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So do all i really need is a 4 year degree in anything and my Passport + vista? How will the English teacher careers be looking in 4 to 5 years from now?
And also are we still doing movie weeks what forum title is that under? Ive been working like crazy have not been on forums
if you gots time, id recommend watching vids from Unrested
kool thanks
As a recent college graduate and a current English teacher in Japan, I can affirm that you need a bachelor’s degree and a passport. If you are recruited from outside of Japan, the company who hires you will likely help you with your visa. However, as is the case for most things, meeting the minimum qualifications (i.e. having a degree) does in no way guarantee you a position at your desired place of employment. Teaching experience, even volunteer work, is a plus. People skills and a firm grasp of the English language are implicit in the job description.
If you’re serious about teaching English in Japan, this website helped me a lot. With increasing need for English in the workplace, and heightened requirements for English in schools (students will start in Elementary, and the average high school student will now spend more time in an English classroom than in Math or Japanese), I can say with confidence that the job you want will still be around in four or five years.
Wait, bachelor’s degree in ANYTHING?! Okay, I have a degree in biology and I work as a teacher for three years now. But I am still not sure if my previous sentence was grammatically correct. So, if I work hard on my English and pass high level of English language proficiency test, is there any chance for a person like me to work in Japan as well?
That’s a good question, Hatt0ri. Are you a native English speaker? Many companies only hire native speakers. I don’t know about needing to pass an English proficiency test, but you will probably have to exhibit some prowess in the area. Your biology degree is already impressing me–you’ll certainly have some interesting things to share with your students that most other teachers couldn’t. If it’s what you want to do, go for it!
Hatt0ri I studied Biomedical Science and am currently working as an English teacher in Japan. There are many companies such as Interac etc and then there is the holy grail (in my opinion) of teaching English in Japan and that is the JET Programme. If you do some research on both of these you will be able to see the requirements.
I work for the JET programme and I only had a quick grammar check and was asked how I would describe the difference between two sentences to a student in simple English. As Rachel said they do prefer to hire native speakers of English but I have met an ALT who’s second language is English. He was a native level speaker however and his pronunciation was great.
Anyway there is a lot of information out there if you look and I’m happy to point you in the right direction if you get a little lost.
Hiya ^_^
Interesting thread :)
Rachel & CorrBlimey – do you think employers have a candidate profile in mind when they hire? It seems that many English teachers are young and recently graduated. It’s something I’d love to do but I’m getting on a bit!!! I’m far too old now for the JET programme. I have a B.Sc.and other post-grad qualifications and my English isn’t too bad. I was thinking that getting a qualification like the CELTA would help, particularly as I have no teaching experience.
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nige.
No, I’m not a native speaker. But in my country English language classes are obligatory throughout elementary school, high school and in Universities.
Seems like my country is not participating in JET programme (only citizens of 36 selected countries can apply). Well, I can still contact Japanese embassy over here and see if they can recommend something else. I’ve skimmed through job offers at Interac web page. Even though native level of English is standard requirement, I can still register in Interac’s database with English as a second language. Great :)
Thank you very much for replies!I think people have have worked through English as a 2nd language are probably more qualified to teach it to be honest. Once they have a native to native-like level of fluency.,
@Sheepy: This exactly – they actually studied it at all levels whereas we just “picked it up” for most of the time :P They’ll be a lot better at constructing grammatically correct sentences whereas we use lots of colloquialisms and grammar that doesn’t really make sense (but we use it because 1. takes less time to think about 2. other natives will understand you anyway).
@Michael: English is my second language, and from my personal experience, you’re not entirely right. We did study it, and I’ll agree that I can maybe grasps the inner workings a bit better, but when it comes to learn how to speak, guess what we do? Listen to you guys and “pick up” a lot of those colloquialisms and grammar that doesn’t really make sense! We’re still the same humans, and we also like to take the shortcuts there and there even when we’re not in our native language.
@Michael: I don’t necessarily think that is true. I will admit my spelling is atrocious, but I have no problems with my grammar. (I am also a native English speaker teaching English in Japan. I work at an eikaiwa.) At my school they have their Japanese teachers who are in the position you are describing. Their grammar is great but they encounter the same problems in English that we encounter in Japanese. We can read a text book and recite it for someone, but when it comes to describing subtle nuances in difference (such as the other thread about の and こと) you need a native speaker to really be able to split hairs.
I’ve been asked to teach lessons on slang, colloquialisms, rude English and everything in between that you generally don’t find in a textbook.
@Josh: What Rachel and CorrBlimey said is your best advice.
@Hattori: Depending on your native language, there may be an opportunity to teach that in Japan as well. If you have that in combination with a high English fluency, your chances will be much higher. I have a friend in Japan in a similar situation. His first language is French and he is fluent in English and he has been teaching in Japan for 10 years and now has his own school.
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This reply was modified 13 years, 6 months ago by
KiaiFighter.
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This reply was modified 13 years, 6 months ago by
AnonymousDoesn’t have to be a 4year degree, as long as it’s a BA (in anything) you’re fine.
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This reply was modified 13 years, 6 months ago by
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