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[Scrow]

So I'm in my final year of university which will conclude towards the end of November this year, and I really don't want to work in the area I've studied in straight away. I need a break from it. So I figured an interesting option would be to apply for a position in one of those english teaching companies in Japan and live/work over there for an indefinite amount of time. So I've got some questions for those living in Japan and also for those who have done what I'm planning to do.

First thing I want to know is, what is a good school to do this with? I only know of two, but I'm sure there are many more. The two I know of are JET and Nova. What's the general opinion on these two groups? Good pay and work conditions, flexible hours, quality of accomodation, benefits, holidays etc.? Right now my preference will probably be with Nova, because I know someone who works with them now, so they'll be able to help me make more informed decisions, however I'm willing to hear other suggestions.

Second thing, and most important, is locations. Where's a good place to live in Japan? I asked my contact at Nova and here is the advice she gave me

Good locations is a bit more difficult...it really depends on what you're interested in. Osaka is great for its proximity to Kyoto/Kobe/Nara (and a heap of other good sightseeing spots) but is a bit more provincial than Tokyo. Tokyo has a lot more nightlife and a bigger expat community. Tokyo is also pricier and you are more likely to be working in a very large school and have a longer commute. Outside of the cities there are lots and lots of options...again depends on your interests?

Based on that information I guess I'd prefer to be based in Osaka, but then I don't want to be too far from Tokyo. Is there perhaps a place in the Kanto region that's close enough to Tokyo to get there with only a couple of hours travel at most, but is a fairly well developed and modern town? I don't think I'd want to be based in the middle of Tokyo. The higher cost of living and the constant hustle and bustle are not things I'm interested in. I don't mind being in a big city for a day or two, but I don't want to live in one. That being said, I also don't want to be living in some far off place in the middle of nowhere without the typical comforts of modern living Ideally I'd like a nice inbetween of the two.

Well, that's all the questions I have for now. Any information will be appreciated.

 

[Koopakiller]

Read the editorials on this site:
http://www.outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher.html

 

[FlameOfCallandor]

If your not JET dont do it.

 

[demon]

If your not JET dont do it.

Why not? My friend's probably not gonna 'JET' yet still do it.

 

[norinrad21]

please take Boogie with ya

 

[FlameOfCallandor]

I have heard too many horror stories about not getting paid on time and not being trated well. The JET program is a goverment program and is very well respected. You barely do any work and you get tons of money.

 

[Scrow]

I have heard too many horror stories about not getting paid on time and not being trated well. The JET program is a goverment program and is very well respected. You barely do any work and you get tons of money.

I think Nova is quite large and reliable. I don't think I'd get screwed around with them. http://www.teachinjapan.com/

 

[demon]

I have heard too many horror stories about not getting paid on time and not being trated well. The JET program is a goverment program and is very well respected. You barely do any work and you get tons of money.

Could you link to any stories or proof? Seriously, I'd be interested.

 

[thaivo]

I worked for NOVA for about a year and two months. Can't really complain, they paid quite well actually, and the job was the easiest job in the world. Actually, it's quite enjoyable most of the time.

There is no problem with getting paid, and they are pretty flexible with things like shift swaps so you can take day trips to Kyoto or something. There are other schools, but I wouldn't go to any other than the large ones, like Berlizt, Nova, etc., of course if you can get into JET that is the best.

 

[Scrow]

There is no problem with getting paid, and they are pretty flexible with things like shift swaps so you can take day trips to Kyoto or something. There are other schools, but I wouldn't go to any other than the large ones, like Berlizt, Nova, etc., of course if you can get into JET that is the best.

what exactly is it about JET exactly that's so appealing?

 

[RevenantKioku]

Most of what I've heard is pretty much "Get into JET, but if they don't take you and you don't want to wait for the next year, go with NOVA"
From what my friends tell me, they're doing multiple schools and more work than they should be because there aren't as many people as they could use. But a lot of people don't take the application or interview seriously (as what it is, a job), and that is what causes them to not get in.

 

[maynerd]

How much do people get paid to teach english in Japan?

edit: I just read that link posted above. 30-35k? That's not paid well. Lame.

 

[RevenantKioku]

Eh, I've spoken with people on how much they spend for living, averaged out what my college loan bills would be, overestimated everything and would still be pocketing a decent some monthly, and most importantly I'd get to work on one of my goals of becoming fluent in Japanese. So it would be a big win for me, and I'm applying for next year.

