Job Discussion Forums

[Glenski]

My experience is on record. I didn't say that I also got about 100,000 yen in annual research money at that HS. I was homeroom assistant teacher for a year, which meant mornings and afternoon announcements with the head HR teacher had to be attended. When the head teacher was gone, that duty fell to me.

However, my main point is that I was worked like a dog there. I taught 11 completely different lesson plans per week, in about 20 separate classes, too. Lots of lesson planning!

As for working 8 to 8 and half Saturdays being beyond the call of duty, I can easily say that I didn't like it, but the J teachers worked longer. If you don't want to work such hours (that is, if those are presented to you), don't take the job, but at least you know it's possible, so ask about time commitments during interviews.

[ghostrider]

I'm in a similar position as you, sans an MA.

You're partially right about work in America. It's pretty standard now for college graduates to spend months looking for work, only to end up working at Best Buy, Apple or some other low paying job. Most of my coworkers with master's degrees have them in unrelated fields to what they're doing, and they're only doing the position they are because there aren't enough jobs in the field they studied. As another person suggested, I think people may have better luck in smaller, less popular cities. I know in New York and San Francisco, there are way too many people with BA's and MA's and not enough jobs to match what they're qualified to do. Forget it if you didn't go to a top school because so many people in those cities have. Also, competition for teaching jobs in the US is pretty intense right now with so many budget cuts.

That said, at least back home you potentially have more freedom in career options, where as in Japan you're limited to English teaching and recruitment. If you actually love either of those fields, it would certainly help your enjoyment of living in Japan longer. I think many English teachers in Japan get tired of it quickly because it wasn't something they were actually interested in, couple with the boredom and lack of responsibility and respect they have as an ALT (at public schools).

I don't think all private schools expect you to work as many hours as Glenski did. I worked for a few actually and had friends there who did as well. Hours were more like 8-5/6PM in most cases. Yes, half Saturday school is fairly common though. I was lucky in never having that schedule myself. If you're not a big on partying on Friday nights, it's probably not that big of a deal if you enjoy what you're doing and where you're living.

Yes, dispatch is very common among private schools now. The good news is most are very hands off, keep their contracts with schools for many years, and don't have a record for consistently decreasing wages and holidays as is the case with public school ALT dispatch companies. Some private school dispatch companies may employ part-time, but with fairly high hourly rates. You'll likely be expected to work more as a direct hire, but you'll also earn more as a dispatch company won't be taking a cut.

If you want to earn a comfortable salary teaching, you're best aiming for international schools or colleges/universities. You should have an upper hand in getting one of those positions with an MA, though it'll still be a challenge since there are fewer and the turnover rate is lower.

As for the first sentence, I've been back in the US for over the year and just find myself missing Japan a lot. My 2 main deterrents at this point are a lack of money (ate through my savings looking for work in the US, now make just enough to survive) and the on-going nuclear radiation problems. I think the Kansai area may be safer, unfortunately there are fewer jobs there. Quite a large difference between the number and quality of jobs offered in Kansai and those in Tokyo. I'm trying my best to forget about Japan and do something else now.

[OneJoelFifty]

[Kionon]

No, legally you are not. That doesn't stop it from happening. I taught plenty of solo lessons.

You want crazy? I even had a student teacher placed under me. In a public school. I was the main teacher, and he helped me so he could learn how to become an English teacher.

As long as no one complains, you'll see all sorts of blatant disregard for the law...

[timothypfox]

I think the variety of experiences here should be a big help to Kionen and others reading in on more ideal and less ideal work situations in Japan, and a starkly realistic view of the job situation in the US.

I want to add that I am lucky to get the job I have at the moment. Very lucky. I in fact waited for about 4 months for an answer while they were weeding out other candidates and probably playing a waiting game because they couldn't decide who to hire. Whoever stuck around would get hired in the end? Was that me? Perhaps...

But, most of the stories I hear are more like Glenski's or Ghostriders. I took 5 years to carefully find a suitable position. 5 years!

While I got a job at the DOE in NYC through the Teaching Fellows Program, I was placed in a low income school and all of the students had multiple disabilities. I had 2 prinicipals the violated labor standards - both threatened and harassed teachers over minor and often made up infractions that left the union constantly wrangling over teacher's rights with the principals and the city mayor (Bloomburg - a man who despises unions). Not to mention my workers rights were violated by the constant redefining of what is and is not good teaching crafted by the so-called genius education professors at Columbia, Berkley and NYU (many of whom have barely set food in a classroom). So, all in all my workers rights have been better respected and legally upheld here in Japan ------- so far..............

[Kionon]

Okay, one of the biggies is prepared to give me a position at the end of May/beginning of June. Salary is pretty sucktastic, and the area is going to be pretty expensive compared to what I'm used to, but I do not reneg on my contracts, and as long as I have some position, I can search around for the next year, possibly get my previous position back, or be able to apply for the jobs I really want for the 2013-2014 school year.

I do have a visa question. Since I have a specialist in humanities visa, they want to change it to an instructor visa. They will try to get me a three year like I currently have. I'm fine with this, but concerned about what I can do on the side if I do end up having more free time than I expected or I need to make some spending money.

Also, if I have gone a portion of my visa without employment, and I know that immigration already knows about it and I have had no issues getting into the country during that period, should I expect the new visa type/new sponsorship to go smoothly (insert normal understandings about immigration here) when I go in to change it over?

[Glenski]

[Kionon]

[Glenski]

[Cool Teacher]

[Kionon]

[Glenski]

[Kionon]

Well I was technically here in the US, finishing my MA. I walk on Saturday, overall GPA just came in a few minutes ago, 3.75. Not what I hoped for (I got one B, so I lost my 3.9), but better than I feared (walked out of finals concerned I had two Bs, which would have dropped me t a 3.6), I kept up my residential obligations, paid my taxes, etc, and my old immigration office knew I was not working because I was finishing the MA in the US, and not only paying taxes, but not using Japanese social services... Sounds like I'm probably good...

Of course, with immigration, you never know...

[sokunen]

[Kionon]