So you've ruined your life

 Working in Japan has given me a new perspective on what it is like to repeatedly do the same thing, expecting something new. Now, I know that it is likely that children will always move up a grade or leave for a better future. Their skills will show some signs of improvement. Some will start thinking very hard about their goals and their future. 

"What kind of school will determine my future?"

"I really like the uniform! The skirt is so short!"

"My parents made me go here."

However, with the enlightened ALT, their life will not change. It will be the same mundane and monotonous routine. There is no sense of improvement, no reason for accomplishment, no matter how much bullshit the ALT tells you. ALTs have no place to grow, no place to show off how much they've improved to others. No pay raise, no certificate, no award that says, "Hey, you can speak well to Japanese children."

Sure, personal achievements include designing a fantastic-looking worksheet, producing a proper lesson with a valuable lesson plan, or not going to work smelling like a barrel of whiskey. 

The difference is that no reward is given for these personal achievements. After all, they are your own achievements. Though, don't be a fool! Many people are a firm believer that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Which is where the problem lies. However, before we discuss this problem, let's look at the daily life of the ALT.

Our ALT will more likely be late for work. If their shift starts at 830, more than likely, they will be at work around 845. Though this will not always be the case. Most of them will come to work early, but once the ALT realizes they can fuck around with the time, they slowly start coming in late. Nobody will scold them, tell them to go to work early. There are no "bosses" that tell them you are late. How everyone views the ALT will vary depending on how the previous ALT was.

If the previous ALT was loved and appreciated, then there is a good chance that they will let the new ALT do whatever they want. Suppose the last ALT was a piece of shit, or none of the Japanese staff like them. Then this new ALT will be in for a shit show of stress and being told to act like a monkey who took a shit on themselves and prance around like a fucking idiot.

It is important to note a unique relationship between the school, the ALT, and the dispatch company. 

Generally speaking, the dynamics of this relationship is the ALT -> Dispatch Company. This is important as an ALT does not work directly for the government. They are company turds. No amount of glitter, sparkles, or booze will wash away the smell of black-company turd all over the ALT. The ALT showing love and care for the school is just for their own self-interest in their job. 

Most of the Japanese teachers are aware that the dispatch company is a black company. This is crucial as it will stop the ALT from participating in most after-school drinking parties. The ALT is not part of the group; they are a company turd. Consider the ALT lucky if they are ever invited to any drinking parties, weekend activities with the Japanese coworkers, or celebrating weddings or congratulatory events.

The second part of our dynamic relationship is the Dispatch -> School. The school, mainly teachers, are fully aware of whether the dispatch company is shitty or not. They have more information simply because of the previous ALTs that have worked at the school.  It's important to know that the schools are used to having a teacher rotate every year. It is just the way the system is designed. Why? My guess, based on observation and conversation with teachers, and government employees at the board of education, by rotating the teacher, the dispatch company can avoid the 3-year rule.

What is this 3-year rule? Let us take a detour to explain what dispatch companies are.

Let us say Company A needs workers. The one way they get more bodies to work at the company is to hire people directly. However, this causes a problem for Company A. What if the person who was hired is an idiot? You may say they can fire them, but this is not the case in Japan. Japan has some good rules to protect workers from unfair practices from a company. The employee may say, "I was fired unfairly!" The company will have to pay some x-amount of money. Additional costs will probably add up as well. Getting fired in Japan is not very easy. The most straightforward way companies like to let go of their shitty workers is to buy them out. That is, pay them an x-amount of salary based on the x-amount of the month. For example, pay the idiot 3-months of their salary to fuck off. The shitty worker signs a document saying I quit on my own accord, and everyone is happy.  The company saves face, they don't have to worry about having a high turnover rate, and the idiot worker has money to save them for the next few weeks. 

A dispatch company can alleviate this stress from unruly idiots by hiring them, sending the worker to the company, and let them work. The company pays the dispatch company an amount based on the salary of the idiot worker, and any issues are sent to the dispatch company. Should the idiot coworker come late, make constant mistakes, or just sit at their desk jerking off to young female staff, that idiot is replaced with a new person. The company is kept happy.