And if you think that a starting teacher's salary, a teacher with a degree in teaching which is not what JET is getting 99% of the time, is more than that, you're the delusional.

 

[Red Blaster]

How much do people get paid to teach english in Japan?

edit: I just read that link posted above. 30-35k? That's not paid well. Lame.

If you budget well, that's plenty. You're also living in Japan so you wont needs thing like a car and shite.

 

[maynerd]

Eh, I've spoken with people on how much they spend for living, averaged out what my college loan bills would be, overestimated everything and would still be pocketing a decent some monthly, and most importantly I'd get to work on one of my goals of becoming fluent in Japanese. So it would be a big win for me, and I'm applying for next year.

And if you think that a starting teacher's salary, a teacher with a degree in teaching which is not what JET is getting 99% of the time, is more than that, you're the delusional.

I think we have a difference of opinion on how much being paid well means.

 

[Synth_floyd]

The only downside about JET is that you're usually put out in the middle of nowhere in some rinky dink town with nothing to do. And sometimes you'll only teach 1 or 2 classes a day. Getting paid to do nothing most of the time sounds good in theory but trying to fill 4 hours of free time a day can get really boring really fast. That's kind of a worst case scenario but it happens.

JET pays about 30k a year which is really good. NOVA and such only pay about $25k a year.

 

[RevenantKioku]

I think we have a difference of opinion on how much being paid well means.

I've been college I've been working retail for years of my life and only this year started a job that pays roughly 20k+ a year, so maybe we do. But achieving my goals is more important than having a incredibly well paying job.

 

[maynerd]

I've been college I've been working retail for years of my life and only this year started a job that pays roughly 20k+ a year, so maybe we do. But achieving my goals is more important than having a incredibly well paying job.

I'm glad you are achiving your goals. I commend you.

 

[RevenantKioku]

I'm glad you are achiving your goals. I commend you.

Haha, I'd have to get into JET first. But that's the plan.

 

[norinrad21]

I've been college I've been working retail for years of my life and only this year started a job that pays roughly 20k+ a year, so maybe we do. But achieving my goals is more important than having a incredibly well paying job.

Is your goal teaching in Japan or are you going there because you are one of those otaku's that thinks he could get sum in Japan?

 

[GaimeGuy]

Read the editorials on this site:
http://www.outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher.html

^

 

[RevenantKioku]

Is your goal teaching in Japan or are you going there because you are one of those otaku's that thinks he could get sum in Japan?

My personal goal is to become fluent in Japanese. My career goal is to expand myself by teaching without having a teaching degree. It's win/win.

 

[norinrad21]

My personal goal is to become fluent in Japanese. My career goal is to expand myself by teaching without having a teaching degree. It's win/win.

How the fuck is that a win/win situation?

 

[RevenantKioku]

How the fuck is that a win/win situation?

Uh, if I go to Japan via JET, I'll get to improve my Japanese and be teaching?
You seem easily offended by my opinions and choices, good buddy.

 

[norinrad21]

no no am not offended, just curious thats all.

 

[Shawn128]

I have heard too many horror stories about not getting paid on time and not being trated well. The JET program is a goverment program and is very well respected. You barely do any work and you get tons of money.

 

[rareside]

The only downside about JET is that you're usually put out in the middle of nowhere in some rinky dink town with nothing to do. And sometimes you'll only teach 1 or 2 classes a day. Getting paid to do nothing most of the time sounds good in theory but trying to fill 4 hours of free time a day can get really boring really fast. That's kind of a worst case scenario but it happens.year.

Damn do you know me or what? Replace 4 hours of free time with 8 and that's been my last 3 weeks.

And to give some advice to the OP:

JET definitely has the best reputation of English teaching jobs in Japan. I'm sure the others are great too, I'm not qualified enough to speak on the specific comparisons, other than the money being highest on the JET program.

The worst part about JET, however, is placement. You can request anywhere in Japan that you'd like to teach. But if they offer you the job, you must accept the contract based on the fact that they might send you ANYWHERE. They have thousands of placements to make each year, so obviously not everyone is going to get placed where they want.

Also, it's probably more of a crapshoot as to how much you'll teach on JET versus other programs. I would assume that on other programs you might know far in advance how much you'll be teaching.

