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ecocks
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 899
Location: Gdansk, Poland
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 Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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So, wouldn't you roll the futon on the floor during the summer and use the upper level for storage?
It does seem like they engineer interesting ways to utilize the space they do have. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 12:53 am Post subject: |
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| ecocks wrote: |
| I don't mind kids so much as long as they really want to be there. |
No one ever said kids want to go to any learning event, and the same is in Japan. They end up learning to like it, or they don't. Lots of patience here, as you'll learn.
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| I particularly enjoyed working with the kids wanting to do well on TEOFL, GMAT, SAT and mastering academic writing as they pursued scholarships. |
You might be in for a shock in Japan.
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| Speaking of which, what are some forums for expat networking over there? |
Look at the various ETJ forums on the Yahoo discussion groups for starters. |
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ecocks
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 899
Location: Gdansk, Poland
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 1:51 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| ecocks wrote: |
| I don't mind kids so much as long as they really want to be there. |
No one ever said kids want to go to any learning event, and the same is in Japan. They end up learning to like it, or they don't. Lots of patience here, as you'll learn.
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| I particularly enjoyed working with the kids wanting to do well on TOEFL, GMAT, SAT and mastering academic writing as they pursued scholarships. |
You might be in for a shock in Japan.
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| Speaking of which, what are some forums for expat networking over there? |
Look at the various ETJ forums on the Yahoo discussion groups for starters. |
Shock in which way?
You guys don't get motivated students? Or you get HIGHLY motivated ones?
I've had students go to Harvard and win full-ride scholarships to US schools and those were the best experiences in ESL so far (for me anyway). |
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pnksweater
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 173
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:23 am Post subject: |
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It sounds like teaching in Japan might crush your soul.
Certainly there are those golden few who are motivated and goal orientated. But the sheer glut of English education in Japan means that the majority of students are cramming for some test, or there because their parents (or the school) insist on it. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:46 am Post subject: |
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| ecocks wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| ecocks wrote: |
| I don't mind kids so much as long as they really want to be there. |
No one ever said kids want to go to any learning event, and the same is in Japan. They end up learning to like it, or they don't. Lots of patience here, as you'll learn.
| Quote: |
| I particularly enjoyed working with the kids wanting to do well on TOEFL, GMAT, SAT and mastering academic writing as they pursued scholarships. |
You might be in for a shock in Japan. |
Shock in which way?
You guys don't get motivated students? Or you get HIGHLY motivated ones?
I've had students go to Harvard and win full-ride scholarships to US schools and those were the best experiences in ESL so far (for me anyway). |
Well, in that case, all I can say is: welcome to the machine. To avoid crushing incidents, please check in your soul at the lobby. |
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ecocks
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 899
Location: Gdansk, Poland
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:31 am Post subject: |
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| Pitarou wrote: |
| ecocks wrote: |
| Glenski wrote: |
| ecocks wrote: |
| I don't mind kids so much as long as they really want to be there. |
No one ever said kids want to go to any learning event, and the same is in Japan. They end up learning to like it, or they don't. Lots of patience here, as you'll learn.
| Quote: |
| I particularly enjoyed working with the kids wanting to do well on TOEFL, GMAT, SAT and mastering academic writing as they pursued scholarships. |
You might be in for a shock in Japan. |
Shock in which way?
You guys don't get motivated students? Or you get HIGHLY motivated ones?
I've had students go to Harvard and win full-ride scholarships to US schools and those were the best experiences in ESL so far (for me anyway). |
Well, in that case, all I can say is: welcome to the machine. To avoid crushing incidents, please check in your soul at the lobby. |
LOL, everyone seems to think that their place is so much different than anywhere else.
Just stated my preferences. Guess I'll be disappointed and destroyed if there aren't blue curtains and matching comforter on the little rabbit hutch bed lofty thingy....
They can't be any worse than Ukrainian students.
Contract negotiations and commitments can't be any more screwed up nor visa processes more onerous than Ukraine either.
IF I pursue something there, I'll live. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:37 am Post subject: |
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| ecocks wrote: |
| Contract negotiations and commitments can't be any more screwed up nor visa processes more onerous than Ukraine either. |
Well, if you put it that way, you'll be fine. Visas and contracts aren't a huge issue here. Once you've got that first visa, you'll be fine.
Last edited by Pitarou on Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:40 am; edited 1 time in total |
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OneJoelFifty
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 463
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:39 am Post subject: |
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| ecocks wrote: |
LOL, everyone seems to think that their place is so much different than anywhere else.
