Job Discussion Forums

[ebond007]

I want to ask a question about a hypothetical situation. I've not lived any of these things as of yet, but the question does plague me. Let's say someone with average skills and average credentials (re: university degree, etc.) moves to Japan. They do their time in a big language school a la AEON or whatever. They get a nicer gig with a smaller language school. They get a gig as an ALT with a dispatcher. Maybe they even get an ALT job directly with a BoE. Is that it? Is that the glass ceiling on the career? If the person doesn't want to go back to his home country or start over in another country teaching English, where do things go from there? It seems like it would be hard to stay in Japan indefinitely and make a career from there, but I know there are people who want to do that, and I'm sure some do successfully. Is there a path to continual advancement over the course of a lifetime?

[Apsara]

I'm sure some would disagree, but I personally don't see a move from a small eikaiwa to being a dispatch ALT as an upward step, at all. In terms of potential for promotion, the large eikaiwa probably offers the most opportunities, although you may have to sell your soul in order to move into a management position

I would say an M-TESOL and university work would represent the peak of an ESL career, or heading in a different direction, owning and running your own language school.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Well there are a lot of different job descriptions that go under the banner of 'ALT'. 'ALT' actually doesn't mean much more than native (level) English person / teacher in a Japanese school.

Some are human tape recorders. Some are responsible for curriculum and syllabus, material development, textbook (or not) choice, grading, meeting parents etc.

The normal next step after that while still teaching is an MA in TESOL / Applied Linguistics, and then on to post-secondary. But not everybody makes that step. Some who are direct hires plan to work for their school or board of education until they retire.

Others get out of teaching and into something else- for example editing/rewriting and translation. Still others open their business.

Then there are those who go back into the language school arena as a DoS (Director of Studies).

Basically, it's a teacher job. Teachers teach.
What's the career path of an elementary or secondary school teacher?
Step one: get job.
Step two: teach.
Step three: repeat step two over and over getting better as you go.
Step four: retire.

Outside of Japan you cannot become a principal or a vice principal just by having become a teacher. It requires more education (a M.Ed in Educational Leadership). Most teachers never do that.

[Glenski]

If you don't get supplemental training or degree, then don't expect to go "higher"...period.

eikaiwa / ALT
mainstream school (direct hire)
business English / junior college / university / your own business

It's all a gray area. Advancing in the ranks may not be to other people what it is to you. Do you plan to make a career out of TEFL in Japan?

As Gambate wrote, teaching alone is not necessarily the end, either. You can branch out with proofreading / editing / translating, or do teacher training, school managing / recruiting, materials writing, etc. Stay long enough to get a spouse visa or Permanent Resident status, and you can do nearly any sort of job, not just teaching-related.

[move]

I'm not the most qualified to talk about prospects in Japan, but I can tell you what it's like in LA. It seems to me that if you just have a B.A and some experience, you can't get much more than conversation school work. If you do some schooling and get your teaching credentials, you can teach or substitute teach in public schools, and well as adult education. I'm in the situation you're describing right now, where I need to upgrayedd to a masters so that I can teach at the community college level.

Basically, in 10 years I don't wanna have the same job as some punk kid straight out of college (as I once was). Competition is tough, but I'm confident with some teaching skills, a friendly disposition and some contacts anybody can do it.

[kathrynoh]

This touches on something I wanted to ask so I may as well ask here as start a new thread. When I had my interview with ECC, they mentioned moving into areas like preparing reading materials etc after a few years teaching.

Is this an easy thing to do within the eikaiwa system? Do many teachers actually move into these kind of jobs or is it just interview talk?

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Not sure, but the number of positions ay eikaiwa has doing that are far less than the number of instructor positions, so I wouldn't assume that it's easy to get into, and I also wouldn't assume that they didn't gloss over you needing to do a post-grad certificate or a masters in TESOL or something along those lines while working for them in order to qualify.

Material development is a part of most (non conversation school) English language teaching jobs for foreigners.

[gonzarelli]

From eikaiwa to ALT to your home country.

From what I saw, there is very little room for advancement in the eikaiwa industry in Japan. After a couple years, I was just spinning my wheels but I still stayed on.

Doing what's comfortable is far easier than doing what's right. That's why I stayed in Japan too long.

[kathrynoh]

Thanks for the replies. There was no mention of post-grad study but then it wasn't such a big point -- they were showing the booklets used for lessons and mentioned that new booklets were used very 6 weeks or so and there was the possiblity to move into that area.

I planned to ask for more details during the one on one interview but thought I'd flunked out on the lesson demo so didn't bother!

[gonzarelli]

[Glenski]

[womblingfree]

[flyer]

[fluffyhamster]

I suspect that womblingfree's job was in a private high school (which are generally much less of the 'assistant' in AET). Not sure about yours though flyer - a rise of 150,000 yen to do little or nothing sounds too good to be true, and would nowadays be almost unheard of certainly in public school AET (mostly dispacth ~ ) jobs. That being said, I am sure there are still some fat juicy non-JET direct hire public AET positions floating around somewhere!

[flyer]

one thing you have to remember

this is not an English speaking country. You are a foreigner here and therefore, your options are very limited. If you want many options, live in an English speaking country.

That said, yes, of course there are only limited options here, esp with the down turn. I would agree that ALT is better than eikaiwa but as pointed out this is not always the case. Often its pretty much case by case.
I was eikaiwa (ex nova! so pleased I jumped ship) and now ALT (direct hire from BOE) I get much better working conditions now. About double the holidays, half the work and about 35% increase in salary. And on top of that the job itself is more interesting.

Another thing you have to remember, teaching here in Japan as an ALTs etc is so so easy compared to a full teaching job back home or even a full teacher here in Japan.
Being a full teacher you have so much more responsiblity, pressure, displine problems, problems dealing with parents, have to do so much more sports etc and attend various meetings in weekends/nights. Here being an ALT its a no brainer, almost too easy. So much free time. Yes, sometimes its boring but isn't every job sometimes after a while?

So I look at it as kind of a trade off, not so much options for advancement but on the other hand its a very easy / good job.
Of course if you get sick of it, no need to complain just go back home!
no one firces you to stay here.
I like it here and I would never really want to be a full teacher back home