Questions to aussie Jap teachers

[nghiagero]

hey guys...

i know this isnt the forum to bring forward this kinda stuff (being dedicated to skylines n allz...) but since ive noticed that most of the guys who reside in japan at the moment are mostly all teachers, and i wanting to maybe go over there to teach, im hoping that you guys can shead some light in my direction... if it not too much to ask..

newaiz, ive been doing some reasearch on teaching jobs in japan and nearly all of them require that you have a BA or BS (batchelor arts/science perhaps?) and that in order to get a working visa in japan u need to have a BA/BS?

are there any loop holes that can serve a guy like me? i love everyting japanese (though im vietnamese :werd: )im a uni drop out but ive done and still do private tutition lessons for high school kids. i dont hold a BA/BS in fact you could call me a bum.

lastly wats TEFL, i know thats its some certificate maybe Teaching English Second Language? n how wud i get one of these?

thanks for the help in advance guys

[DaiOni]

TEFL = Teach(ing) English as a Foreign Language.

In the Japanese market, having that, and not a tertiary degree, isn't going to open up your chances significantly (IMO).

The majority of jobs require a tertiary degree (from a university) - they're not picky about what type.

The bar has been getting lower and lower over the years - especially since certain visa requirements have been cut - which means it is now easier than ever to get a job without a degree. Unfortunately, pay scales have gone the same way. It's almost a sick joke - seeing companies advertising 'MA preferred' and then offering under 200,000 a month for full-time work! I hope there are few people that educated, who are that desperate.

However, not having a degree will cut your options drastically. Check some of the major corporations - NOVA, GEOS, AEON - (their websites aren't hard to find), as they might be your best bet. I think someone on here got in because they had done a certain number of years or credit points or something, at uni.

Some of the private/smaller operations may also consider you - but going down that avenue also increases your chances of getting screwed over. The corporate teaching world in japan can be a very nasty environment - and as a foreigner, you will be seen by many as a 'disposable' (/replaceable) employee.

Think very carefully about your options - as it's not all rainbows and flowers (as some recent threads have highlighted). Also, given the continually sliding japanese yen (vs oz) - your almost certainly better off, economically, to stay where you are.

[Laurence]

I had to have a degree to work at Nova...

BEng for me though... Lucky I snuck through as most engineering students can barely speak English.

[nghiagero]

are there any other options of being able to imerse into the japanese cuture and live there other than being an english teacher?

i wnna learn and experience as much as i could about the japanese culture as i can, but a short trip there wudnt seem to hack it for me, and i simply dont have the money to sustain me on a 6 month trip.

i want to continue to do uni coz my experience with the unis ive gone too are a joke. they're more like big corporate fat cats (which i think they are) who are more intrested in you money than ur education. cud i get in with a diploma?

am i screwed without a BA?

[Cefiro_PWA]

are there any other options of being able to imerse into the japanese cuture and live there other than being an english teacher?

i wnna learn and experience as much as i could about the japanese culture as i can, but a short trip there wudnt seem to hack it for me, and i simply dont have the money to sustain me on a 6 month trip.

  i want to continue to do uni coz my experience with the unis ive gone too are a joke. they're more like big corporate fat cats (which i think they are) who are more intrested in you money than ur education. cud i get in with a diploma?

am i screwed without a BA?

sell your car and bet it at the casino

if you win, then just go to japan, buy a house and relax :Pimp2:

[nghiagero]

sell your car and bet it at the casino 

if you win, then just go to japan, buy a house and relax  :Pimp2:

hrrmz even if i went double or nothing at crown id still only have abt 24k...

thats not even enuf to buy a house here lolz

you guys think i can get a teaching jobin japan with a Batchelors in engineering?

[DaiOni]

absolutely - as I said, the degree is irrelevant

[akeenan]

you dont need a degree... come over on a working holiday and if you look hard enough

teachenglishinjapan.com you can find a job easy...... all you need to do is get an apartment.... if you dont speak japanese or know anyone japanese apply for a job with nova ........ then when you get here work for them for a while then get a new job....

