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Waygeek
Joined: 15 Jun 2013
Posts: 30
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 Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 9:51 am Post subject: From teaching in Korea to teaching in Japan. |
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Two months into a re-sign here in Korea, I've been told that my school can no longer afford me. There was a lot of back and forth prior to re-signing because they really didn't want to pay the average for a teacher with one years experience but they ended up signing because they didn't find anyone else suitable. Well, apparently they've now found someone cheaper so I'm out the door!
I'm sad about this because I'll miss my kids but I've always felt things happen for a reason. I'm just back from a week in Tokyo and I really loved it, and had been considering making the move next year after my second year here in Korea finished. Looks like I'll be free a little sooner than that though, and will be looking for something that starts in September. I have two questions.
1. Is September a good time for starting teaching jobs or an awful one?
2. I've heard a lot of talk of Japanese schools looking down on Korean education (Only #2 worldwide????  ) and therefore don't really rate any experience a teacher who has been working here might have. Is this true? I'll be teaching 15 months by the time I finish here, and I think that definitely should be taken into consideration. Every country has good kids, bad kids, disinterested kids, and if you've lasted over a year somewhere and been re-signed (temporarily ) in the same school, surely that is an indication that you are a suitable and professional teacher?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. This really came out of the blue.  |
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rich45
Joined: 26 Jan 2006
Posts: 127
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| Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 12:05 pm Post subject: Re: From teaching in Korea to teaching in Japan. |
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| Waygeek wrote: |
Two months into a re-sign here in Korea, I've been told that my school can no longer afford me. There was a lot of back and forth prior to re-signing because they really didn't want to pay the average for a teacher with one years experience but they ended up signing because they didn't find anyone else suitable. Well, apparently they've now found someone cheaper so I'm out the door!
I'm sad about this because I'll miss my kids but I've always felt things happen for a reason. I'm just back from a week in Tokyo and I really loved it, and had been considering making the move next year after my second year here in Korea finished. Looks like I'll be free a little sooner than that though, and will be looking for something that starts in September. I have two questions.
1. Is September a good time for starting teaching jobs or an awful one?
2. I've heard a lot of talk of Japanese schools looking down on Korean education (Only #2 worldwide???? ) and therefore don't really rate any experience a teacher who has been working here might have. Is this true? I'll be teaching 15 months by the time I finish here, and I think that definitely should be taken into consideration. Every country has good kids, bad kids, disinterested kids, and if you've lasted over a year somewhere and been re-signed (temporarily ) in the same school, surely that is an indication that you are a suitable and professional teacher?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. This really came out of the blue. |
Similar story to me, although I quit during my second year by choice and subsequently left at the 18 month mark (just after the point of not having to repay my airfare ).
I used to be pretty down after visiting Japan on weekends, and returning to Korea, so I eventually started applying for jobs here. Within a week, I had been offered a job where they definitely looked favorably on my Korean experience. I think it is a myth that Japanese employers don't take into account Korean experience. Indeed, many newcomers here have zero experience, so you have one-up over those employees.
Good luck! |
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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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| Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 3:41 pm Post subject: Re: From teaching in Korea to teaching in Japan. |
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| rich45 wrote: |
| Waygeek wrote: |
Two months into a re-sign here in Korea, I've been told that my school can no longer afford me. There was a lot of back and forth prior to re-signing because they really didn't want to pay the average for a teacher with one years experience but they ended up signing because they didn't find anyone else suitable. Well, apparently they've now found someone cheaper so I'm out the door!
I'm sad about this because I'll miss my kids but I've always felt things happen for a reason. I'm just back from a week in Tokyo and I really loved it, and had been considering making the move next year after my second year here in Korea finished. Looks like I'll be free a little sooner than that though, and will be looking for something that starts in September. I have two questions.
1. Is September a good time for starting teaching jobs or an awful one?
2. I've heard a lot of talk of Japanese schools looking down on Korean education (Only #2 worldwide???? ) and therefore don't really rate any experience a teacher who has been working here might have. Is this true? I'll be teaching 15 months by the time I finish here, and I think that definitely should be taken into consideration. Every country has good kids, bad kids, disinterested kids, and if you've lasted over a year somewhere and been re-signed (temporarily ) in the same school, surely that is an indication that you are a suitable and professional teacher?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. This really came out of the blue. |
Similar story to me, although I quit during my second year by choice and subsequently left at the 18 month mark (just after the point of not having to repay my airfare ).
I used to be pretty down after visiting Japan on weekends, and returning to Korea, so I eventually started applying for jobs here. Within a week, I had been offered a job where they definitely looked favorably on my Korean experience. I think it is a myth that Japanese employers don't take into account Korean experience. Indeed, many newcomers here have zero experience, so you have one-up over those employees.
