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Post by popchyk~ on Sept 30, 2015 14:57:59 GMT 9
Is this the general PA thread now?
I have a bit of a petty victory to talk about as I am not very busy at my once-a-week office today (most of my work is at the kencho).
Disclaimer: The ALTs involved in this story are all really nice and helpful people and I am a crabby hog-witch who complains all the time. As such, please understand the bias inherent in this post.
So I think I've talked on here before about the Oita website. It was set up by the former ALT PA on her own initiative and isn't an official Oita website (although the kencho gives it approval it is essentially volunteer work ALT PA made for herself). It was pretty much entirely run by ALT PA, so when she left (and I indicated that I didn't want to be responsible for running a website), she created a committee of ALT volunteers to run the website. It's really great that they help out so much, but they can be quite intense (it's not just me, new American CIR who is also a PA noticed this as well - there are monthly out-of-work hour meetings on Skype that at least one PA - it used to be all of us PAs but we compromised - needs to be present at and they're a very serious affair these meetings). Anyway, I asked and it was approved that the PAs only have to run the PA section of the website and everything else is done by the ALTs with a disclaimer on the website stating things to that effect (this is a website run by ALTs for other ALTs, not an official website, blah blah blah). And to that effect I unfollowed the group on FB because I like to keep my FB separate from my work as far as possible (edit - and they were posting all the time).
Anywaaaay occasionally I get tagged in posts in that group and dragged back into the conversations. So this week the conversation was about recontracting info and things like that. They wanted to put info up and put it in the PA section of the website (ie the section me and the other PAs run). My position was that basically as every CO does recontracting in a different way this wasn't feasible, my office doesn't even really handle this side of things (maybe? Or maybe it does but in any case I was not asked to be involved in the process and so know very little about it) so it would create extra work for me and supe, COs should be telling their JETs about re-contracting anyway (and specific questions can be sent to the PAs). My big worry was that because each CO is so different info would go up on the website and then I would get emails (as the PA) with people upset or confused because their own personal situation wasn't what was stated on the PA page of the website. Especially as I don't think any of the PAs know specifically the re-contracting procedures of each and every single CO in the prefecture. Also I sort of basically said that due to bureaucratic blah blah blah I didn't think the BOE or the Kencho would like it if info about recontracting was put online (this was probably the main issue for me - I just had a hunch the BOE would not like it). Anyway the discussion went on for ages and ages with me trying to get them not to put it online (and you've seen me debate on the CIRHP, you know I'm hopeless at it and always get in a muddle) and finally ALT PA asked the BOE supervisor who categorically said "Do not put up info on recontracting on the website."
And a horrible petty part of me was sort of pleased I had been proven right cos for the entire conversation I felt like a complete stick-in-the-mud who was making life difficult for everyone ;_;
/Tl;dr Stuff happened and I can be very petty.
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Post by dosanko on Sept 30, 2015 15:07:26 GMT 9
Yay for successful popchyk!!
I'm always against putting up too much of CLAIR information online, including the recontracting documents. Like you said, every CO kinda just handles it differently, even if all the deadlines given to 取り団 by CLAIR are exactly the same. I hate for ALTs to compare and contrast each other's recontracting measures - they're the ones who always say they're tired of hearing "ESID" too much.
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Post by popchyk~ on Sept 30, 2015 15:13:19 GMT 9
Yay for successful popchyk!! I'm always against putting up too much of CLIAR information online, including the recontracting documents. Like you said, every CO kinda just handles it differently, even if all the deadlines given to 取り団 by CLIAR are exactly the same. I hate for ALTs to compare and contrast each other's recontracting measures - they're the ones who always say they're tired of hearing "ESID" too much. Yes, exactly! I can understand the frustration some of the ALTs have with ESID but at the same time my attitude is sort of しょうがない, 残念ながら I don't think we should put such-and-such info on the website. I remember some debate about whether nenkyu forms should go on the website to which my answer was "Absolutely not, if the COs of some ALTs make it difficult for ALTs to get nenkyu forms (this was the hypothetical reason being bandied about) then they need to contact the PAs and we will deal with the COs directly" and I also felt at that time like everyone thought I was just being difficult for the sake of being difficult  But really it's because like you, I want to be cautious to avoid people misunderstanding things or being disappointed. If people send me individual queries then I can focus on providing the most accurate information for that specific person... |
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Post by songbanana on Oct 1, 2015 9:01:19 GMT 9
popchyk, I totally understand what it's like to be the party pooper who has to say "sorry guys, that's not a good idea and here's why."
