Job Discussion Forums

timothypfox · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 492

I'm not sure if this topic has been discussed earlier, so I apologize if I'm reopening a can of worms.

I am interested in learning about full-time work at Japanese Universities. I am not sure if anyone who has attained these positions is on this forum or not, but I understand there are green-listed and black-listed universities in Japan. Green-listed institutions will hire foreigners on a tenure track basis, while Black-listed which are greater in number hire only up to a maximum of 2 or 3 years on contract.

So here are my questions:

1) What are good resources (web-sites) to find professor positions on a tenure track basis at green-listed Japanese universities?

2) What are the realistic prospects for such jobs?

3) Is there ageism in finding such jobs?

4) How much of finding this kind of job is word of mouth versus sending out resumes blindly or in response to a posting for a position?

5) What requirements (educational/experience) do you need? (I have an MA in International Relations with 1 publication, almost finished an MS in TESOL, 8 years Eikawa teaching experience - 2 in Japan/6 overseas, and 2 years and counting in public school education in New York City, and two BA's)

[I list my own information here as an example of an overqualified / under-credited mid-career ESL teacher - but I am hoping this discussion will be of general benefit to others with the same types of questions].

Caliroll · Joined: 02 Mar 2008 Posts: 23

Hi,

I'll answer your questions.

1. A great place to start is; http://jrecin.jst.go.jp/seek/SeekTop?ln=1

2. The number of unis offering tenure track posts is dwindling and competition is fierce among those already here.

3. Age is definitely a factor! After you check out jrecin you'll see age requirements for job ads to give you an idea. This also is important in determining your salary, as are marital status and children.

4. Having contacts is an asset for sure. As I have stated in another thread, it's a numbers game so apply to as many posts as possible. You are at a disadvantage as an overseas applicant because there are many qualified people already here but if your CV is strong you will get consideration.

5. Typically you need a relevant MA (at minimum), tertiary teaching experience, publications in peer reviewed journals, active involvement in professional associations like JALT, and some Japanese ability.

Hope this helps..I'm sure a few others who regularly patrol this site will have more advice for you. Anyway, have a look at the adverts on the website I gave you and you should get a much better idea of what unis want.

taikibansei · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 811 Location: Japan

timothypfox · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 492

Thanks for the good advice, and thorough answers. I'll consider these in my next career steps.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

It wouldn't hurt to get more teaching experience inside Japan, too. Join JALT or ETJ, network, publish, learn more Japanese.

Look at the JALT PALE wiki http://www.palewiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page for more links, especially on the article Preparing to Search.

I'm tenured, but as taikibansei wrote, I'm one of the lucky ones. Still, feel free to drop a line if you want to know more about the whole process and experience.