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Great Teacher Umikun
Joined: 28 Mar 2004
Posts: 63
Location: Back in Japan
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 Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:43 pm Post subject: |
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| bradley wrote: |
| It's easier to get a visa in Japan than Thailand. |
� or Turkey. The Turkish government rejected my work permit application because my university, an accredited state university, wasn�t on their list despite my having a Master�s degree.
Oops! ごめんなさい! That was negative. ^_^ |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 2:14 am Post subject: Re: Japan was a blast! |
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| dmocha wrote: |
Japan was a blast!
I made a ton of money!
It took a while to make connections but once I did my network kept me in work.
My gaijin network was mostly NON-teachers. This meant I didn't have to listen to a lot of whining and whinging.
(that's a hint  )
When, after nearly two decades, it started to get sour, I left. Japan didn't go sour, I did. Too long in one place...same old same old
After I got back to Canada, and only then, did I fully realize just how good Japan had been to me.
You can't step in the same river twice. |
A ton of money? Not so much anymore.
For me, I like living in Japan, but don't like working here so much. I have actually done some interviews for some Japanese businesses, and I am not sure I want to do that. Work life here is actually pretty bad. Just read a yahoo article, saying that the Japanese work the 2nd most(hours wise) in the world.
Teaching Eng is easy, but kinda pointless unless you can snag a Uni job. |
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Shimokitazawa
Joined: 16 Aug 2009
Posts: 458
Location: Saigon, Vietnam
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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Living among the Japanese and working with the Japanese is not for everyone. It can be a huge adjustment (I'm speaking in terms of those coming from Western culture).
That being said, many westerners still have fruitful careers here either in language education or otherwise. Frankly, the longer one stays and becomes established with friends, family and career the harder it is to leave Japan. Which makes sense. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:01 pm Post subject: Re: Japan was a blast! |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| Teaching Eng is easy, but kinda pointless unless you can snag a Uni job. |
So, teaching English at a university is...what, then? Many/Most uni jobs end up as glorified eikaiwa jobs in the oral comm classes, unless the teacher has the smarts to adjust the curriculum. And, even in other courses like reading skills, composition, TOEIC prep, etc., the attitude of students is pretty poor. They struggle to get into college, then figure they can coast for 4 years because they get hired afterward on the basis of the school's credentials, not their grades. It's pretty hard to manage such an attitude, even when you have students whose majors demand English (like mine).
This year is the worst crop of freshmen I've seen in the past 5 years. Almost every kid who comes to my office to ask advice or something just stands in the doorway, points to their curriculum book, mutters the name of the course, and dies there in agony unable to utter a single word of English. I am not exaggerating.
Not pointless?
Admin sets passing grades at 60%. Pretty darned weak.
Even when students don't make the grade, admin often says pass them anyway.
Attendance is supposed to be 80% in order to complete the course (that's a minimum of 12 classes taken out of 15 offered), but admin often says to ignore that just to give the student credit.
Kids can actually skip English classes altogether if they get a certain TOEIC score, but that score doesn't guarantee a thing for their fluency. And, even if they skip the courses as an undergrad, they may face mandatory courses later as grad students, but with no courses before that, their TOEIC "fluency" plummets noticeably even in a year, so figure how bad it gets in 3-4 years.
Uni jobs are not the holy graille that many think they are. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 8:11 am Post subject: Re: Japan was a blast! |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| rxk22 wrote: |
| Teaching Eng is easy, but kinda pointless unless you can snag a Uni job. |
So, teaching English at a university is...what, then? Many/Most uni jobs end up as glorified eikaiwa jobs in the oral comm classes, unless the teacher has the smarts to adjust the curriculum. And, even in other courses like reading skills, composition, TOEIC prep, etc., the attitude of students is pretty poor. They struggle to get into college, then figure they can coast for 4 years because they get hired afterward on the basis of the school's credentials, not their grades. It's pretty hard to manage such an attitude, even when you have students whose majors demand English (like mine).
This year is the worst crop of freshmen I've seen in the past 5 years. Almost every kid who comes to my office to ask advice or something just stands in the doorway, points to their curriculum book, mutters the name of the course, and dies there in agony unable to utter a single word of English. I am not exaggerating.
Not pointless?
Admin sets passing grades at 60%. Pretty darned weak.
Even when students don't make the grade, admin often says pass them anyway.
Attendance is supposed to be 80% in order to complete the course (that's a minimum of 12 classes taken out of 15 offered), but admin often says to ignore that just to give the student credit.
Kids can actually skip English classes altogether if they get a certain TOEIC score, but that score doesn't guarantee a thing for their fluency. And, even if they skip the courses as an undergrad, they may face mandatory courses later as grad students, but with no courses before that, their TOEIC "fluency" plummets noticeably even in a year, so figure how bad it gets in 3-4 years.
