Job Discussion Forums

[dennisen1]

Greetings, and thanks in advance for any input you care to provide...

I'm 56, 'WASP' American, living in Dallas, with eight years of experience teaching in Japan (Tokyo and Morioka) for Interac, Kanto Gakuen University, Shirayuri elementary school and private lessons, speak intermediate Japanese, married 20 years to a Japanese national with a spouse visa underway, a B.S. in Business, a few years of teaching experience domestically (USA), and have just finished my Texas teaching certification (middle school-all subjects). I do not yet have ESL/EFL/CELTA certification under my belt, but have read among the want ads that experience can take the place of this certificate.

My main questions are these...based on what I've read on this forum, jobs are presently tough to come by. What is the likelihood that I may find a slot, say, at a high school as a teacher (rather than ALT) in a prefecture away from the beaten paths of Tokyo, Osaka, and Kobe? (My family's home is in Morioka.)

Would the pursuit of a CELTA/EFL/TOEFL certificate further benefit me in the job market?

I understand my age may limit me once 60 rolls around. Have any of you found this to be the case? Any suggestions?

Thanks, again for your tentative response.

Best to you all,

Dennis

[Glenski]

A non-ALT job in a mainstream school means public school or private school. I would think that unless you have connections, you'd stand a better chance of a private school. I did it that way. Public schools are more after ALTs or AETs. You can try a BOE directly for a rare direct hire, but I think you'll have better luck with private schools. The only problem is, they don't advertise in English much if at all. (Mine did in the Japan Times!)

What about looking at junior colleges/tech schools, too?

Getting some cert can't guarantee that it will benefit you in landing a job, but it will certainly help you in the classroom, don't you think? Hard to say what people these days are looking for in candidates, but it won't hurt to have it.

Age limit may mean something or nothing. Perhaps more if you are a FT hire, so think PT. Depending on the employer, retirement for FT workers may be 60 or 63, so find out.

When do you want to start working? Could be vital.

[dennisen1]

Thanks, Glenski.

My wife, beng Japanese can assist me with the published kanji'd opportunities, if they appear (and if I'm on her better side). I did teach at business colleges in Tokyo and Morioka for a couple of years. That definitely is an option to continue, though connections are critical in today's market. I left Japan 15 years ago, so those open doors are by now rusted shut. I'm optimistic, though.

I agree that any additional training will improve my knowledge and teaching techniques, so better to look upon it as a power surge rather than a merit badge. I've got some TOEFL and TOEIC mp3s and books in pdf that I'll go through, so that's a start.

I'm planning on returning to Morioka in July, once my oldest daughter graduates from high school. This poor timing may result in looking for PT work until the hiring period begins between December and February, I believe.

Ah, to have it as easy as it was in 1987.

Dennis

[Glenski]

Coming in July means you will be facing schools that have had classes going for 3-4 months, and they will be shutting down soon for summer break. It's not likely that they would be hiring for both reasons.

Sometimes, if you approach the BOE and put in your application, you can get picked up as a direct hire, but July is not exactly a good time of year, as you can see.

If you set up your own school, that's a whole other can of worms, as I'm sure you realize. You have to think about where you would teach (a room in your home, or a separate building that you have to rent and furnish). Just giving private lessons could entail either one, or you could do things in a coffee shop or a rental place that already has furniture (like a community center). Besides picking a place, if you get one of your own, there are lots of factors involved there (utilities, reception area and receptionist, taxes, etc). You will also need to do more than just send out flyers to advertise; you will have to make up a detailed curriculum before then and decide on prices.