Pretty much title.
But to put in some more detail/context, many nice schools want you to have a teaching certificate in your home country, but with the U.S. as far as I know, you have to do student teaching hours on a U.S. curriculum, so it’d be really tough on me and anyone else already living in Japan monetarily to move back to the U.S. and do that for a while only to move back to Japan again.
I’ve been teaching here for 5 years (between eikaiwas and an ALT job) and I like to think I’m decently good at it, but I have no idea how I can reasonably get certifications that would help my career without breaking the bank. Any help/advice is appreciated <3
P.S. I was told in an earlier post that without a teaching license an IB certification is pretty useless. Is this everyone’s experience? I’m just hoping it isn’t because IB certification is actually not that expensive. If IB is useless without a teaching license, then anyone know of any online and affordable master’s programs for English/ESL?
12 comments
You can get a license here with Moreland, your employer just has to let you video
It’s a bit controversial, but at Liberty University, you can do their teaching program all online. Also, you can do the praxis, the content test, and student teaching from Japan. When practicum comes around, you don’t need to be recorded – a licensed teacher with at least three years of experience can be your mentor, and they can submit your observation documents (through live text) to the university.
Once you finish the requirements, you will be licensed in Virginia and have obtained a new MAT.
They accept PLUS loans and STAFFORD loans, which makes it convenient for those who can’t put down a large sum of money for a teaching program.
Even if you choose to attend Moreland online or any other online university that allows student teaching recordings, it will be challenging to find an accredited international school that will permit you to student-teach. From my experience,many international schools have no interest because it involves more work for them, and they are not obligated to take on student teachers like public schools back home.
Your options depend on where you are located and what path you want to take.
I’ve mostly worked in private high schools. Some dispatch/introduction companies that recruit for private schools prefer candidates that have TESOL qualifications (CELTA or equivalent or higher), familiarity with the academic environment, and Japanese language proficiency. Duties could be teaching English/English Communication/ English Expression, HR, committees, club management, etc.
Salaries vary – 3.6 to 4 million a year. One of the big plusses is enrollment in PMAC – 私学共済 which is similar to the benefits government workers get.
If your Japanese is pretty good, you might consider going all-in with some of the programs afforded by Hiroshima, Okayama, Gunma, Osaka, Ibaraki, and Saitama, where I’m employed. There are a few options to getting assessed on your experience and applying for the Japanese teaching license and exams.
I’d look into Moreland as you’re from the US, or I’d just bite the bullet and go home to become certified for a bit.
Teacher Ready also has one, but you have to do the exams in America.
Okayama prefecture has a program where they allow you to apply for a English specialist teaching certificate as long as English is your first language and you have 3 years teaching experience in Japanese public schools.
https://www.pref.okayama.jp/uploaded/life/722082_6549965_misc.pdf
Dunno about the USA but in Australia you need an education degree and professional registration with your state/territory. The latter (for new teachers) requires a degree that specifically aligns with their syllabus, observed teaching reports (again, measured on your ability to teach the local syllabus) and an application/interview. Existing teachers can often apply to have their experience recognised, but they’d need to already have an unrestricted license in a comparable state/country.
Again the USA might be different but that’s my 10c as an ex teacher. IMO those who wanna be teachers should go home and get some ‘real’ experience. Being an ALT isn’t a shortcut for those who lack the commitment to train as a teacher in the west (which is usually heavily subsidised/incentivised and fast-tracked due to shortages).
Not one of those degrees I’d wanna do without lotsa hands-on practice in the west. I say this as somebody who came to Japan while ‘deciding what to do next’ after getting jack of being bashed / intimidated by spoiled Aussie kids… most of whom had ‘sophisticated’ little drug/welfare issues that I spent 99% of my time trying to care about (only to get shat on, often by kids for whom I was their one special teacher who they looooved). Call me a cynic but IMO other professions are better suited to the end goal of finding a new career path without leaving Japan.
It’s depends on the state. Most have “alternative” programs that don’t require student teaching. You do have to take the praxis/teaching tests for that state and pass before entering, however. There are also states where you have to send in transcripts to see if you’re eligible to teach what you say you want to get licensed in.
I wasnt an education major and have a teaching degree in two states through alternative routes. I did get them in the US, however.
I’d look into the alternative route on the ministry of education website where you got your Bachelors and go from there. Might take a little research, but there should be something.
Choices are Moreland which someone said below or take the Massachusetts’s temp. teaching license which is an odd loophole but something you can add to you resume. Though according to most I talked too this trick really only works for pretty low tier international schools and the moreland one is more legit.
Here is the info on the massachusetts thing.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/TEFL/comments/ajyhra/i_earned_my_us_teaching_license_for_350_while/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TEFL/comments/ajyhra/i_earned_my_us_teaching_license_for_350_while/)
Also if you are teaching at a traditional Japanese school Honestly I am not sure how much it helps. I see so many license experienced teachers in ALT and Eikaiwa gigs. I am sure it does not hurt. If you are gunning for international schools it seems you kinda gotta work your way up through that circuit.
You can see if TeacherReady is right for you. That’s what I used to get mine.
You can get a Florida teaching license from anywhere