Job Discussion Forums

[kingmalka]

Greetings everybody

As a quick background, after finishing high school here in Los Angeles I honestly felt that I wasn't quite ready for another 4+ years of school. I thus acquired a position as iT for a game production company in Santa Monica, and have been saving money ever since. I am now 19 and ready to begin a new adventure and possibly life abroad.

I believe I have a fairly strong grasp of the English language, and I truly wish to help students communicate their thoughts, feelings and dreams by empowering them to use the tools of language to reach out and connect with other human beings -- truthfully, however, my passion for overseas teaching mainly derives from the opportunity to experience a completely new country and culture. I also feel the need to develop as a human being and member of society before returning to school.

My question for you kind folk is thus: I have already purchased a ticket to Israel to visit family in Tel Aviv (July 3rd-August 1st). It would clearly be quite convenient to remain in Israel and teach there (if at all possible), but I would honestly prefer to experience a culture I havn't already engaged with. For one such as myself and current situation, what suggestions could you all offer as far as teaching/assisting to teach English without a professional degree in Japan? Is it hard getting work permits? Finding jobs? Where should I start? Must I be fluent/knowledgable in the home country's language? I'd love to hear of personal stories ... suggestions ... or any comments for that matter!

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Eagerly awaiting responses,

- David

[Apsara]

As a US citizen (I presume?) with no degree and no EFL teaching experience, you cannot get a working visa in Japan- there are no loopholes. You could get a student or cultural visa and then apply for permission to work part-time but you must be seriously studying something like Japanese language or martial arts most of the time.

Or you can marry a Japanese national, get a spouse visa, and take whatever work you can find.

Even if you did one of the above, with no degree and aged 19 very few employers would consider you.

[JimDunlop2]

Hi David,

I noticed that you posted your question on some of the other forums on Dave's which leads me to conclude that you aren't necessarily after a teaching job in any particular region, specifically.

Teaching, in general, and especially in countries like Japan, requires a little bit more formal post-high school training and experience. For the most part, getting a work visa to teach English here requires a 4 year university degree (a Bachelor's degree) whether it be a BA or BSc. Although some people will tell you that it's not absolutely necessary to have this, given your current situation, you would not qualify to obtain a visa in any other way.

I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but in order to have ANY chance at getting a job in Japan, you would need far more experience or education, preferably more in both departments. You have to understand that the competition for good English-teaching jobs (even not so good ones) is fairly high... There are many people available to fill positions who already have undergraduate university degrees, and many more who have a fair bit of teaching experience under their belts.

Good luck in your search though.

[Nismo]

If you've got the cash, you may as well just enroll in a language school and learn Japanese. You can work up to 28 hours with permission from immigration, but you must be enrolled in and attending a language school. Other than that, there's really nothing you can do besides go there as a tourist for 3 months at a time.

[Glenski]

I agree with Aspara about the work visa. No chance.

If you want to become a student full-time here, you could apply to work part-time at most. Just remember how much that work (in a new field and in a new location with the allure of sightseeing) would detract from such studies.

The cultural visa has similar opportunities and caveats.

Let's look a little more carefully, though, at what you perceive of the EFL world here.