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hentaigaijin
Joined: 05 Oct 2006
Posts: 104
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 Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:13 pm Post subject: University Jobs: which Masters? |
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I have heard that university teaching jobs are awfully hard to come by. I am intending to do a Masters in Japanese Studies next year and was thinking of trying to get into university teaching for a few years after that.
I have heard that employers want either MA Applied Linguistics or MA TESOL; however, I did come across one example of a chap teaching in university with the MA Japanese Studies. What's the score? Anyone care to enlighten me...
By the way, I'll be 32 in March. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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If you want to teach English, then doesn't it make sense to do something related to teaching language or English?
There will always be the odd person who doesn't have related qualification, or else has only tenuously related qualifications, but unless you want to pin your career on being that odd guy out, then it would probably make sense to major in the area in which you want to work. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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Look at this article.
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2004/10/stapleton
One quote I will cut from it reads as follows. It was describing the hiring process at just one university:
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| In total, we received 72 applications, 62 of which were in electronic form. The male-female ratio was 10:1. In the initial screening of resumes, I checked to see whether candidates met the minimum educational requirements of a master's degree in applied linguistics or a related field. This, in itself, was a revealing exercise. Roughly 40% of all the applicants did not have the minimum requirements as listed in the job announcement. Shortcomings came in two areas: either the applicants did not have a masters or doctorate, or their graduate qualifications were in a field too distant from that required. Among those whose degree-level was sufficient, but whose area of specialty was not close enough to applied linguistics, a wide range of majors were received. Some specialties such as Chinese and Japanese literature appeared borderline, while many others were, shall we say, overly optimistic, e.g., a lawyer whose specialty was property rights on the moon. |
While this does not answer your question as directly as Gambatte wrote, it says something.
Here are some additional articles that provide good information about university jobs and the hiring process.
1. The University Hiring Process: An Overview (Joe Tomei)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/1999/03/working
2. Job Hunting in Japan: Qualifications and Information (Ken Dillon & Craig Sower, 1996)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/96/oct/job.html
3. Job Hunting in Japan: The Resume and the Interview (Wayne K. Johnson & Ken Dillon, 1996)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/96/nov/employment.html
4. Considerations for Securing an English Teaching Position at a Japanese University. Part 1 (Christopher Glick, 2002)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2002/08/glick
5. Considerations for Securing an English Teaching Position at a Japanese University. Part 2 (Christopher Glick, 2002)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2002/09/glick
6. Why English Teachers in Japan Need to Learn Japanese (David Barker, 2003)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2003/02/barker
7. Recruiting a University English Teacher: Raising the Standard (Paul Stapleton, 2004)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2004/10/stapleton
8. The Person, the Package, the Presentation: Lessons From a Recent Job Hunt (Philip McCasland & Brent Poole, 2004)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2004/10/mccasland |
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Alberta605
Joined: 23 Dec 2006
Posts: 94
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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What a fabulously indepth, and at times humorous response!
Many thanks Glen.
I would add that a 'good' university job is the incumbents to lose. Not many who hold such positions leave them to pursue home-sickness as a gainful opportunity. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:47 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
Look at this article.
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2004/10/stapleton
One quote I will cut from it reads as follows. It was describing the hiring process at just one university:
| Quote: |
| In total, we received 72 applications, 62 of which were in electronic form. The male-female ratio was 10:1. In the initial screening of resumes, I checked to see whether candidates met the minimum educational requirements of a master's degree in applied linguistics or a related field. This, in itself, was a revealing exercise. Roughly 40% of all the applicants did not have the minimum requirements as listed in the job announcement. Shortcomings came in two areas: either the applicants did not have a masters or doctorate, or their graduate qualifications were in a field too distant from that required. . |
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When you consider that far, far more women than men do Applied Linguistics TEFL (I think there were three men in the entire Linguistics department at my university), in my university TESL Certificate I think there were four guys (two of whom never managed to find a job teaching English) out of thirty something people, and that 'stupid male' jokes are commonplace in goverment language programmes, I think it's pretty telling that the gender ratio of applicants for jobs outside of English speaking countries is so predominantly male, because it shows that men who want to teach ESL are being driven out their country (or their career choice) if they want a job, unless all; of these people simply don't want to work in their home country, but IME most actually would prefer to be able to teach in their own country, but just get turned down (If I put out resumes with my fiull name on it then I get maybe one hit out of the lot for an interview, if I just use my initals I get an interview for almost every resume sent, but I also often get 'we assumed you were female' when I get the call). From what I experiencd in Canada it's not surprising in the least (in fact I once read that the fact that males find it so very, very difficult to get a job teaching ESL in Canada was a form of discrimination against women- the essay suggested that if employers hired men, they would be forced to raise the salary. It was a graduate paper and fortunately that little bit of information was removed before it the final version). |
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hentaigaijin
Joined: 05 Oct 2006
Posts: 104
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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| GambateBingBangBOOM wrote: |
If you want to teach English, then doesn't it make sense to do something related to teaching language or English?
