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headdesk
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 1:38 am Post subject: Newbie with Japan-specific questions |
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Hello everyone!
I've already posted some of my qualifications on the newbie forum here >>http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=90276 and it was recommended I also post in country-specific forums for more info. So, here it goes.
Japan is one of the countries I am considering among a long list of others.
While money is a moderate consideration, my primary goal is to gain teaching experience (I love teaching and would probably continue to do it as a volunteer if I could finance it indefinitely) and to learn as much as I can about other cultures.
Most of my work has been with adults so I'd prefer something I know I can manage going in. I don't mind teaching kids, but I have no experience with children or childcare, so I don't know how practical it would be for me to take the plunge and teach in a school environment. Any recommendations one way or another would be great (adults vs kids for someone with limited experience in childcare).
What obstacles should I expect in searching for work in Japan? What might count as an advantage in a competitive market? What sort of difficulties have you encountered (cultural, professional, etc) and what tips might you have for a newcomer?
Most importantly, in your opinion, would my qualifications and experiences make me a good fit for Japan at all?
Any advice would be appreciated.  |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 4:39 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Most importantly, in your opinion, would my qualifications and experiences make me a good fit for Japan at all? |
Nope.
In the other thread, you say you have no TESL/TEFL qualification. I assume you don't speak Japanese. You may have experience, but without any certification or formal training, it is hard to distinguish you from every other recent graduate with no teaching training or skill.
Get a TESOL diploma or degree if you're serious about TESOL.
I hear a lot of good things about SIT TESOL - http://www.sit.edu/graduate/5191.htm
Canada offers TESOL programs, some by distance education. See http://www.vcc.ca/programs-courses/detail.cfm?div_id=8&prog_id=226 Note that VCC's program is about double the SIT TESOL hours before the practicum.
You've got to have an interest in Japan, too. And some knowledge of the culture and language. Take Japanese language courses. Get some volunteer experience with Japanese cultural organizations in your area.
Good luck![/quote] |
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marley'sghost
Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:33 am Post subject: |
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You have plenty of qualifications for entry level teaching in Japan, a degree, some teaching experience and a pulse. If you are interested in working in schools with children, look into the JET Programme, (while it lasts). It's a government run program and offers the best pay and working conditions in general. It is rapidly being phased out though. There are also what are called dispatch companies that contract teachers for schools. Many hold interviews abroad.
There are also large chains of English schools that recruit from abroad too. That might be a better fit if you want to teach adults. But be aware that there are already a lot of experienced teachers already here looking for work. Might take some time to find a spot.
I work as an Assistant English Teacher in a public JHS through one of the aforementioned dispatch companies. School life is not for everyone, but I like it. You can do all the fun teacher stuff (we wrote poems today) and skip out on the heavy responsibilities (the real teachers are in parent-teacher confrences as I write this). If you are looking for "teaching experience" no better place to get it than in school!
Good luck. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:59 am Post subject: |
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One question:
You said you were raised in Turkey. Did you get either 12 years of schooling in an English speaking country or through an English medium (e.g. at an international school) if you went to school in Turkey?
One of the Instructor work visa requirements is that you be a native speaker of the language you intend to teach. So if you don't have those 12 years of being taught in English you may have a problem getting this visa to teach English. An Instructor visa is the correct visa for any ALT jobs.
I can't remember exactly, but I don't recall the Specialist in Humanities visa having this requirement which is the visa you need for eikaiwa work. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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| TokyoLiz wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Most importantly, in your opinion, would my qualifications and experiences make me a good fit for Japan at all? |
Nope.
In the other thread, you say you have no TESL/TEFL qualification. I assume you don't speak Japanese. You may have experience, but without any certification or formal training, it is hard to distinguish you from every other recent graduate with no teaching training or skill. |
True that it is hard to distinguish her from others, but that doesn't mean she is a poor fit for Japan. There are plenty of people here who don't have any certification.
| Quote: |
You've got to have an interest in Japan, too. And some knowledge of the culture and language. Take Japanese language courses. Get some volunteer experience with Japanese cultural organizations in your area.
Good luck! |
I think we can assume she has some interest in Japan, but I agree that it has to be somewhat visible to the interviewers. No knowledge of Japanese language or culture is what some employers ask for sometimes! Those employers want someone fresh off the boat so they can assure clients/students that there is no local "contamination" and that the teachers won't know those tough questions to ask during the business year (about pension, health insurance, bonuses, etc.).
headdesk wrote on the other thread:
US citizen, native English speaker. Female, 28 years old. I know some places prefer not to hire ethnic minorities, so if it makes a difference, I'm visibly non-white. No TEFL/TESOL certification. Graduated this winter with a BA in Humanities.
1 year official ESL teaching experience in the US, through a nonprofit school. Mainly adults, beginner to advanced. 1 semester (6 weeks) TA experience in my mother's adult ESL classroom in Turkey. Informal experience tutoring peers.
This experience is a bit more than most newcomers in general, I think. More is better, of course, but experience outside Japan is not always looked upon as equivalent (stupid, but true). I'd say get all the experience or training one can get if one is thinking of pursuing TEFL long-term. It will never hurt.
