Job Discussion Forums

[justme86]

Hi All,

I was just wondering is it too late to get a position teaching in Japan as an ALT / conversation school teacher etc as soon as possible (next few months) ?

A little about my background: I am british, have a masters degree and bachelors also but no teaching experiance / tefl certificates.

Any advice on where to look ? I have applied to Interac (be it on my own head!), heart school and will finish my application for AEOS tonight.

thanks in advance

[mhard1]

It is pretty bleak. You really waited until the last minute to apply. That would fly in Korea, but not in Japan. Everything takes time here and most employers are set. That being said, there is surely no employer who would turn down looking at a resume and being open to a qualified applicant. So definitely keep applying to everyone who you think you might want to work for. Plenty of situations can also occur that would open up a position and thus open up the door for you. So keep knocking.

[justme86]

thanks for the reply mhard1,

yeah i thought i was kind of late, but due to unforeseen circumstances i guess thats i want to go asap !

any ideas who i should be trying at this late stage ?

cheers

[Glenski]

Is that AEON or GEOS (never heard of AEOS)?

Yes, you are coming down to the wire on hiring. Many ALT jobs are hired a few months in advance, but some come up in this month, the peak hiring for most EFL jobs here. If you aren't physically here to interview, you may be out of luck unless they go with a Skype interview.

As for "who to try", look at the plethora of EFL/ESL job sites on the Internet. There are tons.

[justme86]

thanks guys. i guess its looking bleak at this time of the year then !

When do you think the next "intake" will be, august ? Does that mean I should start to apply now ?

Yeah sorry I meant AEON, they are interviewing in London in june this year.

[mhard1]

from my understanding, the JET program employees, or whats left of them are finishing in July. That would imply that there might be another wave in that time period. If its any consolation to your situation, I was originally hired (although from within Japan) with no work experience, in the middle of August, and within 2 months of beginning my shotgun application procedure (I call it that because I just sprayed out my applications until one of them hit).

So if you are really serious about this, just come over.

Some questions to ask yourself that might help you determine the speed with which you can be hired:

1) Do you look good? (meaning do you have a normal average appearance and quite possibly could or have been called attractive in your life)

2) Do you speak with confidence and poise, especially during interviews?

3) Do you have a good smile and good energy?

I am not trying to insult your intelligence with any of these questions. I think you are more than qualified for teaching (certainly more than I am) but it is not always the academic qualification that will get you the job, and fast. If you take the chance to come over here, which is your best shot of getting work, you are going to want something fast, to offset the rather high cost of living here. I suggest you go with something basic such as dispatch or any Joe Blow eikawa school to get a visa and buy yourself some time.

Just keep in mind that you are somewhat over qualified for the positions you are mentioning which are entry level in every sense of the word. So I hope you don`t mind making the same pay as someone like me or any other guy with just a Bachelors under their belt.

[justme86]

mhard1,

I understand what you mean, it seems the more I research Japan it seems a very "image" conscious culture. So here goes to the questions:

1) I would say average, others might disagree (just split from a long term relationship, she might disagree haha). Well see for yourselves....

[img]http://kreativeworks.co.uk/me.jpg[/img]

Although I have cut my hair fairly shorter recently.

2) Speaking with confidence and poise, I would again say average. I graduated last year and like most graduates did not have much "formal" experiance. However since working and being in a fair few interviews / meetings I would say significantly better !!

3) Dont really consider myself to have a good smile, I can project good energy though

I dont mind taking the pay cut, I suppose I want to do something completley different and experiance something I might never experiance before !

cheers

[maximmm]

I'd say that the whole concept of 'coming here and applying in person' is somewhat outdated. Domestic hiring seems limited for the most part to applicants with work/work holiday visa. At this moment, you are better off getting a job set up before you arrive in Japan with companies like EON, Shane, or perhaps apply for JET program.

I came here following the advice of 'come here and search for a job in person' and I found myself being shut out due to the fact that most domestically hiring employers limit themselves to applicants with work visa.

[Glenski]

[maximmm]

[Glenski]

Well, maximmm, it seems all you can do is offer unsupported statements. Too bad. I was actually looking forward to some real reasons for your remarks.

[maximmm]

[Rakis]

[quote="maximmm"]
Please check jobsinjapan website. Skip bold text ads (they are old and we all know about Jalss). Most jobs posted are for part-time positions. Of full-time positions, about 70-80% of ads want proper visa.

You bring up ohayosensei, but that website has not been updated for 16 days and won't be updated for another 15. People that are looking for jobs need day to day updated information. Competition is high, and many people are looking for full-time jobs with already valid work visas. If you're on tourist visa and don't have any inside connections, you're screwed.

That's the job market in Japan as of this moment, especially if you want to work in GTA.[/quote]

Ohayosensei updates on the 1st and 16th of each month. This means it was updated either yesterday or two days ago. I assume the best results for people applying to ohayosensei are typically people who are willing to wait a little longer (and be comfortable with less favorable/premium positions). The situation is difficult indeed, you're not going to get anywhere if you already give up. It took me about 6 months of waiting/applying/interviewing to actually secure something. (when it rains it pours, I had 3 fall into my lap at once)

Best of luck, some sources may be meager but they are something. Use them to the best of your ability. Sometimes you can get a hit from postings in the eslcafe int'l job posting section.

[Glenski]

[maximmm]