Job Discussion Forums

[TK4Lakers]

After reading the "Who are we all?" thread, it's apparent that many of the posters on this site have moved outta Japan.

Just out of curiousity, what do you all do now (in terms of profession).

And to those who lived here for awhile, let's say 5+ years. was it difficult to move back home and find a job?

[Gypsy Rose Kim]

After living in Japan for about four years, I took what little I'd saved and went to Australia for a year. I'm American so it wasn't easy. Had to leave every 90 days, could only work in hospitality jobs where the pay was cash-in-hand. But, it was a great experience and because I'd met so many Australians in Japan, I knew plenty of people who could help me find work.

After that, I moved to Korea and taught for two years. Korea is a weird place, but the money is great and the students are awesome. I taught reading and writing and lots of interesting stuff you never get to do at an eikawa.

I'm going back to Japan because my friends are there, and because I love Tokyo. But there are lots of opportunities everywhere in the world, so nothing to worry about.

[supervisor133]

I didn't live in Jp for 5 years. But I have done two stints and come back. Let's just put it this way, if you want a teaching job in your home country once you get back then be prepared to invest some money in your study. If you don't have a CELTA then get one - this is the absolute bare minimum accepted by most institutions in native English speaking countries. Better yet would be to do a Masters or a PGCE depending on which direction you plan to go. With many 'returnees', competition can be fierce for jobs in the ESL sector and eikawa experience won't get you anywhere unless you have further quals beyond a bachelors.

If you plan on leaving the education sector then make sure you have saved up money for the transitional period. You may/may not get a job immediately. I'd recommend having enough to be comfortable for 2-3 months while you find something you are vaguely interested in doing.The experience of living in Japan can be a bonus in non-teaching related job interviews as I've found people to be very interested in asking questions about your time and you also get to play up your adaptability blah blah. All this is assuming you are even vaguely qualified for the position you are applying for.

Also the occasional yearning for karaoke can be problematic if your friends back home are not up for it!

[Crab]

I left Japan for good in 2004 after having spent 6 of the previous 8 years there. As I mentioned in the "Who We Are All" thread, I did JET for 3 years and then did 3 years at university. I completed my MA in Applied Linguistics in the two years I wasn't in Japan.

Currently, I work for a Canadian university doing international student recruitment and admission, the negotiation of exchange agreements, and a few other "international" type duties. I couldn't be happier with my job.

Obviously, the question of successfully repatriating - for those who spend more than a couple of years in Japan - is an important one. Ultimately, my return to Canada went as smoothly as I could have hoped. That said, it took 18 months of careful and often tedious planning to ensure it all worked out - took a few cans of Yebisu too at times!

IMO those who end up frustrated, lost and depressed when they return home end up that way because they don't plan ahead.

Here's my advice as I've previously offered it in other threads (apologies to those who have heard this tired old record before):

1. If you are not interested in teaching when you head back home, add to your experiences and skills beyond English language teaching. For me, this included published research, textbook writing, work with my university's student recruitment office, as well as work identifying and building study abroad relationships for students.

You could just as easily substitute language study, website design, writing, or expertise in Japanese lacquer for the stuff I did. The important thing is that you pick up demonstrable skills/experience/expertise in areas beyond TEFL and apply them to a field in which you'd be happy working.

2. Plan ahead as much as possible. One positive thing about working in ELT is that the vast majority are under contract. As a result, you know exactly when your current job will be finished.

I made the decision to go home 15 months before I left. I spent those 15 months laying the groundwork for a job in Canada. This included the obvious: determining where I wanted to live, what job I wanted to do, researching the possibilities, updating my resume, etc. In the end, I decided that I wanted to work for a university in a Canada in a TEFL-related or international student recruitment role.

I was ultimately successful in getting a job within my chosen field. Beyond my related experience, networking was the key. My duties in organizing study abroad opportunities at my Japanese university provided me with contacts in the field in which I wanted to work; contacts who had experience working with me and knew what they could expect.

I approached the ones for whom I was interested in working 6 months before I left Japan and was fortunate to be told by one of them that an opportunity was available. I completed the hiring process from Japan and had no lay off between jobs.

3. Work hard. Sounds silly and obvious, but your ability to show that you are willing to work and be productive is especially important when you are working in a foreign culture in a field with a reputation for being a "junket" to non-TEFLers. It's also important because the checking of references abroad is difficult for employers back home.

