Pros
+ Can be trusted to pay and support you whilst in Japan. + Provides extensive training at the Tokyo branch. + A great support network. I always had someone (within the North Kanto branch) to phone or email, and replies would mostly come back the same day. + Hires multilingual ICs to help you get set up (shopping, buying a phone, setting up a bank account), and to take you to the doctors if you get ill. + Takes care of absolutely everything, such as arranging car maintenance checks. + Plenty of free time as an elementary school ALT. I left school at 4:00pm every day and had little to no work to do at home.
Cons
- The pay is too low. You only get partial pay during winter and summer. - You get paid for 29.5 hours a week even though you work much more (I was contracted 7:50am-4:00pm every day). This is so Interac do not have to give us free health insurance. - Too little communication between Interac and the schools led to confusion at some points. - In elementary schools you are expected to do all the planning and teaching after only a few days training. This was okay for me as I had taken a TEFL course but for others I spoke to it was very daunting. - There is no job security. If you sign up for a second year but Interac loses the contract to another dispatch company, you will lose your job, and you'll only be told this right at the last moment. - This is more due to Japanese workplace culture, but teachers will not provide feedback if you are doing anything wrong/badly. They will put up with it until you really mess up, and then will complain to Interac about you. - In elementary schools the job is more about making English fun, rather than actually teaching it properly. This is frustrating if you're a qualified teacher. - No benefits and no real job progression.