My applications for both JET and ECC have been denied. I went to the in-person hiring event for ECC in LA and the only feedback I got was that I wasn’t outgoing and friendly enough (aka genki). I really tried my hardest to be enthusiastic, but I guess it seemed too forced.
I know I am decent at teaching since I’ve had really good results teaching English online (helped a Korean student of mine finally get the job she wanted in the US after failing with other teachers, for example) and have a year and a half of experience along with my BA. I’ve been applying at other places and it seems like, aside from Gaba (I also applied there), they all have this friendly, high energy, outgoing focus for applicants. I’m guessing it’s because they all focus on teaching kids.
I don’t mind teaching kids at all, but I am worried that my natural personality (reserved, introvert) will prevent me from landing a job. I’m very confident, well-spoken, and professional, but I’m not naturally a friendly, bubbly person. I’m really wondering if I’m wasting my time, even though I’m otherwise qualified.
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Where else did you apply to? Lot of options out there.
Adult and business English oriented places might be more your style then. Keep an eye out for those kind of postings as well.
When I was in japan I seen alot of people struggle in japan because you often have to be the goofy foreigner and take part in work events but they just wanted to teach kids and be in japan.
As an introvert myself, my best advice is that you start working on a mask for yourself. Just because you’re introverted doesn’t mean you can’t fake it until you make it. When it comes to getting a job, they’re not hiring you for you- they want a specific type of person. One you clearly understand what they’re looking for. So my advice is really stop trying to sell yourself and adapt to what they want if teaching in Japan is really what you want to do.
Watch a lot of videos of people teaching children. Analyze their behavior and prepare to adapt it.
Do you have your teaching certificate for the state / country you live in? Because you could get some experience where you currently are first and then apply to teach at an international school.
If you don’t have teaching credentials, working as an ALT / Eikaiwa teacher is 100% a waste of time now. The high salaries that used to exist are not there anymore, the working conditions are incredibly poor, and the market is oversaturated with teachers and small schools. Also, with the Japanese economy stalling, people are cutting out luxuries like English lessons. Do not come here to be an ALT or an Eikaiwa teacher.
Teaching is an act. Learn to act, not “force” it.
Remember, teaching in eikaiwa isn’t teaching per se – it’s entertaining, which means they would turn down a legitimately qualified teacher for someone putting on a clown nose and dancing around. Sort of a joke, but also not a joke, if you get my meaning.
Someone mentioned business English teaching – those contracts are all independent contractor gigs, (in Japanese, gyomu itaku) which means you won’t be able to get a visa. None are full time, and it’s very dodgy all around.
Gaba is probably your best bet; or Nova, as they basically will hire anyone. But honestly, re-think it – do you really want to subject yourself to this bullshit? It’s not real teaching, it doesn’t go anywhere career-wise, and you won’t learn any skills that you can apply if you want to get a real teaching job. It’s a job for people who just want to play around in Japan for a year or so and then get into an entirely different industry once they leave. If that’s you, great; if not, if you want to be an educator, consider another context.
Unfortunately, many teaching gigs are ran by extroverts who expect you to be an extrovert too. It doesn’t cross their mind that an introverted person might actually be a good teacher because they have only ever hired other extroverts before, and they see you as an anomaly. It sucks, but we can’t escape it. As others have said, it’s important to develop a sort of teaching persona. It doesn’t have to be fake, but you will certainly be acting a little. The problem here is that you have to actually get a job first to develop this persona. Just keep trying, be honest, and hopefully someone will hire you for who you are and for your skills and not for something as superficial as an extroverted personality.
There are so many people desperately trying to come to Japan rn. Its a buyers market for English teaching companies. You are just picking the wrong time to apply. In a few years when the rush is over you will probably be able to work for these places no problem.
100 years ago, 1997, I was rejected after an interview in Tokyo because I’m left-handed. Things have changed a lot since then, but I remember how surprising it was.
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Though I was born in the United States, my mien borders on the forbidding. I just let people think I’m British, and they don’t seem to expect me to be demonstrative.
As my manager said once: you can teach someone how to be a teacher, but you can’t teach someone charisma.
Teaching isn’t for everyone, especially when it comes to teaching children and teaching in person is NOT the same as teaching online. You need to be energetic, otherwise they kids will think you’re boring. I’m a naturally quiet and reserved person, but you can’t be like that with the kids.
How about something other than teaching?
I was going to say that I am not super genki, but I got a job with a big dispatch company some years ago and now have a very cushy position in a high school where I actually do work about 8 hours a week and spend the other 32 hours I’m there on personal projects. I *do* have other things that made me a fit for this specific job, though. (A science background, experience editing articles for publication for ESL speakers, *some* knowledge of English from a linguistics perspective, etc.)
