Job Discussion Forums

[gkg40]

Does anyone know if there are age restrictions, written of unwritten, on hiring ESL teachers in Japan? I thought I read that some places dont want to hire teachers over 30. Is this the norm or a rare cae?
Thanks

[southofreality]

I've known quite a few people who were hired for the first time to teach here in Japan in their 30's. I actually know of two people hired in their 50's.

Hey, fatChris, didn't you say you were 33 when you got picked up by JET?

[drifter13]

I know people that have been hired that are older than thirty, and also one person in their fifties. But as always, with the flood of current teachers in the market now, schools now have the pick of the litter, and can really choose as they please. Still experience and the right look can probably compensate for any over 30 age issues, unless the school is dead set on hiring 20 somethings.

[dreamtolive]

HI there, I remember recently hearing about how statistics really have nothing to do with individuals. Yes the majority of teachers are probably in their twenties, but it doesn't mean you won't find a teaching position if you are older....

Good luck!

[Glenski]

JET programme has a limit of 40 on its ALTs, but even JET says that might be flexible, depending on circumstances.

Universities have usually set an age limit (often at 35, but sometimes at other ages). JRECIN, a prime web site for uni jobs, has just declared there will be no ads on its site with age limits in them.

Working holiday visa holders have to abide by a certain age limit.

Other than that, the notion that you can't get a teaching job if you are over 30 is an urban myth. It comes from the fact that many of the more popular eikaiwa want to portray (usually in their ads) images of youthful, exhuberant, exhilarating, exciting, and interesting teachers. They don't show the fact that they still hire people in their 50s and 60s (not that such ages don't exhibit any of those previous adjectives, of course).

[J.]

Glenski wrote, quite rightly:

"...more popular eikaiwa want to portray (usually in their ads) images of youthful, exuberant, exhilarating, exciting, and interesting teachers"

(ie trying to sell sex appeal in the absence of a good curriculum and teaching experience) -- 'cause that worked so well for Nova.


There's a new law that prohibits job ads with age limits. About time!

[Glenski]

[silvercat]

I recently applied for a job (with ECC) which required a group interview and found that there were actually many people over the age of 30, one or two were even over forty. Of those who were eventually hired, there was only myself and one other guy that were actually in our twenties. The interviewer even remarked that I was very young at the age of 22. So from this experience I would say that it is very possible for older people to be hired in ESL Eikaiwa positions. This may depend on the company though...

[Lyrajean]

In my 30's and on JET. Met several at orientation who are over 30.

[gaijin4life]

- Oh my goodness ! Could this possibly mean that some employers are actually choosing to look at the 'skills '(heaven-forbid) or 'qualities' a person can bring to the job, rather than just the image ... !

And what J. said -

[J.]

Children,

Over 30 is old?

I want to see some of these places recruiting people over 60, because of their wealth of work and life experiences. When they start doing that then I'll believe the age of the teachers is no object. After all, they should fit right in with the aging populations of most countries, including Japan.

The only reason the universities are worried about hiring older teachers is that they have to pay them more because of a rather old-fashioned pay structure. Do away with that and they shouldn't be worried about the age of teachers, if the Japanese staff's ages are anything to go by.