Isn't teaching hard?
 

I have often seen job listings on various sites stating their requirements for English teachers. Whilst the teacher must be a graduate and native English speaker, most of these listings require little to no level of Japanese required.

How would a person teach Kindergarten or Junior school (even High school?) students any English when he/she themselves are having a problem trying to understand what the children are saying.

I haven't taught before so don't know how easy/ difficult it is to teach young children. Perhaps it's easy because they are still more open to new ideas then adults who are so ingrained in Japanese that learning English would be hard for them? Like learning Japanese for me (@23) will be really hard :p

My personal exposure to Japanese language has been only thorough animes. Whilst I can grasp a few basic words here and there, conversing in Japanese is out of the question.

tl:dr - isn't it impossible to teach English without knowing a little bit of Japanese? Or is it easy to teach young children?

I'm asking this as I would like to do it for maybe a year or something and take some time off from my real profession.

Teaching well is hard. I have respect for teachers who actually work hard to educate their students...

Unfortunately, in most cases, Japanese schools don`t really care whether the teacher is good or not. They care that there is someone speaking English in the direction of the students. The goal isn`t teaching, but rather looking good and "getting them used to the sound of the language". They pretty much NEVER want you to communicate with the students in Japanese.

That's a rather negative attitude by these institutions isn't it? Regardless, if ever I do decide to go down this path, I'll do my best. I've learned from the best after all. My mom's been a High School teacher since '91. And damn if I have ever met a student of her's who didn't love her! This is of course very nice since many of her students who are in "good" positions now give us access to "privileged" services ;)

Back to the topic however, why don't most people who want to go to Japan take this route? It's easy coz all you need is at least a Bachelors and be fluent in English. Or is there still a sever lack of people who speak good English along with some degree that are interested in staying in Japan?!

The vast majority of people who go to Japan DO take this route, and teach English. That's how I did it, on the JET Program.

On JET, you don't need Japanese because you team teach in the public schools with Japanese teachers of English. You model the English pronunciation and teach about the normal, everyday usage and grammar, while the JTE uses Japanese if necessary, or translates when needed, and teaches the finer points of grammar. It's a good system, much better than either one teaching alone IMO. And no, it really isn't all that hard when you team teach like that, at least not IMO.

My opinion, as stated elsewhere, is that you learn how to teach well FIRST. Not always possible for the young and the cashless, but trust me. It matters.

Although I started off with the same experience Samurai describes up above, that has changed. I teach with a JTE most of the time, but at least a few times a month, I teach entirely alone. I went to college to be an English teacher, and I know how to teach English to native speakers. That puts me in a slightly unusual category, and I know it. I went out of my way to learn Japanese words for grammar points, and I certainly do teach grammar when necessary. If the JTE is present, then the JTE translates, if s/he is not, I do it. What Samurai describes is a typical arrangement- my schools toss that right out the window when they learn I am an actual English teacher. Half the time, I end up teaching the JTEs about obscure etymologies or grammatical peculiarities. I'm a veritable encyclopedia of reasons for irregular verbs. :D

Also my schools have no issue with me speaking Japanese to my students. That just wouldn't make any sense. Not when I have classes where I teach alone. And even when I don't, I often go around and check individual students for understanding, and have them translate back into Japanese for me. I can usually catch misunderstandings that way. Especially in the case of nuance.

Oh yeah. This is my "REAL" profession. I am so tired of people who think this isn't a job with real responsibilities. It is no less important than teaching in your home country. If you feel differently, then teaching is Not. For. You. You'll do your students a great disservice and they deserve better.

Learn to teach first? Whilst that's a good idea, I don't think I would have the time to go for a professional Teaching Qualification of any sort. The only time I will study now is either a Masters in English Language or Journalism.

My current job pays me ok (roughly 300k Yen w/o taxes p.m.), but it's something I'm really hating right now. I always did consider teaching, but only for the experience of teaching (not to get experience in teaching, if you understand what I mean :s) I would teach in Japan only because I'm interested in it. Neither am I looking for teaching as a full time career, nor living in Japan. Just a life experience.

Also, if I do manage to get an ALT job there, I would also be studying Japanese, at least good enough to speak , and maybe even write, confidently.

