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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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 Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 8:13 am Post subject: |
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Kyoto may be the most popular place to live, so good luck getting decent work there.
Also, Japanese ability is required for many jobs (N2 or higher). |
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kpjf
Joined: 18 Jan 2012
Posts: 385
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| Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks. From the sound of that it seems it's pointless even considering Kyoto which seems like it would be even more competitive than Osaka.
So, basically, it would be best to avoid the Kansai region altogether?
N2 is required for teaching jobs? I wasn't aware of that. |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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| kpjf wrote: |
Thanks. From the sound of that it seems it's pointless even considering Kyoto which seems like it would be even more competitive than Osaka.
So, basically, it would be best to avoid the Kansai region altogether?
N2 is required for teaching jobs? I wasn't aware of that. |
I believe mitsui is talking about university positions, which often require Japanese language ability. I haven't heard of N2 being required for, say, dispatch ALT or eikaiwa positions. I have heard of it being required for direct-hire ALT positions, though. |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 3:06 am Post subject: |
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It depends what you want.
If being an ALT in Osaka is fine with you then do it. You could work in a good or bad school.
Kyoto is so tough places can demand Japanese ability. You could get lucky with N3 but who knows. I mean for university jobs or private high schools. |
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kpjf
Joined: 18 Jan 2012
Posts: 385
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the advice and sorry for any confusion. I ruled out university positions quite some time ago when I read here that you need to speak a good level of Japanese and have university publications. I will have an MA in TESOL soon, but no publications.
Mitsui, it's not like I desperately want to work in Kansai, I was just curious, because outside of Tokyo, Osaka/Kyoto look like nice cities and maybe a little less crazy than Tokyo (size wise). Other than that I have no specific reason to go there.
So, how does one get into a private high school if they were to have Japanese level N3/N2? I mean, what other qualifications do you need? I had ruled out Japan entirely after what people have said here but I'm going to do a PGCE to train to become a licensed teacher in the UK (this September) and I assumed if you were a licensed teacher you could get a job in a public/private high school teaching English (not the subject you're licensed in). But then it seems you need to speak Japanese and I also see ALT being mentioned? Maybe I'm ignorant/naive. No disrespect to anyone working as an ALT but I don't know, does it really help your career to be working as the assistant and not the actual, sole teacher? Hope that doesn't sound like I'm acting superior, just saying what I think 
I would like to get work in secondary schools in Asia after completing my PGCE. I know there is the option of international schools, but from what I have read you need x years of post-license experience in your home country and I want to leave the UK after my PGCE (or at best, do 1 year in the UK), so I would probably be competing with people who have maybe worked 3 years in UK secondary schools. Also, I would be licensed in Spanish (with French as secondary subject), so doubt there are really that many positions in Japan for these subjects (as say, compared to geography, maths, sciences etc). In other words, I don't rate my chances of getting into international schools.
Thanks again. |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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| kpjf wrote: |
| I will have an MA in TESOL soon, but no publications. |
Not every university position requires publications or Japanese proficiency, but those that don't will be lower-paid ones with shorter, limited-term contracts. If you are interested in a university position, it might be worth paying attention to the ads and what the requirements are, if you aren't already. Set up an email alert on JREC-IN (use the Japanese version -- lots more ads than the English version), and you'll get emails every day with open positions.
| Quote: |
| So, how does one get into a private high school if they were to have Japanese level N3/N2? I mean, what other qualifications do you need? I had ruled out Japan entirely after what people have said here but I'm going to do a PGCE to train to become a licensed teacher in the UK (this September) and I assumed if you were a licensed teacher you could get a job in a public/private high school teaching English (not the subject you're licensed in). But then it seems you need to speak Japanese and I also see ALT being mentioned? Maybe I'm ignorant/naive. No disrespect to anyone working as an ALT but I don't know, does it really help your career to be working as the assistant and not the actual, sole teacher? Hope that doesn't sound like I'm acting superior, just saying what I think |
You won't get a job as the sole teacher in a public school in Japan. You would need to be licensed in Japan to do that. You can get a job in a private high school without a teaching license, but it might help to have one. I'm not sure if it would help if the license is in a different subject, though. Hopefully others can comment on that. The people I have known who teach at private high schools don't have any teacher certification. In my experience, getting a job at a private high school is more about connections, as I think they are more often filled by word of mouth.
