When you begin researching a company in the English teaching business in Japan you find there is a lot of information out there. Just like any job the more information you have the better off you will be.
Below is a compilation of links to various sites and forums talking about Interac. Interac is an ALT dispatch company and not an Eikaiwa. Assistant language teachers are sent off to various Junior High and High Schools to help the main teacher.
Not everything that you read could possibly be true but some of it must be.
In my opinion it makes for interesting reading. After you go through everything it will help you to form your own opinion about the company.
Eikaiwa Wiki - Interac - This site provides a lot of info about Interac. This site has a lot of teacher experiences all pretty much negative. The site also talks about Interac’s alleged ties to the Mormon church.
Forum discussing one teachers experience dealing with Interac
An excellent post talking about the differences between an ALT position and an Eikaiwa position.
This article talks about an Interac employee who was fired while dealing with the death of his second child. The story is so horrible it’s hard to believe.
This link leads to a thread about the same firing of an Interac employee just on the LetsJapan forum. The initial post was started by the firing victim. Looks like he posted on LetsJapan after his post on Gaijinpot were first censored and then removed outright. I really like how you can’t stop the spread of information on the internet.
This link leads to the Expat Japan forum and a thread talking about the above Interac firing. This is hands down the longest thread about this topic. The first part is relevant but a lot of it isn’t. This forum also seems to be where people banned from Gaijinpot for whatever reason seem to gather.
This is a thread that leads to a debate comparing JET VS Interac.
Found a Japan Times article about Interac ALTs. There’s a guy dressed as Santa to teach his students. The article also discusses a married couples experience working through Interac. Their experience is not a good one. This article is a really good one it explains how dispatched ALTs are a cheaper alternative to JETs according to the article. Seems ALT dispatch companies serve as a third party entity that handles all the dirty work of hiring and getting rid of ALTs, something local governments don’t want to deal with. The article goes in depth in to the pitfalls of being an ALT. I think this article is a must read if you’re seriously considering becoming an ALT.
Found a another report that discusses what two former Interac employees experienced. Seems they’re experiences were reported on by NHK and used to be viewable on Youtube. The report discusses the problems they encountered from not being enrolled in the National Health Insurance plan.
Found an interesting Interac thread on ELT News makes for informative reading. Lot of information and opinions listed here.
Found a blog that summarizes all the conspiracy theories out on the web that claim Interac Japan and its parent company Selnate is just a cash cow for the Mormon Church
Finding good reviews of Interac has been difficult. The bad definitely seems to outweigh the good. There are a few who would vouch for Interac but they seem to be outnumbered.
Technorati Tags: English teaching, Japan, Interac, ALT, Eikaiwa, Mormon, Japan Times
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