Job Discussion Forums

[CdnInKorea]

Hello ESL/EFL teachers in Japan (and anyone else who may have something to contribute)!

I'm very interested in teaching English in Japan in 2011. I will be going with a Master of Education with a specialization in Teaching English as a Second Language (MEd TESL) from the University of Calgary in Canada as well as 6 years of experience in Korea, 3 of which at the university level and the rest at elementary and high school.
If it matters, my undergraduate degree was an honours BA in Philosophy and Political Science.

I would want to live in a city; Fukuoka seems very nice, as do Tokyo and Osaka. I haven't been anywhere else so I don't know what other places are like, but I'm in Seoul now and quite like it, although a lifestyle similar to what Busan has to offer would also be good.

I want to work up to teaching at the university level and would want to teach adults until then (I realize uni jobs are coveted and are hard to get from out of country). I could teach high school too, but am not interested in teaching students younger than that.

I'm single and would be coming alone. I want to save $1000 a month above living expenses for retirement (one can never start too early, right?).

Are these things feasible? What kinds of opportunities and salary can I expect at current market conditions? I realize they will change, possibly significantly, by 2011, so please use current market conditions.

I hope this isn't too long; I wanted to give as much information as necessary and decided it was better to give too much rather than not enough.

Also, if anyone has questions about teaching in Korea, feel free to PM me.

Thank you in advance!

[Tiger Beer]

2011...is that because you are going to Calgary to get the MA-TESL?

There are also distant MA programs, and unlike other places, Japan really doesn't have a problem with people who have distance MA degrees.

If you are in Korea now, there is also Framingham State College which has MA classes available on-site, and ultimately will be on your resume as an American university education of a brick-and-mortar degree. Essentially because you'll have to attend a certain amount of classroom hours for each course (in addition to pre-course work). The beauty of that program is that the American professors from Massachussets fly to Korea to teach the course in Korea (as opposed to you having to fly back to Canada/US to take the classes). You can also be teaching the rest of the time in Korea. Works best if you are already at a uni job in Korea, or Public School position as the professors fly into Korea in August and February to teach for a couple weeks, so you'd need that time off to attend.

-----------

But to your original question. Yes, completely feasable. My situation was quite similar, and I jumped directly from a Korean university to a Japan college. It is not easy, but it is possible.

Another option, and maybe someone else might be able to comment on the possibility of this. But I have heard some qualified ESL teachers (and your situation in 2011 would qualify), is that they do the Westgate program (which places you in a teaching job at a college/university for a semester). Through that, you would get the work visa, which I believe would make it much easier to get a fulltime uni-teaching position. In addition, you'd be in Japan, and the majority of employers want you to be in Japan preferably with a work visa already.

The other goal you'll want to work on is publishing papers. Unlike Korea, Japanese UNI employers highly value published teachers. Some won't ask, but it seems to be a constant theme that most do want that.

Salaries...I've seen everything as low as 270,000 yen up to 500,000 or 600,000 yen.. don't know how high it can go. Take in mind there are also PhD holders and such here (which are fairly rare in Korea - mostly because a lack of compensation for being one there).

[Glenski]

Lots of good info from Tiger. Here's more.

Without experience teaching in Japan, you are more likely to land nothing more than entry level work (ALT for JET Programme or a dispatch agency, or instructor for an eikaiwa). As TB wrote, it's not impossible to land a uni, job, but unlikely, IMO. You usually need the MA plus experience here plus Japanese language ability plus publications. (An inside contact doesn't hurt.) Yes, getting a work visa through Westgate sets you up, but most university jobs these days are part-time, and you can't get further sponsorship through PT employers until after you have been here a year, so you would have to finish 3 months with Westgate and find immediate work, and pursue that next sponsorship simultaneously. Hustle is the name of the game.

US$1000 on entry level wages is possible to save, but give us some info. Will you have loans to pay back? Other debts? How much per month? Figure on 250,000 yen/month, the average basic necessities will suck half of that dry. How you spend the remainder is up to you, but you'll have to be relatively frugal to not spend the 100,000 yen. Some would suggest sending it home right away so it isn't in your pocket to spend here.

You could also supplement the 250,000 with private lessons or PT work, but there's that word "hustle" again, plus there is also a burn-out factor to consider. Also, you're getting the MEd in TESL; do you think you'll be able to adjust in an ALT or eikaiwa position where it's practically pointless until you can work your way up and out?

As for 2011 market conditions, standard salaries have not risen in a couple of decades, and in fact, many employers are offering even lower wages! Desperate teachers take them. I personally don't see things changing for the better in the next 3 years.

Join JALT and/or ETJ and network, as well as publish. Get PT work at uni's and network even more.

[Caliroll]

CdnInKorea,

If you're going to be doing your MA I would suggest making an extra effort with your assignments so that they could possibly be reworked into publications. Having a few pubs on your CV along with your MA when you graduate will help your case greatly when applying for uni positions in Japan. As Glenski pointed out, Japanese ability is almost always a 'requirement' for uni posts here but in most cases this is the first thing hiring committees will overlook if your application is strong in other areas.

There are also many positions at unis here that are not tenure track and have a fixed term of 3 years and sometimes only 1 year. They tend to be more willing to hire from abroad and could be a good way to gain experience teaching at Japanese universities. Remember that it's a numbers game and apply to as many positions as possible, even ones that are asking for things you might not have. University job posts in Japan can be almost like a 'wish list'. If they receive strong applicants they will be hired and if not, they take what they can get.

[Glenski]

Caliroll wrote:

[Caliroll]

A ha...and so what has been your perception, Glenski? I know several people who have been hired from abroad for uni posts in Japan, both very qualified and those only meeting the minimum requirements.

Perhaps it would have been more accurate on my part to write, Japanese unis offering fixed term contracts are sometimes willing to hire from abroad when applicants meet minimum requirements. Would that be better? I just wanted to let the OP know that there are options and his/her desire of finding a uni post is not hopeless.

[Glenski]

[CdnInKorea]

So based on the responses I'm reading now, I have two options regarding university work after getting my MEd:

1. Go to Japan in 2011. I'll be 29 with an MEd but won't be published. I'll have to start at the bottom of the food chain and work my way up to university.
How long does such an ascent usually take?

2. Leave Korea for another country where a university post is easier to get. Get a few more years experience and try to get a few quality papers published. Then try to get a university post in Japan from the outside.

If I die without having lived in Japan, my life will not have been complete. I'd prefer to do so when I'm younger rather than older, but I'm willing to wait if the payoff is worth it.

Thanks for the good advice everyone!

PS Tiger Beer, I'd like to PM you about the program you mentioned if that's okay.

[Vince]

[womblingfree]