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ScottishMike
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Posts: 45
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 Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 7:55 am Post subject: Schools |
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So if you were to explain the dream teaching job in Japan, what would it be? 
Also, if you RAN the school, what would you do? 
Next,
what kind of job, would make you happy to work for the company, and put in effort to ensure the students could do well?
Finally, honestly, would you GET the job if you applied for it, and why/why not?
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ScottishMike
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 3:39 am Post subject: |
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No replies? A few views but no replies..
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 6:39 am Post subject: |
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Dream job? Check out the job posted today about the Maldives. Sounds like heaven to me.
Why limit the question about Japan? If I was to open a school, it would not be in Japan. Students wouldn't come to the school here because they might fail and teachers would be serious about education, not edutainment.
Another question you might pose, is if you were to open a school, where in the world would it be?
I'd say northern Italy. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 8:31 am Post subject: Re: Schools |
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| ScottishMike wrote: |
So if you were to explain the dream teaching job in Japan, what would it be?
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The kind of job I have now with the salary i have been on for the last four years.
| ScottishMike wrote: |
Also, if you RAN the school, what would you do?
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Runing the school? You mean having to deal with lazy and incompetent slackers for staff? Making sure you make enough to pay rent? dealing with office politics and endless meetings? All the nemawashii and back scratching that goes on in Japan?
Not my idea of a cup of tea.
| ScottishMike wrote: |
what kind of job, would make you happy to work for the company, and put in effort to ensure the students could do well?
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Im not sure if this is tied in with the above question, but working for someone else and making someone else money is not my ideal, but basically a job where I am treated with dignity and respect and people leave me alone to get on with it, and not spying on me or have the knives out for me to advance their own career goals or purposes. Fair pay for a fair days work.
I dont think you can not make students study, as they have to want it for themselves first, and many students in Japan dont really know why they are studying English.
Add in tests and homework here and students will leave in droves. |
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ScottishMike
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 8:50 am Post subject: Re: Schools |
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| PAULH wrote: |
The kind of job I have now with the salary i have been on for the last four years.
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Which would be? and you got it because???
Not saying anything there, I meant it in a good way, how highly qualified/lucky are you??
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ScottishMike
Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Posts: 45
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 8:55 am Post subject: Re: Schools |
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| PAULH wrote: |
Runing the school? You mean having to deal with lazy and incompetent slackers for staff? |
Are all teachers lazy and incompetent slackers?
In your opinion?
Anyone? |
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easyasabc
Joined: 13 Jul 2003
Posts: 179
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Gordon wrote: |
| Dream job? Check out the job posted today about the Maldives. Sounds like heaven to me. |
Maldives??? Hell yes!!!! When can I start????????  |
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easyasabc
Joined: 13 Jul 2003
Posts: 179
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Gordon wrote: |
| Dream job? Check out the job posted today about the Maldives. Sounds like heaven to me. |
Maldives??? Hell yes!!!! When can I start???????? |
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shmooj
Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1758
Location: Seoul, ROK
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| Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2004 1:11 am Post subject: |
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ScottishMike,
You are probably wondering why hardly anyone has given you a constructive reply to what seems like a dream question.
I believe the main answers would be apathy and/or exhaustion.
Having been involved in top level management of an eikaiwa for the last 5 years, I can tell firsthand that it is a very frustrating experience. Sure, there are rewards. But you have to work very hard for these and inevitably, at some point, all the work you put in kind of seems to unravel after a while.
It's weird. It's a bit like Japan is an extremely elastic culture (in the scientific sense of the word). IOW, whatever influence may spring it out of shape for an even long-ish time, it will eventually and inevitably end up in the shape it existed in before. You can only live with this for so long before you have some kind of breakdown.
So there are really two kinds of people working here in TESOL. One group are those who don't care less about running a school and making things work right. Then there are others who realise that TESOL in Japan is exhaustingly resistant to change, that they have kind of taken a step back to simply do the best they can without being revolutionary. Sure, TESOL in Japan needs a revolution, but at the moment it is really a Japanese phenomenon, not a foreign one. The people you are asking are foreigners who have either been once bitten or simply don't care. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2004 2:40 am Post subject: Re: Schools |
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| ScottishMike wrote: |
| PAULH wrote: |
Runing the school? You mean having to deal with lazy and incompetent slackers for staff? |
Are all teachers lazy and incompetent slackers?
In your opinion?
Anyone? |
I wouldnt say all, but many.
I dont really consider myself an elitist, but after having spent the best part of a decade shimmying up the greasy pole, acquiring qualifications, gaining experience, crawling over broken glass to get into a position of responsibilty and financial security, and then you have to look at what you have to deal with in terms of prospective teachers (If they were all as dedicated as me it would be wonderful but they are not) so here goes:
People with a BA in Sociology who think teaching involves sitting in a classroom and talking about what pub they went to last night.
Not actually know in detail what they are doing and why. How to plan a lesson. How to correct student errors. How to make an accurate assessment of student ability or progress. Not be able to formulate criteria for their judgement or opinion. Not know the difference between various teaching methods and which is the best one for their student.
People just out of university, first time away from home who discover what real work means. teaching is not rocket science but its hard work. It is very easy to coast and sit on your butt all day and do nothing. I have heard of teachers create exercises for student so they could read Newsweek during classes, or go out for a cigarette.
Quite happy to spend four years, thousands of dollars getting a virtually worthless BA, but ask them to spend a thousand dollars or 100 hours on a CELTA or getting a teaching qualification to improve their skills? They like teaching but not that much. They are only in japan to party and meet women.
Teachers coming straight to the class from the airport from Thailand or Bali. Holidays are more important to them than teaching or acquiring skills.
Do you really wnat to spend millions of yen to build up a business and have it wrecked over night, by substandard or mediocre teaching, having teachers come in with hangovers or have your teachers trying to seduce the students?
Build up a body of students and then find your teachers are pilfering them by teaching them at half price in their homes.
Being seen as the bad guy and being seen as the enemy by your teachers, (bit like the relationship between tenants and landlords- best not to be too familiar with the guy paying your rent: can cause problems when you want to arise the rent. Im not being paid to be friends with my staff) when all you are trying to do is provide a service and balance the books at the same time. Teachers want high salary and perks but students want to pay as low as possible for lessons. Add in rent, overheads, advertising, photocopy machine and you are looking at big bucks. |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2004 4:22 am Post subject: |
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PAULH,
hear, hear! |
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shmooj
Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1758
Location: Seoul, ROK
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| Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2004 11:52 am Post subject: |
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| ScottishMike - PaulH has just illustrated well why few would jump at the chance to run their dream school. |
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