Job Discussion Forums

[Kimura]

I am currently completing my bachelors of education in Canada and I am intent on going overseas, particularly Japan, to teach at an international school.

My experiences seeking employment in Japan as an English teacher has made me confident, perhaps mistakenly, that I can easily secure a teaching position at an international school.

I understand, however, that international schools seek greater qualifications and there is perhaps greater competition for these teaching positions. At any rate, I was wondering if I could receive some of the highly constructive feedback I have been reading in the other forums, here. In particular, I was wondering how competitive is the market for international teaching positions? Also, if anybody could contribute their experiences in seeking employment at an international school in Japan, please feel free to weigh in.

[Glenski]

It is my understanding that international schools usually require a teaching license from one's home country, plus a year or two of experience teaching there, before they accept candidates.

Not all, but the vast majority.

[Kimura]

I noticed people aren't always the most receptive to your feedback, I nonetheless appreciate your advice. What you said regarding the qualifications jives with what others have reported to me.

Like I mentioned earlier, I will be completing my teaching degree, here in my country. I have taught English in Japan for 2 years, so I am hoping that might raise my stock as a potential teacher.

[Tim Trowbridge]

Here is a recent advertisement for a position at an international school:

http://tokyo.craigslist.jp/edu/951010487.html

I was actually surprised on how little they asked for in terms of qualifications.

[Kimura]

Thanks Tim for the job posting. I suspect that the qualifications are as such because they might be interested in a candidate with little teaching experience so they can pay out a lower salary. Or they might not cover accommodations and a flight ticket. Who knows, but thanks again, I am going to send them an email.

[markle]

also be a little wary of the words 'international school'. There are places that call themselves that but really don't come to the same standard.
My understanding is that you will need a minimum of 2-3 years and you are hired a job fairs for international schools in your home country.

[Eric]

Hi Kimura,

With an elementary teaching license in Canada you might want to check out the Canadian School in Tokyo. Many teachers there do not have much experience beyond a teaching license. Pay is around 400,000 per month including housing allowance, but no summer pay your first year.

Most international schools around Tokyo and probably Japan do not care if you have English teaching experience. The job is different. I would strongly suspect any school that pays around the 300,000 yen mark and are not accredited anywhere. A lot of international schools are now part of the PYP IB system. To look for a school I reccommend doing an internet search and writing a cover letter and sending a resume to the principal of schools you like. Since you are in Canada you could probably attend a teacher's fair.

Good luck,
Eric

[johanne]

Hi Kimura,

That job posting is not likely for an accrediated international school. The salary is too low and the description of "boutique" school probably means it's a new school trying to establish some kind of program.

To be blunt, your experience teaching English in Japan is meaningless to an international school, just as it would be to a public school in Canada. I taught ESL here for 4 years and then in an elmentary school in Canada and an international school here for a total of 8 years. The jobs are totally different and while the ESL work helped me out a bit, it wasn't really comparable to what I'm doing now.

The recruiting season for international schools is now. You are probably too late to get registered for any of the job fairs, but you could try contacting schools in Japan directly. The most common accrediations for genuine international schools are from the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) or the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Other signs of a "true" international schools are the IB curriculum. The Americans also have a series of schools around the world and will often hire Canadians. They are often very well paying schools and getting a post there can be very competitive. Usually they are called "The American school of ____"

If you look at the CIS website you will be able to see the schools attending their various job fairs. Many schools at those fairs are genuine.

Without any actual classroom teaching experience, outside of ESL, I would say you do not have a huge change with the higher end schools. However, you may be able to find a job with the newer schools. If you could find a school that is building a genuine program and pays you 400,000 a month you would be doing great. I agree with another poster that the Canadian School in Tokyo is a good bet. They don't pay a well as the higher end schools but they are genuine and it would be a great place to get PYP experience which will put you in a very good position a few years down to road to get other international school positions, in Japan or elsewhere. I interviewed there and got a very good vibe from the principal and the general feeling of the school. I think there would be a good support system for a beginning teacher that you would be unlikely to find in most international schools, where it is sink or swim and you deal with problem parents/students/collegues on your own.

FYI, a top end school will pay over 500,000 yen a month to start and will pay for your airfare and shipping and will set you up in an apartment and pay all the start up fees of getting an apartment in Japan (this can cost over $5,000 so is a significant perk) plus will give you a "settling in" allowance to buy furniture and stuff. With more experience and qualifications it's not uncommon to get 600,000 - 700,000 a month. They usually expect as least 2 years of classroom experience and often get enough qualified applications that they can demand over 5 years experience plus and MA in education. You will work hard, much harder than teaching ESL. There are a lot of extra responsibilities beyond delivering you lessons.

Anyway, good luck. I'm not trying to paint a negative picture, just a realistic one.

[Glenski]

[Tim Trowbridge]

Johanne,
You definitely know a lot more about international schools than me, but I don't think it's fair to say that the school in that ad isn't a "genuine" international school. This is from their website:

[JL]

This is neither here not there, as far as whether KAIS International School is a good school or not. But regarding the "school" that they lean on for their accredidation, a red flag did go up in my mind when I saw that the city was omitted in the description of "Laurel Springs High School in California, USA." This particular school does not physically exist. It's contemporary version of a correspondence school. Here's the school's homepage.
http://www.laurelsprings.com/home
Judge for yourself what to make of this.

[johanne]

Yes, I looked at the KAIS website. It basically looks like they are very new and are trying to recruit returnees. They are using a curriculum from an American high school, which as mentioned above seems to be an on-line program. All of this is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does not add up to the typical definition of an international school and is unlikely to be recognized as such by other international schools. The accrediations I mentioned above are very well known in the international school community world-wide and are used to distinguish between established schools with international programs and those like KAIS which are basically private schools in a particular country offering an alternative program to the national one. The program there is likely not transferrable to other schools. Where I am working, for example, students from such a school would not be able to automatically transfer into our school. Students from schools such as Seisen, American School in Japan, Sacred Heart, International School of Yokohama, etc. would automatically be accepted.

As far as the OP is concerned, it's not necessarily a bad job and can be a good place to start. However, it won't necessarily lead to a job at a better international school because of the uncertain status of the school. In fact, the OP would be in a better position if he worked in his own country at a public school for 2-3 years and then went to an international school job fair. Many people get their first international job this way and start off at a more established school and then are able to move on to a top-tier school.

[Kimura]

Thank you very much to everyone that contributed to this thread, especially johanne. I am aware that many, if not most, international schools look for at least 2 years of in-class teaching experience. I intend to go to a job fair and a hiring agency to secure a job in Japan. It is unfortunate that my English teaching experience in Japan won't hold much weight, but that is the reality of the situation. I will just have to rely on my good looks and charm. Thanks again to everyone that weighed-in on this issue.