Job Discussion Forums

naujokaitis · Joined: 09 Mar 2010 Posts: 32 Location: london, ontario

Hello,

I am 27 years old from Canada, a native English speaker. I have a 4 year BA in English and Philosophy double major, I will also soon have a TESL certificate and am thinking of also taking the Business English specialization. On top of that I have two years English teaching experience in an elementary school in Lithuania, grades 4-10. How likely am I to get a job in Japan and what sort of salary should i expect? I would be looking for a job in a smaller city but not too far from a bigger one like Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka.

Also, is it worth taking the Business English specialization? Are there many such jobs in Japan?

fng · Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 8:35 pm Post subject:

Hi,

Presuming you do not have a criminal history, just with the 4 year BA alone you are able to work with the majority of ALT dispatch agencies and eikaiwa in Japan. The salary is generally around the Y250,000 a month, though this can differ depending on where you work. As for your prefence in location... I'm afraid that the majority of companies that look for employees have the final say in where you go simply because there are so many people that want to teach in Japan. Depending on who hires you, most companies allow you to state where you would like to be placed, but very frequently they simply send you where you're needed.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Business English specialization might be worth something to a business English agency that farms its teachers out to companies, or to companies themselves who hire teachers directly to teach their workers. A lot of business English agencies prefer their teachers to have real life experience in a field similar to their clients, though. Won't hurt to apply if you see openings.

Otherwise, I'll agree with what fng wrote so succinctly, and just add this. JET Programme pays 300,000 yen/month, and offers more support than most other entry level opportunities. Most of its ALTs end up in rural areas.

Some employers here will see your 2 years of experience as valuable, while others will scoff at such experience because it was not in Japan. Case by case.

When did you plan to start work? Right now is prime hiring time.

naujokaitis · Joined: 09 Mar 2010 Posts: 32 Location: london, ontario

well my course ends on march 21, so anytime after that really

Deep Thirteen · Joined: 23 May 2009 Posts: 39 Location: East Sea Japan

You're pretty much going to have to hold out until August-Octoberish for a few openings. The big companies who hire from overseas will start to advertise for interviews again by this time though. JET also starts accepting applications around then. You can use the time between now and then to research and ponder. At least that's what I did last year.