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Robert100
Joined: 02 Apr 2009
Posts: 13
Location: England
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 Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 12:02 am Post subject: Ideal time to start teaching in Japan? |
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Hello.
I have recently finished my CELTA and hopefully will be looking for TEFL jobs in Japan as soon as I have sorted my house to rent out. Instead of taking the ALT route, I would like to go straight into teaching myself with the possibility of being in Japan for several years (fingers crossed).
Is there an ideal time to start looking for a teaching job in Japan? If there is a standard one year contract, then I would like to pick a start date that expires at a time where there is a reasonable amount of jobs available again to apply for. Not sure if there are 'droughts' of teaching job opportunities for certain periods in the Japanese calender.
Presumably my options are initially limited to private language schools?
Many thanks in advance. |
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Cool Teacher
Joined: 18 May 2009
Posts: 930
Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 1:19 am Post subject: Re: Ideal time to start teaching in Japan? |
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| Robert100 wrote: |
Is there an ideal time to start looking for a teaching job in Japan? If there is a standard one year contract, then I would like to pick a start date that expires at a time where there is a reasonable amount of jobs available again to apply for. Not sure if there are 'droughts' of teaching job opportunities for certain periods in the Japanese calender.
Presumably my options are initially limited to private language schools? |
Oh! You shoudle look at the FAQs.
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21. Is it easier to get a job if you go to Japan, or by applying from my home country?
22. When is the best time to look for a teaching job?
23. What should I bring to Japan?
24. Will my DVDs and video tapes work on Japanese equipment?
25. Should I bring a computer to Japan, or buy one there?
26. How is life for a vegetarian in Japan?
27. Do Asians have problems finding teaching jobs in Japan?
28. How can I send money home?
29. What is the situation about paying taxes in my home country when I work in Japan?
30.What do things cost in Japan and what can I expect to spend on food, entertainment, rent etc in each area of the country?
31. What insurance do I need, what are the different kinds? Am I getting the right insurance from my employer?
32. Are there any language schools that should be avoided?
33. Are there unions in Japan that can help me with employer-related problems?
34. Where can I find out all the rules and regulations on visa and immigration?
35. Where can I get a copy of the Labour Laws in Japan?
36. Where can I find out more about the pension system in Japan, and the bulk pension refund?
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FAQ #2 thread is the place to look.
I thikn youre second queston about eikawia only is in the first FAQ thread.
Please have a look through all the FAQS and if you have more quesitons then come back
Good luck!  |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 8:12 am Post subject: |
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You have a CELTA. Do you have a bachelor's degree?
You don't want to be an ALT, but want to be a solo teacher. Ok, that leaves the very rare direct hires in public schools, the slightly more common direct hires in private schools, eikaiwa, and business schools. |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:30 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| You don't want to be an ALT, but want to be a solo teacher. Ok, that leaves the very rare direct hires in public schools, the slightly more common direct hires in private schools, eikaiwa, and business schools. |
Direct hires in public schools are 99% of the time still AETs (i.e. they aren't allowed to teach or even supervise classes alone without a JTE present). I suspect that a large percentage of private school direct (or indeed indirect) hires are also AETs basically. I've only heard of one or two BOEs that printed silly/worthless teaching certificates or credentials to allow foreign, presumably "unqualified" teachers, permission to teach alone. So 'direct hire' usually just means getting all the pay and perks that dispatch agencies swallow up.
Just clarifying what would otherwise potentially be quite ambiguous.
As for eikaiwa, here's a thought: is one ever really teaching solo given the constraints that are often operating in especially the chain ones (e.g. having to slavishly stick to a method and allied materials; observation or monitoring of classes etc).
I would imagine that one of the best situations for teaching more or less solo would be (direct hire) elementary school "A"ET. (I've sort of mentioned this before  ).
By the way, congrats on completing the CELTA, Rob! |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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| fluffyhamster wrote: |
I would imagine that one of the best situations for teaching more or less solo would be (direct hire) elementary school "A"ET. (I've sort of mentioned this before ).
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How do you figure THAT!? A lot of people who have been here a while and taught at different levels simply refuse to have anything to do with elementary schools. Some of them will refuse to do a junior high position that has no chance of becoming a senior high one, as well.
The behaviour of kids (boys in particular) in this country is atrocious. It's why if you look through ads, you see that elementary positions often pay slightly more than others. |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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Hi GBBB. I've taught at each school level, and I've never had much if any "real trouble" in/with elementary classes (or the problems some kids were having weren't with my English classes); kids seem to act up most at JHS age. SHS I'd agree is about the cushiest level for an AET, but a lot of the students are getting a bit too cool for school and/or aren't that interested in English anymore.
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| A lot of people who have been here a while and taught at different levels simply refuse to have anything to do with elementary schools. |
Perhaps they aren't very good at relating to kids, or teaching full stop? 
But seriously, I think that's the beauty of it. As few people are that interested in teaching in elementary schools or even monitoring what's going on in them, and there aren't any of those pesky JTEs running around and potentially messing the subject up, any halfway serious "A"ET can knock themselves out that bit more. |
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ssjup81
Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Posts: 664
Location: Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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To me Elementary would be the best to teach. Younger children are still in "adventure mode".
Seems that Elementary children would be more willing to learn something new compared to JHS or SHS children because school is still new and exciting to them. They're also more curious, imo, and always asking questions (sometimes). By the time JHS or SHS rolls around, they have other things on their minds to distract them...like "trying to be cool" or dating or whatever or school, at that age, is more like a mandatory chore to some of them.
This is one of my main reasons as to why if choosing a level to teach on (in general), it would be the Elementary kids. Of course I'm basing that on my observation from here, as I'm not certain if this is true for Japanese students or any other country's students. |
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Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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| fluffyhamster wrote: |
| As for eikaiwa, here's a thought: is one ever really teaching solo given the constraints that are often operating in especially the chain ones (e.g. having to slavishly stick to a method and allied materials; observation or monitoring of classes etc). |
I worked for GEOS for just under two years, and I never experienced any of that - we were expected to plan for lessons, and I was observed maybe twice. we were given training in the "GEOS Communicative Method", which was useful for an unqualified and inexperienced teacher as I was at that time, but I was never forbidden from teaching a different approach. The training provided for teachers in their second year even covered different approaches like TBL and guided discovery.
Apart from that, we were expected to develop our own materials, and it was quite possible to skip away from the (often poor) textbooks, it was even encouraged (Sprint 7, anyone?). However, we were to | | |
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