Dear ALT,We appreciate that you have been waiting patiently now for news of your relocation to Japan. So it is with regret that we are writing to advise you of your current status with Interac Group, and your available placement options and what this means for you now and in the future.
Firstly let me reassure you that you do have employment in Japan with Interac; unfortunately however your arrival time will need to be delayed until next year. The reason for this quite simply is that the number of applicants has exceeded the number of positions available for overseas candidates.The company will continue to meet our commitment to you by providing you with employment but not until April, 2012.Some of you may ask, “Why am I the person being asked to defer”? This is not to be seen as a negative reflection of you as an employee of Interac but as a direct result of our current needs and/or your own specific requests and skill set.While it cannot be guaranteed every year we have last minute positions which become available with new clients, people who decide that teaching is not the career choice they had envisioned and in rare cases people that do not pass orientation. These positions could arise anywhere around the country and if you are interested in accepting such a position if and when it becomes available please advise us by return mail. Once again we emphasize that even if you do agree to come to Japan at short notice there are no guarantees that this will happen and it will require you to be completely flexible on location and type of assignment.We know you will be disappointed with this news but we have explored all possible eventualities and we believe that this is the most practical for you.Best Regards,David Cairns
That's right! Unfortunately, I have been deferred. Deferral is a very real possibility with Interac--and any ALT provider in Japan, to be honest. For a company as large as Interac, though, it shouldn't be a surprise. While I can't say for sure how many people, on average, are forced to defer, I can guess there are normally a few every year.
I'm unbelievably gutted, of course. I don't want to provide excuses for them because it's pretty wretched to be deferred. Some people are in a lot worse shape than me; one guy is already in Japan and another girl sold her car and quit her job! So that's it... before I could officially reveal my blog, before I could share my experiences.
On the negative side: I've spent quite a lot of money so far. I was expecting to be in Japan in August but have to wait another EIGHT months. I have no job and no disposable income left--so it looks like I need a part-time job to tide me over till March.
On the positive side: I have time to apply for citizenship, learn Japanese, and earn a TEFL certificate to become a stronger candidate to BoE's. I definitely don't want to be deferred again.
