What's happening to JET?

[Chjoey]

http://jetwit.com/wordpress/2010/07/...-james-gannon/

[kraM]

i posted about this months ago

nothing really. its just an official review of all things that cost tax payers money
and jet is a biggie
but as for now it was n ot choppe axed cut or whatever, so thhose of you hoping to recontract for a few more years are in the clear.

Jetwit where you got that article is awesome, they really are good at finding jobs but too bad most of them are in new york and dc...

[Workin' for the City]

I find it most hilarious that the intellectual argument our writer is making is almost instantly undermined by the
J-List ad right underneath it. Seriously though, it'll be interesting to see this series because I'm curious to see
what returns on investments, as he puts it, he will decide to highlight over the weeks.

[Gezora]

It's not going to be immediately axed, but I'd say the party's over.

[Meatball]

lets hope so

[Mothy]

Why would you hope so? Having an overpaid job like JET helps keep the pay of non-JET jobs artificially high. Personally I think we should start breaking the legs of people who agree to work for any company that doesn't offer a living wage. Time to go old school union style on these extended vacation/ get-me-to-Japan-at-any-cost scrubs. It's making it hard for the people who want to actually have a career in English as a second language in Japan.

[Meatball]

the whole program for ALTs (private or JET) should be scrapped in the form it is in today

[Mothy]

A legitimate argument. But the impending death of JET isn't that.

But also, what do you see should take it's place? If there's one thing about the Japanese education system I've learned it's that there are not enough Japanese English teachers with high enough English skill to teach English without having English speakers on hand to help them.

[Meatball]

hire on ALTs as "real" workers. Give a decent salary and normal responsibilities and the english education will change . As long as being an ALT = being in japan on paid vacation it is just a waste of money and time

[Mothy]

Ok. I'm with you on that.

[Sciby]

But real English teachers will cost more than the standard (mostly) untrained and unskilled ALT that are hired now, and being that the main problem is cost, I can't see that happening either.

However, ignoring the pure financial issue, they should hire real English teachers or at least get more training and education for the ALTs, rather than on-the-job training.

[Mothy]

Either the ALT is an important position in their English education scheme and the money has to be found to pay them to ensure that they have quality ALTs or it's not an important position and they can do away with them altogether and quit flushing money down the toilet on piss poor ALTs doing a piss poor job because they don't give a shit about a job that pays like shit and has no future. Choose one way or the other. I think either way there are ways to make it work. But this middle of the road is a disservice to everyone... well everyone except native english speakers who want to fuck around in a foreign country for a couple of years. But the way it's done now is just a waste of money and a waste of the students time.