Job Discussion Forums

[dreams]

Hello all! I am really interested about applying for a short term contract in Japan, however, I have a young daughter, 3 years old. How does that work? Is it possible to come to Japan with a young child? Thanks for your help!

[Pitarou]

In principle, yes, it's certainly possible. In practice, it depends on the circumstances, the job, and so on. But you already know that, don't you?

What I'm saying is, you're not giving us much to go on. Please give us more details. What kind of job is it? What are your concerns? Visa? Employer's attitudes? The day-to-day practicalities?

[Glenski]

By short-term, what do you mean? Westgate Corporation offers 3- and 7-month-long jobs, but they are a rarity here. Most places expect a 1-year commitment as a minimum.

I agree with Pitarou on the other relevant background info needed. Let me add a question. Are you coming as a single parent, or will you have a non-working spouse tagging along as well?

[dreams]

Actually, Westgate was the company I was looking into with their short contracts. It would be just me and my young daughter, which by the time I got around to actually doing it she would be almost 4 (that is if I got hired of course, but want to think positive). What are my options? Would it be better to wait until she is 4 for school options for her while I taught? I want to teach children, (I am just finishing up an elem. teaching credential program in CA).

[Glenski]

#1, will Westgate guarantee that you will work with kids in the age group you desire?

#2, you are going to have to deal with a major issue of daycare/kindergarten for your child. She will obviously face language problems right away, and nobody can say how she will handle that. More importantly, though, IMO, you will have to deal with the staff and registration in Japanese, and you are probably not going to have a compatible work schedule.

#3, registering for daycare/kindergarten can be hell, even for Japanese, with the long waiting lists.

If you are just finishing up a teaching license now, I'd recommend staying home for 2 years to get work experience there, and then consider applying to international schools. Those are the combination of credentials that many/most seem to want. They may offer you a discount on her schooling there, too, which will be necessary because it is very expensive to put kids through international schools. Of course, we're talking about more than just a 3-month commitment here now. Not sure how you feel about that. Just keep in mind that international school schedules are a lot like that back home, where they start in the fall, unlike Japanese schools which start in April.

[dreams]

Westgatve has specific elementary age contracts, so if I'm applying for that particular contract then I would be willing to say yes. I'm flexible about the age of the students, I just prefer elementary level.

I'm done with my program, just have to tie up a few loose ends. I don't have a TESL, but lots of ESL experience and knowledge from the program (especially since based in LA). The elem. ed program was a a post-graduate program. Do you HAVE to have a TESL to teach in Japan?

What are international schools? I'd really prefer not to go a whole year, actually I would, but because of personal reasons I would rather look into a shorter contract somewhere. Is there anywhere besides Westgate in Japan?

I am wanting to know exactly what my options are for a young child then about 4, instead of 3. Wouldn't she be exposed to English in a school? When do they start preschool and kindergarten? I'm certainly not wanting to go teach in Japan if all my income is going towards her school, lol.

But it sounds like an international school is what I would want to apply to so I could bring my daughter?

Off topic from Japan, but does anyone know about the same situation for Taiwan?

[NeoNights]

Hopefully some of this will be helpful. Here's a bit of information taken from "Live & Work in Japan" by Erica Simms.
I highly recommend that book and "Moon Living Abroad in Japan" by Ruthy Kanagy. These are just snippets a
much larger, 58-page chapter called Daily Life. There's also a section within that chapter about foreign
children in Japanese schools.

International Schools
Foreign residents in the larger cities of Japan will generally have the option of an international school for their child. International
schools in Japan do not have 'formal school status', and are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education.

Most international schools in Japan operate a school year which runs from September to June, and many are accredited by either
WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) or by ECIS (European Council of International Schools).

Most international schools in Japan also follow a curricula based on the American model, however, some (such as St Maur
and the International School of the Sacred Hear) offer a combined US/UK approach, while the British School in Tokyo
follows the UK National Curriculum.

Admission into International Schools is generally conditional upon the following, some of which you should
organise before leaving home:
●Completion of application form
●Reports from the child's previous school
●A placement test
●A physical examination
●An interview with both child and parents
●Character references and evidence of the child's academic potential

All international schools charge fees as they are not government subsidised. In addition to tuition fees there are generally a number of other fees levied,
such as an application fee (once only), buildings fee (annual), and charges for school trips, meals, textbooks and so on. A rough guide, collated from a
selection of international school fees for 2007 is given below:
●Application fee: Approximately �10,000 - �20,000
●Registration/Entrance fee: approximately �300,000 (payable once only)
●Building maintenance Tokyo (one office fee): �60,000 - �400,000
●Tuition: approximately �880,000 - �1.9 million per annum

Simms, Erica. Live & Work in Japan.
Crimson Publishing, Third Edition, 2008. Kew Rd, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2ND, UK

[NeoNights]

The book continues on to a new section called International School Contact Numbers, which gives the
names of many international schools all over Japan, their websites, and contact numbers. To help address
another question you asked, here's a snippet from the section "The Education System":

"Most children will have up to three years of preschool education in either nurseries (hoikuen) or kindergartens (yochien).
Hoikuen are basically education-oriented government-run day care centers that are intended for working parents of
preschool children. They are generally open long hours to accommodate working hours."

"Yochien have shorter hours and only accept children from the age of three. They are predominately staffed by young female
college graduates and are supervised by the Ministry of Education, although they are not part of the official education system.
There is, however, a nationally determined curriculum for preschool education which includes social skills, literacy and numeracy
- although some preschools may place greater emphasis on the latter than others."

Simms, Erica. Live & Work in Japan.
Crimson Publishing, Third Edition, 2008. Kew Rd, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2ND, UK

[Glenski]

[pnksweater]

Sounds like you�ve just started thinking about working in Japan. Some online reading should help sort out a lot of your questions. The FAQs page here should be a decent enough place to start for work related questions. I�d recommend Japan with Kids as a starting place for kid related questions. http://www.tokyowithkids.com/

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

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