And knowing the language will help employers who are concerned that she won't be able to take care of herself in daily survival.
| marley's ghost wrote: |
| If you are interested in working in schools with children |
She said she doesn't mind the prospect, but would prefer adults.
If headdesk is willing to broaden her sights on job prospects (something I encourage), then yes, JET is probably the best bet. Long application time, but best bet for quality work. Otherwise, it's going to be eikaiwas and dispatch ALT work, IMO. Bottom rung on the feeding frenzy ladder.
seklarwia wrote about visas and English education you need. Personally, I think if you wave your U.S. passport at immigration, they won't stop to consider how long you lived in Turkey. They may very well instead consider you a native speaker just by your passport. You never know, though, so be prepared for what sek described.
Humanities visa (good for eikaiwa and business English jobs) does not have that requirement.
And, you don't have to work 100% in either area. With special permission from immigration, you can have either of those visas and do work in the area of the other (although it will have to be less work that where the visa is assigned).
| headdesk wrote: |
| What obstacles should I expect in searching for work in Japan? |
Besides what has already been mentioned, obstacles depend on a few more items.
1) When do you want to start working? Academic year begins in April for most jobs. The rest of the year is a lukewarm time.
2) Do you have any geographic limitations? Think of climate first, and then rural vs. urban.
3) Will you be willing to come here with USD4000-5000 to support yourself for job hunting, even in peak times, just to improve the odds, or are you resigned to looking from the U.S., where you will have few more than a dozen possibilities to choose from (and still have to pay expenses for traveling to interviews there)? |
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headdesk
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 2:51 am Post subject: |
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Hello again,
Thank you everyone for your responses.
It seems the best thing to do would be to use this school year to generally up my qualifications and apply for the 2012-2013 school year.
@marley: Thank you for the tips. The JET program does seem like a viable option at least for now, and one I will try to look into for the coming year.
I don't know if this has already been discussed elsewhere, but are there any tips on how to find credible/legit dispatch companies?
@TokyoLiz: My goal is to use teaching as a means to support myself doing something I love as I travel. If Japan does become a feasible option, I would fully intend to go prepared with some basic Japanese and a better understanding of the culture. I have friends who have lived there as well, including relatives, and would do my best to learn from their experiences in addition to that.
@seklarwia: Unfortunately, no. My education has been a combination of Turkish private/public schools (some with emphasis on teaching science in English, others without), American public schools, and homeschooling. I received a GED while we were still overseas when I was in my teens.
@Glenski: At the moment I'm building the funds for travel, so any immediate thought of job hunting on the ground is out of the question, but I will be planning out for the long term (1-2 years). I have no geographic limitations, I've lived in all sorts of climates and have adjusted, although I would appreciate any feedback from veterans as to the pros and cons of urban/rural settings. |
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It's Scary!
Joined: 17 Apr 2011
Posts: 823
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:22 am Post subject: |
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Exactly...what is the "mystique" of Japan. I know I know. But, what is in everybody's head?
It's Scary! |
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marley'sghost
Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:42 am Post subject: |
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| headdesk wrote: |
I don't know if this has already been discussed elsewhere, but are there any tips on how to find credible/legit dispatch companies?
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You can find endless horror stories about dispatch companies here and on Gaijinpot. Sadly, not many stories about "credible" ones. One it makes for boring reading and two the business itself is not really "credible". The dispatch companies are middlemen who insulate the schools from the responsibilty of having to hire/fire/manage/ and most importantly pay benifits to their foriegn teachers. As dispatch companies go, ALTIA Central has a pretty good reputation. I work for Interac and they have never screwed me worse than the industry average. I've know guys who work for W5, and it did not seem like a completely fraudulent organization. RCS, JALSS and Borderlink are a few that have really bad reputations and should be avoided. |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 4:49 am Post subject: |
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Sure, the OP is qualified for the bottom of the barrel eikaiwa and dispatch ALT jobs.
Perhaps I should have stated that she's qualified, but not prepared.
The Japanese consulate in my home city interviewed for the JET Program. They were very picky, and only chose people with a clear interest in education. The selection committe favoured those with a TESOL diploma, teaching experience or experience with children, and intent to continue in the field of education on completion of the JET experience.
I would never recommend a dispatch company to a teacher, or anybody who is an aspiring teacher. Working for dispatch means you're exposed to sometimes illegal, frequently unethical policies of the companies. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 6:57 am Post subject: |
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| headdesk wrote: |
| @seklarwia: Unfortunately, no. My education has been a combination of Turkish private/public schools (some with emphasis on teaching science in English, others without), American public schools, and homeschooling. I received a GED while we were still overseas when I was in my teens. |
JET is one of the best options for getting here, but since ALTs (including JETs) require an Instructor visa you should contact the US JET help desk right now to find out if your education is going to be an issue.
The application period for the Summer 2012 departure starts late-ish summer with the submittion deadline being towards the end of November. There is only one application intake per year and the paperwork for the initial application is pretty extensive. So contact the JET desk now and if everything is good, you should start preparing the paperwork ASAP. |
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