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Japanese Job Market with a Masters Degree in TESOL
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taikibansei

Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 811
Location: Japan

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 10:43 pm Post subject:

tokyo10 wrote:

Do you know of any tenure track positions for a hard working, Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language? Willing to marry into the culture/go native.

OP, most of the ads for university-level, tenure-track positions will only begin being posted in May (for April 2011 starts). About one-third of the positions available will be open to Japanese applicants only. Many of the positions will demand a PhD. All will demand at least some publications (usually 3+). Most will demand at least intermediate Japanese ability and some prior teaching experience in Japan.

The overwhelming majority of the best job ads will be written in only Japanese. You'll find them here:

http://jrecin.jst.go.jp

The English version of the same website tends to have a much poorer selection of jobs--usually non tenure-track, entry-level positions. Still, here it is:

http://jrecin.jst.go.jp/seek/SeekTop?ln=1

As for salaries, in Japan on average it's about 676,000 yen ($6,700 US) per month for a full professor, and 535,000 yen ($5,300 US) per month for an assistant professor. (These amounts factor in summer and winter bonuses, but do not include the housing allowance and often very generous research budget.) Link:

http://www.stat.go.jp/English/data/nenkan/1431-16.htm

Note that salaries in Japan are calculated according to employee age and number of dependents. Furthermore, one's salary is typically higher if employed at universities in the more expensive areas of Japan--e.g., around Tokyo, not to mention the Kansai area. Below, here's a salary scale a friend created after surveying 21 private universities in the Kansai area:

2007 Kansai Private University Salary Scales

30 year old Assistant Professor (senin), with 1 child. 6,964,737 ($69,000 US)
35 year old Associate Professor (jyunkyoju), 1 child. 8,444,799 ($84,000 US)
40 year old Associate Professor (jyunkyoju), 2 children. 9,508,109 ($95,000 US)
45 year old Professor (kyoju), 2 children. 10,764,173 ($107,000 US)
50 year old Professor (kyoju), 2 children 11,797,973 ($117,000 US)
55 year old Professor (kyoju), 1 child. 12,422,839 ($124,000 US)
60 year old Professor (kyoju), no dependent children. 12,686,678 ($126,000 US)

University salaries from regions outside this area will be lower--sometimes much lower. Note as well that these figures reflect the salaries for full-time, permanent (tenured) positions only. Indeed, about half of the 21 universities included in the survey will not normally hire foreign applicants to permanent positions--regardless of applicant degrees, publication history and Japanese language ability. Non tenure positions will typically be in the $40-50,000 US salary range. (You will also typically teach more--sometimes many more--hours for that money.)

As to your particular situation, lacking either publications or Japanese language ability, you're pretty much going to have to accept a non tenured position--most likely outside of Tokyo. Kansai, Kanda, AIU, Miyazaki International and Ritsumeikan will all most likely be hiring (yet again) this year. The reasons they need to hire each year are because (comparatively) the jobs are not good--again, you'll work longer hours for less money, with little to no research budget (and often a capped amount of years you can stay). Still, you sound exactly like the kind of person they'd want to hire--and they'll often (not as much in recent years) hire from overseas as well. I would suggest using the job as a stepping-stone--get them to bring you here, get work experience, study Japanese and publish like crazy, then move on. Their job ads will appear on the above links, usually in the summer.

[Edited to remove references to now deleted posts! Very Happy

]

Good luck to you, OP!

Last edited by taikibansei on Fri Apr 16, 2010 1:15 am; edited 1 time in total

Mr. Kalgukshi
Mod Team

Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Posts: 6613
Location: Need to know basis only.

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 12:13 am Post subject:

Several inappropriate postings have been deleted. CENTROVERT is now an ex-member. We don't like or want trolls here. Please keep those Report Posts coming and we will be more than happy to get rid of trolls very quickly. No doubt, they will find sites where their behavior will be tolerated and possibly even applauded. Dave's is not such a place.

tokyo10

Joined: 13 Apr 2010
Posts: 27

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 1:45 am Post subject:

taikibansei wrote:

As to your particular situation, lacking either publications or Japanese language ability, you're pretty much going to have to accept a non tenured position--most likely outside of Tokyo. Kansai, Kanda, AIU, Miyazaki International and Ritsumeikan will all most likely be hiring (yet again) this year. The reasons they need to hire each year are because (comparatively) the jobs are not good--again, you'll work longer hours for less money, with little to no research budget (and often a capped amount of years you can stay). Still, you sound exactly like the kind of person they'd want to hire--and they'll often (not as much in recent years) hire from overseas as well. I would suggest using the job as a stepping-stone--get them to bring you here, get work experience, study Japanese and publish like crazy, then move on. Their job ads will appear on the above links, usually in the summer.

