Pros
-Interaction with local culture, community.
-You gain insight into the Japanese public education system and experience teaching in a team-teaching format.
-you have an opportunity to share your cultural background (provided that students and teachers are receptive enough)
-they assist you with housing but don't subsidize
Cons
-you are caught in the middle of bidding wars between the BOE and the agency, meaning job security is very unstable. You may not have work in the following year if RCS loses out on a contract
-you are a contract worker at the mercy of the agency and BOE and have no autonomy; at times you may be underutilized and just asked to read lines of a paper see: English monkey
-RCS contracts are full of negative reinforcement that aim to punish and not reward
-RCS also takes a cut of your monthly salary for as long as you work there and all they do is set you up with a meeting
-jobs are situated mainly in saitama and rural areas which sometimes means a car is necessary (which RCS won't compensate you for)
-some contract schools can house some of the most rebellious, inattentive, indifferent students ever (especially middle school) meaning that getting students evenly remotely interested in English is a chore
-no workshops or professional development to improve or hone teaching skills
-aside from an odd phone call, you never hear from management so why continue taking a cut of the ALT's monthly salary