Job Discussion Forums

[cafebleu]

Mark - I haven`t taught at a big eikawa and I haven`t been on the JET program. But I know any number of native speaker English teachers who have done either and I am also familiar to some extent with the Japanese high school system.

Don`t make the mistake of thinking that all private eikaiwa grind out lessons just to keep the students coming back without actually doing anything productive. It depends on the eikaiwa. I have worked in smaller eikaiwa schools and I was generally satisfied by the progress of my students.

You also have to remember that progress does not necessarily mean becoming a good speaker of English. Some Japanese take English lessons as a way to make friends, get to know foreigners, and try to learn some English in a group situation that does not challenge them too much.

I have students who will never become fluent speakers of English (in common with 90 percent of students learning English at private eikaiwa - maybe my figure is too high) but they are making progress. They are coming to class and they are speaking in English to me, and trying to have English conversation with the other students about topics they are interested in. They also use textbooks but I always do everything I can to make their grammar learning etc relevant to their daily lives.

Overall I have found the English speaking ability of the Japanese to be poor, especially given that they have so many years of English study which should be an advantage. Their excuse is that they didn`t learn conversational English (true) but their big advantage in knowing English structures from school and often college should give them a sound base. (If I had studied Japanese at school and college I have little doubt I would be somebody who speaks a fluent level of Japanese.) Yet you can produce results at eikaiwas that are satisfactory for both yourself and your students.

I have some students who are forever beginners but it doesn`t stop them doing their best to join in the class and try to talk about their lives and interesting things that are happening. Other students are seriously trying to learn in order to do homestays or study at foreign colleges and while again, I think as a rule their English level is relatively poor given the exposure they have had to English in school, they have a purpose and are making serious efforts to be able to live life in a foreign country. Then there are the good speakers, a few of whom need to maintain their English level for professional purposes.

I have heard that schools such as Nova do the same lesson plan again and again to reinforce grammar structures and I have heard that GEOS and AEON are similar. Yes, that IS boring if you`re a teacher who genuinely wants to make English more creative for your students. But think of the big schools as your starting point. Try them, get your visa from them, try to keep to your contract and learn what you can. Then after that initial period is finished you will have the visa and the Japanese working experience to be able to get jobs at different kinds of eikaiwa.

As for high schools, there are any number of potential problems. Do you want serious students of English at high school level? Don`t come to Japan and teach in a usual high school. The Japanese tolerate unbelievable rudeness such as sleeping in class which even in rougher schools in my home country is not acceptable. Class sizes are usually big and the interested students often are in a minority. The Japanese usually are poor at English after studying it at high school and college so imagine trying to teach them at high school.

Japanese school teachers` attitudes towards foreign teachers fluctuate wildly. There are genuinely helpful teachers who will try to accommodate the foreign teacher. But there are also resentful teachers who will complain behind your back about your salary and how they have to work much harder than you. There are teachers who feel insecure because their own language shortcomings will be exposed by your native fluency. Then there is the general Japanese attitude to foreigners - as a rule I and other foreigners have found the Japanese to feel threatened by a foreigner who adjusts to the life and language here. Not every Japanese person is like this but many are.

If I were you I would go for one of the big four eikaiwa, get experience and then broaden my working horizons after one year here.

[Gordon]

Mark,
I think you are overanalyzing the situation. I believe you have gotten all the facts that you need. You have no way of knowing what avenue will turn out best for you. You could have a good or bad time no matter what your decision or place of employment is. There comes a time when you have to take a leap of faith and then make the best of whatever situation you are in.

BTW
Where are you working in Vancouver?
Weekly intakes, that's terrible.

[april]

[cheryl]

This response is a bit delayed...sorry. I was in Kumamoto on a rafting trip this weekend which was fabulous! Anyways, a short comment.

[Celeste]

[cheryl]