Job Discussion Forums

[clsmith]

Hi All,

I'm coming over to Japan in 19 days (yes, I'm counting) to teach with NOVA for a year. I've read the good, the bad and the indifferent opinions and experiences that are scattered throughout cyberspace but have decided that it will be what I make of it and it's just a job, not my life. Also every Aussie I've spoken to loved being over there and had no problems with NOVA so I hope I'm just as lucky. Anyway, the reason I'm coming over to Japan is to have a bit of a break after five years at University and to do something different before I settle down to a lifetime of Primary School teaching back home in Australia.

What I would like to know is if anyone knows what my chances might be at picking up some casual teaching work at an International School whilst I'm over here so that I can keep my hand in (so to speak) and get some experience teaching within a different school environment and with a different curriculum, either American or UK. I've got a four year Bachelor of Education (Primary) from the University of Melbourne and have been doing CRT (Casual Relief Teaching) work since School started this year (end of January). I'm not sure exactly whereabouts in Japan I will be yet (should find out by the end of next week) but I do know that I am flying in to Narita which places me either around Tokyo or elsewhere in Northern Japan. I requested a school that has more than the usual number of kids classes as that's what I do so I'm guessing (hoping) that I'll be in a more urban rather than rural area.

Any advice, hints, personal experience would be greatly appreciated, either about the International School thing or just coming over to Japan.

Cheers, Caroline.

[Glenski]

I believe international schools follow the same schedule as other mainstream schools here, which means you missed any major hiring time for the first of the year (April). Unless someone bails out on a contract, you probably won't find any work with them.

Moreover, most international schools that I have seen advertised seem to have a requirement of a teaching license from your home country. Doesn't look like you have that.

If you want to see what PT work is like in public schools, you might want to see what dispatch jobs are open for ALTs. I would think your schedule at NOVA would preclude anything like that, however, unless you like being worked to death.

[Doglover]

[easyasabc]

Caroline,

I'm back in Melbourne now but I taught primary school for a few years while I was in Japan. If you want to know anything in particular, PM me and we can probably get in touch easily here.

Re:

[clsmith]

Thanks for the support easyasabc.

Glenski I am guessing you are not from Australia as, for Victoria at least, you cannot teach Primary School without either a four year Bachelor of Education or a Bachelor plus a Bachelor of Teaching (minimum four years all up) and registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching which involves identity checks, police checks and professional referees. With my Bachelor of Education (Primary) and registration with the VIT I can teach anywhere in the world as a Primary School teacher.

For the person who asked whether I was able to teach other subjects such as Math and English, that is what I spent four years learning to do and have spent this year doing as a CRT. As a Primary School teacher in Victoria unless the school has a specific specialist teacher employed (and many schools can't afford the whole range of specialists) you are expected to teach everything under the sun from Maths to English and Science to Art. If it is a subject in the Curriculum and Standards Framework then you need to be willing and able to teach it. I wasn't expecting or wanting to teach ESL in an International School, I just want to be a teacher or at least assisting with the action so that I don't get rusty and also widen my experience if possible.

[Glenski]

[johanne]

To give you an idea of the international school market, I'll can tell you my story. I landed a job starting this August teaching Grade 1 at an international school in Yokohama. I've been teaching primary school in Vancouver for the last 5 years. I contacted 15 schools in and around Tokyo and 5 granted me interviews in January (I paid my own way out to Japan otherwise I don't think the interviews would have happened) and 3 places offered me jobs. The two jobs I turned down were a kindergarten and a multi-age class (Grade 1-3) which involved team teaching with two other teachers. The hiring season is definately over for full-time jobs. If you're interested in the future, most hiring is done in late January and early February for the school year starting late the following August. However, most schools do require at least 2 years of full time classroom teaching experience and ESL (i.e. NOVA) doesn't count, even if you're teaching kids. In fact the two jobs are quite different (I've done both) and it's quite reasonable, IMO, for schools to make this distinction. A couple of schools (the higher end, best paying, best benefits "elite" ones) I applied for e-mailed me to tell me they felt my 5 years weren't enough, especially as I didn't have international experience except for teaching ESL in Japan.

