Teaching English in the JP

[jasonbvr]

If I have not mentioned this before, the Japanese school year ends in March and begins in April. The seniors at your school all graduate in the beginning of March and the rest of you take a little rest for two weeks before beginning the new year.

Spring is the appropriate season I suppose. With all the flowers blooming and new growth around, it seems right for new students and teachers to be coming in. Some of your staff may retire at this time. Some may be moved to new schools. Along with the new students coming, I will have the privilege of beginning work with my third Japanese English teacher in one year. This is particular odd I think for an ALT to outlast not one English teacher but two! Then I will have the new ALT's coming into the area to meet and guide along the path to smooth integration to our Ota/Oizumi area. Yes the joyous season of spring is upon us, and if I here one more thing about the freaking cherry blossoms my head will explode. If there is one more thing I hate more than the end of winter, it would have to be fanaticism which is what I view the Japanese fascination to be with the cherry blossom.

[jasonbvr]

And I just got a note saying that I would have to start teaching at elementary school in April. Now, I really want to blow my brains out!

edit: Since writing this post I realized that working at the shogakou won't be so bad. My English coordinator there speaks English (WOW!), and they will be more excited than my chugak-sei who look like death somedays on account of all the stress the poor kids go through.

[aldine]

cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms....

[Bell]

Hey all, I'm new to this forum...
Anyways i have a question:
I live in Israel, Do all of these english teaching companies in japan has also maybe Hebrew teaching? Because i do want to go japan and teach there but i don't know english THAT well to teach it...
Oh yeah, and do teachers (privat lessons) need to pay taxes or something like that in japan? i don't really know anything about that...

[jasonbvr]

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Anyhow, in regards to teaching other languages such as Hebrew, Swedish, Swahili or what have you, I would contact one of the big two directly requesting if there is a place for you in their company. The biggest two being Aeon and NOVA. Berlitz may also be worth a try. Legend has it, I would not know for certain, that NOVA has these multimedia centers that work with a number of different languages. The languages other than English that will certainly land you a job would be French, Spanish and German. Here is what I would write, feel free to copy, paste and use it as you wish:

Dear (NOVA or Aeon),

My name is (your name), and I am a native of (your country). I am writing to inquire about language services your company provides outside of English instruction. As a native speaker of (your language), I feel that I would be a valuable asset to your company and Japanese companies or persons seeking business or travel in (your country). Thank you for your time and best wishes to you and (company name).

Sincerely,

(your name)

I would email the department in charge of recruitment around the end of April beginning of May since in theory they will not be in the midst of a lot of hiring and have the time and patience to provide you with a decent response.

Regarding working private lessons on your own, it is going to be a bit more difficult to find students since your are not teaching English. I do not think that the income will be such that you would be able to support yourself on this income alone. Also, I will reiterate that working without a visa is illegal and you could be deported and fined if found out. Since it is under the table (illegal), no you would not pay taxes.

[Bell]

Thank you very much^^

[Beki]

!!! I can't believe there's a thread on this.. extremely helpful!

Literally just last night I started considering the idea of teaching English in Japan!

Okay.. i have a few questions..

1) Do you need to speak fluent Japanese..?
2) What qualifications do you need? Major/Teacher training..?
3) Is it a hard field to get into?

Many thanks! xx

[Beki]

P.s.. I'm sorry if these questions have already been answered throughout this thread! xx

[Pachipro]

Originally Posted by Beki

1) Do you need to speak fluent Japanese..?
2) What qualifications do you need? Major/Teacher training..?
3) Is it a hard field to get into?

1. Not at all. Many require NO Japanese knowledge

2. 4 yr degree, minimum, in any major from any University

3. No. If you can't get a job teaching English in Japan it is probably because you don't want one.

Good luck!

[jasonbvr]

Originally Posted by Beki

1) Do you need to speak fluent Japanese..?
2) What qualifications do you need? Major/Teacher training..?
3) Is it a hard field to get into?

Just to add to what Pachipro has written...

1) Any Japanese ability will help differentiate you from the hordes of teachers looking for a job. This may result in a) getting a job faster and b) a better job than Joe Schmoe.

2) Since I am assuming you are British, you are able to get a working holiday visa which means you don't necessarily have to have completed your degree already. But in general yes, a four year degree in any field will do.

There are tons of those TESL teaching programs online. Let me say it once again, while these (in my opinion) will not make you a better teacher and do not give you proper training, they will differentiate you from other candidates.

3) Answer to number 3, no. Especially easy if you are 1) young 2) female 3) really friendly. Why do I say female? Well, the ratio of female teachers to males in Japan is maybe 5 to 1 so finding a female teacher can be difficult. Then you have reason number B, women are generally viewed as better with children which make up the majority of your students.

Any questions you have, don't hesitate to ask. Especially when it comes time to sign a contract. If I knew what I know now, I could have gotten a much better deal worked out by just a few minor changes.