Job Discussion Forums

[ac949]

I've spent some time looking at some past threads to help me answer some of my questions. I'm new to TESL and I'm trying to decide which location, type of instituion would fit with my particular skills, experience and personality. Some of the relevant posts go back several years so the climate might have changed since then and I'd like to get some fresh perspective on a few things.

About me - single male, early 30s (although people say I still look like im in my 20s). Mixed asian and white, bachelors and masters degree. I have no teaching experience but am a native english speaker. Frankly, I'm looking to take a few years off from the corporate world and learn about life in a new culture and help a few people along the way by doing the TESL thing.

A few concerns that I'm looking for some advice in:

1. Type of teaching institution - I would rather not be involved with handling a classroom and keeping it in order. I dont mind working with children, but I think I am more suited to a smaller class size (6-12 people perhaps) where I could focus more giving personal attention rather than dealing with a large group. Would conversational lessons be suitable in a private institution?

2. Likelihood of not finding work - I'm deciding between Japan (Tokyo/Osaka), Korea (and perhaps Thailand). I'm trying to weigh in factors such as start-up expenses, demand for teachers and cost of living/salary. It seems that about 12 weeks is what it takes to get going on finding work assuming I fly over with no contacts and start from ground zero. I prefer the urban environment and large cities, so I expect that my rent and expenses would be rather high. This being the case, what is the likelihood of starting the search and having no success in landing a job after a three month period? Does TESL certifications help with the process or are my degrees sufficient?

3. Fitting in as a teacher - are there certain personalities that wouldn't work as being a teacher? It seems that most of the teaching styles and lessons (particular it seems in structured brand-name companies like the big 4) from some companies are structured and it would difficult for a teacher to mess up unless they deviated from the pre-planned lessons.


Thanks

[markle]

Everyone fits in somewhere.

[Big John Stud]

You might want to try Korea! Most language schools there will pay air fare, and the price of living there is cheap. A lot cheaper than Japan.
The problem with Japan is that the cost of living is so high. Also the salary of English teachers has been dropping.
You should of no problem getting a job in South Korea, because they are in need of teachers. While Japan has many English teachers already.

Good luck!

[kdynamic]

I think you would have an easier time getting hired from your home country with an eikaiwa company in Japan. They will organize everything for you including housing, visas, etc, and for someone like you who doesn't seem to want to seriously get into teaching and has no experience with Japan, it would be a lot easier of a route.

[PAULH]

[quote="ac949"]I1. Type of teaching institution - I would rather not be involved with handling a classroom and keeping it in order. I dont mind working with children, but I think I am more suited to a smaller class size (6-12 people perhaps) where I could focus more giving personal attention rather than dealing with a large group. Would conversational lessons be suitable in a private institution? [quote]

In most classroom situations such as a JET or in an elementary school you are teamed with a japanese teacher who speaks the language and handles discipline. You may be front and center with the lesson and speaking etc but you have an extra set of hands who supports you. A conversation school is your best bet, small classes but conditions vary. Turnover is high and salaries are falling rapidly.

[ac949]

thanks for the comments, it sounds like Japan may night work out for me based on the salaries issues and cost of living.

As I thought, eikaiwa-type teaching in Korea is probably for me. A few more concerns I had:

1. Having never been in a teaching environment am I correct in assuming that starting out is being like thrown into the fire type of situation? Or are there some training sessions to ease me into the teaching role?

2. I've read that there may be a preference towards the white folks than someone of asian decent. I'm mixed asian-american and most people I meet can't quite figure what my ethnicity is until they ask. This topic has been covered before with varying opinions either way but do I need to worry about not being picked up because of my heritage?


And lastly, why isn't there a Korea forum as there is Thai, Japan and so on? It seems that most of the discussion about Korea TESL is buried in the Japan forum

[JimDunlop2]

[Big John Stud]

ac949 wrote:

1. Having never been in a teaching environment am I correct in assuming that starting out is being like thrown into the fire type of situation? Or are there some training sessions to ease me into the teaching role? 2. I've read that there may be a preference towards the white folks than someone of asian decent. I'm mixed asian-american and most people I meet can't quite figure what my ethnicity is until they ask. This topic has been covered before with varying opinions either way but do I need to worry about not being picked up because of my heritage? And lastly, why isn't there a Korea forum as there is Thai, Japan and so on? It seems that most of the discussion about Korea TESL is buried in the Japan forum

1) Most language schools in Korea will put you through a week of training to learn their system. After the week of training, all you have to do is follow the teacher's text of what to teach and when to teach it.

2) You don't have to worry about being mixed. I've had Asian-American colleagues before, and all of them said, they didn't have any problems.

I do believe there is a Korean forum, you just have to register with it differently than this one.

[Gordon]

When I taught in Korea back in the stone age, my training was: here is the class and we should be getting a book some time later. That later never came and I had no teaching expereince whatsoever.

[Glenski]

[ac949]

Glenski,

Is that for living in a city such as Tokyo or Osaka? Another thing I was looking at was the apartments. To me, I think it would be difficult for me to live in anything less than 50 sq. m. I probably couldn't afford paying more money for a larger apartment in Japan. I heard apartments are a bit more spacious is korea compared to Tokyo.

[PAULH]

[Glenski]

NOVA lists its salaries on its web sites. They will vary according to city. Bear in mind, too, that you will be on a lower probationary salary for a month or two with them. I think that figure is also on the web site.
239,000-283,000 yen/month for teachers in Tokyo is the current listing.
www.teachinjapan.com

And, yes, you are pretty much going to find salaries to be the same no matter where you live in Japan, with exceptions like those for the big eikaiwas, as I have just pointed out. That means you will be able to save a bit more if you live in the smaller cities (depending on your personal spending habits, of course).

As for living in a place of 50 sq.m. or more, here are some links that can show you pictures of apartments that teachers have. Not all are from NOVA, and not all are company-sponsored housing, but they will give you an idea of what you may face.
www.markinjapan.ca/features/apartment/index.htm
http://vocaro.com/trevor/japan/home/index.html
http://ekhardt.com/tokyo/myapartment/Iapartment.html
http://www.tiger-marmalade.com/gallery/apartment
http://www.collin.org/travel/japan/apartment/apartment.html
http://www.globalcompassion.com/home.htm
http://www.greggman.com/japan/apts/tokyo%20apts.htm
http://daveahlman.com/arch/arch_apt.htm
http://chaninjapan.utopiades.com/Information/Apartment.htm

[seditiouscloud]

i`m mixed race eurasian too and have had mixed responses. for interviews with Korean employers, i was told that i don`t look `too` asian in my picture but that it would be better to take a position in big city seoul rather than the more conservative smaller cities as they tend to expect blond hair blue eyes. anyway, i was happy to accept a job in japan and i think that here, to use the cliche, they aren`t racist but feel equally uncomfortable with all foreigners. if anything, looking asian has made me less threatening. only one of the kids asked my assistant if i am chinese, but they werem`t nasty. and most seem taken with me. i wouldn`t worry too much, just send a clear picture and your employer will know if it will be a problem. they aren`t going to hire someone who will risk their buisness! btw, i got a job pretty quickly in japan, but i was also interested in the country side. if you want a big city, seoul has more available positions and less competition than Osaka.

[PAULH]