There will always be the odd person who doesn't have related qualification, or else has only tenuously related qualifications, but unless you want to pin your career on being that odd guy out, then it would probably make sense to major in the area in which you want to work. |
i'm only looking to teach esl in japan for about 3-5 years and then hope to work as a translator, researcher, academic or whatever. japanese studies is my subject area - esl is a means to an end (and has been for a few years now). i'd rather do an MEd to be honest as opposed to MA Tesol.
i now have 3 options:
1) MA Japanese Studies at the top Thai university (maybe)
2) MEd TEFL at the top Thai university
3) MA Thai Studies at the top Thai university
this university made it to #161 in the THES World Rankings. however, i am still a little concerned that the japanese may look down upon anything coming out of thailand. am i right in thinking that? |
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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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| hentaigaijin wrote: |
1) MA Japanese Studies at the top Thai university (maybe)
2) MEd TEFL at the top Thai university
3) MA Thai Studies at the top Thai university
this university made it to #161 in the THES World Rankings. however, i am still a little concerned that the japanese may look down upon anything coming out of thailand. am i right in thinking that? |
Oh yeah, hell even the Thais would look down on it. Which Thai Uni? Chula, Thammasat, Kasetsart. If it's not one of these, then you might as well hit KSR and get a forged Ivy League dipolma. |
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JaredW
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 105
Location: teaching high school in Sacramento, CA, USA
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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| markle wrote: |
| hentaigaijin wrote: |
1) MA Japanese Studies at the top Thai university (maybe)
2) MEd TEFL at the top Thai university
3) MA Thai Studies at the top Thai university
this university made it to #161 in the THES World Rankings. however, i am still a little concerned that the japanese may look down upon anything coming out of thailand. am i right in thinking that? |
Oh yeah, hell even the Thais would look down on it. Which Thai Uni? Chula, Thammasat, Kasetsart. If it's not one of these, then you might as well hit KSR and get a forged Ivy League dipolma. |
Can you give me a link to that KSR outfit?  |
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nonsmoker
Joined: 20 Apr 2007
Posts: 352
Location: Exactly here and now.