I don't have certification. Everything but. In the United States, Certification is granted by state, and I hadn't decided which state I would teach in (Georgia or Texas) so I put certification off while I worked in politics. But it really isn't a big deal. At the absolute outside, certification only takes about three months, assuming you already have a BA/BS. Some will even waive a portion of that based on your experiences teaching (private schools often have wildly differing standards, and is not uncommon for someone who is testing the waters first to go to a private school, learn they love teaching, and then turn around for the certification to teach in public schools). Before the economy totally died and Dallas cut teachers, I was in negotiations to have my ALT experience count towards just such a waiver.

And I said it may not be possible. Now, it probably isn't. That's not a problem. If you have the drive you'll pick it up pretty quickly. Doing a year as an ALT isn't a bad way to spend a year. I'm not trying to convert you the Church of Teaching Unchained or anything. Just letting you (and others) know that if you take the job, even as a life experience, that is still a job. I have seen too many people come for the life experience and forget about the life experiences of the kids they're supposed to be positively impacting.

I was temporary primary school teacher for a few months.It was quite a challenge and took lots of interacting skills to get along with the students while trying to earn their respect.It was hard work at first(preparing exercises isn't easy) and then,I had lots of fun with my students and their scores improved!Really pays off all the hard work.I didn't teach English,I taught Math in English and Chinese-Mandarin. =P

I have already done my Bsc (Hons) and have finished my ACCA (International accounting qualification) so I'm covered there, should I choose to get a Teaching qualification course.

And lol @ Church of Teaching Unchained!

In any case I know who sucky some of my teachers were and how badly it affected my higher studies and many decisions in life. I also appreciate all the really good teachers in my life and how it positively affected me. So if I do become an ALT, I'll be damn sure to do a fine job.

The scary part for me will be gaining trust of the students. I've taught my friends during my Uni days, but they were my friends. There was no ice to be broken, we already knew each other very well. Starting from scratch would be hard.

You have anime. That's usually an immediate ice breaker if you're up on the new stuff or the stuff every kid knows (crayon shin-chan, doraemon).

I'm named after a fifth grader from Shoujo Kakumei Utena, so yeah, I know my anime.

And if you actually got the reference to Father Church, I will give you a hundred points.

Ah yes, why didn't I think of animes as closing the gap? Silly me.

Also, I don't think I'll get those hundred points. After a lame attempt at Google, I didn't come up with anything concrete :p

And god forbid that you try to actually teach like making an elementary school student pick up a pencil and write something. They say it is too hard. Teachers have been leveling this charge against me for months, but it is my lesson so I am just going to keep on.

So making an Elementary school kid write is frowned upon?! wth lol

I work as a primary school teacher in England, it has its difficulties, but, once you find a job you love, you never work another day of your life.

Thats how i feel about my job :)

I know what OP means though.. hence why i get so angry at the kawaii's that are like "omg your Japanese i can teach you English"

No. You Can't. Because you don't know any Japanese to add meaning..

Teaching like that will be extremely difficult.. if not a waste of time in most cases.. just my opinion.

inb4 "Shadow, aren't you going to teach in Japan for a bit?"

Yes I am going to Japan to teach for a short amount of time, but I'll be working with Early Years (3 - 5 year olds) and it'll be 100% japanese, so its different.

(wish me luck)

How difficult teaching can be depends entirely upon the person who is doing the teaching. If you dislike the job, are antisocial, or simply don't like kids, you'll probably think that teaching is difficult.

Schools in Japan require little to no Japanese ability for a reason, and that is that they wish to have their students immersed in English. They want the students to have to think in English, to come up with what words they can to ask questions or otherwise communicate with the teacher.

I disagree that using Japanese in the class helps to add meaning, in my experience it doesn't. It is impossible to translate exactly even the most simple Japanese sentence to English, or vice-versa. It's a waste of time to attempt it. If you want your students to become fluent, they must learn to think in the language they are learning, not to read it or hear it, and then translate into their own language before comprehending it.

I was skeptical of this method at first, but I've found that it works, and that it works well. I'm often amazed at what the kids are able to retain, and it's amazing to hear them begin to form complete sentences in English.

One thing to remember is that some students are shy, and are not comfortable asking questions. This can hamper their learning if you don't pay attention. It's easy enough to tell if a student is struggling by the expression on his or her face. It's not a good idea to ignore such expressions, I always take a look at their work and determine where the problem is, and help them through it. If another student wishes to help, that's fine, so long as they use English in their explanation. Japanese is not permitted in the classroom.