[Edited to remove references to now deleted posts! Very Happy

]

Good luck to you, OP!

I have to admit, I was posting about a tenure track position mostly tongue in cheek but I found your post extremely informative. As of now I booked a flight due in August 10th to Tokyo (yes, its refundable). From what I have heard I may be looked upon more favorably to interview in person. Any thoughts on this?

I certainly will continue applying to the links both you and Glenski have passed on. Thanks very much all.

Drizzt

Joined: 20 Feb 2005
Posts: 229
Location: Kyuushuu, Japan

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:15 am Post subject:

Quote:

All will demand at least some publications (usually 3+)

This is probably true for all public universities, but there are private universities that do not have this requirement. Also, I have heard that those that do require publications, it's not exactly top tier journals they are expecting. If anyone has heard to the contrary, I'd really be interesting in some feedback on that.

taikibansei

Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 811
Location: Japan

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 8:45 am Post subject:

tokyo10 wrote:

As of now I booked a flight due in August 10th to Tokyo (yes, its refundable). From what I have heard I may be looked upon more favorably to interview in person. Any thoughts on this?

Impossible to say. Again, there's a limited amount of places that may hire you full-time with your current background. (I've pretty much listed them all--ICU being another outside possibility as well.) Hence, you're pretty much dependent on a) if/when these schools decide to do a search, and b) when they decide to interview finalists. Being able to put down in your cover letter that you'll be in Japan, say, in September and October (nobody will be around in August) might make your application marginally more attractive. However, this would entirely depend on whether they indeed plan to interview people during those particular months.

If you're really interested in working at a university, before deciding on arrival dates, you should consider waiting to see what ads come out over the next few months (as well as the closing dates for the searches in question). If no job ads (that you qualify for) come out by early June, you'll be wasting your time visiting Japan in August. Similarly, if the earliest closing date for application submissions is, say, September 15, it's extremely doubtful you'll have an interview scheduled before early October.

If you're coming to Japan regardless (and don't mind burning through several thousand dollars), consider coming out on September 1, and plan to stay through the end of November. Most of the job interviews will happen then.

taikibansei

Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 811
Location: Japan

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 9:27 am Post subject:

Drizzt wrote:

Are you talking about positions both with tenure and open to foreign applicants? A quick glance shows three such searches ongoing, with two explicitly asking for three publications, and the third at least implying that three publications/achievements are necessary. Keep in mind that these are the minimums being required. I've been on search committees at both a private and a public university in Japan--any position with tenure open to foreign applicants as well gets over 50 (sometimes well over 100) applications. With those numbers, the finalists typically will have more (sometimes far more) than just three...and in good journals.

Now, for full-time, non-permanent positions--especially at the lesser schools--you'll often be able to get by with less (even if they ask for three or more publications). Just depends if you get lucky or not.

Finally, for especially the OP, I just noticed that Aichi Prefectural University is currently searching for a non Japanese faculty member, with the added stipulation that the individual "must currently reside outside Japan." While not a great (or even good) job, it's a foot in the door--and has an October 1 start.

Good luck!

steki47

Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:05 am Post subject:

taikibansei wrote:

Aichi Prefectural University is currently searching for a non Japanese faculty member, with the added stipulation that the individual "must currently reside outside Japan."

I caught that, too. Or must have at least one year's absence from Japan. Why is that? To preserve the "foreigness"? Debito wrote of just such a case.

Glenski

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

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 12:33 pm Post subject:

Drizzt wrote:

I have heard that those that do require publications, it's not exactly top tier journals they are expecting.

Case by case, and just because one school doesn't care, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to get an edge over the other 19 or 99 applicants, especially if they have experience in Japan on their side.

I've posted the following links many times, but here they are again.

The university hiring process: an overview.
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/1999/03/working

Job hunting in Japan: qualifications and information. [part 1/2]
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/96/oct/job.html

Job Hunting in Japan: The Resume and the Interview [part 2/2]
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/96/nov/employment.html

Considerations for Securing an English Teaching Position part 1
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2002/08/glick

Considerations for Securing an English Teaching Position at a Japanese University. Part 2
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2002/09/glick
To be considered for a full professor's position, you need publications, preferably good ones in large numbers (Washida, 2001, p. 87-8 Cool

. Some universities or even individual departments have ranking systems for publications and presentations. Even if the university to which you apply does not have an official ranking system in place, some informal ranking will naturally exist; e.g., a TESOL Quarterly publication will carry more weight than a local newspaper editorial. My university--a national one--as well as those at which close colleagues of mine now work, value such achievements along the following simplified lines, from highest prestige to lowest: sole authorship in a refereed international journal, in a refereed domestic journal, in a non-refereed journal; shared authorship in any of the above (worth less than sole authorship); a single presentation at an international conference, at a domestic conference, at a local conference, and finally as a poster presentation. In short, publications are worth more than presentations, books more than articles, refereed more than non-refereed, single author works more than shared, and international more than domestic.

