Job Discussion Forums

[P�co]

I am currently a student that has decided to become an ESL teacher - Especially in Japan.

I am a bilingual speaker, Spanish and English, and going to start taking a Japanese Language course next school year, I feel that I will excel at this language because Spanish is not much different from Japanese regarding pronounciation and accents.

What I do have questions about though is:

1) What program should I look into? (i.e JET and etc)
2) What degrees should I work towards getting?
3) Do Japanese High Schools look for English Teachers (9 - 12 are students i feel confortable with)
4) What Grades do most teachers with experience in this feild prefer : JHS, HS or College level students?

Ty for your time, Paco

[Gypsy Rose Kim]

You really need to have a look at the stickies on here.

As for Japanese and Spanish being similar? I think you may be unrealistic. The sounds of Japanese are easy as cake for all English speakers. The grammar is the real mindf.ck.

I am also bilingual. I know that knowing a second language helps when learning a third, but I don't really see how either of us have any advantage.

Not to discourage you. But, just to say, you're pretty much on equal footing with everyone else.

Also, I would urge you not to be one of those people who gears all their energy toward teaching in Japan. It's a nice place to start, but there are lots of other places and the more you travel, the better you'll be.

[Apsara]

You're right that the sounds of Japanese are similar to Spanish, but most of the sounds also exist in English, as GRK said, so that is not the challenge of Japanese. I majored in Spanish at university and learned it quickly. I minored in Japanese and then moved to Japan, and it took me far, far longer to reach the same level of spoken Japanese. I would say I am there now, but it has been a long, hard road.

As GRK says, the grammar is tricky because it bears no resemblance whatsoever to European languages- there are still plenty of concepts I am having a hard time getting my head around while studying towards JLPT 1 this year.

By all means give it a shot, but don't expect to be fluent any time soon unless you are a genius

[P�co]

Ty both for replying, but none of my questions were answered >.<

As far as where I want to teach is still undecided but japan is the country i am aiming at.


Regards, Paco

[Glenski]

Just to emphasize the above replies, Spanish may sound a little like Japanese but the grammar is quite different.

On to your questions (not easy to answer):

1) What program should I look into? (i.e JET and etc)
The stickler is your word "should". Everybody's situation is different. JET Programme is a good starting point because it provides airfare (and sometimes rent), your work hours are sane, the salary is better than most other entry level jobs, and you are not forced to be the main teacher. You can apply from your home country (which is where? Your avatar says USA, but is that your nationality?) and interview there, but only once a year.

Other options could involve being interviewed at home, but they will usually not pay airfare or rent, and they will not have as sensible hours, and you will be in charge of the class. If you want more opportunities to choose from (with little difference in this type of work), come to Japan with US$4000 in your pocket and plan on 2-4 months before the first paycheck.

2) What degrees should I work towards getting?
If your long-term career goal is to be a teacher, get a degree in that field. International schools require a real teaching license and experience in your home country. University jobs require a master's or PhD in fields like Linguistics (usually). Otherwise, just starting out doesn't require any specialized major at all.

3) Do Japanese High Schools look for English Teachers (9 - 12 are students i feel confortable with)
Mainstream J HS's have foreign teachers, yes. Public schools usually have ALTs like from JET (or dispatch agencies). Private schools usually have PT or FT direct hires. I've already described international schools.

4) What Grades do most teachers with experience in this feild prefer : JHS, HS or College level students? I've taught conversation school (to adult students only), private HS, and university. My preference will be different from yours, so this is not really a question whose answer may apply. But to answer you anyway, I have liked the students in conversation school, I learned a lot about Japan and the education system when I taught HS, and I like the work situation in university.

[P�co]