It sucks because it always falls on your shoulders and people think you just hate fun, so you have to counter that by being energetic and hulemdoly, or that you hate all your JETs, so you have to go to all the after-parties so people know you're not a recluse.
(this sounds like I hate being hulemdoly and hate going to the parties. I love going to the parties, it's just that for people who don't, rumors start to spread)
What's worked for me is giving specific scenarios, preferably that have happened before, that show why it wouldn't work (rather than stating general rules or procedure) and do it in a tone that shows you're sympathetic and doesn't it suck that we all can't have nice things. It sounds like you maybe kind of did that though so maybe your JETs are harder to convince than mine.
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Post by popchyk~ on Oct 1, 2015 9:07:11 GMT 9
I understand  I joke on here a bit about being a Marge Simpson or a Boo Radley, but at the same time I don't want people to think I'm an antisocial grump because PAs need to be approachable and hulemdoly. (That said, I haven't been to an AJET event since the welcome party... oops, haha. They always clash with plans I already have!) I like your suggestion about specific scenarios, I think I will start using that, that's a good idea. I tried to be sympathetic (or at least, I used a lot of sad emoticons lmao So maybe I just seemed passive aggressive!?). Most of the Oita JETs are pretty chilled out, and these website-helping-out JETs are lovely, but they can just be a little intense. I think it's good that they're passionate and committed, though ^^;;; |
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Post by songbanana on Oct 1, 2015 9:12:54 GMT 9
Yeah the Oita website is really awesome, and it's great that that is a thing that your JETs have and it doesn't fall on one person so it can properly continue. I remember that ALT PA, she's the one who swore when answering a question at the last PA conference and everyone was like O_O;;
I think the specific scenarios sounds more convincing from the other end, like when I heard about the CLAIR PA changes like "the new rule is that PAs don't do counseling because what if something happens" I was wicked pissed, and then I heard "it was an imperfect solution to a real problem but it was causing other problems like JETs who couldn't afford counseling going straight back to the PA, who then kind-of trained other JETs to counsel them" and then I was like oh man that situation is bad, now the changes make sense in context.