On JET it's totally up in the air. If I'm lucky, I'll teach 2 hours out of my 8 hour work day. That means 6 hours of sitting on my ass. However, some teachers at other schools work their asses off, and participate in their school clubs and activities after school.

Finally, with JET you'll be an "assisstant" teacher, so you'll never have to teach alone in the classroom. Not sure how it works with the other programs.

 

[CalTopDog]

I'm currently teaching in Japan and I love it. I came because I wanted to continue studying Japanese and I've always wanted to teach, and I found this to be the best of both worlds. My biggest advice to anyone who wants to teach here is to do your research and make sure you know what you're getting in to. There are tons of resources on the web to help find the place that would be best for you.

Teaching English isn't the most difficult job in the world, but I wouldn't say that it's a cakewalk either. One recommendation I have is that you should enjoy teaching, or at least be interested in teaching if you want to come and teach. I find the most successful and happiest teachers here are the ones who are here because they're interested in Japan AND they like teaching, because otherwise you're bound to be unhappy. It's still a job, and you will be devoting most of your day to it, so hopefully you enjoy that aspect as well.

Also, as far as I know, Nova doesn't allow you to pick where you want to teach, they place you where they need you. If location is a concern, I'd probably shy away from the big English conversation schools and JET as you have little to no say on where you go. Look for smaller schools in the areas you'd like to be, and hopefully you find something. Good luck with your search.

 

[Beezy]

Read the editorials on this site:
http://www.outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher.html

Fuck, I haven't been to that site in months. I have a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Ichirou]

what exactly is it about JET exactly that's so appealing?

JET's a government program so you get all the benefits and securities of being a government employee. That means, health insurance, paid leave, 'kenshu' (UNLIMITED study leave for travel within Japan) if you teach high school). That means they also do everything for you before you arrive in Japan - arrange for your place of living, get you your work visa, etc. You'll also be teaching in high schools, junior high schools, and elementary schools, instead of at the NOVA or AEON centers.

That said - NOVA is easier to get into than JET, and you can (supposedly) choose where you get to go. With JET, after applying you don't know where you'll end up (though you can, of course, request a placement).

I heard people say that 35k is not paid well...you're being paid much more than temporary and part-time teachers in the school, and you'll be working less. And you're teaching at a high school, most likely without the appropriate degree or training, so really - you're overpaid for the skills you bring to the job.

 

[Scrow]

Also, as far as I know, Nova doesn't allow you to pick where you want to teach, they place you where they need you. If location is a concern, I'd probably shy away from the big English conversation schools and JET as you have little to no say on where you go. Look for smaller schools in the areas you'd like to be, and hopefully you find something. Good luck with your search.

hmm, the contact i have at Nova seemed to indicate that you could choose preferences for where you'd like to be placed. I'll have to look into that more.

The general opinion of JET seems to be that you have lots of spare time and can't be placed in the middle of nowhere, but the pay is really good. To be honest, the most important thing to me is placement, so if I can get where I want to be with Nova but can't with JET, that makes my decision very simple. I'd prefer to make that loss on income so long as I like where I'm staying.

Is there anyway of knowing where you'll be placed in Japan before you get to the "point of no return", so to speak? If I can get in a place I'll like AND i'm getting paid better, that of course would be ideal.

JET's a government program so you get all the benefits and securities of being a government employee. That means, health insurance, paid leave, 'kenshu' (UNLIMITED study leave for travel within Japan) if you teach high school). That means they also do everything for you before you arrive in Japan - arrange for your place of living, get you your work visa, etc. You'll also be teaching in high schools, junior high schools, and elementary schools, instead of at the NOVA or AEON centers.

as far as I know Nova also arranges accomodation, visas etc. Dunno about health insurance though.

 

[Boogie]

please take Boogie with ya

umm, no thanks.

 

[Ichirou]

Is there anyway of knowing where you'll be placed in Japan before you get to the "point of no return", so to speak? If I can get in a place I'll like AND i'm getting paid better, that of course would be ideal.

In the case of JET...You could always be a huge douche and wait until they send you the letter with your placement information and then back out of the program at the last minute, forcing them to send an alternate in your place. You'd never be able to reapply there, though. :lol

 

[Scrow]

In the case of JET...You could always be a huge douche and wait until they send you the letter with your placement information and then back out of the program at the last minute, forcing them to send an alternate in your place. You'd never be able to reapply there, though. :lol

:/

 

[Stryder]

I'm doing the same thing Scrow, hopefully through JET (awaiting results of the interview letter now), but if not I have a friend that found a pretty chill place to teach english through over nearby Osaka/Kyoto (somewhere in between apparantly).

