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Brooks
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1369
Location: Sagamihara
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 Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 12:21 am Post subject: |
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send me a PM, JL and I will let you know.
Frankly I am thinking of moving to the US so I wonder why you think Japan is going to be better. This country is in recession too.
My problem is that I have taught at a high school for over seven years, and the only decent jobs I see are at universities. I have never taught at a university in Japan so that is one reason I can't get a job.
Between eikaiwa and university work there is not a lot to choose from.
If you know about certification in Nevada, let me know. I need to plan my options. I would like to know what it entails. I have a MA in TESOL so I hope I don't have to do much, and I would like to work and get certified at the same time. |
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Yawarakaijin
Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 504
Location: Middle of Nagano
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| Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 12:59 am Post subject: |
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I was also looking forward to getting certified in the future Brooks. I don't have any hard facts but I recall seeing a documentary once that outlined how the US is hurting for teachers and how many, many boards of education have special routes to getting certified in the US.
Some boards going as far as simply hiring you direct and allowing you to "earn" your certification for working for them. Granted these may not be in the best locations but it seems that Americans have quite a few more options than Canadians. With an MA in TESOL, if i recall some of the options correctly, some boards may just give you certification right away if you commit to a certain amount of time with them. That may not be what you are looking for though, a long-term job in an American public school I mean.
For Canadians there seems to be no way around it. 8 months to 1 year in a university course at the minimum. Still not bad but I think there are more options out there for American teachers. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 1:13 am Post subject: |
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| Hoser wrote: |
| flyer wrote: |
| Brooks wrote: |
two teachers I work with are bailing. They will leave in January.
One will move to Hawaii and another will move to Australia to get certified.
Really, there are some people with good jobs but it seems that teachers are being divided into haves and have-nots.
I will lose my job. I am 38 but it is like I am considered too old. In other words schools just want teachers to be as young as possible so they can pay them less. |
I have never heard of any teacher getting paid less for being younger!?
where did you get that info from?
And while I take your point about age, its not black and white. I am in my mid 40's and have a good job (with only a degree) |
I think he means that new teachers tend to be young, whereas older teachers tend to have been in the system for a long time so their salaries are a little bloated due to pay raises. Can't say I blame them. Japanese people want to talk with foreign english speakers. Someone just out of university can do that job just as well as someone who has been working in the industry for 20 years. |
But then Japanese teachers usually just teach straight from the book, speak imperfect English and don't even try to get any better at it. They get pay raises every year. The only difference is that foreigners are just foreigners, and often, older foreign teachers are actually making the same as the younger teachers. They don't get pay raises. |
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Brooks
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1369
Location: Sagamihara
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| Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:41 am Post subject: |
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| Hoser, you sound like a Japanese apologist. Just because a teacher is younger doesn't make him a better teacher. I teach at a high school and youth only goes so far. Competence is what really counts, regardless of age. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:51 am Post subject: |
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| Brooks wrote: |
| Between eikaiwa and university work there is not a lot to choose from. |
Really?
business English school/agency
self-employment (and self-sponsorship of visa)
rare public high school direct hire
not so rare FT private HS/JHS teacher
PT at senmon gakko or similar
start one's own school |
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phoenixstorm
Joined: 05 Dec 2007
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:02 am Post subject: |
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| Brooks wrote: |
March is late.
What kind of work are you looking for? |
Ekiwa or alt work would be fine with me. Actually I think I would prefer alt work so I can have weekends and evenings free.
I am also thinking of brushing up on my programming and trying my hand at that. It has been years though since I have even looked at my old c++ textbook. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:33 am Post subject: |
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| phoenixstorm wrote: |
| also thinking of brushing up on my programming and trying my hand at that. It has been years though since I have even looked at my old c++ textbook. |
Are you already fluent in Japanese, AND have a way to stand out from all the Japanese programmers (I mean a postive way)? |
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cornishmuppet
Joined: 27 Mar 2004
Posts: 642
Location: Nagano, Japan
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| Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:29 am Post subject: |
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All this about huge start up costs.... I rolled up with 4 man with three weeks until my first pay check and I did just fine. 2 man got swallowed by a weekend away forced on me by my new boss too. Obviously if you have no job to come to its more, but if you're taking a job which deducts your rent etc from your salary the start up costs are hardly going to offset a whole year earning yet at the current rates.