However, in some cases, the idiot worker is not an idiot, but a star! They love their work! They actually care about the company! After three years of loyal work, the idiot is directly hired by the company. They are no longer working for the dispatch company. Usually, after an x-number of years, a process of direct-hire takes place. 

Do you think ALT dispatch companies work in such a way? If you answer, "Yes, they have to!" then I suggest you go find a priest, spread your asscheeks, and let him butt-fuck because you are full of innocence. 

If you answer, "No, what are you stupid?" then I suggest you find a cheap motel to wash off the stains from the ass-rape dispatch companies will be doing to you.

Dispatch companies are nothing more than priests at a park butt-fucking every kid. You are that kid, full of innocence, thinking you will be doing something unique inside a Japanese school. All the fantastic things will not remove the amount of shame you have to endure. The sole purpose of the dispatch company is to drain money from your ignorance and innocence. They will sell you the idea, "Yes, your idea matters!" or "You are valuable to us and cannot be replaced!"

Lies. All lies. You are nothing but a piggy bank with a sweet hole to be fucked over and over. 

Dispatch companies want to avoid doing anything that will comprise them from making money off of your ignorance. They will rotate you, so they ensure you are not working "3 years at the same location." Some may give you less working hours essential for keeping you legally hired as a full-time employee. In their contract, the dispatch company will tell you that ALTs are hired as full-time employees but send you to schools with part-time hours. 

Suppose an idiot has worked at the same company for 3 years through a dispatch company. In that case, the company has to directly hire the idiot and give them a full contract. The dispatch companies prepare the paperwork, and everyone is happy. This is the ideal situation.

The reality is that this is not done. The ALT is given a one-year contract every school year. Hence, the ALT has not "really worked" for a long time at the current location. It's always one-year. The hours are shorter, but their contract always says there are full-time employees. 

Anytime the government cracks down on black-companies, a company that maintains or performs illegal operations, dispatch companies always find a sneaky way to ensure to bypass that law or rule.

Many of the Japanese teachers are the schools are aware of this situation at some level. However, if nobody says anything, then it is not discussed. Keeping your head down and following orders is the best thing to do.

The last set of this dynamic relationship between Dispatch companies, ALT, and school is ALT -> School.

ALTs are there to assist the Japanese teachers with making a lesson. Many people are not aware of how busy Japanese teachers really are. You see, a Japanese teacher has the same boring life as an office worker or salaryman, except their clients are children and parents.

A Japanese teacher begins his day by coming to work very early, usually around 7 in the morning. If the teacher is in charge of club activity, such as baseball, they have to come early. They begin the day by preparing or finishing up things they could not finish the day before. Afterward, there are morning announcements. All the teachers have to stand up and listen to what the bosses have to tell them. 

"Some of our students went to another school and broke the windows."

"We are removing the doors from the boy's toilet room since they keep breaking them."

"We got complaints from the community that our students are loud on the bus."

These are all things I've heard at the morning meetings. 

After the meeting is over, the teachers break up into smaller groups and discuss announcements for their particular year. These are usually led by the leader for each year or group. So, suppose our hypothetical Japanese teacher is a second-year English teacher. In that case, they have to listen to the announcements for that year.

Afterward, that meeting is over, then the teachers have to go to their morning homeroom sessions. After those are done, the teacher prepares for their first-period class for the subject they teach. This goes on until lunchtime, where they can breathe for a little bit and eat their lunch.

However, there is no peace, as children are going to be children.  Maybe little Ryuki got bullied by another student, maybe little Mika lost her wallet, maybe little Aya had to go to the nurse and cry for 2 hours.

After lunch, it is back to their lessons for two more periods. Following that, the last homeroom for the day is set, and students go home, go study, or stay after-school for their club activities—some of them which go up to 9pm. 

So this is where the ALT comes in. They alleviate some of this stress by making lesson plans for Japanese English teachers. 

And this is where you are. This is your life. You exist to remove the stress from one individual and carry them on your back. You make lesson plans that are stolen from the internet with no background check; you prance around like an idiot so that the real teacher can breathe for a few hours in a day. Your only fuel to keep going and doing this is that you are in Japan; to make a difference. 

You are a cog in a machine that has been covered in sludge. A sludge that has not been replaced fixed, or done anything except squeeze money from you.

Congratulations! You've ruined your life by being a replaceable cog.