The School Experience

What is it like to work as an ALT?  Before coming to Japan, it seemed everyone had a different opinion on working at schools in Japan.  I found this odd since everyone had the same job as an ALT.  Seven months in, it all makes sense: your experience depends entirely on the school for which you work.

What Should I Pack for Japan?

There's one very important thing to remember: If you're moving to Japan, you can't constantly ship stuff from the States.  Although you're comfortable with a variety of brands, realize that people in Japan (and other industrialized nations) have comparable alternatives, if not identical.  It's nice to bring some things--toothpaste, Advil, etc--but at some point they may run out and you'll have to make do.  So I provide this list as mere suggestions at what to pack, and ask you to bear in mind Japan does have most things you need.  You might just want to make settling in a tad more comfortable.

First School Visit [ALT]

Wondering what to expect on your first school visit with Interac?  I'm currently an ALT for Interac, working in the city of Toyama within the similarly named prefecture of Toyama. (In fact, when I tell people I live in Toyama they have no idea where that is. I tell them it's a prefecture and they get very surprised!)

Interac's contract directly forbids any mention of my schools by name, so although I can't share exactly where I work, there are a few things I can say--my impressions of the schools, what levels I teach, and so on.

Moving to Japan (Officially)

To inject a personal post into a personal blog, it's time I mentioned that I am actually moving to Japan in the very near future.  As in Sunday.  ... Which is in a couple days.  Holy crap, where did the time go?

The Cost of Moving to Japan

I did a post a little while ago which showed the cost to get to my then-current point of Interac's placement process.  The post was largely uninformative and probably a large disappointment to anyone thinking they could actually learn something.  Fortunately, I have decided to make it up to any and all future ALTs by creating a brand new chart!  So if you're thinking about applying to Interac and you're curious about how much money you need, from start to finish, look no further!

A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower (Henshall)

In preparation for Japan, and hopefully in an effort to avoid culture shock, I've decided on a collection of books to help me understand the country in which I'll hopefully be spending the next several years of my life.  I narrowed the important aspects of Japan down to only four:  History, Culture, Etiquette, and Politics.

For history, I chose Henshall's brief book A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower.  I needed a book with a good balance between detail and brevity, and Henshall seemed to fit the bill!  After finishing, I had a good understanding of Japan (probably as good as any Japanese major remembers a few years out of school, heh).

Permanent Resident Living Abroad

For those who don't know, I'm a U.K. citizen living in the U.S. as a permanent resident.  I have a greencard which allows me to live and work here.  Unfortunately, I never became a U.S. citizen so I've faced quite a few hurdles in order to get myself to Japan.  I'd like to cover some of these for anyone who may be in a similar situation.

Start the Countdown!

Hello boys and girls!  You may or may not know me; My name is Ben Brannan and teaching in Japan is my dream!  This blog is meant to document my journey to, and through, Japan.  I also hope to inspire and help others who wish to do the same!  I will be working as an ALT and teaching English--anyone else looking to do this can definitely learn from my coming experience!  But how did a rogue computer scientist end up getting a job in Japan?