Uni jobs are not the holy graille that many think they are. |
Haha I hear ya. I went to Gaidai, and about 95% of those kids just hung out for 4 years. It was my first time in Japan, and it amazed me how people whose major was Eng, couldn't speak it at all.
Anyhow I guess my pointless point was the salary. At least in Uni you can get a raise and/or advance your position. While as an ALT/eikaiwa ou have to claw your way up into being a trainer. Which really means a slight raise, for a lot more work. Basically at a uni you have 2 yen to rub together
That's interesting how this year is much worse than a lot of others. My 8th graders this year were chuckleheads, while the 7th graders were pretty good. Wonder how and why that happens. |
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Kirkpatrick
Joined: 27 Feb 2008
Posts: 205
Location: China
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:16 pm Post subject: |
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| I agree getting a working visa in Japan is not that difficult at all. My employeer filled out the paperwork and I took it down myself. Easy as pie. Try Turkey for Visa B.S.. I have been here 2 years (hoping to leave soon) and have never been able to get a working visa. I have all the right credientials too.. Social life is better in Japan too. |
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Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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I take issue with the suggestion that teaching English is easy - it's not, particularly in Japan where you have to deal with ingrained attitudes to the language and language teaching that serve only to make a teacher's life more difficult than it already is.
If teaching English were easy, why do so many Japanese learners - I'm talking about adults - have the communicative competence of a dog?
ELT in Japan has failed on a scale of truly epic proportions. |
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baki
Joined: 29 Dec 2010
Posts: 72
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:31 pm Post subject: Re: Japan was a blast! |
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| Glenski wrote: |
Many/Most uni jobs end up as glorified eikaiwa jobs in the oral comm classes, unless the teacher has the smarts to adjust the curriculum. And, even in other courses like reading skills, composition, TOEIC prep, etc., the attitude of students is pretty poor. They struggle to get into college, then figure they can coast for 4 years because they get hired afterward on the basis of the school's credentials, not their grades. It's pretty hard to manage such an attitude, even when you have students whose majors demand English (like mine).
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That's sad. Why do you think their English proficiency was not at the standards you were expecting at this level? Is it from the attitude that English is just another tool like math where such skills are not put to use 24 hours a day 7 days a week?
"they get hired afterward on the basis of the school's credentials, not their grades"
Most applicants are hired based on their work experience and maybe school credentials, but not necessarily their grades. In fact, the summation of one's entire university experience is on that one piece of paper which says nothing about the person or their performances. It's just a ticket for applicants to step into another scenario where they waste another 2-4 years developing (not grooming) their skills to meet industry standards. That's where the real planning and work begins.
Universities are a wash. They're outdated, boring, irrelevant and don't guarantee you real opportunities unless you study medicine, dentistry or law.
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This year is the worst crop of freshmen I've seen in the past 5 years. Almost every kid who comes to my office to ask advice or something just stands in the doorway, points to their curriculum book, mutters the name of the course, and dies there in agony unable to utter a single word of English. I am not exaggerating.
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Probably, who hasn't had a poor batch of students before, isn't that the whole point of teaching?
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Not pointless?
Admin sets passing grades at 60%. Pretty darned weak.
Even when students don't make the grade, admin often says pass them anyway.
Attendance is supposed to be 80% in order to complete the course (that's a minimum of 12 classes taken out of 15 offered), but admin often says to ignore that just to give the student credit.
Kids can actually skip English classes altogether if they get a certain TOEIC score, but that score doesn't guarantee a thing for their fluency. And, even if they skip the courses as an undergrad, they may face mandatory courses later as grad students, but with no courses before that, their TOEIC "fluency" plummets noticeably even in a year, so figure how bad it gets in 3-4 years.
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Is that the sheep's fault or the shepherd's? |
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ghostrider
Joined: 30 May 2006
Posts: 147
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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Glenski: thanks for sharing your own experience with your current position. Japan's universities have a reputation of being just as you said, and unfortunately because of that, it kills the students' motivation.
Even worse is the private high schools who guarantee their students entrance into their university. Their motivation to do well, unless they think they want to study English in university or study abroad, very rare, dies then and all that matters is their clubs. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:21 pm Post subject: Re: Japan was a blast! |
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| baki wrote: |
| That's sad. Why do you think their English proficiency was not at the standards you were expecting at this level? |
Actually, it is exactly what I expect! Junior high is meant to introduce grammar and the excitement of a new language, but HS goes downhill because students are doing grammar translation to prepare for college entrance tests that are outdated in most cases. And, even though some places report that their entrance exams have improved, the HS is not doing what it should to adjust.
Moreover, it is similar to what you wrote: students (even my science students who should realize that English is their lingua franca) don't realize that they will have to use English in their jobs. Many including mine try to cram their English credits into the first 1.5 years of uni schooling, and then figure their English "education" is finished. Stupid.
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| Most applicants are hired based on their work experience and maybe school credentials, but not necessarily their grades. In fact, the summation of one's entire university experience is on that one piece of paper which says nothing about the person or their performances. |
Largely, yes, but don't forget that they also try to make relationships in uni, with fellow students and teachers. The latter are responsible for helping students get links to jobs.
