Job Discussion Forums

[Amarok]

Hey all, long time lurker, first time poster here. To get the prerequisites out of the way: Yes, I've read the FAQs, looked through old posts, and used the search function!

I, like many, am currently fiercely on the hunt for a job, and I'm concerned about my Japanese ability in regards to getting a job. Would it be to my benefit to try to cover up the fact that I have good Japanese, or at least to downplay it as much as humanly possible? Unfortunately, my bachelor's degree is FOR Japanese, so I can't hide the fact that I've studied it, but I can choose not to say that I have passed JLPT level 2 and am aggressively studying the language and can do my best not to mention that I speak Japanese or know anything about the language at all outside of where it says that was my degree's focus on my resume.

Some of my friends working as ALTs in Japan have told me that their employers/schools value their Japanese skill and are relieved to have someone around who speaks Japanese, but from what I've seen from looking for jobs, interviews I have had, and from the nuances of people's posts, employers are going to see the fact that I speak Japanese as negative and aren't going to want to employ me because they're worried I will use Japanese in their schools/classrooms, and they have legions of other applicants who don't know Japanese and won't cause any worry. How can I assure employers that I recognize the importance of English-only, and that I just want them to know that I speak Japanese so they'll know I can get by better in daily life without having to rely on them/hassle them all the time to help me out?

It seems really complicated to me because I don't know if Japanese ability is something I'm supposed to be ashamed of or worried about, ironically, or if there's any way I can possibly make it a good point for me. Obviously I want to make the best case for myself as a potential employee, and it seems like ignorance, even if feigned, is what companies want, but I don't know if it's really hurting my chances.

[Glenski]

[fluffyhamster]

Your Japanese ability WILL come in and be appreciated if you work as e.g. an elementary school AET (not sure how much the JET programme has really expanded into this area, but dispatch AET agencies grrr certainly have been); employing an English-only approach in even setting up and organizing activities at this level can lose valuable time and stress the homeroom teacher if not the kids too. But obviously there has to be enough thinking and planning on your part about the English aspects of your classes (the Japanese is just the icing on the cake), so if I were a serious employer I'd equally be looking for some evidence of your having training, experience or interest (or all three) in ELT, even if your study of Japanese will have made you more aware of interesting and possibly vital differences between the two languages than the average ELT certificate-wielding but non-Japanese-Studies graduate. (Apologies if you also have a CELTA or something already).

The main thing is to just apply for as many jobs as possible and see what happens. If there really are some employers who'd hold your interest in Japan(ese) against you out of some silly fear that you'd speak masses of Japanese in your English classes (as opposed to just a judicious smattering, and sometimes none at all), then I'd say that would be their loss. Those with inflexible views about language learning often have little or no knowledge of how to actually teach effectively (which helps explain why they are now managers rather than teachers still!), or at the very least probably won't have much to say that can actually help you in your own classes. Ultimately, the final arbiter of L1 use (use within reason) should be the students - if they don't object to your using the potentially helpful skill that's at your disposal, then why not?

But if there are some employers (I'm thinking small independent really kooky eikaiwa) who are rabidly Direct Method, then yes, you might have problems when applying to them, and if anyone really does try in the application stage to hold your Japanese ability against you, then as Glenski has suggested stress like you have in your post about how much you respect and will take seriously any English-only policy (even if that might sometimes end up being only 99% lip service in your later actual, usually unobserved, teaching).

[cvmurrieta]

Since my interview with my new employer was entirely in Japanese, knowing Japanese helped me get the job. Since the place I am going to be sent to is rural, the interviewer was concerned about ALTs who may not be able to communicate in Japanese with the various school staff

[Amarok]

Thank you for your input! I wouldn't lie or pretend that I don't speak Japanese, and you're right that it might come off the wrong way if I try to downplay it too much and then end up being able to speak with others in Japanese when they don't expect it. I do have experience tutoring international students for English and in doing volunteer work at after-school programs for schools here, so I have experience working with kids and teaching English to foreigners, but I don't have any certification, so I know I need to do whatever I can to make the best case for myself in a really competitive job market.

I definitely foresee having the most problems with eikaiwa, since I know they're the biggest sticklers for English-only and maintaining a certain appearance of foreign teachers, but I'm definitely going to give it my best shot on telling them in a really upfront way that I can be as English-only as they want and that I understand the importance of it to them.

And yeah, I'm sure Japanese would be to my benefit if I were already living in Japan and interviewing there, but it seems like those willing to recruit overseas are much more adamant about English-only and being cautious about having Japanese speakers over people they can just mold/control.

[Mr_Monkey]

I would suggest that for the schools that hire overseas it's a question of keeping staff - they probably recognise how much of an advantage speaking good Japanese is in the job market, and don't want to hire someone who's likely to find a better offer quite quickly.

[seklarwia]

I think some overseas recruiters are finally realising that being able to speak Japanese means that if the newbie gets placed rural they'll be able to communicate in Japanese, they'll be able to make friends with locals more easily, they'll settle in better, they won't feel isolated and lonely... and they won't bail to go back home.

Interac actually asked us to do our self introduction in Japanese (if we could), tends to give Tokyo placements to those with Japanese knowledge previous Japanese teaching experience (basically most go to people already in Japan, but for few that they give to overseas recruits, they do a second phone interview in Japanese to try and establish how good your knowledge is), and some branches actually offer a slightly higher salary to people with JLPT 1.

Definately, as Glenski suggests, be adament that you do not intend to use Japanese in the classroom, but that your knowing Japanese will allow you to better settle into life here better.

Don't give up! Having JLPT 2 is no small achievement. Do you really want to work for a company that doesn't recognise this?

[lady gator linguist]

I think you should mention that you passed the JLPT 2. You don't have to use Japanese in the classroom unless the students really can't understand the material. If the employer doesn't hire you because of it, then wipe the dust off your feet and look somewhere else.

By the way, I don't know if you are going to get a master's degree and teach in a Japanese university in the future, but some universities require candidates to have some Japanese ability. Mine (Asia University) did not, but some of the better ones did.

[Amarok]

[Apsara]

Pretty much all the advice you have received so far says "don't downplay your Japanese ability", and I agree. My Japanese level helped me to get teaching jobs, in fact.

If you still feel that you would be better off not letting on that you speak reasonable Japanese, then go ahead.

[lady gator linguist]

"When there are hundreds of people applying for single openings/positions, I need to swallow my pride and say I will work for what I can get and play down what should be good qualities if it will make my chances better."

Do NOT downplay your good qualities and settle for second best! I didn't allow that to happen when I left Japan to come to Chile. You can read my Chile post about Comunicorp, which is a Chilean version of an eikaiwa. I ended up deciding to leave the school because of problems with the management that I wouldn't tolerate even in Japan. At least in Japan they never complained to my face that I was "an expensive teacher" after deciding to hire me even though I did not speak Japanese.