[Informer]

I might come down a bit harsh but there is a reason why we all had to earn our degrees before getting the good jobs.

First, it makes you seasoned as an academic. Companies look at perseverance, accomplishment and achievement throughout your HS and Uni years. If you are a high achiever, your chance of getting a job of responsibility would be far greater (way better than being told what to do and not get anywhere). Maturity comes a long way, a lot of companies can't deal with young, emotional, inexperienced people. Think customer service. You may have done some private tuition but have you really taught all kinds of people ? (ie. kids of all ages, noisey unbearable kids, slow students).

You haven't finished your degree, somewhere down the track its going to bite you and bite you hard. Its better to set the foundation first before setting onto the next step.

That's my advice for anyone trying to take the shortcut. There is no shortcut in life, you have to work for it.

[nghiagero]

cheers Informer

ive been giving hard thought abt this "BA" stuff and how it could affect the long run n yea, as pointed out in there and in other gaijin forums the need for a BA is quite highly emphasised and pushed.

i think i gottah take some time and think where im actually taking myself... probally back to uni first, get my degree then head off to japan.

[totoro]

well im not sure if this helps but here are my thoughts...

and this is coming from a japanese person who worked in japan last year...

though i grew up here in australia...

as DaiOni mentioned it is not as rosey as you think working in japan especially teaching english... i applied for jobs teaching english but decided not to do it and looking back at it i think i made the right decision because i am not a teacher...

naively thinking i was able to go on a contract to teach english for one year day after day would have been big mistake for me... though i didnt go that route i am sure i wouldnt have enjoyed it... what i am trying to say is teaching is not for everyone and though it is the easiest way to get to japan and get a job, this experience may not get you what you want out of japan... if you want a taste of teaching advertise in your local uni to teach voluntarily for example...

if you are serious about japanese culture go learn japanese and get to know your local japanese communities and their festivals.... unless you live in the desert im sure there is one near your city....

also im not sure which part of japanese culture you are referring to but there is a common misconception that japan is like in the anime or stories you hear... some parts of japan is indeed like in the anime and movies but other parts are just country towns and could end up being more boring for you (no drifting or drag racing)... if you like initial D or drifting then go to the big cities like tokyo/yokohama/chiba (kanto area) or osaka/kyoto/kobe (kansai area)....

last but not least living in a foreign country with no friends and family is tough... be prepared and do yourself a favour and learn some japanese... i see too many foreigners who claim to love the culture yet can not be bothered to even learn the language or put in effort.... i do have many friends who are working other than teaching english (and i do have many teaching english as well) so if you have the determination to learn japanese and follow the customs there then there will be opportunity for you there....

sorry this is kind of long winded but i see too many foreigners go to japan like its a long holiday to experience the girls, cars, etc and neglect a lot of important things like actual job responsibilities...

if you got any queries do mail me as i will be happy to help you out...

well good luck!

masahiro

[email protected]

[Informer]

Some good points there Masahiro, BTW are you Japanese (ok you are!!).

Anyway, it would definitely help your case if you can speak Japanese, but it would be even better if you were a good communicator and a great personality. That goes for any job at any place actually.

One time at an interview, there was an Aussie guy who not only had a speaking problem, but his elaboration of ideas was meek to say the least. You could tell he was not a talker. He was not far of from being your friendly plumber though (no offence to any plumbers here).

Working in Japan is no longer as attractive as it once was. Korea and China are two of the most culturally interesting places to go to in Asia.

Still, if you like Japanese culture and would want to marry a Japanese girl someday then by all means do all you can to get youself over here.

[lwells]

Something I've always wondered is, are there any other opportunities for non-Japanese speaking people in Japan besides teaching english?

Lucien.

