Our Team of Teachers are Our No.1 Priority
Our Extensive Support
Working Life Support
We help teachers who need to move for our contracts with housing and relocation. Whether it be an apartment completely arranged by FRONT or one of your own choice, we are happy to be the facilitator between teacher and rental agents. For contracts in secluded countryside areas, we may be able to offer subsidized housing similar to Japanese teachers.
In connection with our housing and relocation support, we also provide help and advice with daily necessities such as organizing electricity, water, gas and the internet at your homes. For example, if you have a problem with your water pipes at your home, we can be the interpreter between you and the repair company.
Along with the daily necessities such as electricity and water, we help teachers with purchasing cell phones and registering a bank account. Both which are vital for working in Japan. If required, we can also loan teachers a company cell phone.
Teaching contracts in the countryside areas usually require teachers to drive to schools by car. If required, FRONT will provide a rental car at a reasonable fee per month.
While teaching with FRONT, we are responsible for sponsoring your working visa. The paperwork and physically dealing with immigration can be exhausting, but we are happy to take care of the paperwork, and interpret for you. Visa renewals, type changes, and new applications, with the correct documents we will make the process as painless as possible.
Working visa paperwork is just the beginning. Foreign teachers working in Japan must submit legal documents to their local city hall or town hall, just like Japanese citizens. These documents may include change of address, health insurance, residence taxes, and applying for official documents. We will be happy to assist with paperwork, and interpret as needed.
Teachers who are working and living in Japan for the first time may find it difficult to get accustomed to the new environment. We understand that it’s not easy and that teachers will get homesick and face culture shock. FRONT coordinators are more than happy to listen to your problems and worries. We will do everything we can to help you understand, appreciate, and enjoy your time working in Japan.
Teaching and School Support
A coordinator will accompany you to your school on or before the first day to greet the principal and staff at your school. They will help you get settled in your new workplace and be the bridge between you and the school if you have any problems or concerns.
Before you start teaching you will be required to attend paid training seminars. These training sessions are held to explain the rules, expectations and administrative processes of your contract and placement schools in more detail. For new ALTs, we also provide an introductory training course on how to be an effective and successful ALT.
FRONT coordinators are responsible for relaying class schedules from schools to ALTs. For teachers who are placed at multiple schools, coordinators will cooperate with Japanese teachers to make sure you are always updated with any changes or cancellations.
During a contract, coordinators will visit your schools to observe your lessons. They will consult with your coworkers to see if there is any further help that we can provide for you. We will also provide you with professional feedback to develop and improve your skills.
If by chance a teacher is having difficulties at their school with their workplace or coworkers, coordinators will solve the situation by being a mediator between the school and ALT. Sometimes things get lost in translation or sometimes coworkers may have different values compared to you. The coordinators are here to listen to both sides of the story and help guide both parties to a compromise.
During your contract, teachers will be provided with all the necessary teaching resources such as textbooks and materials. If there is something extra you need, feel free to let us know. If it is there to increase the effectiveness of your lesson and contribute positively to the learning we will consider providing extra materials.
Being the only foreign teacher in a Japanese school can sometimes be isolating and lonely. Therefore FRONT holds frequent workshops and events for our teachers to meet other teachers on the team and share ideas and experiences in a more casual setting.