Recruiting a University English Teacher: Raising the Standard
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2004/10/stapleton
In total, we received 72 applications, 62 of which were in electronic form. The male-female ratio was 10:1. In the initial screening of resumes, I checked to see whether candidates met the minimum educational requirements of a master's degree in applied linguistics or a related field. This, in itself, was a revealing exercise. Roughly 40% of all the applicants did not have the minimum requirements as listed in the job announcement. Shortcomings came in two areas: either the applicants did not have a masters or doctorate, or their graduate qualifications were in a field too distant from that required. Among those whose degree-level was sufficient, but whose area of specialty was not close enough to applied linguistics, a wide range of majors were received. Some specialties such as Chinese and Japanese literature appeared borderline, while many others were, shall we say, overly optimistic, e.g., a lawyer whose specialty was property rights on the moon.

An increasing number of applicants either have attained or will soon achieve doctoral qualifications. Based on the candidates' timelines in their resumes, it appeared that most had achieved these degrees by distance while working full-time. In addition, whereas a few years ago, most of the well-qualified applicants had few, if any publications, this recruitment exercise revealed that many now have publications, some of which are refereed, and these are coming from younger candidates as well. Indeed, the successful candidate in the present recruitment has both a doctorate and internationally refereed papers.

The Person, the Package, the Presentation: Lessons From a Recent Job Hunt
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2004/10/mccasland
A summary of requirements from 39 applications.

Drizzt

Joined: 20 Feb 2005
Posts: 229
Location: Kyuushuu, Japan

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:25 pm Post subject:

Quote:

Are you talking about positions both with tenure and open to foreign applicants?

No, I was referring to the latter option you mentioned, but I was under the impression that tenure-track university positions for foreigners were the exception, not the rule. Can anyone confirm this? Also, I'm very curious to know if anyone has any statistics on this. Just from my own experience browsing JALT and JACET seem to reveal a minority of positions that explicitly state tenure-track in the job description.

Drizzt

Joined: 20 Feb 2005
Posts: 229
Location: Kyuushuu, Japan

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:27 pm Post subject:

Thanks for all those links Glenski. I plan to peruse them later on today.

Drizzt

Joined: 20 Feb 2005
Posts: 229
Location: Kyuushuu, Japan

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:43 pm Post subject:

Just an update, from the last link in Glenski's post above, I found the following table Table 3. Terms of Employment Type Offered Tenure track 6 Limited-term contract 18 Short-term contract 9 Not stated 2 So out of this small, and (perhaps) unrepresentative sample, looks like 6 out of 35 positions (18%) were explicitly stated as tenure-track.

Glenski

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

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 9:38 pm Post subject:

6 / 35 = 17% I will agree that the number of tenured positions, especially those granted today, not just those in existence from previous years, is very small. I have no stats, but I would think that even 17% is high.

Shimokitazawa

Joined: 16 Aug 2009
Posts: 458
Location: Saigon, Vietnam

Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:41 am Post subject:

steki47 wrote:

taikibansei wrote:

Aichi Prefectural University is currently searching for a non Japanese faculty member, with the added stipulation that the individual "must currently reside outside Japan."

I caught that, too. Or must have at least one year's absence from Japan. Why is that? To preserve the "foreigness"? Debito wrote of just such a case.

Like JET, they're not really looking for experienced language instructors as much as they want to hire people who look "Canadian", "American", etc., and can act as cultural ambassadors. Teaching of EFL in the JET program is a side product.

taikibansei

Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 811
Location: Japan

Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:06 am Post subject:

Shimokitazawa wrote:

steki47 wrote:

I caught that, too. Or must have at least one year's absence from Japan. Why is that? To preserve the "foreigness"? Debito wrote of just such a case.

Actually, no, I sincerely doubt appearance has anything to do with this university's requirement--after all, there are plenty of MA-holders (including Canadians, Americans, etc.) already currently in Japan and searching for jobs. The university could have its pick.

On the other hand, I do believe steki47 is correct. They want somebody fresh--most likely because he/she'd be less knowledgeable about labor laws and more willing to put up with what I'm sure will be a lot of irritating and extraneous ("Please, uh, proofread by tomorrow my rambling and error-riddled 30-page academic article on the history of leaky faucets in Europe") requests. Hence, my suggestion to the OP to use the job as a stepping stone...and get out as quickly as possible. Not that he/she would be able to stay too long regardless (if I remember correctly, contract renewals are capped at five...).

Never Ceased To Be Amazed

Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 3500
Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...

Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 2:20 pm Post subject:

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