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Post by popchyk~ on Oct 1, 2015 9:18:24 GMT 9
Yeah the Oita website is really awesome, and it's great that that is a thing that your JETs have and it doesn't fall on one person so it can properly continue. I remember that ALT PA, she's the one who swore when answering a question at the last PA conference and everyone was like  ;; I think the specific scenarios sounds more convincing from the other end, like when I heard about the CLIAR PA changes like "the new rule is that PAs don't do counseling because what if something happens" I was wicked pissed, and then I heard "it was an imperfect solution to a real problem but it was causing other problems like JETs who couldn't afford counseling going straight back to the PA, who then kind-of trained other JETs to counsel them" and then I was like oh man that situation is bad, now the changes make sense in context. Lmao yes, that is her legacy and my favourite former ALT PA story (I miss her ;_; ) I came after the PA changes had already happened and I had to admit that I was relieved I wouldn't have to give counseling to people. I felt it was a big responsibility and I wasn't qualified because I hadn't had any training, and I knew it would really worry me or stress me out if I was dealing with someone who had very serious emotional problems (I think I would be constantly worrying whether I had helped them or made things worse). But a lot of PAs are very good at counselling type work and PAs are often more approachable than supervisors or COs, so I also understood why some PAs were irritated with the changes. What I found hard as a PA when I first got here is that my predecessor told me to go to the PA workshop at orientation... but during my orientation there wasn't one. So basically former ALT PA had to sort of train me which probably took a lot of her time. The first official PA guidance I got was the first PA conference which was mainly just people quizzing CLIAR about the PA changes, hue. |
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Post by songbanana on Oct 1, 2015 9:26:18 GMT 9
What I found hard as a PA when I first got here is that my predecessor told me to go to the PA workshop at orientation... but during my orientation there wasn't one. So basically former ALT PA had to sort of train me which probably took a lot of her time. The first official PA guidance I got was the first PA conference which was mainly just people quizzing CLIAR about the PA changes, hue. This is my biggest miff about the changes, is that they've now decided that we somehow don't need to practice listening skills, which were really helpful when I was coming into the PA role--you should definitely do that course that PSG does. It's good for if you get a phone call so you don't get frazzled about how to handle it. Also we don't do roleplays which were a good way to see what kind of situations could happen and a good way to get feedback from the only group of people who could provide it. I don't know if they did these at the 1st year PA conference in September but those are skills that have helped me throughout my tenure so far. |
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Post by popchyk~ on Oct 1, 2015 13:10:15 GMT 9
Yes, I agree. I also would find it useful to have courses on how to communicate calmy with people who may be upset or angry. Luckily I've not had to encounter this in my work so far, but it would be useful training for me, I think, in case anyone upset about something ever contacted me in my role as PA.
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Post by Researcher Irish on Oct 5, 2015 10:27:01 GMT 9
Hey beautiful peeps, My and the ALT PA heard two different stories about the JET counselling service. He heard that the supervisors give out the password but I heard that both them and us may give it out. Who is correct? A JET is asking for it and I dunno if I can give it to him |
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Post by ザ・penguin54 on Oct 5, 2015 12:31:04 GMT 9
I checked the original 通知 and it asks the 取りまとめ団体 to distribute it to all the COs but it doesn't say that the PA is forbidden from giving it directly. The only thing they say is that the password can't be given to non-JETs (including hulemdos and family). But as long as you contact them in a secure manner I don't see the problem?
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G-Rex
Dead Stargod 
killed SAKAMOTO LYOMA with crappa sushi
hi
Posts: 7,201 
CIR Experience: Former CIR
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Post by G-Rex on Oct 5, 2015 17:41:07 GMT 9
the password is
pass
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Post by kismarie on Nov 5, 2015 9:51:43 GMT 9
Hi, everyone!
Does anyone have experience with a JET trying to leave the program early (like by 3-4 months) because they received a job opportunity (for a job that they really want) in their home country? I have no clue what to say, and they're waiting to hear back from me before they accept the offer.
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Post by dosanko on Nov 5, 2015 10:48:33 GMT 9
Hi, everyone! Does anyone have experience with a JET trying to leave the program early (like by 3-4 months) because they received a job opportunity (for a job that they really want) in their home country? I have no clue what to say, and they're waiting to hear back from me before they accept the offer. It's a more or less popular reason to cut the contract short, I think. It's really their own choice, as long as they realize the financial burdens (flight home is not paid, and they may even be charged for Tokyo Ori fees and all, although I've never had a CO ask leaving JETs to bear any other costs outside their flight home). They also have to realize that the schools they go probably have to live without an ALT until whatever the next opportunity they get (possibly the April arrival, if CO submits the request asap). |
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Post by kismarie on Nov 5, 2015 11:08:23 GMT 9
Thank you!!
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Post by CaptainSeery on Nov 5, 2015 11:27:39 GMT 9
If that JET already knows about that and will get the news about the new job soon, then I think it won't be too huge of a deal to break contract. If they tell their CO ASAP, they can still request a new JET by the normal summer arrival time, or even one of the rare April arrivals.
