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RM1983
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
Posts: 360
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 Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:14 am Post subject: |
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| jkozera wrote: |
back to the original topic....
I read a lot of "why don't you go to China?"
From what I have read here and based off of what I hear from people I meet in person who have taught in Japan, are all you current teachers afraid of a newer, younger face? maybe trying to deter people from going over there so you don't get sacked for a fresh face?
I guess when I started this thread I was hoping for some realist reasons why people are shooting down prospective teachers and I have been getting that reasoning I have come up with. |
There is a lot of that going on yeah, people in TEFL are replaceable at every level. Ive met people with MAs here and 10/20 years experience and they havent shown me anything new or relevant.
There are some large downsides to teaching here, very large. For example if you do eikawa, then your experience will be limited to their method ie you wont get a chance to develop how you teach. That is just one reason though. I suggest you ask your question on Reddit's Japan forum or something - a forum with massive amounts of users with diverse experience. Youll get a similar answer about teaching though Id imagine - go ahead though. |
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RM1983
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
Posts: 360
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:18 am Post subject: |
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| RM1983 wrote: |
| jkozera wrote: |
back to the original topic....
I read a lot of "why don't you go to China?"
From what I have read here and based off of what I hear from people I meet in person who have taught in Japan, are all you current teachers afraid of a newer, younger face? maybe trying to deter people from going over there so you don't get sacked for a fresh face?
I guess when I started this thread I was hoping for some realist reasons why people are shooting down prospective teachers and I have been getting that reasoning I have come up with. |
There is a lot of that going on yeah, people in TEFL are replaceable at every level. Ive met people with MAs here and 10/20 years experience and they havent shown me anything new or relevant.
There are some large downsides to teaching here, very large. For example if you do eikawa, then your experience will be limited to their method ie you wont get a chance to develop how you teach. That is just one reason though. I suggest you ask your question on Reddit's Japan forum or something - a forum with massive amounts of users with diverse experience. Youll get a similar answer about teaching though Id imagine - go ahead though.
This is a Tefl forum specifically and some of the people here are like you said.
Go and have a look at Reddit. Regular discussions there include why English Teaching gaijin are less respected than gaijin waiters, and other stuff like that
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:35 am Post subject: |
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| steki47 wrote: |
I work as a dispatch ALT and my wife has a seishain job and got promoted a couple of times. She works 9-10 hours/days and quite a few Saturdays. I work 4-5 hours/day and about 140 days/year.
We make roughly the same monthly salary. |
Seriously? Wow, my wife makes about 2/3 of what I make. She is semi FT though. Working as a woman here is tough, and the salaries show that.
Does being in a rural area play a factor in that? As an ALT, you pretty much make 230k no matter where you go. So in a rural area that is good money. While in the Tokyo area, that is pretty low. I've seen PT jobs at bars that pay per hour, what ALTs get. 1200yen or so an hour. |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:36 am Post subject: |
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| Maitoshi wrote: |
| steki47 wrote: |
| Maitoshi wrote: |
| Still a lot better than what many of the natives make. |
I work as a dispatch ALT and my wife has a seishain job and got promoted a couple of times. She works 9-10 hours/days and quite a few Saturdays. I work 4-5 hours/day and about 140 days/year.
We make roughly the same monthly salary. |
Hope that doesn't create too much tension. |
In my marriage? I have dinner on the table when she gets home, do the laundry and most of the shopping and cleaning. She is still (understandably) jealous when I have six weeks off. |
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nightsintodreams
Joined: 18 May 2010
Posts: 558
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:38 am Post subject: |
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| Even if you erase the negativity about Japan, no one here (I mean in Japan, not this board) would say that the general outlook is anything higher than neutral. |
"The general out look is neutral." Such a common phrase, everyone's saying it.
Seriously though, in terms of the general economy, the future doesn't look good. But I'm sure that there are plenty of people in Japan (me included) who thinks on an indvidual level, life/ income/ security is going to get better. |
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Maitoshi
Joined: 04 May 2014
Posts: 718
Location: 何処でも
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:41 am Post subject: |
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| steki47 wrote: |
| Maitoshi wrote: |
| steki47 wrote: |
| Maitoshi wrote: |
| Still a lot better than what many of the natives make. |
I work as a dispatch ALT and my wife has a seishain job and got promoted a couple of times. She works 9-10 hours/days and quite a few Saturdays. I work 4-5 hours/day and about 140 days/year.
We make roughly the same monthly salary. |
Hope that doesn't create too much tension. |
In my marriage? I have dinner on the table when she gets home, do the laundry and most of the shopping and cleaning. She is still (understandably) jealous when I have six weeks off. |
That sounds like an excellent arrangement! Bet her friends are jealous  |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:20 am Post subject: |
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| Maitoshi wrote: |
| That sounds like an excellent arrangement! Bet her friends are jealous |
Her friends and relatives are flabbergasted! A man making dinner-gadzooks!
I'm having fun cooking. Chinese, Italian, made some Thai last week. |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:23 am Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| As an ALT, you pretty much make 230k no matter where you go. |
Yes, I have seen 250k turn into 230k since I have been here. One company in my area paid the ALTs 200k x 12 for a 9-month contract. The previous company paid 230k for six months and then prorated the other three months. Contracting ending first week of Feb. BOEs are getting cheap and the ALT companies are responding. Sucks.