One thing he did say is that don't go through Nova, they are evil.

 

[Scrow]

One thing he did say is that don't go through Nova, they are evil.

why exactly?

 

[Stryder]

Because they have no concern for the wellfare of their employees, they treat them like shit.

An example he gave was that if you are going to call in sick, you have to do so by 6pm the day before, and if you do call in sick you need to make up the time and not be paid for it. There are all sorts of bad stories around on the internet about Nova, they are basically seen as the McDonald's of the English teaching schools over there.

 

[Shompola]

When you get the job, are you the only JET/NOVA/WHATEVER teaching english in that school? Is it a pure solo job? Is there a supervisor there?

 

[RevenantKioku]

When you get the job, are you the only JET/NOVA/WHATEVER teaching english in that school? Is it a pure solo job? Is there a supervisor there?

Generally you're an assistant (ie English Tape Recorder), or at least with JET that's how it is.

 

[Scrow]

An example he gave was that if you are going to call in sick, you have to do so by 6pm the day before, and if you do call in sick you need to make up the time and not be paid for it. There are all sorts of bad stories around on the internet about Nova, they are basically seen as the McDonald's of the English teaching schools over there.

well calling in sick by 6pm the day before seems reasonable enough I suppose. But as for making up the lost time without any pay.... are you sure the information is reliable? it doesn't sound legal.

 

[acidviper]

If your not JET dont do it.

If your not gonna GASPANIC dont do it.

 

[Synth_floyd]

http://vocaro.com/trevor/japan/nova/level_up.html Here's a balanced view of someone's experience from working at NOVA. All the other eikaiwas (conversation schools) are similar though NOVA seems to have the worst reputation of the big 3. I myself have applied for JET (the results come in about 2 weeks) and if I don't get in then I'm going to apply for AEON (another eikaiwa). JET definately has the best reputation but even with that I'm kind of wary that I'm just going to be wasting a lot of time out in the middle of nowhere. With an eikaiwa you work a lot more but you at least live in a city where there's tons of stuff to do and you can hang out with other foreigners and such.

Rareside, overall has your JET experience been favorable? If you were to do it again, would you do the JET route, the eikaiwa route or not even go to Japan at all?

 

[Scrow]

http://vocaro.com/trevor/japan/nova/level_up.html Here's a balanced view of someone's experience from working at NOVA. All the other eikaiwas (conversation schools) are similar though NOVA seems to have the worst reputation of the big 3. I myself have applied for JET (the results come in about 2 weeks) and if I don't get in then I'm going to apply for AEON (another eikaiwa). JET definately has the best reputation but even with that I'm kind of wary that I'm just going to be wasting a lot of time out in the middle of nowhere. With an eikaiwa you work a lot more but you at least live in a city where there's tons of stuff to do and you can hang out with other foreigners and such.

Rareside, overall has your JET experience been favorable? If you were to do it again, would you do the JET route, the eikaiwa route or not even go to Japan at all?

wow, thanks for that link. It was extremely helpful.

On JET it's totally up in the air. If I'm lucky, I'll teach 2 hours out of my 8 hour work day. That means 6 hours of sitting on my ass.

during those 6 hours are you required to stay at work though, or can you go home?

is there a general opinion on what's the best eikaiwa in terms of being well placed, well paid and reasonable work conditions?

 

[BugCatcher]

Great link, Synth_floyd. Very informative reading. I'm not interested in eikaiwa myself, but I have a few friends who work for AEON and NOVA so it's interesting to know what their job is like.

 

[Lyte Edge]

There's a LOT of nonsensical bullshit there, but a good place to check out is the Bigdaikon message board. The Incoming JETs section will answer a lot of the questions you might have, and you can read the general board to see how people feel about what's going on where they are. The thing to remember is that despite all the bitching, these people typically end up staying 2-3 years, so obviously something is good. I often wonder how many of the complainers are just lazy drunken fucks not doing what they're supposed to.