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| Quote: |
This year is the worst crop of freshmen I've seen in the past 5 years. Almost every kid who comes to my office to ask advice or something just stands in the doorway, points to their curriculum book, mutters the name of the course, and dies there in agony unable to utter a single word of English. I am not exaggerating.
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Probably, who hasn't had a poor batch of students before, isn't that the whole point of teaching? |
Not sure what you mean about the "whole point". The fact is, Japanese students overall academic performance in English, Japanese, math, and science has been on the decline for years now. It's not just an English language thing. This year's crop of bad learners is not a fluke.
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| Is that the sheep's fault or the shepherd's? |
It's the shepherds', meaning the J teachers, the administrators who make policy, and the government which has no idea how to run things and which changes ministerial policies too often to maintain consistency. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 4:08 am Post subject: |
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| Mr_Monkey wrote: |
I take issue with the suggestion that teaching English is easy - it's not, particularly in Japan where you have to deal with ingrained attitudes to the language and language teaching that serve only to make a teacher's life more difficult than it already is.
If teaching English were easy, why do so many Japanese learners - I'm talking about adults - have the communicative competence of a dog?
ELT in Japan has failed on a scale of truly epic proportions. |
I think it's at the point where everything they are doing is wrong.
It's almost like a morbidly obese person going on about diets. |
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Denizen
Joined: 13 Nov 2009
Posts: 110
Location: Tohoku
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| Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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Although a number of years back, I spent nearly eight years in Japan...Tokyo for two and the rest in cold country - Morioka. The experience had its tenuous moments but a huge percentage of my adventure was wonderful.
Outside of the key purpose of my efforts, the thrill and joy of teaching largely enthusiastic learners and making a difference, I was treated to such delicacies as blowfish, whale sashimi, kobe beef, sparrow yakitori, sake with gold flakes, shark's fin soup, and other fascinating faire.
I was two meters from the Emperor on his visit to my school, helped carry an intricate shrine during obon, saw the beautiful sites in Kobe, Kyoto and Hokkaido, and had a touching poem written about me by my 4th grade class before I left.
I met my wife (who wasn't a student), went through a very extravagant and memorable wedding, and had two lovely daughters who spent their first few years in a perfectly safe environment. I learned another language that has brought smiles to my students, fellow teachers, and the outdoor vegetable salesperson down the street.
These aren't unique experiences...it's all up to you to live your adventure or else waste the precious minutes of Earthly existence in anger and regret.
I'm on my way back to Japan in a couple of months after several years in the US, with much anticipation. It's an 'E' ticket, if your mind is open and you look past the occasional minor annoyances.
Good luck! |
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OneJoelFifty
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 463
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| Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:52 am Post subject: |
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I love Japan and I love the JHS I'm at, so much so that I chose to stick with a company (Heart) that doesn't pay as well as most of its competitors, and in a city (Mito) in a prefecture (Ibaraki) that's far less glamorous than many others.
I find the teaching itself to be fairly easy in truth, but as I've been learning on the job since day 1 it's been a very rewarding experience. And many of the challenges come from elsewhere. Learning the language, meeting new people and experiencing the culture is enough to keep me occupied, and I've found that I have plenty of time to do things I enjoy like writing (which I can do at my desk). I've also decided to have a go at learning the guitar this year.
Having been here a year it's also lead to me teaching some eikawa conversation classes too, currently two/three a week for a small language school, four+ a month at Heart, and the odd private class as well. I find these generally enjoyable and extremely low stress.
So what I'd say is, don't come over here with the qualifications for an entry-level job and expect to find career fulfillment. And I do know plenty of teachers with students far less receptive and fun to teach than mine, and with teachers/bosses far more difficult to work with. But the average situation is infinitely tolerable at worst, and potentially very fun. Coming to Japan is the best thing I ever did. |
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Ikki
Joined: 31 Jan 2011
Posts: 58
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| Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 7:35 am Post subject: |
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It's all very well to wax nostalgic and poetic about whale sashimi, imperial school visits and seeing the beautiful sights of Kobe(I didn't know it really had any!)but if anyone thinks a gig with Aeon or Interac is going to provide a whole lot of the warm fuzzies of a romantic Japanese adventure, they had better think again.
For the vast majority of those thinking of going or returning to Japan to teach EFL, I say: get on JET or forget about it & save up for a Japanese vacation someday. |
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Denizen
Joined: 13 Nov 2009
Posts: 110
Location: Tohoku
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| Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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It really all depends on whether you come with the 'What's In It For Me' attitude or you see a greater purpose. Sadly, many societies have manufactured a generation of self-centered, egocentric individuals concerned more with money and toys than the profound difference they can make in a life.
I may romanticize, but I consider myself fortunate and am definitely not trapped by my circumstances. |
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