Job Discussion Forums

[guest of Japan]

Thanks. I heard it about a month ago, so the person must have been misinformed.

[PAULH]

[Gordon]

[taikibansei]

Hey, stop dogging on my man Rube! I actually know him, a bright, funny, very "earthy," guy. He's actually being humble (for him ) about his qualifications in this essay. He's widely published--in Japanese as well as in English--with generally excellent language skills. He's also, apparently, an amazing teacher--knowledgeable, energetic, and compassionate.

Regarding dispatch teachers--I think both sides have a point. Jim, Paul, Guest, etc. are absolutely right in bemoaning the consequences for the students. Sorry, Sidjameson, while there certainly are exceptions, the majority of dispatch teachers just plain suck. They are almost invariably young, inexperienced, young, completely ignorant about teaching pedagogy, young, so poorly educated that they often don't know basic English spelling and grammatical conventions, young, etc. However, and more importantly, in my experience even the exceptions--i.e., the many serious and professional dispatch instructors--are hurt by this system.

I observed a number of these teachers for 5+ years as one of my responsibilities at a national university. We had just gone over to partial dispatch for the engineering and science majors (the majority of the student body)--a local school (either Westgate or ECC) was to provide the warm bodies for many of the general language classes. While I am sure lots of money was saved, from the point of view of someone who cares about education, it was a complete failure.

I was asked to observe several classes each semester to ensure quality control. Notes taken during some of these observations:

Teacher arrives late on day of observation. (Per students, a daily occurrence). Teacher says, "Hello" to class; only about 20% of the 50 students in attendance answer (most are playing with their keitai denwas). Teacher then begins to write the following on the board: My, Your, His, Her, There (sic), Our. Teacher then has students repeat these words--out loud and out of context as a kind of (I guess) pronunciation practice--for over five minutes.

Teacher arrives on time. Teacher starts class by asking random students about their weekend. Students do not understand question (partly because of the speed it is asked). Teacher gets angry, turns to board, writes, "WEEKEND", turns back to students, shouts, "Look it up in your dictionaries--do you understand 'dictionaries'?" Then, turning away from the bewildered students, he says to me, "How can you stand teaching these idiots?"

Teacher arrives on time. Teacher asks students to take out their homework--an interesting assignment designed to familiarize them with levels of politeness in English greetings. Only 2-3 of the more than 40 students had completed the assignment. Teacher then attempts to organize a group activity based on this assignment--a too complicated, albeit extremely creative, idea, with each table of three students being assigned a level of politeness, then asked to "greet" the surrounding tables appropriately. Group discussion on an assigned topic--"What will you do after this class is finished?"--is to follow naturally from this greeting. 25 minutes into the class, and students still hadn't begun the activity--either because they didn't understand, or didn't care.

This last example was all too common--i.e., a person with great ideas and a lot of potential as an instructor, but whose lack of real status at the university hamstrung her attempts to teach. Students knew she wasn't a "real" teacher in the eyes of both the department and university administration; worse, they acted accordingly, effectively ignoring the homework, lectures and classroom activities. While inexperience also played a part, I feel she was never given a real chance to succeed.

In my experience, dispatch teachers like the latter individual invariably quit after a semester or so to go on to better jobs; the ones that stayed long-term were most likely to be examples of the first two types. Of course, there were--and I'm sure still are--exceptions to this.

Still, Sidjameson--and all the people on this board with similar opinions--are also quite right: in Japan, nobody notices (or cares about) qualitative differences in education. E.g., the idiots mentioned in my first two observations above were neither let go nor reprimanded. Heck, their student evaluations were only marginally inferior to the regular staff--with a lot of "wakais" and "kakkoiis" thrown in for good measure. (Did I mention they were young?)

Ultimately, for most English teaching situations in Japan, this is all that's desired: i.e., a young, relatively attractive man or women to stand up in front of a class and be not just foreign, but "cutely" foreign. A great job, if you can get it, and I certainly don't fault the foreigners working in dispatch companies who are taking advantage of this situation.

However, as Guest, Gordon, Paul, Jim, etc. have also noted, it also makes for a very unstable working environment. When student learning outcomes and faculty research out-puts are both considered irrelevant, when the sole barometer for continued employment is perceived level of "freshness" and/or "cuteness," it becomes difficult to make long-term plans. How can people settle down and raise a family when one day, quite literally, someone can arbitrarily decide they are no longer "fresh" and "cute" enough (happened to people I knew...in those words), and let them go?

[taikibansei]

[Andare]

By the way what system on ths planet justifiably rewards skill and dedication

[PAULH]

[taikibansei]

Andare, didn't mean to strike a nerve with my silly posts. I'm sure you are a great teacher. Heck, you sound a lot more knowledgeable on this topic then myself! E.g., you ask why "scab" labor is a problem, not to mention the difference between a "professional" teacher (a.k.a., some loser with only "degrees" and so-called "appropriate" teaching experience) and someone like yourself. These are great questions, and you know, I don't think I have any good answers.

