Career question

[Oyaji]

Details aside, it sounds to me like you (The Final) should be welcomed with open arms. Ezrach made some very important points, and your responses indicate to me that you have the right motivations, and are planning on making the proper preparations. I agree that taking some ESL courses would be a good idea as well.

Best of luck to you!

[Mike Cash]

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...

May I suggest that prior to coming to Japan you obtain a Master's degree and certification in TOEFL/TESL? That would enable you to try for positions at actual institutes of higher learning instead of limiting you to the bogus-a$$ed English conversation mills masquerading as schools.

[keatonatron]

paul_b wrote:
It's spelt がっき.

I didn't know there was a variety of wheat spelled like that.

[WacKostRacKo]

If you want to teach in Japan Get a TEFL diploma (you can get them just about everywhere in English speaking countries and also even online), but you will also need a bachelors degree.

Teaching is great fun and really rewarding. But don't forget it is also really hard work (don't expect much free time!) Especially in Japan!

[Nibble]

keatonatron wrote:

paul_b wrote:
It's spelt がっき.

I didn't know there was a variety of wheat spelled like that.

I didn't know Americans got to decide what is an acceptable British spelling for a particular word :p

[The Final]

WacKostRacKo wrote:
If you want to teach in Japan Get a TEFL diploma (you can get them just about everywhere in English speaking countries and also even online), but you will also need a bachelors degree.

Teaching is great fun and really rewarding. But don't forget it is also really hard work (don't expect much free time!) Especially in Japan!

I don't want to teach at a university...

[keatonatron]

Nibble wrote:
I didn't know Americans got to decide what is an acceptable British spelling for a particular word :p

I wasn't talking about the British. This is America, learn to speak like it!

[Harisenbon]

That would enable you to try for positions at actual institutes of higher learning instead of limiting you to the bogus-a$$ed English conversation mills

Someone's bitter.

I guess all those public schools that teach English and have ALTs are just crap-ass institutions too.

Here's a hint: Even in college, the english classes are mostly bogus POS. That's why the students who want to be translators / interpreters go to private schools in addition to college.

Get off your high horse. I'm getting sick of people knocking on the English teachers here who are just doing their job and helping their students a) learn english and b) learn what it's like to meet a frickin foreigner.

Lord knows there are ton of crap AETs out there, but so the hell what? There's a lot of crap everyones out there.

Oh, and until recently it wasn't a requirement in many major institutions to have a Masters before teaching at the college level. Although that's changed with the influx of native speakers, I still know a number of college professors who don't have a masters, only a teachering degree.

[/rant off]

Wow.. I can't believe I'm defending AETs... You must have caught me on a bad day.

[keatonatron]

Harisenbon wrote:
There's a lot of crap everyones out there.

PLEASE make this your signature!!

[paul_b]

keatonatron wrote:

Nibble wrote:
I didn't know Americans got to decide what is an acceptable British spelling for a particular word :p

I wasn't talking about the British. This is America, learn to speak like it!

Not until we move to http://www.thejapanesepage.co.us it isn't :p

[keatonatron]

.com is American, silly.

[Mike Cash]

Harisenbon wrote:

That would enable you to try for positions at actual institutes of higher learning instead of limiting you to the bogus-a$$ed English conversation mills

Someone's bitter.

No...someone is objective and pragmatic and can't be bothered to worry if he steps on a few toes.

I guess all those public schools that teach English and have ALTs are just crap-ass institutions too.

The sole difference being that they don't rob the students of their hard-earned cash.

Here's a hint: Even in college, the english classes are mostly bogus POS.

Either dispute my contention or affirm my contention. You look silly doing both in the same post.

Get off your high horse. I'm getting sick of people knocking on the English teachers here who are just doing their job and helping their students a) learn english and b) learn what it's like to meet a frickin foreigner.

They do very well on the latter and almost uniformly poorly on the former....although admittedly the system and the culture are predominantly responsible for the poor results.

Oh, and until recently it wasn't a requirement in many major institutions to have a Masters before teaching at the college level. Although that's changed with the influx of native speakers, I still know a number of college professors who don't have a masters, only a teachering degree.

[/rant off]

Wow.. I can't believe I'm defending AETs... You must have caught me on a bad day.

And I can't believe you think I attacked AETs. Where did you get that idea? Do you lump the public school positions in together with the Nova/Geos/Aeon crowd? I certainly don't.

My primary reason for pointing the OP toward the college level positions is that it is far more possible to have a long-term career in the English teaching field there. How many people do you know who have made careers out of teaching at the Big Three or their ilk? They don't want their foreign employees to hang around and try to make a career out of their positions.

[Mike Cash]

The Final wrote:

WacKostRacKo wrote:
If you want to teach in Japan Get a TEFL diploma (you can get them just about everywhere in English speaking countries and also even online), but you will also need a bachelors degree.

Teaching is great fun and really rewarding. But don't forget it is also really hard work (don't expect much free time!) Especially in Japan!

I don't want to teach at a university...

How long do you plan to remain in Japan teaching English?

[paul_b]

Mike Cash wrote:

Harisenbon wrote:
Someone's bitter.

No...someone is objective and pragmatic and can't be bothered to worry if he steps on a few toes.

I guess it's worth hanging around answering the occasional language question just the the odd times you get to stomp all over somebody's post.

[AJBryant]

To be fair, I've known several few ESL... er, Eikaiwa... sensei who were pretty good at the real nuts and bolts of English grammar. By and large, however, the great majority of them would be lucky to spot a subject and identify a predicate, let alone explain things like gerunds, past participles, subordinate clauses, and so on. Proper use of the perfective? Forget it. People who say "Whenever I had went to blahblahblah" when they mean "WHEN I had GONE to blahblahblah" have no business teaching anyone English -- but I saw it all the frikkin' time.

The trouble is, very few schools in the States really seem to give a damn about teaching grammar anymore, and that's a damned shame.

Tony