Being an ALT or run of the mill eikaiwa worker in Japan is not teaching. It is an entertainment/customer service position. If you want to ACTUALLY teach English, you should get some qualifications and real experience beyond your B.A. There are real teaching jobs in Japan that don’t require you to be a genki clown, but they are not entry level jobs. Students, even kids, who want to study seriously to reach their goals do not want to be taught by someone who is acting overly genki and childish. They want to pass their exams and interviews. They value a more relaxed, professional, and knowledgeable teacher. But, you need to be a real teacher, and a B.A. and being a native speaker do not make you a teacher.
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Unfortunately a lot of the Japanese companies that recruit abroad really want kids teachers who are energetic and… yeah a bit cartoonish. Some people find teaching kids and letting go of inhibitions in that way personally satisfying, while others find it to be too strange. Its okay, but it may mean that the market is not wide open for you.
This is probably not the best advice but another way to break into teaching at language schools in Japan and in many other countries is to obtain a CELTA certificate. Oxfrod-Cambridge provide job search liaisons that open up adult language school opportunities for you in Japan but especially in Europe, South America, and other parts of Asia. I am currently finishing my CELTA and I am finding it satisfying. The only catch is that it is NOT cheap.
Keep your head up – it wasn’t a waste of time because you learned in the process. And we are all on different journeys, so don’t worry so much about the set career path at this point. The world is changing fast but the value of travelling to another culture will never be wholly diminished, in my opinion. The best general advice is to maintain inward awareness through meditation/reflection since that is where you will find true growth.
Sucks But yes, if Youre introvert and not Genki it’s a problem for most. I’m outgoing so I can’t really tell you what to do…. fake your genkiness I guess? Then when you do have a visa, try to find something else.
One thing I’ve learned working at Eikawas is that if the teacher is not Genki enough they’re gonna have a bad time. Management will be up their ass with retarded complaints. This is however my experience. It’s not everyone’s truth.
Just keep applying.
Dispatch companies often say I’m more GeNkI enough. Private eikaiwa have never seemed to care. They care more that I’m open and warm.
It still blows my mind that these “teaching” companies make people fly across the country on their own dime to interview for a job that’s basically minimum wage with 0 benefits.
Their catch phrase should be, “it’s minimum wage, long hours, and no benefits …. But in Japan !!”
Adult or child, eikaiwas and JET are looking for people who can make it fun to learn. So, yes, the entertainer is a factor.
Take a look at Genki English videos on YouTube. This man started as an early ALT and then created his own program which is quite popular worldwide for both children and adults, and is even used as the national curriculum in several countries. Look at his energy levels. I can’t reach anything near that level, but have an outgoing personality and laugh, and do well.
As others have said, fake it until you make it.
If you’re naturally low key, look more into business English schools or small private colleges.
I don’t know how GABA is now, but their previous incarnation (NOVA) was a nightmare. People went to work one morning to find every school in the country locked up, their wages a desert mirage, and the company president had fled the country.
If you’re happy to work for Eikawa, Shane )mostly in Tokyo are less stringent in terms of applicants.
You’re going to find it difficult to find fully adult orientated jobs from outside the country.
I worked for ECC a while back for about 5 years. Honestly it was a lot of fun but definitely a go nowhere job
You didn’t get denied from JET because of your genkiness, let me just straighten that part out. Either some portion of your application was incomplete or information was missing / not correct if it was rejected straight out, or the information was received late, like a letter of recommendation not received.
You don’t hear back from JET this early if you have a completed application. If you’ve already gotten a straight up no, then you either didn’t fill something out properly or don’t have all the prerequisites.
It’s buried down in the comments somewhere, so I’m going to suggest it in a stand-alone comment that you look into international teaching. The requirements are significantly higher than for an eikaiwa kyōshitsu or JET ALT position (I’ve done both) but the pay and opportunities are potentially greater. If you really find teaching rewarding you are more likely to find it fulfilling and there are opportunities all around the world. I’m no longer on that path, but a good friend has been doing it for 30 years and he is currently a teacher in Nunavut. That’s one example of a place where a caring and skilled teacher could do a lot of good.
Judging by some of op’s concerning comments, I am personally against them coming to Japan
We dont need that white saviour complex here yuck 🤮
For a longterm vagrant in their 30s with barely any employable credentials aside from speaking english to talk some lofty altruistic ideals about “nation building” “Solving societal problems” and “contributing to the success of the Japanese people” for a first world country that doesn’t need it is complete delusion and the kind of clown shit 🤡 you see in historical colonialist agenda.
Hi there,
Don’t beat yourself up. I applied to ECC many years ago and don’t get in even as a legit certified teacher. I ended up working as an ALT which was super shitty. I’m now working an an IB school and couldn’t be happier. Are you a certified teacher?
Edit: spelling
Try Berlitz
Don’t worry, sometimes things happen for a reason. I’m sure you’ll do a ok.