I can't say that I've had any problems at work, although sometimes I do feel a bit left out; everyone will leave the teachers' room and no one tells me what's going on (it's for assemblies that I wouldn't sit at anyway though), and I never get invited to the Enkais (drinking parties) for some reason, although the few I did go to I really didn't enjoy all that much (none of the younger teachers ever show up), so I don't mind. My supervising teacher, on the other hand, has never been particularly helpful to me (although she DID help me get a scooter and also put me in contact with her friend who sells cars), and barely ever talked to me outside of class (all the other English teachers are far more sociable towards me), but she got transferred, so she's outta here!!

during those 6 hours are you required to stay at work though, or can you go home?

Something you'll hear a LOT is "ESID." Every situation is different. I'm also JET, and I work at three junior high schools. My base school is more flexable, and I can generally leave to go run errands if I don't have classes or anything to prepare. But going home is not an option; you ARE being paid to be there regardless if you have to work or not. However, my friend in the next prefecture tells me he just goes home after his last class; if that means noon, he's gone. I'm not going to attempt that, even if sometimes it seems like you could leave for hours and no one would notice. :lol

Also keep in mind that the country may not be a bad thing. It can mean incredibly cheap rent (as in a house for $100 a month), a free car, etc. I can't really comment as I got what I hear is one of the top three JET locations (Kanazawa), so I'm in a city of about 500,000 people, and there's stuff to do here, like movies, malls, bars, tons of shops, etc. But generally there should be events organized by your prefecture and area, so it's not like you'll just be twiddling your thumbs doing nothing unless you choose to do so.

Lately I've had almost nothing to do for the past few weeks, since the school year is ending. This week is spring vacation, but of course that's students only, not teachers, so I have to go in every day this week. I would take off, but I'm going to be taking off all next week instead since my parents are coming to visit me.

So to give you an idea of what it's like on a boring day, here's how my day went:

-8:20am: Arrived at school ten minutes late this morning, since I went to bed late last night after playing PSP and DS games for too long. But there were only a few teachers there, since many are taking off or changing schools. I had the perfect excuse anyway. Spent the next twenty minutes searching for a box and some packing material to ship out a DS Lite.

-8:45am-10:45am- Walked around the school visiting students. "Wait...I thought you said this was spring vacation, Lyte Edge?" Yes, it IS vacation, but the kids STILL COME TO SCHOOL to participate in sports or band practice. I think they're insane; I'd be sleeping in on my day off!

-10:45am-11:45am- Left school to go mail the DS Lite, went to the bank, then went to the drug store.

-11:50am- Get back and am told (uh-oh sounds like trouble!) not to talk with the girls' volleyball team this week. Why? Some students did a HORRIBLE thing last week. They brought CANDY (OH MY GAH) to school!! HOLY SHIT KILL THEM NOW. I was wondering why the entire group of first year girls were just standing at attention in a line not talking at practice on friday. So these girls can't participate, and come to school early in the morning JUST TO STAND THERE FOR THREE HOURS. Wow.

-12pm- Went to visit with the basketball club. Slipped and fell on my ass while trying to make a basket. :lol The kids were cleaning the floor, you see.

-12:30pm- Went out again to Lawson to get some lunch. Came back, ate, got on GAF for a while.

-2:???-3:00pm- Couldn't take it anymore; boredom combined with the hot teachers' room put me to sleep. Got up from my nap and went back on GAF until 4pm, when I could leave.

And that was my day today. EXCITING, right?? And I get to do this every day this week!!!! YAY FOR ME!!! But the good news is that a bunch of teachers are leaving and new ones are coming in; should make things more interesting. Plus my supervising teacher got transferred, which totally made my day.

Actually it's fun to visit with the students and mess around with them, but you can only do that for so long before they have to go home, or start getting serious with their practice. One kid in the table tennis club apparently thought I was an annoyance (not everyone is going to love you) and was trying to tell me to leave very rudely and attempting to make fun of me, but unfortunately for him, I could understand what he was saying, told him to never say that shit to me, and then proceeded to mess up his practice session for the next 20 minutes or so by throwing multiple ping pong balls at the table every time he tried to practice. Fucker tried to hit me with a ball after warning me he wanted to slam it and it was dangerous to stand where I was. That was fun.

