Job Discussion Forums

Mary Poppins · Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Posts: 11 Location: EUROPE

I have searched for an answer on this issue but no post seems to reflect on it. Sad

I hold a Portuguese passport but grew up with family in England.

Is there any chance of finding a job in Japan with an EU passport Question

Will I be eligible to apply for a work visa Question

Your response is much appreciated. Thank you all. Very Happy

P.S: I have 6 years experience in ESL teaching, hold a CELTA and a Bachelor's in Linguistics.

Mr_Monkey · Joined: 11 Mar 2009 Posts: 661 Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu

Have you had 12 years of English medium education?

I believe that is a requisite for an instructor/specialist in humanities visa.

Bread · Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 318

If you can prove that you taught ESL for more than 3 years, you can get a humanities visa without even a degree. I don't think you'll have a problem. I don't think the instructor visa has any requirements about English education, just a degree requirement.

seklarwia · Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 1:28 pm Post subject:

Mary Poppins · Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Posts: 11 Location: EUROPE

THANK YOU so much my fellow peers.

I will certainly read up from the info link.

I have 2 excellent recommendation letters that I hope will support me in good stead.

I imagine that Japan is filled with native speaking passport holders and that I will need extra persistence on the work front. Shocked

I thought also that Japan might be like South Korea where only native passports get granted a work visa Sad

CHEERS and all the best.

kaworu1986 · Joined: 05 Sep 2010 Posts: 1

I am in a similar situation to Mary Poppins, however I only moved to the UK 5 years ago to get my BSc and worked after that. Could having completed a four year university degree and having work experience in the related field be considered sufficient proof of adequate English knowledge?
If so, does the "When the applicant is to teach a foreign language, he must have acquired education in that language for at least 12 years" clause mean an applicant needs to have studied in an English speaking country or that he needs to have studied English, even as a foreign language, for that period?
As Interac is recruiting in the UK right now, I am wondering whether it could make sense for me to apply or if I wouldn't qualify to begin with.

Mr_Monkey · Joined: 11 Mar 2009 Posts: 661 Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu

I read it as indicating that you must have received 12 years of English-medium education.

Mary Poppins · Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Posts: 11 Location: EUROPE

I agree with Mr. Monkey

High school subjects taught by using the English language..........

Unfortunately I think that doesn't include time spent learning English as a foreign language.

Having a High School certificate from an English speaking country Twisted Evil

seklarwia · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:31 pm Post subject:

Okonomiyaki · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 8:01 am Post subject: Provably native english speaker

The fact that you're Portuguese will (WILL) handicap you. As you suspect, many schools simply will not offer a "native English speaker" teaching job to you unless your passport is from a country where English is the first language. Some schools are even more specific, preferring only British or "North American" accents.

So, YES YOUR PASSPORT NATIONALITY MATTERS VERY MUCH. Acceptable nationalities may be built into the school's hiring policy.

A potential employer may therefore simply reject your application. However, if you're lucky and make mention of it in your resume, perhaps you can convince an employer to let you interview with one of their trusted native English speakers, who can then render an expert opinion about whether your accent and grammar are acceptably "native English speaker" level.

Can you provide a short MP3 clip online or in an email, that someone can click on to hear you speak or sing? (Yes, SING. Many schools want their teachers to be fearless, so that students will also be fearless performers. Try recording a few lines from the classic 1800s song "Grandfather's clock", for example.) Can you provide a SKYPE contact so they can hear you speak?

This discrimination based on where you appear to be from... it can get ridiculous. I was once considered for a job...but only after the employer had one of its American teachers call me up to determine whether my "New York accent" was of the Baywatch/lily-white-suburban Hollywood variety, or the "Ay, yo, Tony! Vito! Fuhgeddaboudit, howzit goin'?" variety. I have also seen schools actively avoid hiring native English speakers whose grandparents were Asian-- simply because a new student won't trust that the Asian-lookin' fellah is truly a native English speaker.

You can also expect a certain amount of ...errrm.... not racism, but color-elitism. A tall blonde candidate will be hired over a short Filipino-looking fellah. Japanese employers are also sexist (women are better), age-ist, and weight-ist.

Mary Poppins · Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Posts: 11 Location: EUROPE

THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH Okonomiyaki Very Happy

Exactly what I feared - your idea for an MP3 file is quite brilliant.

I LOVE SINGING. I'll turn kamikazi if I really need to show my fearlessness. Twisted Evil

I'm at a stage in life where I really need a culture change, and that is why my mind is so set on Japan.

I've also taught Japanese students when I lived in Luxembourg and we had fun galore!

I'll have to come up with some genius ideas in order to break through.

YOUR HELP HAS BEEN MOST WELCOME. Wink

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

Good ideas, yes, but in the end it is not what the company agrees on. It is ultimately up to immigration to decide whether to issue you a work visa, whether the company wants you badly or not.

You wrote you "grew up with family in England" and have "a High School certificate from an English speaking country". That is not 12 years of your schooling, so I am not so positive about your chances. Your 6 years of teaching may more be in your favor, so don't rule it out yet. Good luck.