**EDIT: Thanks for your thoughts. I did forget to mention i have degrees, so qualification wise thats not a problem. I think a part of me knows I can’t, I’m just…bad at letting go.**
So I’ll try to keep this part short – due to Life, i wasn’t able to try ESL until my early 30s. back in 2019, I taught at a private kindergarten as an ESL teacher in Japan, and i really enjoyed it. Biggest problems were the insanely abusive boss, the apartment riddled with black moss that made me incredibly ill, the boss stealing money from my pay to ‘pay back’ the key money (not in the contract) and the ‘extra hours’ i had to put in that were not compensated (in spite of contract saying they would be). Unfortunately 3 months in, my health failed to the point were i had to return to Australia.
I am now in my mid 30s, and have learned to care for my chronic illnesses. I tried applying for JET last year, and even got to the interview, but was rejected. I think a combination of my age, my health and the fact the kindy i taught at wasn’t the normal ‘school type’ put them off.
As long as i can sit or stand when I choose, there’s no reason i shouldnt be able to return to this work. And I realise with the world reopening, everyones going to be looking for the fresh faced uni graduates over someone with an extra decade on them, and competition is harsh.
Is there any reason to believe that an alternate company might give me a chance? I know there’s a lot of dodgy companies out there, and ESID, but are there any older ALTs, or heck any ALTs, can stoke my lingering hope that i could go back.? or should i just put this to bed as another failed dream?
15 comments
Unless you have higher qualifications, why would you want to? The pay is crap and the competition is fierce for these entry level jobs. Not sure what your end goal is here.
You need to think carefully. Considering that you are a bit older than they are generally looking for in ALTs, and you have no experience or qualifications, the only positions open to you will be the ones similar to the one that ruined your health. That is, black companies.
You MIGHT be able to apply at larger eikaiwa like Gaba or Aeon, which are big enough that they (mostly) follow labor law. But you should remember that the pay will barely support you, and Aeon makes you teach something like 8 lessons a day.
If I were you, I’d get a tourist visa and just come to relax and have fun. 🙂
Do you have options? Yes, but as others have said, not as many options as someone who is healthy and young.
I’d just add that the *EFL* profession is filled with countless people who say, “I love the teaching, but hate _______.”–basically everything else. There’s always a reason they’re struggling other than probably the most obvious one: teaching in Japan just isn’t for them. People who want to make a go of any career will find a way to make it work. People who are serious about teaching in Japan will adapt and learn how to work around the BS they experience.
I’m really not trying to rain on your dreams, but to say this as a warning: there is no guarantee that if you got a job here that anything would be different from the first time around. I’m sorry you had health problems, but the fact that you quit after 3 months is a serious red flag and the fact that you used this as an excuse to quit and return to Australia makes me think that you aren’t serious about teaching in Japan. People have health problems and they still go to work. Please think carefully about what you want to do.
If you’re unable to stand for long periods of time, teaching is not the profession you should be looking at (especially ESL teaching). Your age isn’t necessarily a factor
Japan’s not a good choice for the unqualified. All you get is dispatch ALT or eikaiwa work. The jobs are poorly paid and many dispatch situations are fraught with labor problems.
Never mind teaching, think about getting around on foot or commuting on trains.
I’ve seen people in your position come here and get jobs. Also people with chronic health conditions. Good luck OP
I know plenty of people who started doing ALT work in their mid 30s with limited qualifications.
I think your health would be the bigger problem. Many of these positions require you to commute long distances on foot or bicycle. Do you really want to out yourself through that? From the perspective of ALT dispatch companies, not being able to keep standing for the entire class period would make you pretty unappealing too.
Considering you have experience I wouldn’t be surprised if Interac got you an interview real quick. A big issue might be the number of applicants still waiting for their placement but it’s worth a shot. Pay will be crap per usual though
What did you like about teaching in a kindergarten? The kids or the subject? Because considering how poorly these places pay and your own experience, those are the only two things about the job that can possibly be good.
So you need to answer, if you liked the job because:
1) you like teaching kids/ working with people
2) you like teaching ESL
3) you like Japan
If it’s either 1 or 2, then the much better route for you to take is to get the necessary qualifications in Oz and pursue teaching there. Regarding your health, whatever the employers will think, at the very least you won’t be communicating in your second language.
