Well, I decided to look up some horror stories on both and try to get an idea of how many from each group were actually satisfied. Obviously, I found that a majority of participants in JET and things like GEOS seemed to enjoy the experience.
When looking up the private horror stories, I found complaints of overwork, and being placed with mean co-workers. Blah blah, all normal complaints for nearly any job. I found similar complaints for JET...at first. Things like...underworked, non appreciation by teachers etc., but then I found more serious accusations. Students sexually harassing JETs while teachers looked on and laughed, students physically attacking JETs and teachers, and in rare cases, sexual assault. The most frightening thing about these stories was that the higher-ups in the JET (according to these complainers) did nothing about it, even leaving the participants in the same school.
So, here are my basic questions:
Which pays better? (I know that JET's base salary is more, but I notice that GEOS offers overtime, incentive pay, and also pays for health insurance)
Which has the best living conditions? (Which program would get me a DECENT place to live. And my family is pretty poor...so my standards aren't high.)
What kinds of students would I have? (I know JET goes to public schools, while other places have people pay them to learn English. Is there a huge difference in how the students behave?)
What kind of support do the offer? (If I'm having problems with students, such as being physically threatened or assaulted, what can I expect the organizations to do about it?)
Thanks in advance
