Job Discussion Forums

[think_balance]

There doesn't seem to be a lot topics here on teaching corporate English in Japan. I think that with my experience (M.A. TESOL and 10 years as a technical writer in The Silicon Valley in addition to side work do localization / editing, etc.) I could land a decent job teaching corporate English classes in Japan.

Does anyone here have experience teaching corporate English classes? What kind of salary / benefits should one expect? How common is it for one to teach multiple jobs at the same time?

Also, having a problem with the search feature. Using one term, I get results. Using multiple terms, I get a blank page. So, if someone could point me to threads on the different area of Japan as regards choosing where to work / live, please feel free to post them here.

Thanks!

[Glenski]

[think_balance]

[dove]

It is not common to be hired full time by a dispatch agency to be a full-time corporate teacher, although it is possible. Expect to do material development and proofreading when not teaching on-site. It is also possible (though rare) to be hired directly by a corporation to be a full-time in-house instructor.

Most people who teach corporate classes in Japan do it as a part-time job, as a supplement to their incomes. Classes are usually held in the early morning (7:30 to 9:00) and then in the evening (6:30pm--8:00pm). Most teachers already have visa sponsorship from their full-time jobs elsewhere.

I make a living by stringing together corporate classes, private lessons, and eikaiwa work. The pay is pretty good--much more than what most places are offering full-time teachers these days. The reason is a high hourly wage (from 4,000 yen to 12,000 yen an hour). I self-sponsor my visa and I pay for my own insurance and my own apartment. I like teaching this way because I am not tied to one place and I always seem to get offered more jobs than I can handle. I also like teaching adults and I generally find the students to be motivated ( I taught at a university before and the lack of effort and motivation really brought me down). There is one disadvantage--commuting all over the greater Tokyo metropolitan area. But I do a lot of reading on the train and the commute is 100% paid by the company.

There is a community of teachers like me and we always say we would never go back to teaching full-time at one place. Most of us are pretty established in Japan and don't need hand-holding.

[Glenski]