Job Discussion Forums

She · Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 6

I am Taiwanese born but grew up abroad so I am a native speaker (hold dual passports). Just turned 20, will be finishing my BA in 2 months and will be undertaking a Grad Cert in TESOL in the month following that.

What are my chances of finding work in Japan (my concern is that I gues I'm a bit young and also because i am asian)

Also, how much would I expect to get paid? (entry level with no previous teaching experience)

(am thinking of around Tokyo as I have an aunt I can stay with)

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

She(eeeze)!

You are 19 and you have a BA? Good one!

You sound like a candidate for the JET program, look into that. Young and inexperienced are good. Being Asian rocks, too.

Outside the JET set, being Asian might be a disadvantage but nothing that drive and determination couldn't overcome. Tokyo is a tough nut to crack though; unfriendly, crowded, small minds, etc.

Good luck!

stillnosheep · Joined: 01 Mar 2004 Posts: 2068 Location: eslcafe

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Maybe an alternative would be to just come, move in with your aunt and then look for a job with a smaller school nearby.

Network around a bit and you should find a job fairly quickly. You have a huge advantage as you already have a place to stay.

She · Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 6

thanks for your responses everyone

i've been looking at the JET website and the programme sounds really good

but it also sounds quite difficult to be accepted into Confused

is this true?

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

It is competitive, but you sound like a perfect candidate for it. They seem to love people fresh out of university.

You wouldn't be able to start until next August though.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Only the whole people have a positive experience but I have posted some links from JETs that may present the less 'rosy' side of the JET program. Check the two links at the bottom of the page

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=14179&start=15

stillnosheep · Joined: 01 Mar 2004 Posts: 2068 Location: eslcafe

Eleckid · Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts: 102 Location: Aichi, Japan

Hi She,

In reply to your original post -- I'm an asian. I was born in HK but was raised in Canada. I graduated from university in June with a B.Sc., got my TESOL cert in May, & I got my job for Japan in August. I then came to Japan in Sept. So I think it's not that hard to find a teaching position in Japan as an asian who just graduated from university. btw my school is a small eikaiwa.

It is true (from my exp at least) that it'll be a little more tough finding a job in Japan, cuz some schools do look at appearance first. I think it's a matter of luck (posting your coverletter at the right time), & show them that you can provide more than just teaching Eng. You'll also need some strong education or exp to support you (ex. tesol cert, major & relevent exp, or a really impressive resume). There are still some schools out there who thinks that if you're asian, then most likely your first language is not eng. This is not true, of course. A lot of schools now wants a variety of teachers from dif backgrounds, & most Japanese are opened to accept asians as being a native eng speaker, so I wouldn't really worry much about it.

Most schools which are opened enough to hire asian teachers will most likely hire only one. My boss told me that "I think hiring one asian teacher is enough. I also think that hiring one black teacher is enough as well." That kinda made me upset...but I couldn't do anything about it. I think it's a little harder to find a job in Tokyo, cuz a lot more ppl wanna teach there, so it's gonna be more competitive & schools will have more candidates to choose from. Most asians who I know (who are teaching eng here), went to smaller cities or suburbs or more rural area to teach. For sure there's gonna be discriminations, esp some adult students who comes to eng schools just to talk with "westerners". I've had a couple of those students, & they simply changed classes. But I tried to understand them...I mean, ok, if you were really serious about learning Japanese, & you're paying a lot of money to learn at a Japanese school, would you want a non-asian who was not born in Japan teaching you Japanese or a real Japanese who came from Japan? From 1st impression, which of the teacher would you think is better at Japanese or who is a native Japanese speaker? Most asian countries discriminate other asians, so I think HK or Japan is already pretty good. I've had email replies from some schools in Korea that said "sorry, we're only looking for white ppl." That kinda pissed me off, but that's reality. Keep posting your coverletters on the net, I'm sure you will find a job which you like.

My basic pay for the 1st 3 months was 250,000yen/month (before tax deduction). They pay you the same no matter what race you are. (this is not true for taiwan schools, my friends who are teaching there told me that their salary was lower cuz they are not "westerners"...kinda bad...again, I can be wrong cuz I've never taught there).

All in all, it's not really the appearance that counts, your passion for teaching is the most important! Very Happy

My boss said that the best teacher who ever taught in our school was a Taiwanese girl from Canada! Be patient & I'm sure you'll find a good job~ good luck!