I teach PT one evening and run a decent Ebay business. I'm doing alright. |
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Maitoshi
Joined: 04 May 2014
Posts: 718
Location: 何処でも
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:33 am Post subject: |
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| steki47 wrote: |
| Maitoshi wrote: |
| That sounds like an excellent arrangement! Bet her friends are jealous |
Her friends and relatives are flabbergasted! A man making dinner-gadzooks!
I'm having fun cooking. Chinese, Italian, made some Thai last week. |
Good for you! I love making my MIL wish she'd married a foreigner, too. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:13 am Post subject: |
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| nightsintodreams wrote: |
"The general out look is neutral." Such a common phrase, everyone's saying it.
Seriously though, in terms of the general economy, the future doesn't look good. But I'm sure that there are plenty of people in Japan (me included) who thinks on an indvidual level, life/ income/ security is going to get better. |
I think individually mine too will get better. Though I think for teachers here, it will collectively get worse. |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:30 am Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| I think individually mine too will get better. Though I think for teachers here, it will collectively get worse. |
Same here. I finished a MS Edu and am slowly working my way into a better job. Uni would be nice, private HS would be OK as well. Diretc hire ALT would be fine as well.
I see the dispatch ALT become a larger percentage of the market and the conditions getting worse. Can't really see how they could get better. Eikaiwa seems roughly the same. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 10:59 pm Post subject: |
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| steki47 wrote: |
Same here. I finished a MS Edu and am slowly working my way into a better job. Uni would be nice, private HS would be OK as well. Diretc hire ALT would be fine as well.
I see the dispatch ALT become a larger percentage of the market and the conditions getting worse. Can't really see how they could get better. Eikaiwa seems roughly the same. |
Good for you. I am still not certain about going for my masters.
I am a teacher at a private school. I would like to find a better/more serious school to teach at. Heck, I'd settle for a direct hire position too at this point.
Or, I could see myself teaching as an ALT, and working 6-7 hours aday, and taking care of the kids, and house like you. Not a bad trade off.
Yeah, Eikaiwas are awful. Yes, all jobs have trade offs, but I feel as though there is just nothing satisfying in it. Plus the schedules are pretty horrendous. |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 11:30 pm Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| steki47 wrote: |
Same here. I finished a MS Edu and am slowly working my way into a better job. Uni would be nice, private HS would be OK as well. Diretc hire ALT would be fine as well.
I see the dispatch ALT become a larger percentage of the market and the conditions getting worse. Can't really see how they could get better. Eikaiwa seems roughly the same. |
Good for you. I am still not certain about going for my masters.
I am a teacher at a private school. I would like to find a better/more serious school to teach at. Heck, I'd settle for a direct hire position too at this point.
Or, I could see myself teaching as an ALT, and working 6-7 hours aday, and taking care of the kids, and house like you. Not a bad trade off.
Yeah, Eikaiwas are awful. Yes, all jobs have trade offs, but I feel as though there is just nothing satisfying in it. Plus the schedules are pretty horrendous. |
Yes, a masters is a big investment. I spread it out over three years doing one or two courses a semester. Very interesting, applicable but also a lot of work. I interviewed teachers, wrote lengthy papers, participated in some great online discussions.
It still hasn't really paid off yet (=getting a better job) but I have noticed that my application to interview to job offer rate is about 100%. I was juggling four jobs offers (all ALT dispatch, mind you) last year. I chose the ten-minute bike ride to work option. 
I chose ALT work partially for the day job and long holidays. I worked eikaiwa for seven years and got sick of it on many levels. Unless you're running your own school, I don't see the point. Others may disagree.
In any case, good luck to you! |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 4:18 am Post subject: |
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| steki47 wrote: |
Yes, a masters is a big investment. I spread it out over three years doing one or two courses a semester. Very interesting, applicable but also a lot of work. I interviewed teachers, wrote lengthy papers, participated in some great online discussions.
It still hasn't really paid off yet (=getting a better job) but I have noticed that my application to interview to job offer rate is about 100%. I was juggling four jobs offers (all ALT dispatch, mind you) last year. I chose the ten-minute bike ride to work option.
I chose ALT work partially for the day job and long holidays. I worked eikaiwa for seven years and got sick of it on many levels. Unless you're running your own school, I don't see the point. Others may disagree.
In any case, good luck to you! |
I guess location has a bit to do with it not paying off for you. I am in Kanto, so I think I could get something pretty much right away with a MA.
Thanks. Still considering it. Not sure if I am ready to take the leap though. |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka
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| Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 4:49 am Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
I guess location has a bit to do with it not paying off for you. I am in Kanto, so I think I could get something pretty much right away with a MA.
Thanks. Still considering it. Not sure if I am ready to take the leap though. |
I am near a large city (Nagoya), but I still find that the uni market is really saturated and competitive. Seems like everyone has a MS/MA. Now they often expect three publications. And most of the foreigners are well connected. I'm working on both fronts.
Also, lots of the jobs are two classes here and there. Some friends teach at 3-4 unis. I could do that if I had to. A few lucky guys have FT positions but they have caps at four years.
Other options are around and I am networking. |
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