Good luck! |
Similar story to me, too. I taught a bit in Korea (doing my CELTA there) and >1.5 years in Taiwan prior to coming to Japan (in 2011). I had a job interview on my first full day in Japan, and landed my current job within only 12 days of arriving in Japan.
I have worked in Mie-ken at that job for nearly 2.5 years. Finally, I decided it was time to move closer to Tokyo (my teaching hours and workdays are creeping up, but my pay isn't, and I want to live near Tokyo), so I did another job hunt starting on June 1, and had a job offer before the end of June.
In fact, I have met a number of people in Japan (both Japanese and foreign, including one Japanese doctor) who believe that Korea has a higher English level than Japan (technically, Korea's TOEIC average score is slightly higher, but I think the difference in ability levels is barely noticeable)!
My point here is that experience in other Asian countries is generally NOT looked down on. It is not a detractor. DO NOT delete it from your resume as some Internet trolls would suggest! Japanese employers considering experience in other Asian countries a "stigma" is a rumor concocted by the "good ol' boys" (i.e. entrenched western English teachers who got here before you did) to keep teachers from fleeing Korea/wherever and "stealing their jobs" in Japan.
As you have probably noticed by now, many English teachers in Japan present on Internet forums are very unfriendly to people who want to come and teach here, and will stretch the truth. They'll claim that...
...experience outside of Japan is not only worthless, but a detractor, to be deleted from your resume...
...it's nearly impossible to find jobs here...
...that Japanese employers will not hire anyone except the purple squirrel...
...greatly exaggerate start-up costs (hint: no foreign teacher arriving in Japan absolutely has to pay key money or gift money, seeing as how there are gaijin houses in every major city)...
...greatly exaggerate the cost of living...
...greatly exaggerate the number of jobs that pay the 180,000 yen per month minimum wage (hint: most of those jobs go out to Filipinos or Ghanaians, Working Holiday holders without degrees, or the suspicious 50-year-old man with the mermaid tattoo, not you or I)...
...etc. |
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Kitkat Biriyani
Joined: 10 Jul 2013
Posts: 51
Location: New Venkatanarasimharajuvaripea, Missouri, USA, Q!Q!QQQ!!!
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| Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 4:17 pm Post subject: where's nobski - a pleasant period of civility... ;-) |
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As you have probably noticed by now, many English teachers in Japan present on Internet forums are very unfriendly to people who want to come and teach here, and will stretch the truth. They'll claim that it's nearly impossible to find jobs here, that Japanese employers will not hire anyone except the purple squirrel, greatly exaggerate start-up costs (hint: no foreign teacher arriving in Japan absolutely has to pay key money or gift money), greatly exaggerate the cost of living, greatly exaggerate the number of jobs that pay the 180,000 yen per month minimum wage (hint: most of those jobs go out to Filipinos or Ghanians, not you or I), etc.[/quote]
haha very good/could not agree more.....you forgot condescending txxxs....ohhh how i wish i was as good as them with all my publications which ARE NOT necessary to work full-time at universities..
English teacher
Jouchi/Sophia University University
MA Japanese/RSA CELTA
NO PUBLICATIONS and don't intend on starting....
ohhh...forgot to say if you're not as wonderful, fantastic, amazing, and as qualified, professional and competent an instructor as me, with a stack of publications, then all you will get......and deserve, is the 160,000 yen alt/eikaiwa jobs - with 20 years of hard work, you could one day be as patronising and condescending as me 
Good luck to all in japan....it's a fantastic place to live/work and to build up 'a career'..and go for your plans/don't be put off by others here...if need be, think outside of educational establishments in japan, where people need english and speculatively apply directly.....schools and universities are not the only places..... |
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nightsintodreams
Joined: 18 May 2010
Posts: 558
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| Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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| ^couldnt agree more^ |
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Waygeek
Joined: 15 Jun 2013
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 12:31 am Post subject: |
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Cheers guys, very encouraging.  Yeah we have some bad crowds here in Korea too, best to just ignore em.  Is September a good time to be looking for jobs in Japan or is it in the middle of a term? The International jobs section on Daves is really light on jobs in Japan it seems... |
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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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| Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 1:45 am Post subject: |
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| Waygeek wrote: |
| Cheers guys, very encouraging. Yeah we have some bad crowds here in Korea too, best to just ignore em. Is September a good time to be looking for jobs in Japan or is it in the middle of a term? The International jobs section on Daves is really light on jobs in Japan it seems... |
September isn't the best time to look, to be honest. The best time to look is February to March, because there are lots of ALT (Assistant Language Teacher [in schools]) jobs that will start at the beginning of April. There is a minor surge in ALT hiring for September starts, too (I'm starting a new job on 9/2), because early September is when the summer vacation ends and a new term starts, but I think that if you arrive in September, you'll be missing this minor hiring surge. Eikaiwa (more or less the equivalent of hagwon) hire year-round, though.