Just stated my preferences. Guess I'll be disappointed and destroyed if there aren't blue curtains and matching comforter on the little rabbit hutch bed lofty thingy....
They can't be any worse than Ukrainian students.
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Well the picture you've painted of your experiences so far is very different to the experience in Japan, hence we'd think it a bit different. |
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ecocks
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 899
Location: Gdansk, Poland
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:42 am Post subject: |
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| Pitarou wrote: |
| ecocks wrote: |
| Contract negotiations and commitments can't be any more screwed up nor visa processes more onerous than Ukraine either. |
Well, if you put it that way, you'll be fine. Visas and contracts aren't a huge issue here. Once you've got that first visa, you'll be fine. |
Exactly.
The details vary, some places have a worse visa regimen, others have students who either think an envelope or a date will get them a pass.
The overall experience has slight variations but from 40,000 feet it's not that much different, just a bit of grease here, some key money there, whatever..... |
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Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:49 am Post subject: |
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| ecocks wrote: |
| The overall experience has slight variations but from 40,000 feet it's not that much different, just a bit of grease here, some key money there, whatever..... |
Personally, I think with that attitude and a bit of experience, you should be able to find a halfway decent job after your first year (although definitions do 'decent' do, obviously, vary). |
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ecocks
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 899
Location: Gdansk, Poland
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Mr_Monkey wrote: |
| ecocks wrote: |
| The overall experience has slight variations but from 40,000 feet it's not that much different, just a bit of grease here, some key money there, whatever..... |
Personally, I think with that attitude and a bit of experience, you should be able to find a halfway decent job after your first year (although definitions do 'decent' do, obviously, vary). |
The key part always seems to be breaking in with that first job, hence we come here and ask questions.
There is some good info here and I appreciate the perspectives. Nothing so far seems significantly different except for the inclusion of children in their system versus Eastern Europe where they keep thinking they can use local teachers and 1950's era Brit materials to try to teach English in the schools.
I am curious how private students work. As much as I loved Glen's description of continuous work schedules, one drawback I'm seeing with the set afternoon to evening shifts would involve establishing your private practice students.
Because I had a University position the schedules tended to be four 3 hour class meetings a week so I mixed in a couple of freelance contract mornings for 90 minute corporate gigs to make my weekly outside schedule. That way I could offer 4-5 students a 60 or 90 minute session on Saturday or Sunday with a weeknight session for a two lesson a week arrangement at my apartment. This got me adults (even working adults) and university prep students. A couple even wanted extreme early AM weekday sessions before going to work or would come start as late as 9:00 at night. I'd keep coffee and tea ready for a soft, conversational break during the session to help both of us fight fatigue.
If the kids are in school and you go for adults/university level students/late teens it would seem the only schedule option would be your two days off since your evenings are booked. Is this the way those of you set yours up or is it feasible to establish early/mid-morning appointments?
Anyone with what they consider a successful or thriving private student arrangement care to relate how they built up their schedule and system? Any reflection on changes from what I described would be appreciated.
Also, I just want to understand something that gets referenced by several people in passing. I get Eikaiwas, ALTs, JET and such, even picked up hagwons in the discussions, but what are the "dispatch" companies referred to in some posts? |
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Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:51 pm Post subject: |
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ALTs are the teachers sent to schools by the dispatchers.
ALT = Assistant Language Teacher. |
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ecocks
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 899
Location: Gdansk, Poland
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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So, a "dispatch company" sends the ALTs out to their assignments? Do they shift them much ot stay fairly static?
Just curious. |
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pnksweater
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 173
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 12:18 am Post subject: |
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Dispatch is something I�d advise you avoid as much as possible. If you go the ALT route, you might have no choice since dispatch companies are the ones that hire abroad. However, it�s the kind of job most people leave the second something better shows up.
Kids can�t really be avoided in Japan, unless you have the connections or qualifications to land a university job or the ever rarer business English class. Like others have stated, Japanese university students don�t always measure up to our ideas of maturity.
ALT jobs will put you in with junior high, high school and, more and more, elementary schools. Even if you stick with conversation schools (eikaiwa), you�ll get stuck with a lot of kids. And by kids I mean everything from high school students to 18 month old babies. I kid you not. Children are the area of growth in the market these days, especially since English was added as a required subject in elementary school. |
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Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
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| Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 3:15 am Post subject: |
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I'm not so sure that kids can't be avoided in Japan; off the top of my head I can count six eikaiwas that focus on adult learners in Fukuoka city. I'm sure there are more.
Schools that will sponsor a visa, however, might be a different story. |
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