Something to think about might be the kousen/高専 (koutou senmon gakkou/高等専門学校) schools. These are "colleges of technology" for students 15-20 years old, so it's kind of between high school and university. These jobs are often advertised more widely than private high schools. An MA is usually required and sometimes some Japanese language ability. Ads often list secondary teaching licensure as a preferred qualification. I don't think publications are usually required. I've never known someone who worked at one of these, and there are only about 60 of them in the country, so they aren't incredibly common, but I do see ads come up fairly often on JREC-IN.
Whether being an ALT "helps your career" depends on what your desired career trajectory is, and where in that trajectory you are.
| Quote: |
| I would like to get work in secondary schools in Asia after completing my PGCE. I know there is the option of international schools, but from what I have read you need x years of post-license experience in your home country and I want to leave the UK after my PGCE (or at best, do 1 year in the UK), so I would probably be competing with people who have maybe worked 3 years in UK secondary schools. Also, I would be licensed in Spanish (with French as secondary subject), so doubt there are really that many positions in Japan for these subjects (as say, compared to geography, maths, sciences etc). In other words, I don't rate my chances of getting into international schools. |
I'm not sure whether there would be few positions in Spanish or French. Why would there be fewer, just because the school is in Japan? The schools are for native English-speaking expat kids, so I'd guess there would be as many opportunities (proportionally) to teach Spanish or French in an international school in Japan as there are at home.
I've heard that some so-called "international" schools in some Asian/Southeast Asian countries hire people without home-country experience. I think these schools often target wealthy locals, rather than expats. I'm not sure if this type of secondary school exists in Japan (though preschool/kindergarten, and occasionally primary schools do). |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 1:44 am Post subject: |
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You have to pay your dues like anyone. If you start as an ALT it is a way to get started here.
Look at Nagoya. Being certified in your home country helps.
Most private schools do not advertise but ALT positions are. |
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kpjf
Joined: 18 Jan 2012
Posts: 385
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| Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the reply and advice Rtm
| Quote: |
| Whether being an ALT "helps your career" depends on what your desired career trajectory is, and where in that trajectory you are. |
Well, to be an English teacher, in secondary schools. I meant in the sense that if you're not the one in control as an ALT, when you go to teach as the sole teacher somewhere else, you won't be experienced being alone in the class.
| mitsui wrote: |
| You have to pay your dues like anyone. If you start as an ALT it is a way to get started here. |
However, I guess for you both, being an ALT to start off with could be a good way of building connections in Japan. I wouldn't mind starting off with that if I felt it could be beneficial. Like I say I just thought it wouldn't be and I'd imagine a great deal of ALTs, say through the JET programme, have neither MA nor PGCE and initially thought it might not be good for professional development. But, maybe the JET programme is good to apply for to try and build connections?
| Quote: |
| You won't get a job as the sole teacher in a public school in Japan. You would need to be licensed in Japan to do that. You can get a job in a private high school without a teaching license, but it might help to have one. I'm not sure if it would help if the license is in a different subject, though. Hopefully others can comment on that. The people I have known who teach at private high schools don't have any teacher certification. In my experience, getting a job at a private high school is more about connections, as I think they are more often filled by word of mouth. |
Sorry, the reason I specifically said in a different subject was that I'd imagine to teach that subject you would need to be a native Japanese, or to be able to teach the class in the Japanese medium; i.e. I doubt kids in private High schools would be taught Spanish in the English medium (that takes place in international schools). In Taiwan for instance, I read that you can get a job as a public high school English teacher and for that you need to be a licensed teacher in any subject to be eligible.
| Quote: |
| I'm not sure whether there would be few positions in Spanish or French. Why would there be fewer, just because the school is in Japan? The schools are for native English-speaking expat kids, so I'd guess there would be as many opportunities (proportionally) to teach Spanish or French in an international school in Japan as there are at home. |
What I mean is that every international school in the world will offer a certain amount of subjects without doubt: mathematics, geography, sciences, history etc, but they won't all offer Spanish. They may have a preference towards a particular language: Mandarin or French or whatever that language may be, so there are less opportunities for language teachers rather than teachers of the kind of subjects mentioned above. Sure, if after being certified I could get that job, then fine 
Thanks for the recommendation for kousen/高専 schools and the JREC-IN mailouts!
| Quote: |
| I've heard that some so-called "international" schools in some Asian/Southeast Asian countries hire people without home-country experience. I think these schools often target wealthy locals, rather than expats. I'm not sure if this type of secondary school exists in Japan (though preschool/kindergarten, and occasionally primary schools do). |
I think I know what you mean - the lower tier ones, right? International in name only.
| mitsui wrote: |
Look at Nagoya. Being certified in your home country helps.
