Job Discussion Forums

[Man of Steel]

Hi guys,

I know there have already been a lot of threads about this subject. I have read them all, I think, including the comments in the FAQ stickies. However, I was hoping to get a little bit more specific information. This is my profile:

1. I'm a Belgian national.
2. I will be 30 years old soon.
3. Dutch and French are my native languages (mom speaks Dutch, dad speaks French).
4. My English is not perfect, but let us assume for this discussion that it is (bc I will not be able to demonstrate the level of my Englsih anyway).
5. I have a BA in Economics.
6. I have 6.5 years of experience as a tax lawyer. I am about to walk away from a job at one of the so-called Big Four Accounting firms.
7. I spent 1 year in the UK (studies and work) and 1 year in the US (work).
8. I am not planning to apply for jobs on-line. I will be physically in Japan when applying.
9. I do not have a certificate, but may go for a CELTA soon.
10. I have been told before that in writing I come off as arrogant. If that is the case here, pls believe me when I tell you that it is not intentional. And sorry.


This is what I want to know:

1. Do you think that non-natives have any chance at all of landing an English teaching job in Japan? Is your opinion based on your experience as a native (i.e., you have seen or heard of non-natives try and succeed/fail) or as a non-native (i.e., you tried and succeeded/failed)?

2. The FAQ sticky says that: "The first requirement to land a job in Japan as an English teacher is for you to be a native speaker of English. Non-native speakers can and do teach English in Japan but they must also have a valid work visa, a degree and many teach their native language as well as English". What does this mean? Do we not all need a valid work visa (whether we are natives or non-natives)? Do we not all need a degree (to get the visa)? And in what way is teaching your native tongue a requirement to go on and start teaching English? Not sure I understand the message here ... if anyone does please explain.

3. Do you foresee any visa issues for non-natives? I think that Indonesia, Korea and Taiwan do not grant visas to non-natives ... anything like that in Japan?

4. Please rank these factors in order of importance to get an (entry level) job: native speaker status, CELTA, BA degree, Masters degree, teaching experience, other professional experience (e.g. in tax law), age, "white appearance", good looks, overall presentability, network.

5. Do you think I should restrict myself to language schools? Or do I have a fighting chance with public schools?

6. Do you think I will have to accept a lower salary compared to what native English speakers make?

7. Certain employers (like Nova) have very clear eligibility requirements when it comes to hiring non-natives. For example, according to its website Nova will consider hiring non-natives only if they have completed 12 years of school education in English. Do you think they will be equally specific when the candidate is physically in Japan, ready to be interviewed? Do you feel that most employers will have such requirements?

Thank you in advance for your replies.
If you feel the urge to correct the language mistakes in the text above, please go ahead. The coming months are all about learning and bringing my English to the next level.

MOS

[/list]

[Man of Steel]

Actually it's 7 questions

[Sweetsee]

Definite disadvantage. But I know plenty of long-term Belgians and French rocking it here, some teaching but not all.
Wouldn't bother splashing out for the CELTA though, you will definitely need the coin to make a go of it here, that and it is a plus here but doesn't really open doors, like in Europe where everybody needs one, I think.
Also, I don't see you being able get to the top paying work as a non-native speaker. But hey, up to you, right? Definitely more than one way to skin a cat here, afterall it is Japan, land of oppurtunity, right? You could end up with your own school, seen it happen, sort of, long story and getting late mate. Good luck to you!
Why do you want to teach English here MOS?

Enjoy,
s

[Glenski]

Welcome aboard Man of Steel.

Here is my attempt at answering your questions. Others will have to chip in to answer more fully.

[Man of Steel]

Thanks so much for the replies so far. Glenski, regarding your last comment. Is it not possible to go to Japan on a tourist visa, and then look for an employer who will sponsor my work visa application? (1) Is this a possibility? (2) Is that not how it works for most people? To be honest that's how I was planning on doing it. Do you think employers will not be inclined to provide that sponsorship? Or are you just saying that being a non-native on a tourist visa is just an impossible sell?

Thanks
MOS

[Man of Steel]

Sweetsee,

Thanks for your reply.

