real Voices | "EduCareer"Supporting your career in English teaching in the Japanese school system

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Real Voices

	Real Voices
	We talked to Mike, a teacher who was a dispatch teacher with Global Partners before being directly hired by his school. Read about his story here. Q.Please tell us about your current position. A.I am currently in my 3rd year working at a private Junior and Senior High school. I worked as a dispatch teacher for 2 years and have been hired directly since April 2009. I saw the advertisement for my position on the internet and decided to try to apply with Global Partners. The position was not just an Oral Communication teaching position, but there was also a chance to teach literature which sounded like a good opportunity. I attended the interview at the Global Partners office, then attended the school interview and was successful. Q.Can you tell me about the difference in your duties between being a dispatch and direct teacher? A.One of the things about working in a school in Japan is the vagueness regarding duties. One of the things I have done is try to look at the full time teachers and kind of follow their lead, as often there do not seem to be any set rules. For example, it is common for full time teachers to stay late after school, while some teachers go home at 5 or 5:30. I am usually there until at least 6:30 and sometime as late as 8 pm. Also when we have school events, such as the school festival which is held on the weekend I am expected to be at school on Saturday and Sunday, whereas the dispatch teachers usually only attend one day. In this way, many of my duties have increased in level of responsibility, even though I was helping out doing the same thing before. New areas of responsibility include clubs and the

	Direct Hire Contracts Really Do Exist
	Read my interview with Gary; a teacher who received a direct contract with his school after working through Global Partners for 1 year. Q. How did you first hear about Global Partners? A. I first came into contact with Global Partners through a friend in December 2003. I took the time to look them up on the internet and thought it sounded like an interesting company so applied for a position. At the interview itself I found the company to be professional and organized and was very impressed. After passing the initial interview at the office I went to the school itself for a final interview and was successful in securing a position. Q. How did you find the school and the job when you first started? A. It was busy, but I always tried to work my hardest for the school and the students, I wanted to become a valued member of staff for the school. I had regular classes as well as responsibility for the International Program which sends students abroad to study. Q. So how did the process of being hired directly by the school come about? A. The school actually approached myself and another teacher and asked how we felt about going direct with them. Of course I was keen to do so and Global Partners supported me through this process. Q. How did you find working with Global Partners as a dispatch company? A. I always found them very easy to work with, the office staff were always helpful and accessible, I felt that they take the time and effort to get to know their teachers which helped us build up a good working relationship. Q. Finally, do you have any advice for people who are thinking of working for a