So...there's a good chance you could still land something even out of season (probably eikaiwa), but if you want the best chances, I'd recommend holding off until at least February and then flying over.
MOD EDIT Remember, Japan is actually a very long country (thousands of kilometers from tip to tip), so many of the jobs are advertised on local job boards like Kansai Scene and Kansai Flea Market (for the Kansai Region only), or other job boards depending on the region. It wouldn't make sense to advertise Hokkaido jobs, for instance, on a board with primarily Tokyo-based job hunters, since the two places are probably over 1,000 kilometers away from each other. |
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PhoenixSpirit
Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 20
Location: Russia
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| Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:08 am Post subject: |
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Just offering my two cents, I recently finished a year contract in Japan, and I have to say I absolutely loved my time teaching out there. I only left as I wanted to experience something new, but I'd definitely go back to Japan in the future.
It's an awesome country, and the people are always friendly and willing to help out, even if their English isn't all that great. So enjoy yourself. I found the peak times were recruiting (At least in my company) were for people to start in April, but we did hire the odd person in September. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 10:57 am Post subject: |
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| Oh yeah I get cranky a lot. Thing is on the other side, there are people with some insane expectations coming to japan. People wanting to meet anime characters. Some think economically it's the 80s still. Some come just to score chicks. So there is a balance here, as a lot of people come in some seriously wild expectations. |
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qwertyu2
Joined: 13 Mar 2012
Posts: 93
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| Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| Oh yeah I get cranky a lot. Thing is on the other side, there are people with some insane expectations coming to japan. People wanting to meet anime characters. Some think economically it's the 80s still. Some come just to score chicks. So there is a balance here, as a lot of people come in some seriously wild expectations. |
It is definitely a mixed bag. I'm sure teaching English in Japan is probably a better gig than many liberal arts graduates have to look forward to in their home countries. But it's not overly cynical to point out how entry-level job conditions are getting progressively worse. Personally, unless I had a burning desire to live in Japan, I would not want to start my TEFL career here. Too many young university grads fall into the conversation school trap: They make enough money to survive and experience Japan but wake up in their late 20s or early 30s and realize they haven't saved much money, haven't learned much Japanese, and haven't acquired skills necessary to find employment back home or even move into something better in TEFL. |
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Waygeek
Joined: 15 Jun 2013
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 4:55 am Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| Oh yeah I get cranky a lot. Thing is on the other side, there are people with some insane expectations coming to japan. People wanting to meet anime characters. Some think economically it's the 80s still. Some come just to score chicks. So there is a balance here, as a lot of people come in some seriously wild expectations. |
Yeah not into Anime myself so I'm not one of the wapanese Not really into asian chicks either... and on my recent week in Tokyo I definitely noticed that it doesn't seem to be in the glory days that I read about over the years. Still a really cool city though.
I wouldn't like to work or live in central Tokyo, I find it a little too busy. I did visit Ueno and loved it, could easily work or live out there. As long as I am on the fringes of the subway system I would be content; I'm not on the subway line here in Seoul and it's irritating.
So what are they biggest websites for looking for work in that area? And is there a really big gaijin forum somewhere that I can get more information from?
One thing that seems to be a spanner in the works is any jobs post on eslcafe seem to want a face to face interview in the states... but I'm in Korea. Are they open to applications from other countries? |
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Waygeek
Joined: 15 Jun 2013
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 1:52 am Post subject: |
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| Anyone? |
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Mr. Kalgukshi
Mod Team
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Posts: 6613
Location: Need to know basis only.
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| Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 2:46 am Post subject: |
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The following is found at the top of this forum:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=77549
Violations of the policy are always enforced.
This has just happened as a result of a posting on this thread.
Some things are off limits on this board. This is one of them. |
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Waygeek
Joined: 15 Jun 2013
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 1:53 am Post subject: |
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lol not sure what happened there but ok...
Anyone got info regarding my queries? Also, what is a decent wage for a teacher with one years experience living in or around the Tokyo area? |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 3:07 am Post subject: |
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It depends.
Maybe 300,000 yen.
If you are an ALT or work in eikaiwa you could get less.
I heard that Berlitz pays well. If you teach on Sundays or holidays, pay is higher.
Tokyo is an expensive place. I live in Kanagawa since Tokyo rent is too high for me. |
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