Greetings.
I am a MA student in Tokyo who is hoping to stay in Japan for another couple of years post-graduation.
It’s well-known that non-natives generally have a hard(er) time securing ESL teaching positions. However, the general consensus seems to be that this is easier to pull off if you’re already in the country (for logical reasons).
People in the country seem to be in a favorable position right now due to the entry ban and all that comes with it, but I’m wondering what you think the situation is going to be like once the borders open.
I’ll be graduating in a year (I believe things will, more or less, go back to normal by then), meaning that I’ll only be able to start working (full-time) afterwards.
What I’m most worried about is the large backlog of teachers waiting to enter since 2020.
How much do you think this will affect the chances for people already in Japan? Do you think it will be pretty much impossible to land a job at the companies that never stopped overseas recruitment (like Peppy and Gaba that generally seem to be more accepting of non-native teachers)? On the other hand, is it reasonable to assume that the situation won’t be as bad at companies that stopped overseas recruitment (hence, no backlog) during the pandemic? Or would my chances be the best with companies that only hire domestically in the first place?
Also, I am more interested in the situation with Eikaiwa jobs as I don’t meet the Visa requirement for an Instructor visa (12 years of schooling in English), so I’m not even considering ALTing.
As for the things that I hope would give me a decent chance at an eikaiwa:
– My MA degree is fully conducted in English (I’ve heard that there are eikaiwa willing to give you a chance if your BA or higher is taught (at least for the most part) in English), so I think it might help a bit. Also, while it’s not a TESOL degree per se, it’s related to linguistics and there are quite a few TESOL type of courses amongst the offered ones.
– I’ve also been working at the local eikaiwa, so I have some experience teaching in Japan and my employer is willing to write me a strong recommendation letter, so I’m hoping that this might help a bit as well.
– I believe I’m a native-level (or near-native, at least) speaker with a neutral accent (in fact, I’ve been mistaken for an American before), so I believe that my English ability shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Also, I’m planning to try out the traditional job hunting as a new graduate (I have N2, so I think I might have a chance to get something). It’s just that I’m leaning towards teaching mainly because I really enjoy my current job and it’s what I would genuinely like to do the most at the moment, as bizzare as it might seem to some. (Given the general stance on eikaiwa jobs)
Sorry for the wall of text, I wasn’t sure whether to keep it more general or include info on my personal circumstances as well. While it’s still too early for me to apply anywhere, I thought it might be wise to get as much information as possible early, so I ended up doing the latter. Any comments/opinions/advice would be very appreciated.
Edit: Typos and mistakes fixed (I didn’t have time for proofreading)
3 comments
What’s your MA in?
If you have N2 Japanese and have a degree from a university in Tokyo then I would really suggest getting any other job other than eikaiwa.
Not trying to shit on the ESL industry out here but the prospects for anyone within that industry are pretty poor generally unless you make trainer in a big corporate eikaiwa or get lucky and land a job at a private school somewhere.
However, if you are looking at eikaiwa and you are good with kids then you could try Amity. Pay there isn’t bad since it starts at 275k with it capping out at 355k after five years and they subsidise your apartment generally so that you will pay a max of 40k I believe. I know for a fact that they are hiring Filipinos so being a native speaker from the US or whatever isn’t required.
The major caveat with Amity is that each school is very different which depending on the manager. Some schools are great (like mine was) and others have caused their Japanese staff to commit suicide (like Kanazawa). Also, they do expect you to push sales onto parents which is one of the main reasons I ended up quitting and getting a job elsewhere. Still, it is an option with fairly decent pay compared to the rest of the industry.
I’ll tell you right now that no eikaiwa or ALT dispatch company will hire you with an MA in linguistics. They don’t want competent teachers. Competent teachers would see through their BS approaches and upset the apple cart.
You need to apply at Westgate, ECC, or Berlitz, who all hire on a part-time basis to dispatch teachers to high schools and universities. That would give you the teaching experience you need to later apply for direct-hire positions.
You’ll have to suffer the cheap salaries and unstable schedules of dispatch for a few years, I’m afraid. It’s unfair, but there are more MA holders than there are university positions, and the MA holders who already have uni teaching experience have the advantage.