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nightsintodreams
Joined: 18 May 2010
Posts: 558
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 Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 2:25 am Post subject: |
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| Nice to see you again MATeacher! |
I called it!
I was only 80-90% sure before, but now I'm certain. What a loser... |
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Maitoshi
Joined: 04 May 2014
Posts: 718
Location: 何処でも
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 2:54 am Post subject: |
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| nightsintodreams wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Nice to see you again MATeacher! |
I called it!
I was only 80-90% sure before, but now I'm certain. What a loser... |
Let's pretend that the writing style isn't the same and see how entertaining it gets!
I really rather miss all the tales of afternoon antiquing and dinner parties 
Anything to distract us from all of our "research," eh?
As a diversion, I have been researching old fashioned coctail recipes in hopes of hosting a 1950s style coctail party. Too bad I don't have a fancy antique collection with which to provide guests an entertaining and educational experience, and that I don't make enough money to purchase quality liquor.
Do you think a 4 liter jug of shochu and some food dye would work in lieu of single-malt Scotch?
All I need is one of those antique decanters and I'm all set. Or maybe an empty bottle discreetly obtained on recycle day ... |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| Aladdin wrote: |
Why do I want to teach English in Japan with all this "valuable" education? A few reasons. The job market sucks. I've been searching for over a year, with varying degrees of intensity, and haven't managed to nail down anything permanent in my field. I have no real overseas work/living experience, and I increasingly see this as a professional liability. I've always wanted to spend time working/living overseas, and I now find myself single and unencumbered, except for my debts. I figure that I can apply for jobs just as easily from Japan as I can from my parents' couch - and at least have the benefit of learning a new language and having a bit of a long-deferred adventure. I can't imagine that there'll be a better time, and I know that if I blink I'll be 40 and probably too risk-averse to jump.
....
Medium-to-long term, my best-case goal is to use my time there and eventual linguistic competency to crack into the national/regional job market in something closer to my field / academic interests (sustainability consulting/communications, ESG risk analysis, etc), or maybe do a phd if I get really desperate.
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With my education, should I be trying to land work in a University, or is this likely to be out of reach without a MA TESOL? (I'm also open to teaching e.g. intro-level English-language Political Science, Environmental Studies, International Relations, Global Governance, should I be qualified to do so).
....
Moving to Japan seems to be the best way to make a commitment to the region and jump out of the crab bucket of North American millennials. North American & European firms increasingly need people who can connect them with Asian markets - at least that's my working theory (I know, I know, I should move to China). |
I have a different take on your situation (assuming your posts have been on the up and up). I don't see teaching English as something you're excited about; you've made it clear where your true interests lie. Besides, you have zero TEFL experience or even teaching experience in any particular subject, for that matter. Additionally, I don't think it's realistic to assume a generic TEFL job in Japan will provide you with the type of connections that lead to opportunities in environmental studies, political science, international relations, climate change, etc.
That said, here are a couple of options to think about:
1) Skip Japan (for now). In order to build crucial experience and more knowledge in your field, look into working for an NGO in other parts of the world that focus on any one of your areas of interest. If, by then, you'd then have the professional experience employers in your field are seeking. Obviously, you'd need to research which foreign or national companies in Japan (or wherever) have need of that expertise.
2) Enroll in a PhD program in your home country, and if you're still gung-ho on Japan, also take intensive Japanese language courses during that time to gain some level of proficiency. Again, do your research ahead of time to target your studies on those areas (e.g., corporate responsibility, climate change...) you need to focus on---those that appeal to Japanese companies. |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 5:47 am Post subject: |
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| Aladdin wrote: |
| Westgate wants 500 hours of in-class experience, which I don't have yet of course. |
That doesn't mean that all applicants actually have 500 hours of in-class experience. If you are interested in Westgate, I'd say you should still apply and see what happens. Same goes with anywhere else, including universities. For full-time positions, most places will want you to have a relevant MA, but it never hurts to throw your hat in the ring. As others have said, your MA would likely get you part-time work, but you'll need to come to Japan on a visa through a full-time employer first. It might take a year or so to line up part-time university work, since it requires a little bit of networking.
But, it doesn't really sound like you want to spend that kind of time building up toward university-level English teaching in Japan.
In terms of working 'out of' EFL teaching in Japan, and into work in another industry, you need to have a concrete plan. It doesn't generally happen just by chance -- people who do 'transition' into another line of work in Japan have a specific skill-set that they are able to market, and they know to whom they can market it.
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| Frankly, I feel that a PhD is about the worst investment I could make at this point |
I would suggest doing a PhD only if you are really interested in your topic of study. A PhD is a long, hard grind no matter what, and if you don't have a strong passion for your topic, it is a lot worse. Personally, I wouldn't think of a PhD as an investment, since there is a strong chance (as you are aware) that it will not get you the high-paying job that would be necessary to recoup the lost time/money. If you enjoy the intellectual stimulation, even if living slightly above the poverty line while you are a student, then I'd recommend it, as the process is a great experience.
| Inflames wrote: |
| BTW some unis pay more if you have a Ph.D as it qualifies you for a higher level. |
This is true, and it can come back to bite you, since the flip-side of this is that if you have a PhD, you cost the university more. For classes that are basically large eikaiwa classes, why pay the extra for someone with a PhD when you can hire someone with an MA for less? I've known of some universities that thought like this, though others will, of course, prefer faculty with a PhD. |
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nicenicegaijin
Joined: 27 Feb 2015
Posts: 157
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| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Are you talking about full time or part-time here? Full time yes, PhDs are more expensive, part-time is hardly matters as there is usually a fixed rate per koma. |
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teacheratlarge
Joined: 17 Nov 2011
Posts: 192
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 3:31 pm Post subject: |
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| The PhD will get you more per Koma, that and experience teaching at that Uni. |
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nicenicegaijin
Joined: 27 Feb 2015
Posts: 157
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| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 3:55 pm Post subject: |
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| At our university we fix the per koma rate. As a PhD holder I have found in certain cases you can get a higher rate, but some of the ads now specify the going rate. I have a rule though if I cannot get 38.000 per koma x 12, I don't bother any more and there are only about 5 universities in the whole of Kanto that pay that. |
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ssjup81
Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Posts: 664
Location: Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 2:09 am Post subject: |
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| nicenicegaijin wrote: |
| At our university we fix the per koma rate. As a PhD holder I have found in certain cases you can get a higher rate, but some of the ads now specify the going rate. I have a rule though if I cannot get 38.000 per koma x 12, I don't bother any more and there are only about 5 universities in the whole of Kanto that pay that. |
What about outside of Kanto? |
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nicenicegaijin
Joined: 27 Feb 2015
Posts: 157
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:08 am Post subject: |
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| No idea, can anyone provide that information. I'm sure in metro kansai there are some paying around that. |
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