If they leave without that much notice, though, it can cause a lot of issues for the CO...
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Post by songbanana on Nov 5, 2015 13:18:43 GMT 9
Yeah in my experience it's been the actual nitty-gritty leaving procedures that can make it terrible for the CO/JET, not the actual deciding/announcing of breaking contract. Things like leftover daikyu/nenkyu, needing help moving out, finding a replacement if applicable, making proper apologies to workplaces and higher ups, etc. And these aren't just restricted to JETs leaving early, it's just the timing means that you can't always pass the JET's stuff off to the new person/locals staying on. Also if they leave in March/April there's IDOU so the soup might change, etc....
tldr; if regular leaving procedures go well it's probably not a huge issue in practice, but if they don't, it can leave a terrible impression and create a しｔｔｙ situation for future JETs for years to come...
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Post by songbanana on Nov 9, 2015 10:54:36 GMT 9
Sharing this here in case any PAs didn't get the email from Melissa Huntley of AJET PSG. Here is the info about this year's PA Listening Skills Workshop. PSG veterans conduct yearly skype workshops for PAs on active listening and peer counseling skills. It was really useful for me as a 1st year PA, especially since we don't practice at conferences anymore, and it's rare to have a situation where you can practice and make mistakes and get feedback! ぜひやってみてください～
Date: Monday, November 30th, and again on Thursday, December 3rd , starting at 19:30.
Led by experienced PSG volunteers, these sessions will give an overview of the active listening techniques our volunteers are trained to use. Topics will include: Open-ended questioning, effective use of silence, framing suggestions to maximize the likelihood of follow-through, minimal encouragers, and verbal contracting. There will also be a chance to do some of the exercises from volunteer training, and participate in some extended role-plays. While these sessions are essentially ripped right out of our volunteer training program, we hope that it may prove useful in some PA Counseling situations, as well as give you a taste of what we do every night on the line.
If you are interested in joining either of these sessions, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Lynne Francis, at ajetpsg.vc@gmail.com. Also, if neither of those dates work for you but you’d still like to participate, let Lynne know. We want anyone who is interested to be able to take part, and we would certainly be inclined to add more sessions if necessary to make that happen.
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Post by CaptainSeery on Nov 9, 2015 11:39:27 GMT 9
100% unrelated, but I know Lynne and I had no idea she was on PSG, so it was really weird to see her name pop up here.
Also, is this only for PAs?
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Post by songbanana on Nov 13, 2015 10:08:26 GMT 9
100% unrelated, but I know Lynne and I had no idea she was on PSG, so it was really weird to see her name pop up here. Also, is this only for PAs? Yeah they're pretty secretive about who is involved because the people answering the phones are also anonymous. Although volunteer coordinator, etc. is public obviously. I believe it's intended for PAs, but since the workshop is free, you could contact them and ask if you could participate anyway! I'd imagine they'd probably be OK with it...? |
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Post by CaptainSeery on Nov 13, 2015 10:21:54 GMT 9
Eh, the dates aren't great for me anyway...
Read: I'm lazy.
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Post by dosanko on Jan 28, 2016 9:49:37 GMT 9
Hello my lovely PA 仲間, What do you do for reference letters? I know shachou used to write them for her ALTs but can anyone (or shachou) tell me whose name she/you wrote it under? I have JETs asking me whether they can get the letter written in Japanese and then translated. I can translate the letters with no problem, but at the same time I just think it's best to just have it written in English to start with, because whatever company/university they're applying for would only see the English version anyway, right? Or is it better if the original Japanese version is written by their 教育長 or their 校長, then submitted with my translation? Any inputs would be appreciated, thanks! |
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Post by BlueKat on Jan 28, 2016 10:29:20 GMT 9
I don't know so this is just my gut feeling, but if someone is comfortable writing one in English (as I would assume most JTEs and such that ALTs would be asking for recommendations would be) then it would be best to just have them write it in English and use the original letter.
