Job Discussion Forums

[B0RGNINE]

I've spent the last 6 months sending resumes to Japanese universities and have been getting a dismal rate of response and I have some ideas why. First off, a little about me..

BA English
MA Curriculum and Instruction in TESL
Colorado State Teaching License
Colorado State Professional ESL Endorsement

Three years on JET (I know, no need to tell me)
Two and a half years at the IEP at the University of Colorado Denver
One term at Yokohama College of Commerce (via the nefarious Westgate Corp. again� I know)

I have some proficiency in Japanese (speaking/listening: intermediate, reading/writing: beginner)

I DO currently have a valid work visa in Japan.

Oh, I'm 35, male sans children and wife.

I've had one interview for Kanda University of International Studies, and I've been requested to send follow up application materials to Kansai Gaidai. The rest I've received rejection letters from or have heard nothing at all (after sending far too many large envelopes registered mail for $15 USD each and also being asked to get a chest x-ray and blood tests done and far too many essays on my thoughts on EFL teaching in Japan).

The following are what I presume to be the causes of all the rejections and non-responses I've received, and I'd like to hear what those with more experience in searching for uni jobs in Japan think:

- My resume has an American mailing address on it. I realized far too late that despite that I have a work visa in Japan (this is stated in my cover letter as well as a scan of the visa page from my passport and scan of my ARC follow the scans of my diplomas/certificates) this may be a convenient disqualifying red flag for those sifting through oceans of resumes (I've since updated my resume with my friend's Japanese address and phone number, but it's probably too late for spring). That the only two positive responses I�ve received have been from universities who hire from abroad also seems to support this.

- I'm not published.

- My only experience teaching accredited classes was for only one term and through Westgate.

And now that it's December, and other than the unpromising prospects offered by a few stragglers still looking for EFL instructors on JREC-IN, it appears I'm now stranded in a winter no-man's-land until springtime.

After all this, my questions are more succinct:

1. Could it be that something so simple as having an overseas address on my resume most of my problem, or am I overestimating how damaging this is?

2. Many job listings call for publications. Regardless of how much or how little being unpublished may be a disadvantage, I may as well start working on it for the future. For those who have published, any tips on how to expedite the process? Any general tips? Where to go? How to choose topics? GLENSKI, I've seen you mention publishing in a few threads, but I was wondering if you had any specific advice.

[Glenski]

Most unis will probably pass on you because you are not here to do an interview. Most does not mean all, and you might even the odds more if you indicate when you could show up.

No publications is a biggie. Get some any way you can. Lower level pubs can be had quickly, but those in peer-reviewed journals may take 1-2 years after submission.

One quickie publication you can shoot for is a "My Share" article in The Language Teacher (See the JALT homepage). It's essentially a lesson plan that you have taught successfully and describe to other teachers.

Join JALT or TESOL or IATEFL. That alone would prove you are somewhat serious about teaching, too. See what TESOL and other groups have in the way of journals for quickie publications. IATEFL's main journal Voice seems to have very easy ones, as well as another journal they publish (The Professional English Teacher).

Otherwise, you may also have some weakness in how you write the dreaded "philosophy of teaching" essay that so many unis request. Don't know what you wrote.

More advice:
1. The University Hiring Process: An Overview (Joe Tomei)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/1999/03/working

2. Job Hunting in Japan: Qualifications and Information (Ken Dillon & Craig Sower, 1996)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/96/oct/job.html

3. Job Hunting in Japan: The Resume and the Interview (Wayne K. Johnson & Ken Dillon, 1996)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/96/nov/employment.html

4. Considerations for Securing an English Teaching Position at a Japanese University. Part 1 (Christopher Glick, 2002)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2002/08/glick

5. Considerations for Securing an English Teaching Position at a Japanese University. Part 2 (Christopher Glick, 2002)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2002/09/glick

6. Why English Teachers in Japan Need to Learn Japanese (David Barker, 2003) http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2003/02/barker

7. Recruiting a University English Teacher: Raising the Standard (Paul Stapleton, 2004)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2004/10/stapleton

8. The Person, the Package, the Presentation: Lessons From a Recent Job Hunt (Philip McCasland & Brent Poole, 2004)
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2004/10/mccasland

[B0RGNINE]

Thanks Glenski, that's good advice and those are good links, it's a big help!

[fat_chris]

Yes, many thanks for those links Glenski. Those are extremely useful for those of us contemplating making the jump to teaching at a Japanese college or university (and figuring out how to go about doing it).

Regards,
fat_chris