Why Japan? Well, there were obviously a lot of factors that went into the decision for a career change. The single most important reason to go for the ESL thing is that I feel it will allow me to live in different countries, experience different cultures. Over the last couple of years, I have lived in Belgium, The Netherlands, the UK and California. And I can say that location does matter. Each country/city has its own 'feel'. There are a couple of places on this planet that I would love to experience, and Japan is one of them. Anyway, Japan gets my vote because it's probably very different, very tough to get used too. And probably very rewarding once you do 'get' the place. Make sense?

Those French people probably entered the country on a WHV. What about the Belgians? Do you know how they did it? Any info there would obviously be very relevant for me.

About the CELTA. I have been thinking the same thing. However, I will probably have boat loads of free time between November and February, so I'm thinking I might as well do it. Do you think it will actually be perceived by the eikaiwas as a negative point? I've never taught before and taking the CELTA may be beneficial for my confidence.

MOS

[Sweetsee]

Howdy MOS,
Welcome and thanks for the reply to my reply! And if you didn't already notice I feel you are going to do very well here. Great description of Japan, very true.
Will query my Belgian mate on Friday and get back to you on that.
CELTA is definitely a plus here and seems like you can afford it so yeah, go for it, couldn't hurt, check out the competition and all that.
Can you tell me about your CA experience?
And what's your time-frame on Japan?
Thanks MOS! Was in the Dam last summer...and, well that's another story but definitely a lot colder than a decade earlier, the vibe I mean, maybe just me though. Love it there!

Enjoy,
s

[shuize]

Unless you simply hate it, I think I'd try to work my way to Japan on the tax lawyer (or even accountant) angle.

Will leaving your field now make it difficult to get back in if you change your mind later? Many new TEFL teachers quickly discover the job is not all it's made out to be.

Just off the top of my head, I think you might have better luck coming here to teach French and then branching out.

[Sweetsee]

Yeah MOS I'm seeing it that way too, just don't think teaching English is your ticket here.

[Man of Steel]

Glenski,

"(I knew of a Frenchman, for example, who was teaching English.) "

[Man of Steel]

ok I think i just figured out the quoting thing. Sorry for the mess.

[Man of Steel]

In case you're wondering how I did it: I pressed the quote button after every quote, rather than before AND after. Oh well, I also added "..." so the real quotes should be identifiable.

[Man of Steel]

Another attempt at quoting.

[Sweetsee]

Howdy MOS,
Sorry I didn't mean to contradict myself and as much as I think you will do well here I think that you will be limiting yourself and working from a disadvantage if you only pursue English teaching. Afterall, many folks use English teaching as a way to support themselves but would ultimately prefer to be doing other things, perhaps.
At the same time, you seem to have an excellent command of the language and perhaps you may find your niche teaching English here.
I had a very dear French friend who taught for years at a small school here in Saitama before becoming quite successful working for himself in the gem and accessory business.
I hear what you are saying about San Francisco, one of the best places to live on the west coast, fantastic city. Grew up in Santa Barbara myself and I am still your fan MOS.

Enjoy,
s

[shuize]

MOS,

You are correct that you will receive more respect in Japan with a professional background. However, I'm not sure how that will translate into a career teaching English. More likely than not, people are going to be scratching their heads trying to figure out why you left a "good" job as a tax attorney to work in the field of TESL where native speakers are a dime a dozen and, it seems, increasingly willing to work for peanuts. There's also an issue of being over-qualified:

"We can't hire him. He's an attorney. Not only is he not likely to tolerate any of our crap, he'll probably leave to go back to a higher paying job the first time we try to pull anything on him."

As noted above, it sounds like you are more than qualified to teach English (probably more so than most of the conversation "teachers" running loose here). But I don't write the immigration rules. And I don't make hiring decisions. If your goal is just to get to Japan, I think you might be better off emphasizing your native ability in French (maybe even drop the attorney title altogether and just say 'accountant') and then try to sell an employer on a 2 for 1 sort of deal with your ability to cover English classes "on the side." Once you're here, it's easier to move on to other things. Long term, however, I still believe you'd be better off in the legal or accountancy fields -- although I understand it might be harder to get here initially.

Yes, my screen name has a Dutch connection. You're one of the first to notice.