It's one thing to work hard, but it's another thing to show it. To address this, I put together a portfolio of my time in Japan that I brought to interview. It included all of my academic articles, my degrees, my textbook, student evaluations, teaching awards, a very nice thank you letter from the President of my Japanese university, official abstracts of presentations I'd given at JALT and elsewhere, letters of reference and a few other bits and pieces that I can't recall at the moment.

I also used this portfolio (updated of course) to land my current job.

4. Define goals and objectives. Don't drift. Think about your career post-Japan and how you can get there.

Altogether I spent 6 years doing TEFL in Japan with 2 years in between doing ESL work and study in Canada. I don't regret any of it. I had a successful career which provided me with skills and experience to get my current job, which I adore. Although no longer directly involved in the TEFL field, I wouldn't have my current job without my experiences in Japan.

In a nutshell, your transition back home can be made vastly easier if you plan ahead. The other thing is to stay positive and recognize that success won't be instantaneous. Value the time you lived and worked in Japan and don't fall into the trap of thinking that it was all a waste of time or a "cop out". It certainly wasn't for me...

Cheers,

Crab

[markle]

I'd like to second Crab's suggestions mainly because I did not do any of that when I decided to return after a 6 year stint in Thailand. They were two very depressing years back home and a job here was my salvation. I'm planning my return 2 years in advance only question is I still have no idea of what I'm really going to do.

[seanmcginty]

Crab's point about planning is very important.

I went back to Canada after 5 years in Japan. I planned on going to law school, but I came back about 4 months before school started.

In that 4 months I got a glimpse of how hard it can be to get back into the workforce. I decided to work those months to make a bit of extra money for school, but it took me about a month to find a job and the one I did find was a lousy minimum wage position at a hotel. That was sheer misery. I was 28, had a university degree, could speak Japanese, had spent the previous 5 years working in a position where (despite all the downsides) people gave you some respect. Suddenly I found myself working a pretty demeaning, stressful, low paid job with a bunch of 19 year old high school drop outs who (the ultimate insult) were way better at the job than I was!!!

Anyway, I was REALLY glad when school started and I could put all that behind me. Things have been going quite well for me since then. The point though is that if I hadn't made a plan to go to law school I probably would have been stuck doing god knows what right now in total misery.

[Sherri]

I totally agree with what Crab wrote. You have to plan a lot! I returned to my home country of the US after spending my entire adult life abroad (I am in my mid 40s now) I had never even filed a US tax return in the US until I came back almost 3 years ago.

You have to plan and research. I spent about 2 years doing just that. Now I have job at a local community college. I am very happy with it and I am using the skills I got in Japan plus my education which includes a recently achieved MA in TEFL. My family is happy (2 kids plus Japanese husband).

I did not suffer culture shock, it was more like RELIEF to be here. One thing that makes it easier is the place I have chosen has a large Japanese community which is well-established. My husband jokes that I am still a gaijin because Caucasians are the minority here.

There is also a strong local culture which is a mixture of Hawaiian, Pacific Islands, Asian and European which makes life as interesting and challenging as it was while I lived overseas.

Plan, and save like mad. I am glad that when we arrived we had enough money to set up without worrying too much.

You have to find a point in your life when you need to move on. Not too soon, or you will be fed up when you return. But if you leave it too late, you can end up a sad loser who is still teaching as an ALT or Eikawa teacher in your 50s or 60s trying to support a family. There is a certain point where if you don't move on, you will be stuck. Who wants to hire a 50-year old who has spent the last 20 years working in an Eikaiwa?

Japan is not the only place! Once you have all you can get from here, move on to a different country. You don't have to go "home" and you can find other regions in your home country which can offer a great lifestyle. You don"t have to go back to where you grew up.

Sherri

[AndyH]

I was a parole officer before I left the USA for Asia, and I'm about to return to that profession, starting this week.
Teaching English was a lot more "positive", but this will be better for my family, especially in the long run.

[bornslippy1981]

I left about a month ago after two years in Japan. I do miss it, but I'm not going back.

Finding a job hasn't happened yet, but now I'm on my 2nd interview with 3 companies for jobs in financial planning.

I thought it would take me 2 months to get a job. Looks like it will be more around 6 weeks.