Career question

[The Final]

I want to move to Japan and become an English teacher. Does anybody know if there are any special college courses needed to be taken or if you need to get your teaching degree in Japan or other technical stuff like that?

[magma]

Believe it or not, this topic has actually popped up onceor twice before...

Many people (not infrequently including myself) forget to use the Search link on the left before asking their questions, so don't feel bad. If your questions aren't answered in these threads, feel free to ask away!

[The Final]

Sorry I'm new.

Thanks though!

[Mike Cash]

Do you you really want to come to Japan and become an English teacher?

Or do you really want to come to Japan and are willing to become an English teacher if that will facilitate coming to Japan?

[Infidel]

I'd be a 2. I want to go to Japan to learn to speak and read Japanese better, the teaching would just be something to pay the bills. But I need a bachelors first, and even then, there may be some kind of age cap.

[Schattenjedi]

I don't know about other organizations but I think the age cap for JET is around 38.

[AJBryant]

Sorry I'm new.

All the more reason to read the FAQs and reath through the forum -- including that section on rules -- before posting.

Welcome to the madhouse. Have a good time.

Tony

[The Final]

Mike Cash wrote:
Do you you really want to come to Japan and become an English teacher?

Or do you really want to come to Japan and are willing to become an English teacher if that will facilitate coming to Japan?

I really want to go to Japan and be an Englsih teacher. I've always liked Japanese culture and for as long as I can remember I have done really well in my English classes. Also, I don't have many talents other than English...

[Ezrach]

The Final wrote:

Mike Cash wrote:
Do you you really want to come to Japan and become an English teacher?

Or do you really want to come to Japan and are willing to become an English teacher if that will facilitate coming to Japan?

I really want to go to Japan and be an Englsih teacher. I've always liked Japanese culture and for as long as I can remember I have done really well in my English classes. Also, I don't have many talents other than English...

You better hone in on your English skills. You can't just say, "I've done will in my English classes" and expect to be taken seriously by students who are paying more that $40/hour to learn.

Could you, for example, explain in laymen terms the difference between an interrogative pronoun versus a relative pronoun to a non-native speaker, on the spot?

Another big problem among people interested in Japan who come over to teach English is that they use Japanese in the classroom, which your employer will not like at all, and the student will like even less. People think, "Hey, I can go practice my Japanese and get paid for it!" But, the reality of it is, over 40 hours in the week you will have to feign ignorance no matter what your level of Japanese is. You will be expected to fill the role of the sterotypical foreigner, a person who knows nothing of Japan. There is a strange phenomenon where a significant portion of the students are turned off by a foreigner who thinks they know about Japan, or who can speak the language.

Keep these things in mind. If you really want to make a living in Japan as a teacher, it will do you good to get a degree in ESL or English literature, or even just a general Education degree. You may want to minor in Japanese as well, if you want to appeal to possible Japanese staff who have a fear of communication problems. If you want to move up to the university level, you'll need a masters in English as a minimum, and in today's overly competetive market what you'll probably end up needing is to be published, and, even better, to have a PhD.

[The Final]

You better hone in on your English skills. You can't just say, "I've done will in my English classes" and expect to be taken seriously by students who are paying more that $40/hour to learn.

>.> I have been planning on going to college for English literature. (Although I did have a short period where I wanted to major in creative writing then I discovered I couldn't write fiction that well...)

Could you, for example, explain in laymen terms the difference between an interrogative pronoun versus a relative pronoun to a non-native speaker, on the spot?

A relative pronoun may be found in a question; an interrogative pronoun is only found in a question. I'm not sure if that is good enough for a non-native speaker but it is the simplest way I can explain it.

Another big problem among people interested in Japan who come over to teach English is that they use Japanese in the classroom, which your employer will not like at all, and the student will like even less. People think, "Hey, I can go practice my Japanese and get paid for it!" But, the reality of it is, over 40 hours in the week you will have to feign ignorance no matter what your level of Japanese is. You will be expected to fill the role of the sterotypical foreigner, a person who knows nothing of Japan. There is a strange phenomenon where a significant portion of the students are turned off by a foreigner who thinks they know about Japan, or who can speak the language.

I wasn't going to use Japanese in the class that much. It is a English class so I was planning on using English most or all of the time. I find it odd that someone would go to teach English to a class and instead reverse it to have the class teach that person Japanese (or some other language).

Keep these things in mind. If you really want to make a living in Japan as a teacher, it will do you good to get a degree in ESL or English literature, or even just a general Education degree. You may want to minor in Japanese as well, if you want to appeal to possible Japanese staff who have a fear of communication problems. If you want to move up to the university level, you'll need a masters in English as a minimum, and in today's overly competetive market what you'll probably end up needing is to be published, and, even better, to have a PhD.

I have been planning on getting an English Literature degree for some time with the minor in Japanese. (Also, I am taking Japanese I this year for an elective. Next year, when I can take two electives they will be Grammar and Composition and Japanese II. Since I don't start Japanese I till next symester [only three classes per symester] I decided to come here and learn the basics to impress the teacher.) I don't want to move up to the University level.

[keatonatron]

The Final wrote:
Since I don't start Japanese I till next symester [only three classes per symester] I decided to come here and learn the basics to impress the teacher.)

Might want to learn how to spell 'semester' before you come over

Ezrach wrote:
Another big problem among people interested in Japan who come over to teach English is that they use Japanese in the classroom, which your employer will not like at all, and the student will like even less.

That's not completely true. I got 70% of my students because I speak Japanese. For some of them it's a necessity because they are literally starting from the beginning (book 1, chapter 1) and can't understand one bit of an English explanation. Some of the others were very nervous when they started and it made them feel a LOT better knowing they could fall back on Japanese if they weren't effecient at conveying their feelings in English. Now they speak only English (and are quite advanced), but Japanese was a must to build that initial comfort level.

[Harisenbon]

That's not completely true. I got 70% of my students because I speak Japanese.

Exactly. It all depends where you work.

When I came here on JET, my friends and I all worked like hell to improve our Japanese, so that we could improve the relationships with our students. At elem. school, Japanese is almost a necessity.

But one of my friends has recently moved to a private 英会話 and is now forbidden to use Japanese in the classroom, and has been "talked to" many times about it.

Every situation is different.

[Nibble]

The Final wrote:

Could you, for example, explain in laymen terms the difference between an interrogative pronoun versus a relative pronoun to a non-native speaker, on the spot?

A relative pronoun may be found in a question; an interrogative pronoun is only found in a question. I'm not sure if that is good enough for a non-native speaker but it is the simplest way I can explain it.

I don't know who told you that; but where I come from, we use interrogative pronouns in statements as well as questions.

[lomagu]

Nibble wrote:

The Final wrote:

Could you, for example, explain in laymen terms the difference between an interrogative pronoun versus a relative pronoun to a non-native speaker, on the spot?

A relative pronoun may be found in a question; an interrogative pronoun is only found in a question. I'm not sure if that is good enough for a non-native speaker but it is the simplest way I can explain it.

I don't know who told you that; but where I come from, we use interrogative pronouns in statements as well as questions.

At my company we don't even try to explain things like that. We just give examples. Depending on the student's level, they might not be able to understand your explanation. I wouldn't worry about things like this too much yet. It all depends on where you work and who your students are. You should know how to use what you're trying to explain though. Being creative helps too

[paul_b]

keatonatron wrote:
Might want to learn how to spell 'semester' before you come over

It's spelt がっき.