Hi!
I am currently 18 (turning 19 in Dec) and trying to decide what route to take. I did an early college program, so I already have my associates degree and and am also currently volunteering for the TESL program in my college. I am hoping to teach English in Japan some day, or possibly something similar. my question is, im kind of lost on what direction to choose and would love some advice from people with experience moving to Japan for school. One route I was considering was to try and get my bachelors in Japan on a student visa to get a bachelors in Japanese language, and have my main study be learning Japanese since most school systems (where I would teach) for foreign teachers already have a curriculum and training. that way I can have the education to talk to coworkers and friends to help make connections and network, while gaining teaching experience first hand. ive researched but its seemingly difficult to find the answer to this question specifically; is there an English program at Japanese universities for foreign students to get a degree in Japanese? one other thing is, I never took the SATs in highschool, and I know a lot of Japanese uni’s require that. but if I got my bachelors, then I would be qualified to teach English because I could qualify for a work visa. the other route would be to get my degree here in the US, but I just feel like the learning would be so much more efficient in Japan where I could practice constantly and make friends. If any of this is possible, id still need about a year or so to save up, as I only have about 3k in savings for travel. and thats not even considering applying to schools. But yea, I would really appreciate anyone’s advice or just any information in general. thank you so much!
4 comments
If you want to become a teacher, you’d probably do much better to get a degree in education than a degree in Japanese. That’s the only qualification they would likely ever really care about. *Anyone* can teach English in Japan with *any* bachelor’s degree (although it’s harder for people coming from a non-native English speaking country – not a problem for you). You don’t have to study a degree in Japanese to learn Japanese, you can take classes and do self-study alongside any other degree program you do in the US.
If you want to teach English in Japan, then the colleagues and contacts you would be networking with would presumably also speak English, so the utility of dedicating a degree to Japanese is probably limited.
> is there an English program at Japanese universities for foreign students to get a degree in Japanese?
I seriously doubt it. Are there degree programs in America for learning English?
Why don’t you go to language school in Japan? If you end up liking living in Japan, you can transfer to a university and get a degree there in well… anything that interests you as a future career. You could even get a degree in education focused on English education.
When discussing “teaching English” there are two very different fields.
Most people who “teach English” get jobs as ALTs (Assistant to the Language Teacher) or work in Eikaiwa (private conversation schools). These are generally low paying, short contracts (you would change employers every 4 years or so), and no real room for advancement. It’s a fine choice for a year or two, but not great for a long term career.
The better option, if you want to actually be a teacher, is to go for one of the rarer teaching positions at international schools. These will usually require that you hold a teaching license in your home country and have 3 to 5 years of classroom experience in your home country. They typically do not count Eikaiwa or ALT jobs as relevant experience. You’d also want to aim for a Master’s of Education if you want a shot at working for one of the better international schools.
Dude, I am you, but ten years in the future. I got my undergrad degree in linguistics with the goal of a TESOL career, and I’m now pursuing my masters in teaching.
So please listen: if you want to teach, get certified in an actual subject, potentially in addition to ESOL. (I’m doing earth science and physics.) An international ESOL career looked very viable in 2012, 2014. That is no longer the case. But if you can teach a STEM subject + English, you can take those credentials wherever in the world you want.
It was expensive and time-consuming for me to change gears to earth science after I’d graduated. It was painful to realize that my plan, which again, looked good in 2014, wasn’t really workable by 2018 in light of the exponential rate of globalization. Go to university. Study for a year in Japan. Get actual credentials. In Japan, paperwork supersedes almost every other factor. You will be constantly fighting immigration if you don’t have your paperwork in order, and you’ll be fighting for jobs with people that do.
I know it feels like you want everything to happen right now, but you’re not going to be the same person in four years that you are right now. Make sure the person you’re going to be has options. Good luck!