So do I like it here? Hell YES I do. This job is far better than my last one, and while the first few months here were filled with problems (mainly money-related incidents and then I broke my leg, which sidelined me for almost two months), now I've got some friends I can hang out with, plus I've got a girlfriend too. I do think no matter wher e you get placed on JET or a NOVA or AEON-type job, what's really going to affect your enjoyment is if you can make friends and especially find a girlfriend if you're single. I have heard some people bitch about the Inaka (country) in various stories, and complain that there was nothing to do, but really, there's stuff going on all the time through various JET events, and if you want to get out and do stuff, you can; you have plenty of free time to travel should you want to do that.

 

[RevenantKioku]

Dude, I completely forgot that you said you were in Kanazawa, that's freaking awesome. I loved that place.
There is (or hopefully not was) this little mexican restaurant/bar down in Katamachi called CJ's, we went here a few times and it was pretty damn good. Right after you cross that bridget to get into Katamachi, one of the side roads on the left you'd find it. Vague I know, but it was well worth going to. I really enjoyed Kanazawa because where I was staying (KIT campus) was nice enough area to just walk around and get good cheap food (Ka-san's and Champion Curry were my saviors), but Katamachi had enough shit in it to keep from getting bored.
I'm trying to remember the name of the school I went to. Little place out in the middle of nowhere.. But we spent the day hanging out with the 5th graders and it was a damn good time.

 

[Blackace]

Well all I can say is that if you are coming here to get laid or just for the money don't do it. We have enough of those douchebag gaijin here already makes my job harder in life. Also all the people talking about you don't have to do much work is utter bullshit. Been teaching here for over 2 years and I was teaching in America for 3 and if you are trying to be a real teacher, teaching is hard work and you have to put a lot into it. JET does not pay much more than any other type of school there is and it is fairly hard to get into. Eikaiwa schools, Juku schools, and ALT (Jet type of work) are all different beast with their own ups and down. Myself , since teaching is my career, prefer ALT work to the others. However, the others have nice perks. The job I had before becoming a jr high teacher was an Eikaiwa/Juku tecaher and I only worked 3 to 5 hours a day. so I had lots of free time and I was paid just about the same amount (more in fact) than my job now...

 

[Ichirou]

Well all I can say is that if you are coming here to get laid or just for the money don't do it. We have enough of those douchebag gaijin here already makes my job harder in life.

Preach on. Couldn't agree with you more.

 

[Lyte Edge]

I hate to say it, but so many of the other ALTs I know fit the "I'm just here to party/get laid" description. One loser (this guy was EMO to the max) even dropped everything without notice and went home, which caused a bunch of shit that made the rest of us look bad. "Yappari Gaijin desu nee," his coordinator (who already isn't a fan of ALTs) said after that, so I hear.

Dude, I completely forgot that you said you were in Kanazawa, that's freaking awesome. I loved that place.
There is (or hopefully not was) this little mexican restaurant/bar down in Katamachi called CJ's, we went here a few times and it was pretty damn good. Right after you cross that bridget to get into Katamachi, one of the side roads on the left you'd find it. Vague I know, but it was well worth going to.

CJ's closed down before I got here, which sucks because I've been craving Mexican food lately. I believe the same owner then opened up Esco's Bar, but it too closed down a few months ago. Most of the time, ALTs and other foreigners tend to go to Bar Apre. I've only been there a couple of times; not the biggest drinker, and my GF doesn't drink at all.

I really enjoyed Kanazawa because where I was staying (KIT campus) was nice enough area to just walk around and get good cheap food (Ka-san's and Champion Curry were my saviors), but Katamachi had enough shit in it to keep from getting bored.
I'm trying to remember the name of the school I went to. Little place out in the middle of nowhere.. But we spent the day hanging out with the 5th graders and it was a damn good time.

Yeah, it's pretty nice out here. Not too big, but not too small, either. But damn if the past winter didn't totally suck; so many days spent cooped up inside my apartment while the snow filled up the parking lot outside, causing me to spend 15-20 minutes clearing snow away just to get to the street!

 

[Ichirou]

I hate to say it, but so many of the other ALTs I know fit the "I'm just here to party/get laid" description.

QFT. I remember at the ALT team teaching conference last year, we were split into groups and had to come up with a basic lesson plan. We were each supposed to bring a lesson plan to the conference so I said "We should choose the most workable lesson plan from the ones we brought and then take elements from it to make a new one." Except it turns out that half the group hadn't bothered to bring any...

It's a pain in the ass because you try to work your hardest, but your reputation ends up being tainted by association with these other loser ALTs. Just makes the Japanese teachers of english dislike working with ALTs more and more.