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Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery
You know, I get this kind of answer a lot whenever I'm asked my opinion on the topic, but I don't really know why. I mean, logically, it totally makes sense. First off, it's impossible not to generalize. I'm not saying that there aren't a lot of great teachers out there. But the fact of the matter is, we're all in this country because of JAPAN.
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When people ask me about physics, religion, politics, my opinion gets second fiddle because these aren't the topics I am an expert in.
Not every foreigner in Japan is in Japan because of JAPAN! That's reality. I knew many people who were looking at teaching English anywhere in Asia, and Japan is where they ended up. To them, Asia was pretty much all the same, so it didn't matter. For me, it was Japan or nowhere (I didn't study four years of Japanese to be sent to Taiwan).
Quote:
Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery
Think about it. Why am I here? Because I decided I'd like to give Japan a shot and working on my degree at the same time is a bonus. Could I pay half as much and go to the local state school back home? Yeah, sure. But the reason I'm here rather than there is the fact that I get to live in Japan.
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That is your story, and I am not disparaging it, but it is your story, not everyone's story.
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Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery
The same thing goes for the teachers here. If they really wanted to be teachers, they'd be teachers. They'd go get a legitimate teaching degree and work their way up the ladder of their local public school, get tenured, and hopefully even teach some university classes some day.
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Sorry, Wings, but that is so elitist and condescending. Indeed I came to Japan to be in Japan, but also to see if I liked teaching, and the JET Program gave me that opportunity. Being a JET is an assistant teacher, but it is still teaching.
After returning to America I eventually went into teaching again, (this time Japanese for English speakers). It is hard to know if that is your calling unless you get a chance to try it out. Some hate it, some love it. I am glad I was given the opportunity to explore it.
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Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery
But most of the teachers in Japan aren't like that. They're here for Japan first, teaching second. Here, they don't need a master's degree for a more respectable position. Here, they get to work a flexible schedule and party in Tokyo or Osaka on the weekends. If any idiot can push through a few years of college and get a degree, they're automatically eligible to come party in J-land. If they fall in love with their job after getting here, great. But the truth is they fell in love with the idea of the country first.
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It's pretty competitive to get into JET. When I applied from my city the acceptance rate was like 20%... and now it is less than half that. Sure douches get through the grate, but those are the guys you are going to meet in Osaka and Tokyo late at night. The normal people are at home and in bed.