If it’s 3, then you really don’t want to return to working there. Return as a tourist.
> Is there any reason to believe that an alternate company might give me a chance? I know there’s a lot of dodgy companies out there, and ESID, but are there any older ALTs, or heck any ALTs, can stoke my lingering hope that i could go back.? or should i just put this to bed as another failed dream?
Aussie here… sorry to hear about your intro to it all mate. My general thoughts are:
– JET’s competitive and COVID’s compounded it all. It’s the best option but don’t be disheartened if you don’t get a spot.
– I’m sure you can find a bog standard company that will take you in. Previously I worked for Nova while finding my feet and TBH I reckon places like it cop a lot of unfair shit. It’s not perfect but it gave me a job, got me a group apartment, sponsored my visa and taught me how to do a lesson that most Japanese people are gonna be relatively happy with. No ‘English teaching’ job is a ‘career’… they’re ‘gap year’ style jobs. IMO so long as you gear your expectations towards that, you should be sweet.
– Dunno about your health condition so can’t comment much there. However if I’m gonna be frank, living/working in Japan pushes people out of their comfort zone (and you’ll see this from a lot of posts on here… people’s bodies/minds start to fail them after a while). Some ALT jobs are an absolute bludge (so long as you don’t fight with your lead teacher & expect lotsa input/respect/autonomy…etc). However, I don’t think ‘teaching in Japan’ provides people with what I’d call a progressive/inclusive/accessible environment. There’s a lot of ‘when in Rome’ situations and most places won’t give a shit about your personal needs.
– If it’s your dream then I wouldn’t dump it. Maybe just sort out your non-negotiables early on, speak with your doctor about mitigating possible risks and set (for example) a 6 month time limit to start with so that you can escape if it goes to shit without feeling like it ‘failed’. Not sure what financial support you have but (for example) maybe working part-time is another way to mitigate risks to your health if need be? (If you can afford it).
>my health failed to the point were i had to return to Australia.
I’ll be blunt with you. I would advise anyone with serious and or chronic health (including mental health) conditions against moving to Japan.
Is your Japanese up to the level where you can accurately explain whatever your health problems are to a doctor or nurse in Japanese?
Is whatever medication you’re taking or may need to take readily available?
Would your health conditions prevent you from completing your job duties *and can you convince a potential employer of that?*
>failed dream?
There’s absolutely no shame in playing the cards that life has dealt you.
I think pretty much all the responses you’ve gotten here are pretty on point.
Your most obvious option is commercial Eikaiwa (e.g., AEON, etc.). And as others have said, the main concern wouldn’t be your age, but general fitness.
>As long as i can sit or stand when I choose, there’s no reason i shouldnt be able to return to this work.
This wouldn’t necessarily write you off, but it may limit a lot of the standard options (e.g., kids).
That said, I worked with teachers with limited mobility. One has a chronic knee which can limits how far we can ask her to walk and she’ll need the occasional chair. I also worked with a fella whose disability severely affected his gait. Basically, it’s not impossible so there’s no harm in trying. Let’em tell you no.
Still it’s worth crapping on the rainbow a little bit. Commercial Eikaiwa is a grind, and the pay stinks. You’re signing up for a working holiday minus the holiday, especially now.
NOVA hire all ages and really aren’t as bad as everyone says. No mould in my apartment or key money
I applied for JET in 2021 as a 29 year old. I also have health issues and even mental health (anxiety and panic attacks which have been categorized as a phobia). I got the interview and was placed as an Alternate! So I don’t think age or health was the issue. Some people just don’t do well in the interviews but as long as you remember to answer in certain ways, you’ll get through! I’m debating if I want to apply again this year or not. Due to Covid I never got a placement. At the moment I’m applying for as many jobs as I qualify for on my own. I’d say not to give up.
Maybe what you honestly need help with first, and im not saying this to be a dick, is Oversharing
If what you shared here is even half of what you said in the interview, I would never hire you. It comes off as youre going to be a high maintenance hire that will miss a lot of days unexpectedly
Lock in the job you want and when you get sick dont mention your past, let them see it as a novel new challenge. Or you’ll never get hired here