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Teaching oversea
noir_blood
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So the subject of teaching oversea popped up in another thread and it got me curious about it. Now, I remember a previous thread in which some people said that experiences could vary greatly, and that at times it can be extremely difficult. Has anyone done it? How would you recommend I go about preparing for it, what are the costs that I would accrue, and the pay? Like the OP in the other post, my real intentions is to be a writer, and I would love to be able to go to another country, teach, and still have time to write, is that something that's feasible, or does the teaching take most of your time?
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One of the problems with teaching in Asia (or any place where you are obviously a foreigner in an area with few foreigners) is the attention. I am regularly stopped in the grocery store by strangers who wants pictures/autograph/to chat with me. Everyone knows every move I make. They know who my friends are, they know when I've had a party, they know when I rent movies. It can be stifling. This wouldn't be such a problem in Europe or in big cities.
I've also taught privately in France. Boredom was an issue there, as well. I did not go through a program there, but I assume it's much like any of the programs in Japan, in which you don't get much say in where you are placed. If you get placed in or near a large city, then great! But if, like me, you are put in a small town, you are going to have to deal with boredom. I can testify that it's a great incentive to write - when I lived in France, I did not have internet access and I wrote every single day.
how important do you think it is to have an understanding of japanese? i've been given stuff that says it's not necessary, but everytime i read that i think BUUULLLLSSSHHHIIITTTT
Is it difficult to get a job teaching English abroad? Are there any opportunities for advancement, or making it a career? I am getting my degree in psychology in 1 year, will that make any difference?
LB, are you happy with the organization you chose to do it through?
I also found this link about 6 months ago and it seemed to have some useful information... http://www.teachabroad.com/search.cfm
i know they don't require it, but i wanted to know if it should be, i guess. i just find it kind of hard to believe that someone with absolutely no knowledge of japanese would be able to effectively teach and live in japan.
In Thailand (and many other countries, i think) they like you to have a TEFL (Teaching English in a Foreign Land) certificate, but its not really a necessity.
My job was similarly easy, working wise. I speak almost no Thai at all, and I get by. That being said I'd have an easier time, and be a better teacher, if i did speak Thai. Also for me personally i found the work woefully unfulfilling. Of the 300 or so students I had, maybe 20 were good students, and probably less than 10 actually showed a desire to learn English. To be honest I often felt my primary job was to be seen and known as a white person working at my specific school, thus giving my school prestige.
I think the amount of the native language you'd need to know is largely dependant on your situation. If you're teaching advanced students in Tokyo, for example... your class should be entirely in English anyway, and if you're in Tokyo, or any other big city there should be plenty of English speakers around. When I walk into a store, many times they'll go find the employee who's best at English to help me (even if I'm at McDonalds and just want a #1).
Still, I would recommend it. And I hear 'living experience' in another country looks good on a resume.
While it's true that knowing Japanese is not a requirement for the JET Program (which is the program I'm on, by the way), it is a plus. Some BoEs (boards of education) want foreigners with Japanese ability, some want foreigners with nothing but English, and some don't care. My BoE requested an American girl who speaks Japanese, and that's what they got. The neighboring town requests North American girls who do not speak Japanese, and that's what they've had for the past two years. Japanese ability and teaching certification are slowly becoming more important in the interview process (they used to say that it had no impact on your likelihood of being hired, and I believe that it is now acknowledged as an asset in your application).
I have found that speaking Japanese is a huge help in the classroom, but I teach at preschool, elementary school, and low-level middle schools. I don't know how I would teach preschool without Japanese; I almost never use English there outside of short English lessons. Elementary school is manageable without Japanese, but difficult. Middle school is pretty much fine, and I would imagine that high school is not a problem. The difference is that in middle school and high school, you are the assistant teacher, and a Japanese teacher of English will almost always be in the classroom running the class while you assist him. In preschool and elementary school, there may be other teachers in the room, but they will most likely have little to no English ability and will probably be more interested in learning what you're teaching than running the class. There are all sorts of theories about how much English/Japanese to use in the classroom but everyone pretty much has to make their own method as they go. I have a higher level of Japanese than many of my fellow JET teachers, and they all do just fine, so I wouldn't worry about it to much. You will also pick up Japanese very quickly if you put any effort whatsoever into studying it.
As for living, as long as you aren't in a really crappy situation at work, your supervisor will help you out with most things. In the JET Program we also have Prefectural Advisors, who are current ALTs or CIRs (coordinator for international relations) who are always available to help you out. One of the really great things about JET is the network of people who are available to talk, listen, or help at any given time. Many people learn a lot of Japanese while working in Japan, and many people leave with only a few more words than they came with. It is definitely not necessary to speak the language in order to survive here.