Most private schools do not advertise but ALT positions are. |
Thanks for the recommendation for Nagoya. I'll check it out! What do you mean here, private schools don't advertise? How do people get jobs there? Word of mouth like Rtm says? |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 7:35 am Post subject: |
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Sure try JET.
Often schools ask teachers to find new teachers who they know.
Interviews can be a mere formality.
It is not fair nor an open process.
I have known this to happen at a good university in Tokyo for part-time positions.
You need to be recommended by a teacher. Just being in Japan is not enough. |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:13 am Post subject: |
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| kpjf wrote: |
Well, to be an English teacher, in secondary schools.
....
I guess for you both, being an ALT to start off with could be a good way of building connections in Japan. I wouldn't mind starting off with that if I felt it could be beneficial. Like I say I just thought it wouldn't be and I'd imagine a great deal of ALTs, say through the JET programme, have neither MA nor PGCE and initially thought it might not be good for professional development. But, maybe the JET programme is good to apply for to try and build connections? |
You are right that "a great deal" of ALTs don't have home-country teacher certification, but I've known a number that do. It's not unheard of at all. If your goal is to get a secondary school teaching job in Japan, JET would be a good way to get in the country as it pays quite well.
As mitsui also said, private high school jobs are often not advertised, and schools often ask leaving teachers to recommend a replacement. I don't have any first-hand experience with private high schools, but of the 6 friends I have who work at private high schools, all of them came to Japan as ALTs originally.
| Quote: |
| Sorry, the reason I specifically said in a different subject was that I'd imagine to teach that subject you would need to be a native Japanese, or to be able to teach the class in the Japanese medium; i.e. I doubt kids in private High schools would be taught Spanish in the English medium (that takes place in international schools). In Taiwan for instance, I read that you can get a job as a public high school English teacher and for that you need to be a licensed teacher in any subject to be eligible. |
Yes, I would agree with you that kids in private Japanese high schools would not be taught, e.g., Spanish using English as the MoI. The system that you describe in Taiwan (having home-country teacher certification in any subject allowing one to teach independently as a regular high school English teacher) doesn't exist in Japan. |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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There is the idea (which is not always true) that someone with certification in their own country is a better teacher.
At this point, with so many resumes getting looked at, yours has to have something to give you an edge.
Otherwise, in Japan it is just who you know in order to get a good job. |
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kpjf
Joined: 18 Jan 2012
Posts: 385
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| Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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| mitsui wrote: |
There is the idea (which is not always true) that someone with certification in their own country is a better teacher.
At this point, with so many resumes getting looked at, yours has to have something to give you an edge.
Otherwise, in Japan it is just who you know in order to get a good job. |
Just to point out I'm not saying with a teacher license that person would be a better teacher than the next candidate, just that I read that being a licensed teacher can be very beneficial to get better jobs (but again, maybe that's well after you have substantial experience in that country). Thanks a lot for the advice, I see how it works in Japan now regarding who you know.
Thanks again Rtm, so JET could be the start.
| Quote: |
| I don't have any first-hand experience with private high schools, but of the 6 friends I have who work at private high schools, all of them came to Japan as ALTs originally. |
I've seen the JET salary on their website (3.36 million a year), but do you have any idea roughly how much you would get in a private high school? Or does it depend how many years you've been there etc? |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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| kpjf wrote: |
| I've seen the JET salary on their website (3.36 million a year), but do you have any idea roughly how much you would get in a private high school? Or does it depend how many years you've been there etc? |
Like I said, I don't have any first-hand experience at a private high school, but my impression is that private high school salaries generally range from around the same as to a bit more than JET, but less than most university positions. I think it really depends on the school, city, etc. |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:24 am Post subject: |
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| With bonuses at a private school, the JET pay would seem low. |
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kpjf
Joined: 18 Jan 2012
Posts: 385
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| Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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So, maybe in the ballpark of 300-350,000 yen a month? I know you say you don't know firsthand and that it could depend on the city, but I guess university/international school salaries would be about 400,000, so maybe it's not far off 300-350,000 Yen.
Mitsui, what kind of bonuses would you be talking about? |
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