Job Discussion Forums

[ej1986]

Hi all,

This is my first post here. I'm looking for an English teaching position in Japan, but I just don't know where I'm going wrong--maybe I'm missing something simple?

I live in the USA and I'm not comfortable going overseas unless I am already in possession of a job contract. I have a B.A. in PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) from an Ivy, where I kept my GPA above a 3.5. I always planned to teach English in Japan after graduation, but I had to wrap up a few things here and didn't start looking until this past December. From responses I've received from chain schools as well as comments I've seen around, it seems that the applicant pool for these jobs has experienced a dramatic surge in just the past year.

I'm really committed to going to Japan to teach English--it's a very specific goal for me, and if I don't get a job, it won't simply be a matter of shrugging my shoulders and saying, "Oh, well, maybe I'll go to grad school or see how things are in Korea."

Despite this, I've had little luck actually finding work, and I'm wondering if I should get a TESOL cert. True, it might not translate into a bigger paycheck, but will it help me get a job? If so, is an online course, say 100 hours, a good idea, or is it a better idea to take a course in person? I'm specifically considering a weekend/online combination course taught by i-to-i.

Thank you!

[gwynnie86]

It won't really help you get a job in Japan, from what I can make out. In most East Asian countries, having a degree and being a native English speaker is enough.
I'm going in a month's time, and I applied with Interac (www.interac.co.jp/recruit) - I have read some mixed opinions about them as employers, but so far they have been very polite, efficient and helpful in their communication. I think it's what you make of it.
There is also JET, but it's harder to get on and you end up waiting for months. But... better pay.
Otherwise, have a look on the international job boards here. A TESOL will possibly make your application more attractive, but the main advantage is for you - if it's a good course, you'll be more confident in your teaching. Be careful though, somebody was telling me the other day that the spent �500 on a course which turned out to be fake.
What have you applied for so far?

[Mr_Monkey]

I think it will make a difference, but it all depends on which companies you're applying to. Some eikaiwa do actually care about teaching. However, the problem is that they are likely to be small, independent schools not attached to a large chain, and probably won't want to sponsor your visa.

[ej1986]

Well, I tried Interac in December. They told me they were flooded with applicants and aren't even going to look at new applications until March. I went to an Amity interview and didn't make it past first round. I thought: why? I was head-to-toe qualified, and I thought I did well at my presentation! But then I realized, of the 23 other people in the interview that day, not a one was underqualified or lacking in their presentation, and I'm sure that less than half could be called back for the second round. I gave a play-by-play to my friend who works for Amity, and she has no idea what I could have done differently. Maybe I portrayed myself as too much of a Japanophile, giving the impression that I was just looking for a paid vacation to Japan? Or perhaps I was nervous, and my sweaty palms were my undoing? Maybe I failed the spelling test or the short essays and just don't know it!

I also applied to a few positions on gaijinpot.com, but none of those were met with replies. All of those were for positions with one or just a few slots, and the automated confirmation email told me that hundreds had already applied for those jobs, even for postings that were under a week old. So you can see how I feel like just a degree and native proficiency aren't enough!

So, since it seems like it's very difficult to distinguish yourself from the general applicant pool these days, I thought that a certification would be a way to show employers that I mean serious business. You two seem confident that there are still plenty of jobs to go around, but after thinking it over, I might go ahead and try to get a TESOL cert. It might be a waste of money, but I'd really regret it if another couple months were to pass and I still didn't have any job leads.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

What happens a lot in Japan is once westerners get on the ground in Japan, they have a greater chance at securing a job.

Schools love face to face meetings, so if you apply for an advertised job and then get no response, the chances are they got flooded with resumes already from people walking into their school or office.

Maybe someone actually there could comment further on this, but it's just what I have heard over the years from others who had been to Japan.

[Mr_Monkey]