I don’t currently live in Japan, but am very much interested in teaching in Japan. I am a native English speaker, have an undergraduate degree in English Literature (not TEOSL or Education) and have 7 years experience teaching English to a varying degree of English speaking levels, from grades 1-12. Including 3 years experience teaching experience in Eastern Europe, where I also conducted training seminars for teachers of English.
However, my biggest hurdle right now is that despite all this experience, I do not have any official certifications. I do want to go to grad school. Either to get my masters in TESOL…or I’m leaning more toward a degree in education policy or international policy with a focus on education. However, I would like more experience teaching abroad (specifically in Japan) before I financially invest in a graduate program.
So here is where the questions come in. I’ve searched and read about the benefits of a CELTA versus TEFL certificate. I currently work at an international office that offers the CELTA certification, but I am not sure that I can financially commit to taking 3+ weeks off work at this moment…and pay for an expensive program when I am going to eventually go to grad school. BUT I want to be able to teach high school/secondary school age children. Like I said, I have taught kids from all age groups and even currently teach elementary school aged kids and from my experience, I 100% prefer teaching older students. However, if I just got a TEFL certification over a CELTA certification, would that rule out any opportunities to teach an older age group?
My other option is to apply for the JET program and work as an ALT until I take the next step with graduate school, but I really enjoy lesson planning, developing materials, and teaching—which I am not sure I would get as an ALT?
9 comments
You can become an ALT here pretty easily, jet or another dispatch. How much you will given responsibility wise depends on the school. Some people are just tape records,, others basically run a full class while the Japanese teacher rubber stamps. You can also teach at after school academies.
To be a full on licensed teacher you need to either A go through the Japanese university system, find a job at a private high school, or find a prefecture which will hire you after three years experience working in Japanese schools (normally as an ALT). The last one requires pretty much business level Japanese.
CERTs seem to matter less here. I would only invest if you see a benefit career wise either knowledge or working in another country.
I initially joined the group thinking it was more of an international teachers in Japan kind of group. I quickly realized that it is more of a native speakers group of people who teach the language in public schools… or that’s my best assumption after reading posts for some time.
Anyways, regarding your question, and from my own experience. I’m not a native speaker, but I’m an IB certified teacher, also member of IBEN (I can lead workshops and evaluate schools), and I have a contract to start in August teaching secondary school in Tokyo. In my current school in Germany, I teach grades 6-12.
So, to find a job teaching secondary school, you could first find a job in a local IB school to aquire some experience, and a cool benefit of that is (almost always) attending IB certified workshops which are valid for any IB school you apply to.
Since you’re a native speaker, you would most definitely be considered for teaching Language acquisition or Language and literature at an IB school. If you get familiar with the system and discover the benefits, that opens the doors not only to Japan but basically to any part of the world given that there are vacancies, your documents are in order, etc.
Consider it as a short term investment; perhaps one or two years at the local school before you look for a school in Japan. While you’re there, you can also get other certifications and sign up on your own for IB courses since most IB schools consider these and practical experience very important (the last one can vary depending on urgency as it’s always possible to train newcomers).
Hope it’s helpful.
My recommendation would be to get the Master’s degree now. Many ALT or equivalent positions will neither add much to your on-paper appeal nor be enjoyable for you if you have experience as a conventional teacher. You’ll have a much better chance of becoming a teacher who can do what you probably consider proper teaching if you have a qualification most of your potential competition for jobs don’t. Also, knowing Japanese will help more than anything else.
You can get a tefl in like month, it’s not that hard and costs like 100-200 dollars.
Considering you don’t have a qualification, your teaching experience won’t be recognized by anybody. I used to work closely with a placement company for private schools, and we couldn’t accept candidates without either K-12 or TESOL qualifications because of the demands of the client schools.
Your best bet is the JET Program. There’s no guarantee you will be tasked with lesson planning or materials development. JET placements vary a lot – elementary ALTs can be super busy. Junior high you could be integrated into the staff or deskwarming. No telling until you get to your placement.
JET placed me in junior high schools and JTEs gave me a lot of teaching time and worked with me to create lesson materials. But I had a lot of free time which I put to use learning Japanese.
> I do want to go to grad school. Either to get my masters in TESOL…or I’m leaning more toward a degree in education policy or international policy with a focus on education.
If the former – It’s possible to do Cambridge CELTA, DELTA and Trinity CertTESOL or DipTESOL online.
You don’t need a qualification to work as an ALT, but the qualifications travel well and help develop your teaching practice. Also DELTA and DipTESOL are accepted as credit by some MA TESOL programs. DipTESOL requires 2 years of teaching experience with a previous qual but not required.
If the latter – a year on JET is going to look good on a CV.
If you really enjoy lesson planning, developing materials and teaching then don’t work as an ALT or in an eikawa (language school) in Japan because that isn’t really part of the job. You probably won’t enjoy it. However, if you don’t mind taking a step backwards in terms of professional development and enjoy Japan for a bit then ALT and eikawa are the easiest jobs to get into.
That’s not to say there aren’t good teaching jobs in Japan but it really helps to be in the country first.
Unfortunately, here in Japan there is no difference between a BA English literature or BA interior decorating for most English teaching jobs.
Your experience will be valued, so you might get a job over somebody with the same degree with no experience, but it won’t get you beyond the ALT level.
To break into the next level of teaching, i.e. university level you will need a Masters degree. This is nonnegotiable because it’s a legal requirement.
I’d recommend getting the Masters in your home country as it may be cheaper than doing it from Japan, plus you might be able to do it in less time too. Good luck!
Are you breathing? Have a pulse? You may be overqualified.
_English_ teaching in Japan has the following avenues. Let’s see how you fare for each.
1. ALT
Have a degree? You qualify.
>but I really enjoy lesson planning, developing materials and teaching – which I am not sure I would get as an ALT
You’re 95% likely right with this, unless you have either a very lazy or very generous JTE.
2. JET
See above re: qualifications and experience.
3. Eikawa
Same qualification requirements as 1 & 2. However you will be doing more “teaching”. But the caveat is that you’re highly restricted in materials, curriculum and delivery format.
4. Local private/public
You’ll need fluent (N2++) Japanese _and_ a Japanese teaching licence.
You’ll be the lead teacher, and expected to run classes in Japanese, with admin and all that in Japanese too.
5. International schools
You need a _teaching licence_, and some professional experience as lead teacher.
You’ll teach in whatever language the curriculum/school is, and be the lead teacher.
6. University
You’ll need a MA and some publications, as well as fluent Japanese.
You’ll be the lead teacher, with expectations of ongoing research and publication while you work.
TL;DR from what you’ve stated, you are restricted to options 1 – 3 due to lack of a teaching licence. According to your ‘preferences’ none of these roles will suit you, in which case you then have to decide to either (a) take it anyway if you are desperate to “teach in Japan” or (b) delay Japan and get properly licenced and certified first.