Job Discussion Forums

Lyrajean · Joined: 19 Jul 2006 Posts: 109 Location: going to Okinawa

I am thinking about a TEFL job in Japan in the not so distant future. I'm 32 female, single, have an MA in a field unrelated to teaching, a year of survival Japanese, and will soon have a TEFL cert. from a small private college (that has exchange english programs with several Japanese schools). As of next week I will have been teaching a mixed nat. IEP/ESL conversation class at this school for 4 weeks. I have one publication credit to my name and am a verteran presenter at academic conferences. I need full time work and to clear the equilavent of US$320 a month above bills to deal with student loans.

As far as I can tell, Aeon and JES are the two eikaiwa with the least complaints of the bigger schools. More than $3000 is hard for me to get together in a year and I don't want my Japanese to get so rusty it's useless by then.

Am I aiming too low?

Also can anyone weigh the pulses and minuses of the two schools? I'm also wondering about living in Tohoku specifically. Anyone lived there or worked for JES? Anyone who does not want to speak publicly can PM me. THX!

womblingfree · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 826

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

some information here on James English school.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Lyrajean,
You are not setting your sights too low. You are qualified only for conversation schools and the JET program. BTW, JET pays 300,000 yen/month, JET pays airfare, and you might even get some or all of your rent paid for by JET. Everyone's situation varies on that last point. Also, with JET, you get your evenings and Sat/Sun off, and you are (usually) not responsible for much in the classroom because you are an assistant. Negatives about JET:
1. You are an assistant, so if you had aspirations of being in charge, forget it.
2. You work in public schools, which means you get 30-40 students per class instead of 5 or 6 as in eikaiwa. Also, motivation is the pits in public schools.
3. After 3 years (or a rare case of 5), you are done with JET and have to find other employment.

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

Glenski, shes referring to James English school in Tohoku, not the JET program.

Lyrajean · Joined: 19 Jul 2006 Posts: 109 Location: going to Okinawa

[quote="Glenski"]Lyrajean,
You are not setting your sights too low. You are qualified only for conversation schools and the JET program. [quote]

Thanks for the input! But, as another poster already mentioned, I am considering the James English School. I would love to do JET. I would have liked to try the Japanese school system, but dispatch companies scare me.

I applied last year to JET. They turned me down. Unfortunately they never say why, so I'm not sure I should stick around and try again for next year as I'm closer to their upper age limit.

Anyway, I'd love to hear more from people about James English school and the Tohoku region. I'm not stuck on being in/near Tokyo. I would like to be in a city even a small one. I would love recommends as to what city or company branch to aim for.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

I had not confused JES with JET. I was merely pointing out options. I would consider being 31 or 32 far from the upper age limit in JET (10 years to go, in fact). Considering what many younger JET ALTs fail to offer their schools, it only makes sense to hire the slightly older applicants. Personally, I think you MAY have been overqualified for JET, but, this thread isn't about why you didn't get the JET job.

Best of luck.