Job Discussion Forums

[Dude Love Japan]

I have a BA in English, CELTA and 4 years of teaching experience in Korea. I'm a 31 year-old Canadian. Why can't I find work in Tokyo?!? Gaba, Westgate and another place have turned me down. I'd love to show up in March and find an ALT job but wonder if it'd be a wate of time. Thanks for your sincere help.

[Glenski]

Tough to say without actually interviewing you or seeing your resume. I've seem plenty of them, and most are in need of proofreading. Have you had yours looked at recently?

Where are you? If you think most places will hire you while you are out of the country, think again.

When did you want to work? November to January is the deadest time of year to be job hunting here.

How have you tried to apply for positions? Cold-calling is (IMO) not a very good way. Are GABA and Westgate the only places you've tried? Westgate has its own schedule. GABA is the bottom of the barrel in quality.

[Dude Love Japan]

My cv doesn't need proofreading. I'm in Seoul but applying for jobs that claim to hire from overseas. I want an ALT schedule-type job beginning anytime, particularly in the Spring. I've been in touch with a few recruiters and Westgate wouldn't tell me why they wouldn't hire me and Gaba gave a BS response.
Am I overqualified? Is it like Korean where they prefer obedient newbies w/o experience or teaching ability?

[Apsara]

For Gaba at least they may well consider you overqualified. They may also be suffering in the current economic climate and turning people down for that reason.

[gaijinalways]

Right now there is a glut of people for the lower ladder jobs. As to Alt posts, they often do hiring through boards of ed and directly through the schools. Not impossible to get if you're not in the country, but more difficult.

But as Glenski said, this is the slowest season for hiring, for all types of teaching posts. Japanese companies often doesn't have a lot of money for hiring in their last quarter of the year (Dec to Mar), so they often hold off hiring until the spring. For other big companies it's hit or miss, but priority will be given to people already in the country with some experience of Japan. Your experience in Korea will probably not count for much, I had a similar problem when I came over from Taiwan.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

For some people, experience teaching in Korea is WORSE than no experience- they do NOT want people showing up saying that Korean people are doing a better job of learning English, or do more homework etc. In fact, they fear that! The idea of kind of thing can actually keep some Japanese teachers of English up at night.

For some people all three years of experience in Korea means is still zero experience teaching in Japan, and that makes you a guy with zero experience applying for jobs that hire and interview people in English speaking countries, except you are in a non-English speaking country.

CELTA isn't really understood in Japan.

YESTERDAY the news reported that Japan is now in a recession. Hiring people from overseas isn't likely going to be a very high priority for people just right now. People may be waiting to see if there's a large fallout of people looking for jobs who are already in the country and speak the language to at least self-sufficiency level that they can totally gouge on salaries.

[Glenski]

[Dude Love Japan]

-Thanks everyone for your input. It's extremely unlikely that Japanese are worse at learning English or doing homework than Koreans (!) and even if they were I wouldn't be obnoxious enough to say so.
-Even if getting a job through a recruiter isn't the best route I'd consider it just to have a job when I arrive. Should I just arrive March 1st and look for a job beginning in April?

[AgentMulderUK]

It's because they cannot be bothered to get you a visa because of the high leaving rate of new employees and the costs (laughable) that are incurred.

They also have an endless supply of fresh victims waiting on the street, so they have no particular necessity to hire elsewhere unless you are exceptional in their eyes (=young and female for their pervy male clients to drool over - yes it has to be said, so I said it )

If you go there next year you'll find something, no problem.


Edit: And haven't you Canadians got Geos to apply to? By all accounts they are a fair deal, apply to them (might wrong but I thought that has major Canadian interests)

[Glenski]

If you come in midFebruary or early March, have enough money to support yourself for 2-3 months. US$4000-5000.

Don't show up and then start looking/applying. Notify potential employers before you arrive and that'll save some down time.

[Dude Love Japan]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm Canadian but in Korea, therefore not available for a Geos interview. Also, I want an ALT-type schedule.

[Glenski]

[chinagirl]

Applying from Korea is probably not going to be very successful if you are looking for an ALT or day schedule kind of teaching position. In the case of direct hires ( which are increasingly rare), schools will want to interview you in person. In the case of dispatch agencies, there are enough people available now in Japan that can interview in person that there is no need to look overseas. If you want to work in April, you'll likely need to interview in person from now until February, either in Canada with the few outfits that are willing to import you, or in Japan.

Some smaller language schools may also be willing to do phone interviews.

[Glenski]

Let us know if you do find something from Korea. There seems to be a huge number of people joining the exodus from there to Japan in just the past few months.

[gaijinalways]