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Planning to teach in Japan
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dontcallme



Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 9:55 am    Post subject: Planning to teach in Japan Reply with quote
Hi all,

I taught English in Russia for two years before returning home to the UK to complete a degree in journalism.

In Moscow I taught classes of up to 6 students. The company taught business English.

I complete my degree this summer and hope to move to Japan to teach English. I would like to teach smaller classes and preferably adults.

I would like to teach in a city of large town but not Tokyo. In time I would like to get involved with a media company in Japan.

If anyone has any advice please reply.
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dontcallme



Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've only just started looking into teaching in Japan so I guess these are my primary concerns/questions:

1. Which cities/large towns would you recommend me to go to?
2. Which schools/programs would you recommend to someone who will have very little money on arrival?
3. Is arranging a job to start at the beginning of August in advance easy?

Anything else you wished you were aware of before arriving in Japan is most welcome.
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fat_chris



Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
dontcallme wrote:
2. Which schools/programs would you recommend to someone who will have very little money on arrival?


I'm going to beat every one else to this. It's not a good idea at all to come to Japan "with very little money on arrival". It's not a good idea at all.

Even if you got a job right away, you would need to cover at least that first month before your first paycheck came in. You would need to cover rent (with possible key money and deposit), cell phone (not cheap!), transportation, costs of buying new things to set up an apartment, etc. There are numerous expenses that I haven't even mentioned that will pop up in the first months when moving to Japan. "Very little money on arrival" in Japan is very stressful to say the least and dangerous at the very worst.

Please re-consider. I think it would be best to wait until you have an ample amount of money saved, then draft your Japan-entry plan. With an ample amount of money saved (US$4,000-5,000 or so may be the standard quoted amount), those first months would be easier. You will thank yourself if you heed this advice.

My recommendation is to put together a JET Programme application later this year in the Autumn (starting around September) and give it your best shot to try to get an ALT position for the Summer 2014 intake. The application for that intake would be due around the end of November, 2013.

http://www.jetprogramme.org

Warm regards,
fat_chris
(JET Programme ALT, Shizuoka Prefecture, 2007-2012)
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
dontcallme wrote:
I've only just started looking into teaching in Japan so I guess these are my primary concerns/questions:

1. Which cities/large towns would you recommend me to go to?
2. Which schools/programs would you recommend to someone who will have very little money on arrival?
3. Is arranging a job to start at the beginning of August in advance easy?

1. Any, depending on your tolerance for weather. The market is very full here, so beggars can't be choosers.

2. None. Don't come if you can't afford it.

3. No.

Quote:
Anything else you wished you were aware of before arriving in Japan is most welcome.
Read all the FAQs.
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qwertyu2



Joined: 13 Mar 2012
Posts: 93
PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 7:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
fat_chris wrote:
I'm going to beat every one else to this. It's not a good idea at all to come to Japan "with very little money on arrival". It's not a good idea at all ...

Please re-consider. I think it would be best to wait until you have an ample amount of money saved, then draft your Japan-entry plan. With an ample amount of money saved (US$4,000-5,000 or so may be the standard quoted amount), those first months would be easier. You will thank yourself if you heed this advice.

That is spot on. Before reading this post, I just quoted my minimum start up number at USD 5,000.
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dontcallme



Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 9:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the responses so far.

I should have around $3,000 US available to me on arrival though that includes an overdraft.

In Russia the only way to get a visa was to get a job beforehand unless you were willing to work under the counter, which I wasn't. Because it wasn't a popular country for westerners it was quite easy to find work. It was more a question of finding the right position for you.

I know Japan is a very popular country to teach English in and I was hoping that 2 years teaching experience and a degree would make me quite employable. I don't think I can hang around in the UK until the end of the calendar year to start the JET program.

I will search around and start applying for positions and take it from there.

Is it more normal to arrive in Japan and look for work once you get there?
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
In Russia the only way to get a visa was to get a job beforehand unless you were willing to work under the counter, which I wasn't.
Same in Japan.

Quote:
Because it wasn't a popular country for westerners it was quite easy to find work.
Japan IS a popular country, however, and it USED TO BE easy to find work.

Most JET ALTs apply for a Nov/Dec deadline with applications, interview in Feb and get told about jobs to start in August. So you have missed the opportunity to work in Japan for JET in 2013-14. There is a recent change which added some earlier starting dates, but I forget the timing. Look up the web site.

Yes, it's "normal" to come here and look for work, but timing is critical to minimizing your down time. Plus, the market in the last 5 years or so has become flooded with teachers and wannabes, so it is far more competitive now.

Two years of experience plus a degree are close to bare bones minimum experience here. Most people who just start out have zero experience. Also, the degree itself doesn't even have to be in a teaching or language field, which should tell you how seriously the employers here (don't) see teaching. Moreover, many hire on the basis of visa eligibility and personality, not credentials. Not sure how that works nowadays with the steep competition, though.

Quote:
I don't think I can hang around in the UK until the end of the calendar year to start the JET program.
What's the rush to come here?
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