Job Discussion Forums

[Vince]

What is your impression of how foreign EFL teachers are generally regarded by the Japanese? Let's focus on teachers with relevant masters degrees who have full-time positions and are serious about their jobs.

I ask because my Japanese wife and I were talking about this. Her feeling (and she thinks most Japanese would agree with her) is that it's hard to believe that being an EFL is an accomplishment. I of course disagree that TEFL isn't a worthwhile career and can easily defend the career, but my point is to ask how pervasive this opinion is among Japanese. I've unfortunately seen some evidence of it, but I'm interested in your observations.

[shuize]

This shouldn't be too difficult. Think of your average EFL teacher. Now consider what sort of image that person conveys to the general public. From my experience, your wife is correct: Most EFL instructors have an over-inflated sense of self-importance.

[Gordon]

[slodziak]

[shuize]

[JimDunlop2]

Varies. In general, I've (at least outwardly) never been treated with anything but the utmost respect. When people ask (or rather, assume, mistakedly) that I'm an "ALT" I tell them that I'm not, but as a whole people tend to talk to me as an equal at the very least, without any sort of sense that I'm beneath them. I've only ever been in that situation a few times and the person who spoke to me in a condesending way quickly learned that I would mete it out back to them as quickly as they did (and was more than happy to do so in their own language, which, in those situations they also assumed I didn't understand but quickly learnt otherwise)...

On the other hand, I also no longer look as young as I once did (as in, right out of school), am married (so people often see me around town with my wife), dress fairly professionally, and look clean and well kept. The company I keep in the way of friends also tend to be along those lines... I also speak pretty fair conversational Japanese so people tend to be put at ease fairly quickly when I have a conversation with them.

Also, most of the people whom I come into contact with (and am friends with) are in the realm of public education -- teachers, administrators, city employees, etc... All people (who represent only a small proportion of the public at large) are usually people who understand where I'm coming from and that my job here requires, at the very least, a four-year university degree, and some level of teaching proficiency. They also understand that mileage varies and not all foreign teachers are built the same, but should be judged on their individual merits and not according to a pre-conceived "public" image of an "English teacher."

Aside from those people who I have direct contact with, I really don't care what your average Yamada and Watanabe thinks of me.

[gaijinalways]

I would say a lot of the public (and not just in Japan) doesn't know what a language teacher does. The opinion that anyone can teach doesn't mention also that certainly also, not everyone can teach well. Teaching various things, and keeping it interesting and with enough variety is not easy.

But of course, some students in Japan don't expect much from English teachers, and unhappily some teachers happily do the minimum, can you say 'edutainment'?

[matador]

....I am sometimes asked by students what my 'real' job is! ....er....this IS my real job! I have worked as a Business English trainer/materials developer in 3 countries..this is as real as its gets, m'dear!!

[Chris21]

My perception of EFL teachers is that most of them are idiots... and I'm talking about the ones with Masters degrees and full-time jobs. It really is amazing who can get a graduate degree nowadays. Before getting a job at a university, I'd always hear about the ever-increasing competition for jobs and how I'd be lucky to find a decent job. After one quick glance in the teachers' lounge at some of the mouth-breathers in there, I feel like I can get almost any job that I apply for. The competition may be increasing, but only in quantity, not in quality. I've seen uni teachers wearing jeans and sweatshirts to class, uni teachers who had never heard of the big names in our field, who have no idea how to teach, who prep lessons 30 seconds before class begins, who throw unwarranted tantrums in class... I used to run into one guy who used to wear a clown hat to work (I think he just liked freaking out the Japanese staff in the teacher's lounge). I think I'd agree with your wife.

Ironically, the best teachers I've met always seem to work at eikaiwas. I think the cushiness of a stable "professional" position, makes a lot of teachers lazy.

[Gordon]

I think this job is as real as you want to make it.

I don't think one's attire (clown suit boy excluded) is an accurate reflection of how one does his/her job. Think back at your uni profs when you were a student. Slob central, mismatched socks, shirts half out...

Personally, I could care less what most Japanese think about my job or profession. If they were better at English, none of us would be here.

[Chris21]

Actually, my profs always seemed to be at least "casual"... I don't remember anyone wearing jeans. I know what someone wears isn't indicative of how good a teacher someone may be, but it does give some indication over how professionally they conduct themselves. Since EVERY Japanese prof at my uni wears a suit, couldn't part-timers conduct themselves a little more professionally and not wear jeans? They don't have to wear a shirt and tie, but smart casual doesn't seem like an unreasonable request. It reminds me of Wilson and Kelling's "Broken Window Theory", in that once one window is broken in a neighborhood, it becomes easier to break more, and the neighborhood gradually erodes. Professionalism at work seems the same to me... first, teachers are wearing jeans, then jeans and a hoodie-sweatshirt, then they arrive 5 minutes after the bell, then 10, then they start teaching right out of the Interchange with no prep, then cancelling classes... it's a slippery slope.

[Chris21]

But that's just my two yen... to each his own.

I do remember a couple of my high school teachers who were fantastic, and they just wore jeans and sneakers... it didn't make a difference.

[Gordon]

Chris, your uni sounds much different than mine. Lots of Japanese profs are pretty casual, one English prof down the hall wears jeans almost every day. I never wear a tie, but never jeans either and i try to be professional and still be comfortable. Doesn't bother me in the least how others dress, but unfortunately they do like to lump the gaijins into one group. If one of the foreign teachers does something odd, it reflects badly on all of us.

[nonsmoker]

You mean they don't see ESL teachers as uber-achieving sex gods? Rats!

[Vince]

I talked to my wife again about the Japanese impression of EFL teachers. She said she had told people that I taught English to corporate and government employees (which was one of my jobs) so they wouldn't have a bad impression of me (and her). The Japanese must then perceive significant strata of EFL teachers. She said that was true, but that the Japanese perception tends to gravitate toward the lower end of eikaiwa teachers. The Japanese generally assume that people become EFL teachers because they can't hack real jobs in their home country, and that they're in Japan primarily to have fun, drink, and chase girls. I understand that there are EFL teachers who fit this to a tee, but there are also many decent people who do it because they enjoy teaching EFL and growing in Japan. But I think ingrained notions of status make it hard for most Japanese to give the decent teachers the benefit of the doubt.

She said that English speakers of all accents could get jobs, which sounds like the Japanese preoccupation with a correct accent. She also mentioned the increase in crime, which sounds like "all these foreigners being here can't be good."

I'd never suggest that EFL teachers should be counted among rocket scientists, but there's no reason to say that the properly trained EFL teacher is less worthy than a properly trained teacher of any other subject.