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starshine24
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 11:24 pm Post subject: Plans post-teaching |
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Hello hello.
I am comtemplating accepting an offer to teach English in Japan and I have a question for you all: what are your plans post-teaching in Japan? Do you intend to get a masters/PHD in Education or do you intend to teach elsewhere?
Are there any of you who intend to NOT FOLLOW A TEACHING CAREER?
Essentially - do you reckon teaching abroad is a good move if I intend to pursue something entirely different in graduate school (i.e. international policy or economics or marketing)?
Any thoughts/ suggestions would be much appreciated.
-s |
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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 4:23 am Post subject: |
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1st question: How old are you? If you come and teach for a couple years and go back and do grad school in a completely different field then it's not going to have much effect on your career prospects in the long term, if you're in your mid 20, might be a different story if you are in your late 30's?
2nd question: Why are you coming to to teach in Japan?
If it's to spend some time in Japan/another culture, learn Japanese/another language, etc then it can't but help for grad school, get some 'real' world experience, gain a new perspective on things, etc (mind you there are people that have been here for years and still don't seem to have gained any new insights from living away from home).
But if you're coming here to teach and don't intend to pursue a career in teaching then I don't see the point. |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 4:55 am Post subject: Re: Plans post-teaching |
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| starshine24 wrote: |
HDo you intend to get a masters/PHD in Education or do you intend to teach elsewhere?
-s |
Are the two choices mutually exclusive? Is it not possible to get a graduate degree and move somwhere else?
Why must it be one or the other?
Or are you suggesting its a choice between getting qualified and trained or going into some other profession.
| starshine24 wrote: |
Are there any of you who intend to NOT FOLLOW A TEACHING CAREER?
-s |
Not me, but I do have my doubts sometimes
| starshine24 wrote: |
HEssentially - do you reckon teaching abroad is a good move if I intend to pursue something entirely different in graduate school (i.e. international policy or economics or marketing)?
-s |
If I could offer my two cents worth (and Im not saying everyone should do what I did and what works for me will apply to anyone else) is I think before you make the move you should have a clear idea of what your short term and long term goals are, and what you want to get out of the experience. An exit strategy for post-Japan is vital also too, I think.
For the majority of "teachers" here (though they are in no way qualified s professional teachers and probably would or could not consider teaching as a job in their home countries with their current qualifications- their native ability is their only meal ticket here) teaching overseas is a chance to live in a foreign culture, learn a foreign language, travel, pay off student loans or some other reason. Personally I dont think its a burning desire to become a teacher so much as "economic migration". If the salaries here were not what they were, or were the same as what teachers are paid in Thailand, you would get far fewer people coming here. How many would come if the salary to teach English was only $500 a month like it is in China? How many would be here for the love of teaching? You get the JET program where people are paid $36,000 a year airfare and accomodation and newbies literally salivate at the chance to get on it.
The majority of people here come with a BA, get a job in a language school and work for a year or two as a language teacher, and then they either: (1) go back home to their "real" jobs and careers, treating Japan as a long term working holiday. (2) stay in Japan for anumber of reasons, financial, cultural, romantic, language learning or (3) start on graduate study to improve their skills or qualifications. I chose the latter.
with a bit of number (2) thrown in.
You ask whether its a good move. well that depends on where you want to end up. Do you want to spend four years at university and then chuck it to teach English in Japan? Do you want to eventually go back to work in your country? What do you hope to get out of your experience by teaching abroad? For me it was travel, learning a new language, making some money, meeting my wife, being able to work my way up the business here. I have no regrets aboout coming here, but i have met and still know people for whom japan did not feel right for them. I know one now in Australia who spent 4 years here and is exhorting me to export my life to Australia where things are a little better but less "stable" financially than japan. At my age there are risks to moving back home and risks to staying here as well.
You may find that Japan suits you, you want to stay, or you decide that a year is enough for you, and its time to move on. So be it. Where people come unstuck is that they move here, they get dazzled by the yen signs or making good money for essentially an unskilled job which requires little in the wayy of training or previous knowledge. Before you know it 5 years has gone by and you are still treading water professionally while your friends back home are acquiring spouses, houses and SUVs.