Sorry for jumping over the most recent posts there. |
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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
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| Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:30 am Post subject: |
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| cornishmuppet wrote: |
| Sorry for jumping over the most recent posts there. |
No worries, they were going off on things that have always been true of the Japanese industry. I'm much more interested in thinking of what it's going to be like once the economic crisis/recession/depression starts to bite.
I started the thread because I was talking to the manager of the school I'm at about the year ahead. Two foreign teachers (me included) are heading home. I suggested that they might be better off replacing us with a part timer. She countered that she has been told that there would be increased demand from retrenched workers looking to improve their English in order to get an edge in the job market.
So what do other people speculate? |
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Hoser
Joined: 19 Mar 2005
Posts: 694
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:45 am Post subject: |
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| Brooks wrote: |
| Hoser, you sound like a Japanese apologist. Just because a teacher is younger doesn't make him a better teacher. I teach at a high school and youth only goes so far. Competence is what really counts, regardless of age. |
I don't think eikaiwas are looking for competence (well they are looking for a little of course). What I'm saying is that from my experience in eikaiwas, Japanese students want to speak to foreigners. They want to practice their English and listen to a native English speaker. And someone just out of university can handle that role just as well as someone who has been in the game for 20 years. Better even because they haven't been in a foreign country for years. I've only been here for three and a half years and sometimes I wonder what happened to my English. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:57 am Post subject: |
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So really, what Hoser is saying is that younger people freshly arrived in Japan may make better conversation partners, which is pretty much what an eikaiwa teacher is. (Correct me if I'm wrong about what you meant.) I agree with you in part there, as I'm sure I was a more fun teacher when I was younger as I was less jaded by being asked the same questions a million times.
Being younger doesn't necessarily make people better teachers, since eikaiwa instructor is stretching the definition of a teacher a bit! I'm not knocking all you eikaiwa people here, I was at eikaiwa for quite a long time and still teach the odd private student, but I have never for a moment thought I was doing the same job as someone who has a degree in TESOL or education. |
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Smooth Operator
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Posts: 140
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Brooks wrote: |
| I have a MA in TESOL so I hope I don't have to do much, and I would like to work and get certified at the same time. |
You can get hired for university jobs as that is the qualification most ask for. Part-time work should be avaliable around kanto but you will have to network. I have friends who got full-time uni gigs in that region, some without experience.
If you move to a smaller city full-time uni gigs are not so difficult to get with an MA in TESOL. |
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Lhenderson
Joined: 15 Dec 2008
Posts: 135
Location: Shanghai JuLu Road
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 6:18 am Post subject: |
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Just smile bright! and be agressive!
Fake it 'till you make it. |
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Yorrick85
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 15
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:39 am Post subject: Help? |
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Funny,
I was just wondering about how the economic crisis would impact on my moving to Japan. I accepted a position in Osaka Prefecture before the economic meltdown became global although luckily saving money isn't my primary motivation. The company I am coming over with recommended I bring 5 thousand Aussie Dollars but with the skyrocketing Yen I'm guessing I am going to be needing allot more than that.
Any ideas on how a newbie can avoid being crunched by the credit crisis? |
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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
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| Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 1:00 pm Post subject: Re: Help? |
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| Yorrick85 wrote: |
Any ideas on how a newbie can avoid being crunched by the credit crisis? |
The fact that you have a job already lined up is a good start, I would read the fine print to see the conditions under which they will terminate your employment make sure they are legal and be prepared for the worst. I started this thread as a way of getting prospective teachers to take into account the economic crisis and have some of the long-termers weigh in on the likely impact.
As for having enough money it will really depend on what your company is offering accomodation wise. I arrived here with a dependent wife with @AU$1000 and survived nicely because I was provided a furnished apartment and monthly train ticket.
Even if your job provides nothing $5000 is doable even at the current exchange rates. |
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