Of course if there's someone more comfortable writing one in Japanese I think it would probably be OK to include an English translation as long as the original letter was also enclosed.
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Post by songbanana on Jan 28, 2016 14:14:43 GMT 9
I agree with bluekat.
Another issue that's come up is if it should be from the 校長 or from a direct supervisor/someone who knows them well, like a JTE. Japan wants it to be the 所属長 but personally I also want one from my 室長 because he has seen my work and can speak to it better (and in English), so I would encourage people to treat that on a case-by-case basis.
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Post by dosanko on Jan 28, 2016 15:11:34 GMT 9
I agree with bluekat. Another issue that's come up is if it should be from the 校長 or from a direct supervisor/someone who knows them well, like a JTE. Japan wants it to be the 所属長 but personally I also want one from my 室長 because he has seen my work and can speak to it better (and in English), so I would encourage people to treat that on a case-by-case basis. Yeah this comes up too, but I feel like it should be written under 校長's name or people of higher position as possible, because I feel like that just makes it more accredited? And the contents can be decided upon via discussion between the 校長 and JTE/people who's seen the work closely? |
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Post by CaptainSeery on Jan 28, 2016 15:20:10 GMT 9
I agree with bluekat. Another issue that's come up is if it should be from the 校長 or from a direct supervisor/someone who knows them well, like a JTE. Japan wants it to be the 所属長 but personally I also want one from my 室長 because he has seen my work and can speak to it better (and in English), so I would encourage people to treat that on a case-by-case basis. Yeah this comes up too, but I feel like it should be written under 校長's name or people of higher position as possible, because I feel like that just makes it more accredited? And the contents can be decided upon via discussion between the 校長 and JTE/people who's seen the work closely? That's always a tricky question. On the one hand, it's impressive if it's from a highly-ranked person. On the other hand, they're much less likely to know anything about their quality of work. I know of 校長s who have given completely inexplicable bad reviews to ALTs when they've never even see them in the classroom to know how their teaching is, and every other school has given them a stellar review. My personal feeling if I were to be looking at hires (or grad school acceptance, or whatever) would be that while a highly-ranked person is impressive, it's much more important to get the opinions of someone who actually knows the person. I know that my old supervisor writes letters of recommendation herself, but then puts the 教育長's name on it. So that's an option. She gets them translated by a gyosha, I think - it's the one thing she didn't want me to translate because of confidentiality reasons and potential bias since I also know the person in question. |
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Post by ザ・penguin54 on Jan 28, 2016 15:38:16 GMT 9
Yeah was going to say, can't you just ghostwrite it in the principal's name?
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Post by dosanko on Jan 28, 2016 15:48:09 GMT 9
Yeah was going to say, can't you just ghostwrite it in the principal's name? That was pretty much what I wanted to say with So I guess that works fine, huh? |
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Post by songbanana on Jan 28, 2016 16:48:58 GMT 9
Yeah I think that is the best way to go in-between, but depending on the situation, especially a western place might look more favorably on what a coworker/direct supervisor says vs. a distant supervisor. Just going on what my dad said, he's a recruiter. But obvi ESID
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Post by ザ・penguin54 on Jan 28, 2016 17:00:58 GMT 9
Yeah was going to say, can't you just ghostwrite it in the principal's name? That was pretty much what I wanted to say with So I guess that works fine, huh? Right, I was agreeing (just to clarify) haha. Though I have no idea whether Western employers would prefer direct supervisor vs. principal/superintendent. |
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But really it's because like you, I want to be cautious to avoid people misunderstanding things or being disappointed.
I joke on here a bit about being a Marge Simpson or a Boo Radley, but at the same time I don't want people to think I'm an antisocial grump because PAs need to be approachable and hulemdoly. (That said, I haven't been to an AJET event since the welcome party... oops, haha. They always clash with plans I already have!)
;;