[akeenan]

opportunities...

if you arent japanese you will never be excepted into this country as an equal ..... if you can or cant speak the language.... if you cant speak anything your making it harder on yourself..

you can get a job at a bar or something.... but those jobs are worse than english jobs and pay a lot less.

[lwells]

if you arent japanese you will never be excepted into this country as an equal ..... if you can or cant speak the language.... if you cant speak anything your making it harder on yourself..

I'm more than aware of that, but frankly that's not all that different from some other countries (but perhaps more formal).

So, we have english teaching or working in a bar..... nothing else?

LW.

[Rezz]

So, we have english teaching or working in a bar..... nothing else?

LW.

You could hand out flyers... LOL.

Seriously, theres **minimal** IT work around Osaka, but generally it's nothing more than a month or 2 month stints then onto the next job (provided there is one). In fact, if you can't speak/read fluent Japanese, you're pretty much screwed from the start. Theres one American dude here doing all the IT work for our English School and we've employed him for the last 3 months part-time... he can't really speak or read Japanese... but then again, we don't NEED him to. It'd be way different in any other workplace.

Eeeerm, modelling work? (no joke)... or being an extra for short film or TV commercials?

Like Andrew akeenan said, you can work anywhere if your Japanese skill is good enough, but that opens up the 'damned if you do' element where you're treated eeeerm... 'like a foreigner'... because you're not Japanese. No acceptance is bad in the workplace in a Japanese company just ask Evo_Lee

[lwells]

Interesting. I mean personally I don't think it would make a difference for me -- I'm currently doing my honours year for a B/A, and even if I didn't complete I would still graduate with a standard B/A -- just interested in the options.

Modelling work, eh?

Lucien.

[Rezz]

I guess it all boils down to: *not* teaching English is a gross misallocation of skills for a foreign Native English speaker in Japan ( lol), so all other avenues other than teaching English are in the 'good on you if you can' basket.

[someonestolecc]

I know this may not apply to many here as it hasn't been mentioned but if you have good english/japanese reading/writing (business level good) and some sort of business degree+experience there seems to be a fairly good market in the American company in Japan type thing.

I've been looking around and they pay a bundle and offer good conditions (relocation, shares, accommodation, $$ etc). I'll be considering this as I move from my 20's to my 30's (in about 10 years haha).

Then again that's ok if you're an executive type - not everyone's thing.

[totoro]

well there are millions of opportunities... but you need to earn it like everywhere...

i know 2 ppl personally (australians from perth) who did get jobs in japan (tokyo/osaka) other than teaching... but their japanese/english is perfect to say the least... even i feel ashamed sometime of their japanese/english knowledge... and yes i am japanese....

what i am trying to say is if you have skills and knowledge (other than conversational english/japanese) there are heaps of opportunities... and yes obviously in foreign companies (gaishi kei)... if you're an exec then there is opportunity as well....

most of you dont know this but Nissan in japan is run by a non japanese (spanish if im not wrong???).... that may be an extreme example but it shows anything is possible....

if you go half hearted you get half hearted results...

if you are serious about getting results in japan (tokyo) then do an exchange in a japanese university for example... or enroll in one as some of ppl i know have done...

getting a job in japan (tokyo) is just like anywhere in the world...

they will pick the best (ok they may be a little more biased to their own in japan but what country isnt!?) but they will give you a go... but expect to work like a dog and live the salaryman lifestyle i learned to hate....

put it this way if you are going for a job in New York or London or any english speaking big cities, the competition is real tough and you gotta be able to stand out from the rest...

there are plenty of japanese ppl speaking perfect english and there are vice versa....

i know personally there are many koreans in japan who can speak english, japanese and korean!

just to let you know what you are up against...

like rezz said its not all rosey and rainbow...

more like the survival of the fittest! in the business world

oops another long one....

but i hope this opened up eyes for ppl who wanna do more than teach english...

i got links you can go to, to look for japanese jobs... mail me if you are keen....

cheers

masahiro

[email protected]