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My Plan, tell me what you think

 
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wolfman



Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 189

PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 5:33 am    Post subject: My Plan, tell me what you think Reply with quote

Hello... total newbie here. i'm graduating from university in may and my ultimate goal is to get excepted to the JET program in japan. i would be applying in november, so i think it would be a good idea to get tefl certification this summer... i've been looking at Via Lingua's programs in greece.

i dunno how solid of a plan this is... am i being completely naive?

is tere any advice you can give me?

also does anyone know of any training/certification programs in japan?

any advice is greatly appreicated
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PAULH



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

PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 6:58 am    Post subject: Re: My Plan, tell me what you think Reply with quote

wolfman wrote:
Hello... total newbie here. i'm graduating from university in may and my ultimate goal is to get excepted to the JET program in japan. i would be applying in november, so i think it would be a good idea to get tefl certification this summer... i've been looking at Via Lingua's programs in greece.

i dunno how solid of a plan this is... am i being completely naive?

is tere any advice you can give me?

also does anyone know of any training/certification programs in japan?

any advice is greatly appreicated


No TEFL training or certification is expected or required for the JET program. You are a teaching assistant, assisting a Japanese native speaker Teacher of English. Knowing something about TEFL would be advisable but its not required to get on the JET program.

CELTA has training courses in Kobe and the Tokyo Arts Language College runs a TEFL course. Several British universities offer Masters degrees by distance learning.
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wolfman



Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 189

PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

so do you think that having a certification in TEFL would be helpful to the application process for JET, even if i take tefl training in a country other than japan?
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PAULH



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

PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 7:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

wolfman wrote:
so do you think that having a certification in TEFL would be helpful to the application process for JET, even if i take tefl training in a country other than japan?


In Japan about 10% of the applicants to JET have had TEFL training or have taught before. 90% are new to teaching or EFL.

Despite what people believe that you are paid for teaching English, you are hired also to introduce your own country and culture to students, and you are a cultural diplomat of your country,. Having TEFL will help you in the classroom in planning lessons and give you some confidence when working with a JTE. Having TEFL wont make a lot of difference to the decision on if you are hired or not. they look at other factors such as your personality, your adaptability to living in a foreign culture, your reasons for wanting to live in Japan.

http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/join/faq/faq02.html

Also teaching Asian students (Japanese, Korean, Chinese) is different than teaching ESL students in Europe as the reasons for learning language are different here, and the way they are taught English in regular classes with a Japanese teacher differs from Europe.If you do a TEFL course you have to take into account the type of students you are teaching, not just the theory and methodology of ESL.
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fluffyhamster



Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

By all means apply to JET as a fresh graduate without a CELTA or equivalent, you might get lucky! The important things would be (as Paul has said) evidence of adaptability to living in a foreign country, and also I reckon the sorts of references that you can provide (it's sometimes difficult to find tutors etc who can make you sound distinctive straight out of uni, but you might know some people who take a genuine interest and will thus be more clued up as to what JET is and why you want to do it).

For what it's worth, my experience with JET went as follows: I first applied in the year I graduated and didn't get accepted; I felt my application was generally weak (little evidence of aforementioned adaptability, interest in Asia etc), and my references a bit lame (not saying I wasn't at all grateful to my referees, though!). I soon put it behind me though and went on to study Mandarin Chinese at postgrad level, gained a diploma, then did the CTEFLA (now the CELTA) before finally going off to teach in Shanghai for two years. I had a great time there, and when I returned to the UK I reapplied to JET and this time got accepted. What surely swung it* was the much better reference that I could get from my Chinese professor, and from the school at which I'd trained (I got a job teaching there after completing the course, and also assisted with sports clubs etc), as well as the time in China generally; I doubt if having the CTEFLA itself was much more than icing on the cake.

So, a TEFL qualification is worth considering not so much for the "expertise" that it supposedly confers, but more for the opportunities and contacts it can provide in gaining the relevant overseas living experience, and perhaps one of the references, for JET.

*It can't have been based just on my interview!
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?p=342340#342340
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wolfman



Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 189

PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thank you both very much for the replies
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