Job Discussion Forums

[Robin53]

Hello - I'm interested in finding out about what the chances are at finding a job in Japan at my age which is late 50's. I've been teaching in Chinese state schools for the past few years not so much for the salary which is low, but for the lifestyle. The jobs here come with a free apartment and utilities, 16 classes a week, paid school holidays, and a return airfare at the end of a one year contract. I was a high-school teacher in my own country (native-speaking) for several years before I came to China.

The reason I would like to go to Japan is that in the early 1980's I lived there for 5 years while I studied at a national university as a research student. Before that I studied the language for 3 years at a language school in Tokyo and can still speak Japanese. Life was pretty tough for me in those days. I didn't have a degree and had to pay language school fees and university fees so was always rushing around from one part time job to another. When I went back home to my own country I finished my degree and did post-graduate language teacher training.

Much as it was back in the 1980's I've heard that its still the same, and that you need to be young, good looking, and preferably American to get a job there as an English teacher. The money is not so important to me now. What is important is being in a stress-free environment where my teaching abilities and skills are appreciated, and the management staff are supportive. If anyone knows of such a place in Japan I would be interested to learn more.

Ogenki de,

Robin

[Glenski]

[Robin53]

Thanks Glenski. Rather than an international school, I was thinking more of a state high-school. This is the sort of teaching I trained in and have most experience in. In general, I don't like profit-driven private language schools, but that would be something I would consider in Japan.

I disagree about all teaching jobs being stressful. Once the reports from students start coming in to management that you know how to deliver a curriculum in a fun, positively reinforcing way, and once a good relationship has been established with management staff, then teaching can become a creative and non-stressful occupation.

Its Monday, so hope you have a good teaching week.

[Cole]

I sent you a PM.

[Glenski]

"State school"? = public school? Good luck! Those jobs are almost always held by ALTs (dispatch company or JET programme). Only in rare occasions do they hire directly.

Don't know why you would want such a job anyway. Read about classroom chaos.

At least in an international school, you don't have to use Japanese in class.

[Robin53]

Thanks for the replies.

Glenski - yes I have taught in a Japanese school. If you read the second paragraph in the first post it says this. I mainly taught in state high schools back in the early 1980's in the Tokyo area, as well as at a lot of private schools part-time. The student behaviours you describe are true, but then it is also true of a western high-school unless you have the skills to turn it around into a postive, and fun learning environment.

My Japanese language ability means that I could follow the agenda of a teachers meeting in Japanese. Teachers meetings, although at times tedious and boring, are also regular features of western schools believe it or not.

Glenski, it sounds as if you have had enough of teaching, and enough of living in Japan. Maybe its time for a break back in your own country, and some serious teacher training so that you can learn how to manage a large unruly class, and why it is important to follow a school's need for attending teacher meetings.

Apart from that, the lack of response in this topic means I'm correct in assuming there is no place for oldies in the Japanese ESL market. Thanks to those of you who replied.

[Apsara]

Assuming that the lack of responses to your topic on this one forum means there are no jobs for people in your age bracket is quite a leap. It just means that the limited selection of people who post here don't know, not that the jobs don't exist.

Since you were making assumptions about the motivations of other posters here, I'll assume that your giving up based on what you read here means you don't really want to teach in Japan.

[Glenski]

[gaijinalways]

I have to back Glenski on this one, you said you're looking for information and instead you seem to be more eager to get into a pissing contest. There are plenty of older teachers working here, I work with them every day. Of course, they have generally stayed here, working some odd 15 to 40 years in the uni systems I work in now. With a group I hang with tomorrow, I'm the junior teacher in my late 40s.

I am glad you're confident of your skills. The licensing you received back in the states will help you get a job here, but as Glenski stated, you'd be better off trying for the international school jobs They pay better, usually have a better organized curriculum, and offer better vacation schedules. Also the students are far more motivated in those schools, which of course makes your job much easier and more interesting.

[Robin53]

No, I'm not interested in a "pissing contest", but Glenski was somewhat - blunt, and he/she brought his/her own assumptions into the discussion. Who can blame me for responding defensively? Also, I'm not from the USA. Assuming that you are all older western folk in Japan, the tone of the responses kind of leaves me wondering about my original question. Am I going to end up being as aggressive and defensive as you? I hope not. Going by the lack of positive responses, I think it is not possible for an oldie to get a job in Japan.

[Glenski]

For aggressive and defensive, look at what they post on Let's Japan.
For bluntness, check out gaijinpot.com

I gave you straightforward answers, asked a straightforward question, and made no assumptions based on what you (poorly) wrote. Sorry for being blunt just there, but it's true (about your second paragraph being unclear). Nothing defensive or aggressive in my other posts, but I'm sorry you see it that way.

I'm sure others will tell you their own opinion of this exchange and your chances of finding work in Japan. If you truly want opinions of your options, stay here or check out other forums. There aren't many, and I'm on quite a few of them.

Best of luck.

[Apsara]

Robin53, I still think you are giving up too easily based on very little evidence, which suggests that you were tending towards not coming anyway.

Glenski has a fairly abrupt, blunt style, but he often provides people with useful advice here and else where- I don't think he crossed the line into rudeness though. You however responded somewhat rudely to him.

Again, even if you think we are all terrible people, why would you base an important life decision on how a few random anonymous people on an internet forum responded over a few days? I can't imagine basing any major decision on a few internet posts.

[Robin53]

I'm reviving this topic because I'm still interested in finding out how older, experienced, qualified teachers go about finding a job in Japan. Does anyone have any websites of recruiters? My guess is that because of my age, I would be screened out at the application stage. Other factors such as lack of eye-candy and not being from North America might also cause me to be screened out. Maybe just arriving in Tokyo on a tourist visa and job-hunting on the spot is the best idea. When I taught in Japan in the early 1980's, most of my jobs came not from answering advertisements, but from personal contacts.

[Solar Strength]

[seklarwia]

Last month, of the close to 200 other recruits that were at my training, at least half were from Britain, not North America. The remaining half was made up of Aussies, New Zealanders, a few not really from English speaking countries and there was even what we called the Jamaican contingency. There were some Americans but not nearly as many as you would think (but from what I heard from a more recent arrival, some were brought in later). As for ages; there was a very large variety there too. Although most were in there mid to late 20s, there were quite a few older more experienced recruits too.

Eyecandy... if you mean being attractive in general, then being young doesn't necessarily make you eyecandy. If you mean eyecandy by being a walking advertisement for your school by being what the Japanese consider a westerner to be (ie. white, tall, blond, blue eyed, whatever) then once again many of the recruits who arrived with me most certainly didn't fit the stereotypical "westerner" image, myself included (mother Indian/German + father Grenadian/American = A Brazilian according to my principle and a great guessing game for the kids)

I think you are making way too many assumptions based on how you remember Japan to be.