Job Discussion Forums

[dreamtolive]

Hello,

I am currently looking for teaching work in Japan; and I am a single mom of an 8 year-old son.

Does anyone know of any single moms currently teaching in Japan or know of any schools in particular that have hired single moms?

I realize I do have my challenges ahead of me; but this is a very huge dream of mine that I have held for a long time. I will find a way.

A little about myself. I have over five years ESL/EFL teaching including Japan teaching experience; so I have a good idea of what to expect in Japan. I also have experience managing a language school in Toronto, as well as 3 years experience in corporate software sales. I speak basic spoken Japanese and am taking courses to improve upon that.

I am planning to homeschool my son to continue the education he as acquired to date, and will most likely place him in the Japanese system ( I have read many of the posts in this forum on placing foreign children in the Japanese school system). The plan is to stay in Japan one to two years, so I am not overly concerned about the pressures of the Japanese system in regards to entrance exams.

My main challenge "off the bat" is finding a school that will sponsor us. How easy is it to find a job from Canada that is with a smaller more flexible "eikaiwa?" Have the major companies ever hired teachers with kids? Is there much chance of finding a teaching schedule that is days, to avoid the difficult situation of trying to find childcare until 9 pm at night?

Can anyone give me some feedback in this area of finding a job?

Thanks very much!

Dream To Live

[Hoser]

I would say that it would be extremely difficult.

[azarashi sushi]

[wabisabi365]

I have met two single moms here in Nagoya. One appears to be doing fine. Her daughter is about 4 years old and is enrolled in the local kindergarten. Her mother speaks very little Japanese, but that hasn't stopped her from taking care of all the small things that need to be done (school uniform, meetings, proper lunch preparation, etc...)

She teaches at an eikaiwa and has hired help for the hours she can't be with her child.

It is NOT easy. It's hard enough setting-up here when you're on your own. The obstacles she faces as a foreign mom would have had me high-tailing it out of here very quickly. The first year here, for most, is very difficult on so many levels (culturally, linguistically, socially). Another thing to keep in mind is how your child will feel being "the nail that sticks up". Not an enviable position for anyone, but particularly traumatic for children.

As with anything, lots of research and fact-finding, just like you're doing now, will hopefully help you make the best decision.

Good luck - I hope it works out for you.

ws365

[dreamtolive]

Thanks for the feedback azarashi sushi. Yes I understand what you mean. By "more flexible" I mean perhaps a smaller eikaiwai might allow wing me to have my son at the school when I am teaching at night, whereas at a larger school I am thinking that they could not make exceptions to rules.

[dreamtolive]

Thanks for your very helpful words and wishes wabisabi365. Yes I may see if it is possible to put my son in an international school. I have put so much thought into this; and it all seems so overwhelming sometimes. Of the two single moms that you know, did they get their jobs once they were already in Japan, or like me now, did they find something from their respective home countries?

Thanks kindly,

Dream to live

[drifter13]

I'm not sure how long ago it was since you taught in Japan, but I might recommend looking elsewhere in Asia at the moment, if this is the region you want to teach in. As you must know, the language school system has become quite a mess here with the fall of Nova, and the economy has been slumping for awhile now (just check the conversion of the yen to CDN). The market is flooded with teachers, and will continue to be like this at least for a few more months if not longer. Those schools still hiring can pick and choose with so many teachers out there, so you can imagine that they would prefer a teacher with no requirements regarding schedule than those needing flexibility. Your best bet might be bigger companies, but even they don't offer much nowadays except a paycheck (and not even a good one), so you can forget any real medical coverage for yourself, much less your son.

I'm here now, and I can tell you that while I am planning to stay, I don't know if it's for the year I previously planned. I've been able to stay out here through a combination of determination and luck, but I can't imagine what that would have been like if I even had one dependant to look after. I'd implore you that for your son's and your own well being you look elsewhere, or at least wait until early next year to see how the market looks.

[wabisabi365]

Some schools that may offer some flexibility:

Peppy Kids Club
Trident
Berlitz

As the previous poster said, with Nova having recently collapsed, there are now MANY English instructors looking for a place to roost before their visa runs out. If your heart is set on Japan, you may have to wait a bit for the dust to settle. That being said, the first company listed above has a recruitment office in Vancouver. If you are in Canada, you could give them a call and have a chat about your situation. They were very helpful when I had dealings with them many moons ago.

Cheers,
ws365

[Quibby84]

I would worry the most about your son especially if you plan to homeschool him. He will spend most of his days alone or driving all over Japan to go to schools and then watch you teach (if your school would allow that...I think mine probably would). After a complete day of eikawa there is no way I could teach anyone else, and there is definitely no way that I could learn anything.
I think that if you plan to come to Japan then he needs to go to some sort of school, for his sanity and yours. There is an international school in Ota that told me that if I had two years of teaching English then I could work there as a teacher. This would be good because then your son could go to school, and these sorts of jobs make more money. I think that you may be able to survive BUT ONLY if your son doesnt have to spend all of his time alone or in your English classes...I cant imagine doing this..even my cats get a little nutty sometimes and want us to stay home....hehe.