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victory7
Joined: 22 Mar 2016
Posts: 68
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 Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 4:09 pm Post subject: Re: Attitude adjustment: FRIEND PRICES! |
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| taffer wrote: |
In interviews with candidates in my former job hiring for a medium scale eikaiwa, it was rare to hear much in the motivation department beyond the self absorbed: I love J language/ manga/ anime/ cosplay/ J-pop/ ninjas/ samurais/ Hello Kitty or Kyary worship. Urge to tour these Daisos and Don Quixotes I keep hearin' about, until I drop...or, I want to expand my horizons, or, money/ student loan issues, or, I have friends or a girlfriend or a cousin there. I am a bi-polar, stinking drunk slash prescription or otherwise drug addled freak who needs to get out of Dodge...
Every response under the sun EXCEPT the very obscure: I feel inspired to DO something with my life which will inspire others. I want to break out of my little (Nationality) box and learn what other people in this world can teach me. I am HUNGRY to TEACH someone something and I think I MIGHT just be able or even GOOD AT relaying my language to a Japanese person. I have heard that Japan demands a higher level of dedication in the workplace and, yes, just about every other aspect of life and i would like to know more about that- verify that...I yearn for a life more challenging than the one I am currently living here in Joberg, Philadelphia, Kamloops, Cardiff, Melbourne, Budapest, or Manila. Then there's always, (yet so rarely actually heard), I have spent quite a bit of time abroad teaching, training/ certing up every chance i could get, and feel I am quite possibly ready for the highly competitive TEFL opportunities Japan offers.
Motivation. If it is off, YOU will go off. The rails, your expiry date, your rocker, or the reservation entirely.
Point? Who on earth has been afforded this key to travel, make money and share, LOVE and LIVE like we ALL have? Who indeed. Hello, Liz, btw. Been a while. |
I like your overall attitude taffer but I have bolded the sentences that I think I (and others) can justifiably take issue with. Re 1) I don't mean to be rude but such qualified people should not have been even seeking employment with a mid level eikaiwa company - you said you worked for one. I doubt such qualified people would have been working to obtain such qualifications only to end up working at Nova, Geos, ECC, Berlitz or wherever.
And the 'highly competitive TEFL opportunities Japan offers' - since when? The Japanese EFL/ESL industry has never been a highly competitive one. When I first came to Japan, some of the least qualified people I have ever met got lucky and landed university gigs through friends and other connections. The fact that some of them became qualified and are now deciding who is qualified to teach a few hours per week in a part time gig at university or college is down to their initial luck at getting the position.
The majority of decent jobs then and now are minimal and often were locked in more than 12 yrs ago when there were less native English speakers around. And the standard teaching jobs on offer then and now fall far below 'competitive' in terms of quality and pay.
2) I like your enthusiasm but plenty of people have travelled and worked in foreign countries, often for more money and better career paths than in Japan. If you were lucky enough to be born in the EU you have always had the far easier path to employment and travel. And yes Japan and other Asian countries have given opportunities to native English speakers but having observed all this and been part of it for some time, we are not necessarily being given a great favour.
We contribute to the taxation systems, are taxed as Permanent Residents after 5 out of the last 10 years lived in Japan yet have no PR legal rights unless we jump through the hoops for PR and there are many rejections. We need to meet educational and other standards. So we should but to portray working in Japan as some wonderful privilege is a little misguided. It is a case of demand and supply much as I think Japan is mostly a great place to live for a certain period of time and much as I love teaching. |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 11:10 pm Post subject: |
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Victory7 bolded some points in Taffer's post
| Quote: |
| I have spent quite a bit of time abroad teaching, training/ certing up every chance i could get, and feel I am quite possibly ready for the highly competitive TEFL opportunities Japan offers. |
Some well-prepared teachers start in eikaiwa or ALT jobs to get their foot in the door. I did it, too, starting my second stint (post JET Program, with TESOL and years of experience) through a recruiter for a hakken job. I've met quite a few people who worked their way into challenging positions with international programs.
Is TESOL competitive here? I think it is challenging, and provides interesting opportunities, but it isn't competitive. From my own experience working with a placement company interviewing prospective teachers, I saw a lack of well-prepared teachers. We had a struggle finding experienced, skilled people for schools demanding TESOL, Japanese language skills and ELT specialties (composition, test preparation, etc.).
| Quote: |
| Point? Who on earth has been afforded this key to travel, make money and share, LOVE and LIVE like we ALL have? Who indeed. |
Taffer, are you referring to TESOL as a vehicle to travel the world? I got that impression from your post.
While working in ESL schools in my home town, I met teachers who had extensive international experience. Of course, their work is precarious, with limited contracts in shifting markets, but they had amazing tales to tell and shared wisdom gained by having lived and worked in other cultures. |
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