You will find that if you study politics or economics or marketing at university, interesting as it is, you will find that it wont relate much to what you do in your teaching job. and when you decide to go back home your teaching career wont mean very much to employers or big corporartions who hire you for your technical skills. Stay away too long and you can become "out of touch" or rusty when it comes looking for jobs.
Another feeling i have is people come here with a job at NOVA and GEOS, work for a year or two and then work out what they want to do after leaving Japan, but have little idea. I think what you should consider an "exit-strategy" for when you leave Japan and prepare yourself for what you do afterwards. it may be developing extra skills, learning the language, investing in property back home. Then when the time comes to leave it wont be so bumpy. To give you an example, Taikibansei taught here for ten years, quit his job at a university and went back to teach in the US and now has a job at small midwest college. Obviously he had to develop his teaching skills and experience to land such a position, at a lower salary than he was making in Japan. You may have to be prepared with living on less when you move back, starting from the bottom or not being able to do the things you want while you look for work back home etc or live on a lower salary.
I am considering a move to Australia when my current contract is up (been saying that the las 3 years though) after many years in Japan and its a tossup between that and working here as I have a daughter in elementary school and we are considering all out education options, including schooling overseas or in Japan. In a sense you have to plan your moves accordingly, or you may find yourself "stuck" here in a fairly well paid and lucrative but unfulfilling teaching job at a conversation school , cruisy lifestyle that can only be planned as far ahead as your next contract. I think to a certain extent you have to be prepared to take risks as you will find when you get older you will be less and less willing to do so, especially when you have "family" as well.
One last point while I remember. People rant and moan about the way they are treated at language school by their bosses, they get into a sulk quit their jobs and leave after 6 months. Some do stay longer, but the general consensus is that the "career track" teaching jobs in Japan are not in the conversation schools and eikaiwas but in higher paying high schools, universities and semongakkos. Better pay and hours , more responsibility and a bit more job security (but not much though) . If you are only here for a year on an extended holiday, your boss knows you are going to quit eventually. Turnover is high unfortunately, but when all said and done there is little point complaining about your job if you only plan to be there 6 months and you dont paln to stick around and actually try and change things from the inside. Many teachers here treat their jobs like they would a part time job back home. Do the least necessary, turn up to work on time and dont rock the boat. Collect their paycheck so they can do the things they want to do while they are here. You can be professional and sincere in your job, work hard, but dont think that after a few years you become indispensible. There is always some one to take your place.
So in summary (and excuse the long winded rant) know what you want to do with your life. If you want to go into politics or business by all means do so and treat japan as a two year breather. If you want to get into teaching thats fine, but i would also recommend developing the appropriate skills, for if you dont you will simply end up treading water in relatively low paying undemanding entry-level teaching jobs. Have an exit strategy for leaving or else you will still end up here 10 years later hooked on your paycheck and not wanting to leave. thats been my experience anyway.
Develop skills that people are willing to pay for- living overseas has its benefits that you cant really get at home (your friends will envy you becuase you see the world while they are married to their cars, mortgages and each other) and dont leave the state they grew up in.
I have developed skills that have made my life what it is in Japan, but may not be readily applicable outside Japan. Think about what you can do in your own country and in Japan as they are usually mutually exclusive. |
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Lister100
Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 106
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:46 am Post subject: |
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That was a really good thread Doglover!
At least I thought so anyway. Coming here to pay off school debts is good but you will still have to get those needed job skills when you go home (or grad school) starting the debting process all over further down the road. I came here planning to pay my debts but now I'm just using it as a vacation until I can go back home. For me to pay off my debts I would have to stay about 2 1/2 years. If I go back home I can take another loan get some post grad college business certificate course for a year and make the money and skills needed to advance in my home country. It won't be a dream job but my struggling conversation school is hardly a dream job either. It has given me the opportunity to experience something very new. Some people get the temptation to stay through good friends or love interests but I haven't been too lucky in that area. I guess the advantage is that my selfish life will give me the freedom to plan for myself. Hopefully Japan can teach me enough common sense to do that right.
Good luck |
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