Yes, Andare, I respect the fact that, despite your chaotic work schedule, you still manage to conduct a needs analysis (however abbreviated) for each of your classes, tailoring your subject matter and presentation for the varying requirements of students at each of your schools (i.e., no Mc-Lessons for you!). I know you use the results of this analysis to develop level- and learner-appropriate learning outcomes for each of your courses (i.e., no waltzing in and out of each class with a random, xeroxed copy from a textbook and a few jokes). I realize you then repeatedly evaluate acquisition of these learning goals in a valid and reliable fashion (i.e., you actually seek both to reinforce and to build on the skills learned each week, and so need to measure student understanding as well).

Furthermore, I know you are flexible enough in your time and scheduling to be there for those students who cannot/do not respond in a traditional classroom setting, who need additional supplementary assistance outside the classroom (say, during your office hours) to be successful. I understand, as well, how you are an advocate at each of your universities for effective alternative learning opportunities and their usage, working with the often extremely conservative (dare I say backward and ignorant?) Japanese faculty to provide not just a better single class, but a better overall curriculum. Heck, despite your very busy schedule, you not only contribute in this way at each of your several institutions but, through your ongoing research and its publication, to the whole field!

Finally, I know you fully realize that the greatest challenges--and most of the "fun"--of learning a foreign language lie in the relationships engendered. Accordingly, despite being ostensibly a very temporary employee, you remain there for those of your students who may need you, even years later. Indeed, you provide much more than simple, one-off language instruction; as silly as this may sound to someone not you, for many Japanese teachers and students, you are "Kokusaika." Hence, it is to you that teachers often turn when they have, say, cultural questions or want to set up overseas study exchanges, and it is to you that students turn when they wish to discuss alternative career options and/or continuing their education abroad.

Truly, I admire you, Andare. This will come as a shock, but most "scabs" lack the time, resources, knowledge and incentive to do any of the above. Heck, because of the lack of emphasis placed in Japanese schools on either professionalism or mastering English (i.e., the system-wide problems I mention in my earlier posts), many professional foreign teachers in Japan decide they cannot/will not do these things either. I mean, why should they bother? In the current environment, applying one's education/experience and acting like a true professional does little to improve one's long-term employability and/or economic stability. Given this, why should anyone put the necessary time and effort in--especially when any day they might be replaced by a younger, cuter, and especially cheaper scab?

Worse, with the continued "dispatching" of English instruction to "scabs" (most of whom lack your impressive understanding of pedagogical theory and intense dedication to the profession), the situation will continue to deteriorate. I mean, who do you think were teaching the general English courses before the advent of the dispatch companies? Not the Japanese faculty (who teach most of the plum courses to English majors), but the professional foreign faculty. Even more than before, I see the Japanese faculty/administrators coming now to regard foreigners as merely disposable babysitters for "problem" (i.e., general English) classes. Students will continue to get the crap education they've always received, while skilled foreign professionals will either continue to dumb their standards down or leave Japan.

Which brings me to this final question:

[Crab]

The issue of providing "quality language training" has a long and troubled history in Japan. If one keeps this context in mind, the latest trend of replacing qualified, expereienced instructors with untrained rookies is not surprising.

To see exactly what I mean, give this a read:

http://www.nucba.ac.jp/cic/pdf/njlcc041/05REESOR.PDF

[julieoapw]

I object to the offensive term "Westgate scab." At the university I worked at, the students had their main lessons with properly-qualified, contracted, English speaking staff. The Westgate course was an optional extra which students paid for, so they could have extra conversation practice in smaller groups than normal classes permitted. Also not everyone who teaches on the Westgate scheme is a youngster with no knowledge or the desire to teach well. I was 42 and had taught EFL for several years even if I had no MA, and I think I was well-enough qualified to teach that sort of class. I just wanted a 3 month contract.
To bandy around words like scab is over the top and ill-informed.

[taikibansei]

[julieoapw]

Jeez you've got a problem. You can't post or discuss without being offensive. I notice you don't bother answering my main point about calling people scab.
And if you think working 5 days a week from 9 to 6 is a holiday then I hope you enjoy your next holiday.
If an MA/PHD whatever make you as offensive and insulting as this I'm glad I haven't got one

[JimDunlop2]

[julieoapw]

Try readingmy post before getting on your hobby horse and being offensive:

[JimDunlop2]

Sure. How would people know the situation? You think ECC would tell them that a long-standing professor has been laid off in favor of hiring the company they are working for? Not likely. But that's like crossing the picket line when the grocery store workers go on strike, saying, "I've gotta buy groceries here to feed my family." No you don't. Not unless it's the only store in town (which is rarely the case). You make choices. If you make the choice to work for (or give business to) an outfit that does contemptible things, then you should not be surprised when people associate you with that company and lump you in the same boat. No, you personally did not screw anyone out of a job, but your company DID -- and you are fueling their efforts by working in that environment.

At some point, people (whether they are aware of the situation or not) must get educated and take responsibility for their own actions. If I found out that I had been used by my company to take someone else's job away, I guarantee I would not be working for them for very long.