Job Discussion Forums

[00Scott]

It seems most folks with F/T positions at national universities hold master's or doctoral degrees in TESL or Applied Linguistics. That route's not for me and I've a question about alternatives. (If there are none, that's good to know too.)

My goal is not to make a lifetime career of teaching ESL. I've taught between degrees to travel, enjoyed it, and want to spend half a dozen or so years teaching abroad after (or during the last phase of) my doctorate to travel some more and pursue research interests in language, philosophy and comparative environmental policy. I've spent some time living in Asia and Japan is one place I'm considering.

It may be that my academic path will not qualify me for university positions in Japan, but as my interests and background permit me some flexibility in choosing a doctoral field, I'd appreciate any comments on how I'd fare with each of the following qualifications (along with refereed publications in linguistics and philosophy of language, an MA in philosophy (of language), background in formal and theoretical linguistics, and three or four years' teaching experience abroad):

1. Ph.D. in cultural or linguistic anthropology;

2. Ph.D. in (what used to be called `philosophy of education' but is now usually, for employability reasons, shuffled under the heading of) curriculum and theory;

3. Ph.D. in philosophy.

I recognise that none of these are ideal -- I'm not, after all, aiming for a career in ESL -- but since teaching abroad is a tangeantal aim, if there were significantly more possibilities with an Education Ph.D. than with the others, I'd be grateful to know it.

Many thanks.

[Nismo]

I'd say the first two fields could land you a position at a university, if that is what you are aiming for. Any of them would get you a position at a high school, middle school, elementary school, or English corporation.

[taikibansei]

[PAULH]

[PAULH]

From Stapleton's article

Like the previous recruitment, this year's exercise was for a contractual position and asked for a minimum of a master's degree (with a doctorate preferred) in applied linguistics or a closely related field. The position was advertised only on the Web, at two domestic job sites, the Hokkaido Insider, JREC-IN, and one international site, ohayo-sensei. The contract was for an initial ten-month period, and whether it was renewable had to be kept vague for reasons related to the transition to private status at the university in question. Candidates had the option to submit their applications either in paper or electronic form.

In total, we received 72 applications, 62 of which were in electronic form. The male-female ratio was 10:1. In the initial screening of resumes, I checked to see whether candidates met the minimum educational requirements of a master's degree in applied linguistics or a related field. This, in itself, was a revealing exercise. Roughly 40% of all the applicants did not have the minimum requirements as listed in the job announcement. Shortcomings came in two areas: either the applicants did not have a masters or doctorate, or their graduate qualifications were in a field too distant from that required. Among those whose degree-level was sufficient, but whose area of specialty was not close enough to applied linguistics, a wide range of majors were received. Some specialties such as Chinese and Japanese literature appeared borderline, while many others were, shall we say, overly optimistic, e.g., a lawyer whose specialty was property rights on the moon.

This brief sketch leads me to ask a question: Does teaching English in Japan as an academic profession have an image problem? I wonder what sort of applicants other faculties receive when they advertise a position opening. Do medical faculties receive resumes from those whose expertise is in agriculture? Does the mathematics department have to filter out resumes from Shakespearean scholars? Somehow, I doubt it. Indeed, even though our job posting clearly stated that a doctorate was preferred, many without graduate qualifications applied. Again, this made me think about the image problem. My mind drifted back to those days in the 1980s when native English speakers were swooped up at Narita for high-paying hourly positions despite having no more qualifications than their pulse.

[00Scott]

Takibansei. My Japanese (like the doctorate) is still nonexistent. I complete my MA this summer and will take a year or two to teach and travel (probably not Japan) before going back to school. After that, I can't say where I'd be applying from -- this is at least four or five years away and career and travel plans change -- but I would be interested to learn what the pros and cons of applying inside and outside of Japan are.

Paul. My thanks for the sobering advice (generally the most useful kind). I'm aware that my situation is a little bit like applying to practice law with a ticket in accounting, and if the market won't bear it, I'll look elsewhere to fund my travels. After all, my interest in TESL is tangential to my actual academic interests, and you're quite right that there's a dash of the unreasonable in hoping for a comfortable position in TESL without making a commitment to the field. But if there is a possibility that the market will bear me -- and I do hope that a few publications in linguistics, three or four years' experience, a two language-related dissertations (albeit in the wrong departments and without much focus on acquisition or pedagogy) might put me in a better position than Stapleton's classicist and sinologist -- I'm interested enough in the work and country to give it a shot.

Thanks for the Stapleton reference -- was useful reading.

[taikibansei]

Of course you're right, Paul, but a "Ph.D. in curriculum and theory" quite easily can become a "Ph.D. in curriculum and theory with an emphasis in TESOL"--all depending on his dissertation topic and how he presents himself in his cover letter, CV, and during any interview. I can see a number of universities making an offer based on him having such a Ph.D.--if only for a short-term (1-3 years) gaikokujin kyoushi position. Still, that appears to be all he wants.

As for 1 & 3, unless he's applying from within Japan and fluent enough in Japanese to teach those subjects in Japanese, I don't think he'd get hired...for any position.

[taikibansei]

[Smooth Operator]

Interesting question. I have an MA in International Relations and teach full-time in a Japanese university (albeit as a gaikokujin kyoshi on a five year contract). Of my six fellow gaikokujin kyoshi, 5 of them have MAs in TESOL/Linguistics and one has a History MA, so it is possible. Your chances are better, naturally, if your subject does tie-in with the Department or Faculty you are applying to. I teach content classes in the Department of International Relations, hence I got the job.

As an aside, I had some experience teaching in Japan already, was applying from inside the country, and I was the youngest candidate to apply (hence the cheapest). All of these factors helped. If you are in your early 30s or under you have a better chance I think...