Job Discussion Forums

[TadeKite]

[b]
Hello!
I am currently teaching TESOL in South Korea and plan to move to Japan in the new year to teach there. I need to know which option has more benefits - teaching in a private school or public school?
I am teaching in a private academy now and although I am spoiled considering the tiny class sizes (classes of 2 - 10 students), I feel burned out with the awful behavior of many of the children, who are exhausted and demotivated students, who despise English. Plus the workload of parent-pleasing extra projects, such as open class and performances and recitals, which pop up every other month or so and take a hellava lot of stress and hardwork to make happen. If I sign onto teach in a Japanese private school, am I likely to encounter these problems all over again?
I am enticed by the lengthy vacation time public school positions offer, but a job in a private school would be better for me schedule-wise, considering my contract finishes in November.
Please do not misunderstand me - I am not afraid of hardwork, but I am a firm believer that a school should teach, rather than produce cutsie productions to please parents, rather than help teach the children.
If you have any advice to offer, I would be very grateful to listen.
Thank you
TK[/b]

[move]

[kpjf]

1. Are you a certified teacher in a given subject? I.e. a PGCE in the UK (I don't know what it's called in the USA/CA/AUS)

2. Do you have JLPT N2?

As far as I know you'll probably need these things to work in a public school (an alternative is the JET programme), but of course feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I mean, look at it this way, the Japanese already have these qualified teachers who can explain grammar in their own language to the students and via the JET programme the native speaker can assist him/her in pronunciation and so forth, so unless you're a native speaker with advanced Japanese or QTS I think your options are:

- working in an Eikaiwa, or
- applying to the JET programme

[RustyShackleford]

ALTs are allowed to work in a Japanese Public School and have no Japanese requirement (although some schools prefer it...and some schools prefer that you don't).

ALTs can and do participate in all the school activities but they aren't technically required to and still get their paycheck. Do keep in mind though that if you're doing that, you're basically stealing tax money from the city. On the flipside, they don't usually need to plan lessons and organize events to the same scale you would at an eikaiwa. Just helping set-up and participating in the lessons will make you a darling.

[timothypfox]

I respectfully concur with TadeKite that some schools want Japanese language ability and others only want minimal. There is still the philosophy that language immersion or immersive exposure to a native will compel the children to use their English.

In my own school, a private high school and junior high school, I was hired as a teacher - not an ALT - because the school has an additional English program of conversation and writing classes taught by solo teaching native teachers. They also had a way to get a prefectural license for foreign staff members. This is nearly impossible at a public high school. Although ALTs can become directly hired through a city's department of education.

The ALT job at a public school will allow for a shorter work day, less pay, less job stability (job may end in 2-3 years), and many more holidays than working as a teacher hire at a private school. But, I get more pay, pension, job stability, but much fewer holidays as a trade off and finish work at 5:30 pm and also work half days on Saturdays.

I was told by staff at my school not to worry about my Japanese skills because they wanted me to use English with the kids as much as possible.

If you have a public school teaching license in your country, you might consider private international schools here too.

[TadeKite]

Thank you for your replies.
I do prefer the idea of being an actual teacher rather than an ALT, because
my experience so far has been teaching classes solo.
Do private academies have a good reputation in Japan?
I've been pretty lucky with my job in South Korea, but I've heard horror stories of other places.
Would it be difficult to find a position in an immersive English school - like the one described above?