Job Discussion Forums

[avahanian]

[donfan]

[donfan]

[Gordon]

I think another possibility to improve the quality of teachers and teaching in Japan is if the eikaiwas paid more to experienced teachers. This would bring better teachers to Japan and would keep them here too. Eikaiwas pay teachers with no experience and 10 years of experience the same. They also pay teachers with a Masters and TEFL the same as someone with just a BA. It doesn't exactly draw experienced and educated teachers to Japan or provide any sort of incentive for teachers who are already here to get more education. Of course this won't happen (at least not in many schools), at least not in my lifetime because they want to get the cheapest teachers possible.

[Smooth Operator]

Well, that's true for many who start with a company but I heard NOVA (from a friend who used to work there) give their teachers a raise each year, so if one stays a few years quite reasonable money follows. If one can persevere that is

[donfan]

[Glenski]

From the NOVA web site:

As you complete your first year, having made consistent progress in your career with Nova, a salary increment of up to 20,000 yen monthly is available in acknowledgement of the valuable role you have taken as part of the teaching team. As there is no limit to the length of employment in Nova with a sponsored visa, every year can bring further increases in recognition of your contribution to ensuring Nova's standard of excellence is maintained.

But the opportunities for increase in salary are not limited to recognition of your performance as a teacher and the length of your stay. One of Nova's advantages is that we recognize the skills that teachers bring to the job and reward it with promotion. Being the largest English language school in Japan means that there are always opportunities for promotion in new and expanding school branches. Naturally, your new responsibilities are rewarded with an additional monthly payment of 10,000 yen.

The underlines are mine. First underline...how do they measure this "consistent progress" and compare it to people who haven't achieved it? Does anyone know? Look at www.teachinginjapan.com and find the questionnaire answers from NOVA. They are equally vague. Here they are in case you can't find it.

[Gordon]

I got a raise this year, a whopping 3,000 yen/month, Yahoo! That'll buy about 8 Starbucks lattes. Am I alone in this folks? What was your raise this past contract?

[leeroy]

So, to summarise the answers to the OP:

From a purely pedagogical/teaching perspective, Japan is a rubbish place to teach. But everything else makes it a rewarding experience Right?

[Gordon]

Leeroy, you catch on pretty quick. In general, I'd say yes. Besides the office politics and unmotivated students, I love being in Japan. In some ways I have a better standard of life here than in Canada (did I really say that?)

[leeroy]

Come now Gordon I find it hard to believe that any Canadian would consciously admit to Canada being anything less than perfect!

You'll be conceding that Americans are better at sports soon!

[Gordon]

Not at hockey anyways and Cdns all know that is the only sport that matters. They do get a lot of Olympic medals though, mind you with 250 million people, they should.

[Smooth Operator]

I got a 4000yen a month PAY CUT this year instead of the 5,000yen a month pay rise that I was expecting! It was applied to everyone though before you start wondering. Hard times...

[shmooj]

Small eikaiwa may be the way to go along the lines of the following strategy.

Come here qualified to a basic level in EFL. Get a job at a small eikaiwa where the owner (not a middleman) has a direct line of communication with you and speaks good English. There are lots of family owned ones out there.

Once you've settled. Start to produce excellent materials and very tight lesson plans. Note down issues that come up and come up with solutions to them on paper. Speak to students who like your teaching and ask them why. Note these things down. Focus on anything that compromises or enhances the teaching/learning expericence at the school. This could be anything from prof. dev. opportunities right through to the decor in the rooms.

Once you have the blueprint for change, write it all down in simple English. Submit it and suggest how if these changes are not implemented some students will feel bad and you will be unhappy in your job. Say you would be much happier if you could help work on some of these changes.

What happens next is a win-win situation. Either the boss gives you the cold shoulder in which case you know that, for the rest of your contract, there is no point in making any effort to improve teaching at the school. Save your money for nights out after work and start looking to move on. Don't waste your energy at that school.

If the boss reacts with interest, you are onto a winner because you now have the opportunity to tweak the school to make it a proper learning environment. This extra responsibility may attract more pay and contract extensions but even if it doesn't, you have a golden opportunity to develop as a teacher.

If the above scenario sounds far-fetched, I for one can vouch for it. It is exactly what happened to me. Due to the improvements I put in place and in addition to pedagogic sanity and extreme job satisfaction and personal teaching development, I secured a 30% pay rise and six years' worth of contracts with my school.

This happened because I didn't just mouth about how I was a serious teacher but got on and made it happen. In doing so, I also made it clear to the boss that I would not continue to work there otherwise. He was wise and other bosses are not. But if he hadn't been, I would have moved on until I was happy. He and I both knew that there were plenty of other eikaiwas that would benefit from my approach.

I still have the document I wrote and love to look over it with a chuckle from time to time.

[Gordon]

Shmooj, you`re a good businessman. That is how you can make teaching work for you, instead of letting others take control of your life.