Job Discussion Forums

mfuechec · Joined: 09 Feb 2010 Posts: 16

Hi,
I'm looking into getting a job in Japan, hopefully starting aroundish CNY. I have 1.5 years experience experience in Taiwan and 10 months in Vietnam. But I also have about a months experience teaching Vietnamese public school English teachers FCE test prep.
I found that to be a pretty challenging and rewarding job and I'm interested in working in teacher training more.
My questions are:

-Will that experience be viewed as anything significant when I look for a job in Japan?
-Any ideas where I could find a job like that?
-Should I consider a job recruiter?

fluffyhamster · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 5:50 pm Post subject:

You don't mention qualifications, but assuming you have a degree and a TEFL cert of some kind, your experience qualifies you for a cuppa at Starbucks after the day's entry-level work (eikaiwa/private language school, AET dispatch, possibly JET) along with everyone else. Smile

I'm not sure how your FCE coaching will be viewed (especially if you hope and push to do similar in Japan), as not all the Japanese Teachers of English that I've worked with have been open to learning anything, even when it's they who broached a question (that they often had already decided the answer to, even if that answer was incorrect). You can lead a horse to water...

OneJoelFifty · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 463

I'd say your best bet would be a position with a dispatch company. You'd likely have to put in a year or two of work in public schools, and if you're good you might be able to climb the ladder within the company a little, towards some kind of training role. I wouldn't count on it though. Also, my limited experience with foreign teacher training in Japan is that it's as much about the unique situations in Japanese schools as it is about actual teaching skills.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:01 am Post subject:

I once interviewed with an eikaiwa based in Minato-ku that was branching out into AET dispatch work in Chiba. When I showed them some of the materials I'd created, and explained a little about my approach to teaching, they asked if in addition to the AET job I'd be interested in developing some workshops to help train their AETs. I had to say no to the job generally for several reasons:

1) The low pro-rated pay (similar jobs had paid an average of only 160K per month, no pay during school holidays, been difficult to get absolutely any time off from, etc)
2) The very probable lack of interest and even resentment from most AETs (see 1) regarding training, esp. if during "holidays"
3) I didn't particularly want to work in Kashiwa (I'd worked in neighbouring Nagareyama for a year), let alone potentially beyond that city.

I don't see teacher training as a particularly rewarding area, at least not in Japan LOL. You can have some good online discussions, but that's probably about it. Sure, there's stuff like AJALT (if you're that interested in literally paying the profession's membership dues yet further), but that's not really connected enough to one's day job ultimately.

mfuechec · Joined: 09 Feb 2010 Posts: 16

Alright, thanks for the information guys. Any thoughts on using a recruiter? Reach to teach got me my job in Taiwan. I do have a degree and tefl btw.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 4:37 am Post subject:

I've never found it necessary to use a recruiter, so I'm afraid I can't help you out with that one, Mfuechec!

marley'sghost · Joined: 04 Oct 2010 Posts: 255

HLJHLJ · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 1218 Location: Ecuador

FCE exam prep isn't teacher training, it's exam prep. Your class just happened to be teachers. If you seriously want to get into teacher training you need to improve your qualifications, e.g. DELTA, MA and get a lot more experience under your belt. Although neither will help you much in Japan.