ESL jobs for non-native English teacher?

4 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **ESL jobs for non-native English teacher?**

   So I’ve been thinking of teaching English in Japan for ages but can’t be sure if it’s a possibility. I have a CELTA, a BA in English translation and a C2 PTE academic score (not sure if any of these matters for a Turkish guy.) I’ve applied to 100 ads with no luck. Is it even possible? Should I travel to Japan and try my luck in person? I’d appreciate it if anyone got any info. Thanks in advance.

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2. Is it impossible? No, I can say that for my kids entire lives to this point their favourite (and mine) English teachers have not been native speakers. But the kids don’t attend the sorts of big chain schools that can afford to advertise internationally.

   That being said, the non-native teachers are a tiny minority and seem to have found success because they are excellent teachers with tons of education and experience in early childhood education. They’re not getting hired just because they speak the language.

   So what have you got when compared to Johnny Yank or Bruce from down under?

3. Thanks for the info, yes I guess it’s difficult but not impossible. 😊

4. >Is it even possible?

   Possible? Yes.

   ***Extraordinarily*** difficult? Also yes.

   In order to get a visa as an ALT (English teacher in the public schools) you are required to show that you studied in English for 12 years. That’s not “I took English classes for 12 years”, that’s “Literally *all* of my classes were taught in English”. Because of that requirement, most non-native speakers end up in Eikaiwas (private language academies). It’s a different visa that doesn’t have the education requirement.

   But there’s a whole other set of challenges when looking at eikaiwas. There’s a lot of bias in the industry, and a non-native speaker needs to have some *very* impressive qualifications to even get their foot in the door. Most eikaiwas would rather hire a mediocre native speaker than a highly qualified non-native, because they’re selling an *experience*, not an education. Their customers want to speak with a native, preferably one who fits the stereotypes of “western”.

   >Should I travel to Japan and try my luck in person?

   No, because that *will not help*.

   First off: You cannot switch from a tourist visa to a working visa while in Japan. So you’d be spending a lot of money just to be required to spend *more* money flying home to process your visa.

   Second: When job ads say “Must be in Japan” they mean you must be *resident* in Japan. AKA: You need a valid working visa already.