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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| JaredW wrote: |
| markle wrote: |
| hentaigaijin wrote: |
1) MA Japanese Studies at the top Thai university (maybe)
2) MEd TEFL at the top Thai university
3) MA Thai Studies at the top Thai university
this university made it to #161 in the THES World Rankings. however, i am still a little concerned that the japanese may look down upon anything coming out of thailand. am i right in thinking that? |
Oh yeah, hell even the Thais would look down on it. Which Thai Uni? Chula, Thammasat, Kasetsart. If it's not one of these, then you might as well hit KSR and get a forged Ivy League dipolma. |
Can you give me a link to that KSR outfit? |
http://www.ksr.com |
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chinagirl
Joined: 27 May 2003
Posts: 235
Location: United States
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 11:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I think it's pretty telling that the gender ratio of applicants for jobs outside of English speaking countries is so predominantly male, because it shows that men who want to teach ESL are being driven out their country (or their career choice) if they want a job, unless all; of these people simply don't want to work in their home country, but IME most actually would prefer to be able to teach in their own country, but just get turned down |
I think that this is very interesting, I am one of a large group of foreign teachers in my school (JHS/HS) here in Japan and the only woman of the bunch. I would love to have another woman on staff, but the fact is that we get few applications from qualified women who have both experience in Japan and the requisite teaching qualifications. I suppose that most of those women, as Gambatte said, could easily find work back in their home countries. But I don't necessarily think that men are coming here and women are staying away simply because of the job market - there are other reasons for this, as we know. I won't be here forever, because although I do like it here very much, it's not a place I would want to stay and live forever (mostly because as a woman with an American upbringing, I am not used to being treated as a member of a subordinate gender) That's just my humble opinion and no offense meant to my Japanese host country, of course. |
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hentaigaijin
Joined: 05 Oct 2006
Posts: 104
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| Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 8:04 am Post subject: |
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| markle wrote: |
| hentaigaijin wrote: |
1) MA Japanese Studies at the top Thai university (maybe)
2) MEd TEFL at the top Thai university
3) MA Thai Studies at the top Thai university
this university made it to #161 in the THES World Rankings. however, i am still a little concerned that the japanese may look down upon anything coming out of thailand. am i right in thinking that? |
Oh yeah, hell even the Thais would look down on it. Which Thai Uni? Chula, Thammasat, Kasetsart. If it's not one of these, then you might as well hit KSR and get a forged Ivy League dipolma. |
chulalongkorn university. if you check the link below, it is ranked one place below waseda and a few places AHEAD of the mighty tohoku university, according to THES WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2006.
http://www.paked.net/higher_education/rankings/times_06_pg3.htm
http://www.chula.ac.th/chula/en/index.html
i am considering this university primarily because of the THES ranking. i have been accepted for a phd through sheffield university but i think that a masters could help me in the meantime and the semester starts in about 10 days. |
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hentaigaijin
Joined: 05 Oct 2006
Posts: 104
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| Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 8:15 am Post subject: |
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im just worried because i have one friend who lived in japan for 20 yrs, is a permanent resident of japan, has a phd from toudai and worked at the united nations university in tokyo. this guy reckons that to even mention that you've lived in thailand would be enough to disgust the japanese, who only go there on sex trips or for business. he reckons he invited a female friend to dine with him at a thai restaurant in tokyo but she declined saying that she was worried it would be dirty.
he also told me a story about the japanese public being upset about a proposed visit by the emperor to the king of thailand in thailand. apparently they were upset that the emperor would go to thailand - it would be ok if the king of thailand came to visit japan but not the other way around. im not sure what happened in the end but the japanese newspapers cut the king of thailand out of all the photos.
or so the story goes...
the king of thailand is a virtual god in his own country.
im worried by comments such as these. what do you think the japanese reaction would be (anyone who has worked at japanese universities) to an MEd Tefl from Chula aligned to the fact that i will also be working towards the phd from sheffield? |
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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
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| Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 10:12 am Post subject: |
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| hentaigaijin wrote: |
im just worried because i have one friend who lived in japan for 20 yrs, is a permanent resident of japan, has a phd from toudai and worked at the united nations university in tokyo. this guy reckons that to even mention that you've lived in thailand would be enough to disgust the japanese, who only go there on sex trips or for business. he reckons he invited a female friend to dine with him at a thai restaurant in tokyo but she declined saying that she was worried it would be dirty.
he also told me a story about the japanese public being upset about a proposed visit by the emperor to the king of thailand in thailand. apparently they were upset that the emperor would go to thailand - it would be ok if the king of thailand came to visit japan but not the other way around. im not sure what happened in the end but the japanese newspapers cut the king of thailand out of all the photos.
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sounds like BS to me |
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hentaigaijin
Joined: 05 Oct 2006
Posts: 104
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| Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 10:33 am Post subject: |
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well this guy does have a rather high opinion of himself (can't blame him really). when i first told him about my plans to go to japan and teach english he said that to work in a university you need an MA Applied Lingusitics. then i showed him documentary evidence of someone with MA Japanese Studies working in a HE institution teaching english.
don't the japanese look down on other asians? |
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canuck
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 1921
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 11:06 am Post subject: |
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| hentaigaijin wrote: |
| don't the japanese look down on other asians? |
Is this a real question?  |
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