I’m an American with an MS in Bioinformatics considering applying this Fall.
I noticed the application optionally allows you to submit a US teaching certification. Is this something I should make a genuine effort to get before applying or is it not a big deal? I taught undergrads (STEM topics) as a grad student but I never got any formal certification.
6 comments
I’m not certified and I’m shortlisted for this fall.
Consider JET a lotto. You’ll feel better when the results come.
> I noticed the application optionally allows you to submit a US teaching certification. Is this something I should make a genuine effort to get before applying or is it not a big deal? I taught undergrads (STEM topics) as a grad student but I never got any formal certification.
I wouldn’t go out of your way to get one if you don’t already because you won’t need in Japan. That said if you’ve already got it (or are in the process of getting it) then do it.
While I’m Australian, one thing to note is that my teaching license expired (and was a cow to get back) while I was in Japan as I had to pay a yearly fee to keep it and had to be teaching in my (Australian) state while doing professional development activities in order to keep it. They didn’t recognise any of my time in Japan as meaningful time spent ‘teaching’ so I had to send them a sob story saying ‘please give me extra time’. After that (and various layers of red tape) I taught in prisons and tech colleges instead as they had different accreditation schemes that were less red-tapey (they also paid a lot more).
US accreditation systems are clearly gonna be different though.
A certification would be a bonus, but it’s far from a requirement. If you plan on teaching in Japan for life and want to move onto private school, direct hire, or other higher paying positions than yes, a certain can help. For just low tier ALT jobs like JET or another dispatch, don’t waste your money and time.
No, don’t unless you see yourself doing it longer than a year in japan…then it will be good to get a tefl since it’ll open more options but for now, you don’t need it. It’s not necessary to get accepted, present yourself well on paper and then in the interview, and that will get you in. You’re only going to be an assistant, not head English teacher of your school.
I sounds like you have credentials (Masters) and some experience, so you seem to be in a good spot to apply. I suspect your motivations for applying and the way you present yourself through the personal statement and interview will carry more weight.
Out of curiosity, have you begun to look at the process of getting a teacher certificate. It varies state-by-state, which can make it a bit frustrating, but generally most states will require completion of a teacher preparation program and passing 1-2 certification exams. Usually the teacher preparation programs are in the form of a BA or MA in Education, although there are a few online programs or programs offer by community colleges and such. Then, depending on the state and certificate you’re after, there’s usually a practical knowledge exam (which is fairly straightforward common sense so not too bad) and possibly a subject knowledge exam (usually a masters could exempt this though).
Recently, due to teacher shortage, more and more “alternative pathways” to certification are emerging, but most will require to be concurrently done while teaching.
A lot of my knowledge comes from being certified in my state over five years ago – I did a BA in education – so some of it may be out dated or not apply to other states.