When I first began teaching, I felt overwhelmed. I taught an average of 5 classes per day, covering several different levels of English. Therefore, most lessons were different, and had to be planned separately. You have to use the school's texts, and formulate your plans with those, in a manner from which the students can learn.

The students are another factor. They won't learn properly if you don't control your classroom, and provide quality lessons. I've heard from other teachers about certain "hell kids" in their classes, but so far I have yet to meet any such kids in my own classes. Some kids are wilder than others, the secret is directing their energy toward learning. Paying attention to them, and planning lessons which they will find interesting enough to participate in keeps them docile enough.

The first three months were the most difficult for me. It took time for the students to adjust to me, and me to them. It took time for me to understand the methods used in the textbooks, and how best to employ them in my classes. And while this was going on, I still had to adjust to life in a new country. It's not an easy thing, and many people find that they don't like it.

Now its been a year, I find myself enjoying teaching very much. Lessons that once took an hour to plan now take about ten minutes, and in the more advanced classes, I no longer use a pre made lesson plan. I just use the texts and teach the lesson in whichever direction which seems to hold the most interest for the students.

The more I teach, the more I enjoy teaching. But not everyone does; of the group of teachers who arrived with me last year, I'll be the only one remaining. The others came only for the experience, or they found that they had no interest in teaching, and are returning home to pursue other goals.

For myself, I have no regrets, and I'm looking forward to the start of the new school year next month.

If I had my choice between a guy/Gal with a great outgoing personality but little/no exp. Or a Education major with 5 years experience and a glowing resume but never quite able to connect with the student.

I take the rookie with the personality 10 times outta 10.

I believe that when someone learns a foreign language, that is the only language that should be used to teach. It might be harder at the start, but this is a much better way of learning the language in the long run.

It's never a good thing learning a language while trying to think in a different language. I find that most French people I speak to, have problems with English because they try to think in French. This will be the same case for a Japanese speaking English, and vice versa. Think in the language you're learning and don't try to relate to your other language(s).

The only time Japanese should be used in an English class is if you've totally failed to explain the meaning of a word (vocab). For example. If someone doesn't understand the word Hat. First you should try to explain it by describing what it is, what it's for etc etc. IF the student is still unable to understand, then you just say the word in Japanese and ask the students to make a sentence or two using "hat".

Sangetsu, what type of school are you in? Your view on no Japanese at all doesn't jive with mine. Kids NEED to understand grammar. Younger kids can certainly internalise it WITH enough exposure. However, for older students, teenagers, like mine, internalising grammar rules is almost as difficult as it is for adults. Just as I need grammar explanation of Japanese grammar in English, my students need explanation of English grammar in Japanese. And if a JTE isn't there, that means I have to supply it.

I work at a private school, teaching all levels, from elementary to high school students. I teach the younger kids without assistance, as (as you said) they are able to internalize it with relative ease (though at early ages most emphasis is on vocabulary, rather than grammar).

For the older students, they also have classes with a JTE, but much of what they learn is still through exposure. Grammar can be taught 2 ways, technically (which is rather difficult when vocabulary is limited, and not at all fun), or through exposure. I focus mainly on exposure through reading. Structure is first learned by imitation/memorization, and the rules explained afterward.

Exposure actually works quite well, much of our memory of vocabulary and structure is retained photographically in our minds. This is evident when I have students read; sometimes they come across a word and read it incorrectly, without hesitation; this is because the word they are reading has an image similar to another word they already know. Since their vocabulary is limited, their mind associates the image of the word to one which is familiar to them, and they speak out that word.

The smaller pictures (individual words) are easily learned this way, and in time, so are phrases and sentences. Correct grammar can be learned indirectly through this method, so long as the students study and practice regularly.

What you're suggesting is ideographic learning. We tried that about 20 years ago with native speakers in America. The trouble we learned was that while reading becomes very, very quick due to, as you say, recognition of words as pictures (almost like Kanji), the student fails to grasp phonics and cannot usually spell back a word they could read. After three years the project was abandoned. I would no more use it with my students than I would use it with native speakers. I simply don't agree that ideographic learning is a capable overall option.