However, not to discourage you completely, it appears casual teaching is much easier to get as schools have a hard time finding enough substitute teachers. If you are on an evening schedule with NOVA this could be possible as most international schools finish at 3:30, at the latest. My advice would be for you to contact the international schools in the area where you'll be teaching, which hopefully will be Tokyo because otherwise there will only be one or two international schools in the area, and let them know you're coming and would be interested in talking to them about substitute teaching. If you don't get much of a response follow up when you are in Japan. Most international schools follow a North American school year which means they close mid June and classes don't start up again until September, but you would still have a month and a half to make a connection, get a shot and perhaps get on a casual teaching list for the next school year.

The following is a website I used for my job search which I found quite useful, especially as they had direct links to most of the schools listed.

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/%7Etc9w-ball/useful/schools.htm

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[Gordon]

Johanne,
That is a great link for anyone who wants information about int'l schools in Japan. I hope you enjoy your time in Yokohama.
Just curious, which schools did you find were asking for the highest qualifications, the "elite ones"?

[icesk8r]

I agree, that is a great link! Thanks. I just got back (to the US) from Japan last month after teaching EFL for almost 2.5 years, and I miss it terribly. After doing a teaching stint in Seoul this summer and then getting my Minnesota teaching license, I hope to be back in Japan in an international school in 2-3 years...

[theoldman]

I also came with NOVA three years ago with a teaching degree (high school)from Australia. After finishing my probation I began to look for extra work at high schools. As it turned out I was able to pick up two mornings a week at a private elementary school for about 6 months. This fitted in nicely with my afternoon starts at NOVA and got me some more experience on my resume.

Since then, I have gone from part-time work, to this year, being ful-time at a different elementary school. This work is quite well paid with what I feel is good security. This is not an international school but, a bi-lingual school that has established an immersion program.

What I am trying to say is, if you are motivated and proactive you can find these types of positions in the Kanto area. Read as many job sites as you can when you get here. Send resumes off and see what happens.

I am not advocating you do a runner on your NOVA contract, but use your first year to make contacts and test the waters.

[ocyrion]

Hey Caroline,

I finished a Bachelor of Teaching at Melbourne Uni last year, and I am currently living in Japan, near Tokyo. I've been working for Aeon for two months now.

I'm enjoying it here but the kids lessons add a whole extra dimension of difficulty to my schedule.

I can try to answer any questions that you might have.

Be prepared to have students misunderstand your Australian accent.

[LA Galaxy]

Is casual relief teaching the same as substitute teaching?

I have a teaching credential here in the states (teaching 4th grade). In order to get a full-time teaching position you for the most part need the credential which is 1 year of graduate work plus student teaching. TO be a substitute teacher here all you need is a bachelor's and pass a basic skills test. Of course you have to do a criminal background check and such for any teaching position. I guess I am just wondering if casual relief teaching is different than teaching with a credential.

By the way what is the pay for teaching full time at an international school?

[johanne]

I think casual relief teaching and substitute teaching are two names for the same thing - weather you need a teaching certificate for either depends on the school and how desperate they are for subs. I would say, though, that any longer term sub position would require a teaching certificate. Certainly any full time job at an accrediated international school does. The basic requirement is the certificate and 2 years classroom experience.
As for salary, when I did my job hunt the salaries quoted were between 4 million and 6 million yen a year, with those on the higher end often requiring more that the basic requirements (i.e. experience in other international schools or significantly more that 2 years of classroom experience). You do get credit for your years of teaching in your home country or at another international school, so it's possible to start at higher that those salaries if you had, for example 10 years of classroom teaching under your belt, as you would start up higher on the pay scale. Each year you also move up on "step" on the scale. Language school experience doesn't count at all, either for salary or for getting you the job.

You do get about 14 weeks of paid vacation for that salary, so even at the lower end it's not that bad a deal. It is, however, IMHO, a much more resposible and stressful job that teaching at an English conversation school. In an international school, that parents are paying a lot of money - often 2 million yen a year, to send their child there and you are expected to provide a quality education. Especially if you teach elementary school, you will be held accountable, as you will be the primary teacher is that child's life.