I am very happy with the JET Program. I'm glad I chose it and not a private company. I have regular hours and regular days, I am not often asked to work in the evenings or weekends (and when I am, I get corresponding time off), and I like teaching kids rather than adults. The problem with JET, and to some degree with AEON and Geos, is that you have no choice in where you end up. They take the requests of the BoEs much more seriously than the applicants (I mean, I can say "Please place me in Tokyo because I like big cities," but they are going to choose the tiny rice-growing town in the middle of nowhere because that town said "We have had good experiences with JETs who have A, B, and C characteristics, so please assign her to us"). I also know teachers who work in public schools or for private companies who much prefer it to the JET Program. It really depends on your taste. If you're interested in teaching in Japan, the opportunities and the information are out there, but you're going to have to do some research because there's too much for me to really get into. It is definitely very easy to get a job here as long as you have a BA.
I do not think that a psychology degree will help you get a better job, but what do I know? I majored in Economics and Japanese.
There is very, very little opportunity for advancement in the JET Program. There may be slightly more in private companies, but not too much. Some JETs leave the teaching area to work for JET, but even then I think it tends to be a more temporary thing. Most people who want to stay permanently in Japan stay for the 3 or 5 years on JET, then find a private gig or try to get a job at a university. Many people also stop teaching and start working for recruitment agencies. You can make a career out of teaching English if you really want to, but I can't give too much advice about that because teaching is purely temporary for me.
I guess the best thing I can say about it is that I've spent three years in Japan, two years of which were on the JET Program, and I wouldn't take back those years for anything. I've been bored and irritated a lot, but I definitely got more out of it than I ever thought I would. It's a great experience.
i'm actually starting grad school to get my M.Ed in the summer, so who knows, maybe i'll look into the program in a year or so when i'm done. despite your assurances, i'm still pretty wary about the language barrier; you seem pretty upbeat about it, but it's still kind of a big deal to jump into a culture you're not familiar with at all and try and live and work. i've heard varying things about the support system for JETs, and to be completely honest, they've almost all been at least somewhat negative.
i dunno, this is all obviously second-hand knowledge on my part, whereas you have actually lived it. i guess i should probably just get it straight from the horse's mouth at some point.
oh yeah, have you read www.kindofcrap.com? if not, do it, it's totally hilarious, and if so, what were your impressions of his impressions of the JET program? he seems to have had a pretty positive view of his experience, but an overall negative view of the program itself, and it'd be interesting to see what a fellow JET would have to say about it.
I've never seen that website before. Thanks for sharing the link! I haven't read all of it yet, but I skimmed a few of the months. Some of his experiences could be right out of my own memory. He obviously was not a big fan of the teaching or the children, whereas I love both teaching and children so we obviously differed there. His problems with the educational system and the JET Program itself are pretty much the same as my own. His experiences with coworkers and random Japanese people (as far as I read, anyway) are also very similar. If someone says they came to Japan and loved every single little thing, from kids sticking their fingers up your butt to random drunk Japanese guys trying to practice their poor English on you, they are either crazy or delusional. But Japan has a lot of good things going for it, as long as you don't let yourself get bogged down in the little irritating things. Yup, I would say his journal is a very fair assessment.
Here's the thing: the JET Program does the best it can, I think. It's not perfect, of course, but your actual employer is the prefecture or the municipality in which you work. JET (CLAIR) is just the program that matches you with an employer. The underlying problem is the educational system. The kids here are just taught to memorize, to fit in. 'The nail that stands up gets pounded down' is not just some Western misinterpretation of Japanese culture. The teachers are generally disorganized, and unless you're at a high level school, the students are not motivated or interested in you as anything other than the walking, talking foreigner. The entire middle and high school education track is aimed toward tests that the students have to take to get into high school and university. I've actually had teachers tell me that I won't be attending English classes for the week because they're coming up on important tests and I would only be distracting the kids from what they need to be studying, which is usually awkward phrases and simple vocabulary. I have never, ever seen a Japanese teacher actually push a kid intellectually. I'm not gonna lie to you, it is very frustrating. People who have formal training in teaching find it even more frustrating, no doubt. It's easy to go on and on (as you can see), but despite the problems this has been a very rewarding experience. To get into cheesy territory, it's also been a great learning experience in ways that I never expected, and like I said before, I would never take it back. But it's definitely not something to be done lightly.
also you can check out www.daveseslcafe.com for jobs and help with teaching materials/ideas.