Job Discussion Forums

acousticego12 · Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 3 Location: Hawaii, USA

i know this site is mainly for ESL teachers and people who want to teach english, but im gonna give it a shot and ask anyway =)

My mom needs a job as a teacher (preferably Middle or High School//or if possible, an international school) in the Tokyo area.
As our residency is in the US, we have hardly no connections to any of the schools in japan-
which is why i need help.

Numerous applications have been sent out to several widely known international schools but i doubt any of them will go through.

i think we will have a better chance with public japanese schools but since their website are in japanese, i wouldnt know how to send an application or search for them in the first place

is there some sort of job finding counseling agency which will help my mom find a job?
what would you reccomend we do?

PS:
i dont think it matters right now but just in case:
she needs a decent job preferably as whatever fulltime teaching position possible (preferably english, japanese, special ed, math)
she can fluently speak japanese,mand. chinese, english
my mom's a few classes away from a masters
and has about 7 years of teaching experience

any help or advice is greatly appreciated =)
thanks in advance

taikibansei · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 811 Location: Japan

Your mom can't be hired as a teacher in a Japanese public school unless she has Japanese teaching certification. (A very few private schools offer the occasional EFL teaching position to foreigners lacking this certification, though I've never heard of one hiring from overseas.) She could possibly get a job as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) assisting with English instruction, though your post suggests she wouldn't be interested in this.

Hence, international schools would really be the best way for her to go. You probably know about these services/resources, but just in case:

http://www.iss.edu/edustaff/jobs.html
http://www.cois.org/
http://www.tokyowithkids.com/fyi/international_schools.html
http://www.globaldaigaku.com/global/en/schoolsearch/based/inter/index.html

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

How does one get an ALT postion? How much does it pay?

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

acousticego,
You wrote that your mom has several years of teaching experience. What sort? Does that mean she has a teaching license in her home country? (That will be needed for any international school job.)

I agree with taikibansei, in that people who are outside of Japan are just not going to get hired for most jobs.

Want a job at a mainstream school? You need to get on the JET programme, Earlham College ALT program (similar to JET), a dispatch agency here (to be an ALT), or be very VERY lucky in getting a direct hire through the Board of Education. Only the first two really hire from outside Japan.

Sweetsee wrote:

acousticego12 · Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 3 Location: Hawaii, USA

what are the procedures an american citizen must go through in order to get a japanese teaching certification? is it worth the trouble?

I've been sending applications and resumes directly to about 9 international schools so far and a few english teaching ones posted here.

what do you think are the chances of getting even a response from them?
even if an interview is requested, we would have to fly to japan for a couple days just to do so

maybe one of those international program agency thingys would be the best bet

i checked out JET before and while reading the requirements, i saw that they wanted more younger perhaps caucasion type of people

my mom is originally from taiwan and is a bit over the age recommendation
=)

ill see if she would be interested in the ALT route, but i doubt it

hmm as for the experience, i think she had 3 years of exp. as a assistant for a public highschool and 4 years of currently operating a full class room

teaching cert? im not sure,
i just asked my mom and she says her position is a bit complicating and didnt want to explain right now hah

but she says she's close to obtaining a master of educations degree (27 credits earned so far?) and she says if she pasts the test, she can teach at universities. (so i'm guessing that should be a teaching certification)

taikibansei · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 811 Location: Japan

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

What is the ALT route?

ripslyme · Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 481 Location: Japan

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

Just curious about how one becomes an ALT today, what the recommended "route" is. I'll let your negativity slide, Rip.