I’ve been working in Japan at an Eikaiwa that has some very questionable practices. I’d like to continue living in Japan, but there’s no way I can continue at my current company.
I don’t know if I should switch to another Eikaiwa/ALT job, or head home and get some more credentials.
I’m looking for advice from people who have been in a similar situation.
If you went back to your country, what credentials did you get and what kind of job did you get in Japan after that?
I’m currently looking at a Masters of Teaching, or some kind of TESOL degree. I’m not sure if there are other suitable qualifications or not.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
9 comments
What sort of “questionable practices” are you referring to? That is, are you asking about an employment issue, or a teaching issue?
Unfortunately, there is not a lot to be done about either of these. Getting an MA in TESOL/education/linguistics (with publications) would enable you to get out of the eikaiwa market and into higher education, which would help, but not eliminate, the issues surrounding either of those.
Even within academia, there’s going to be some questionable teaching practices as well as employment issues if you work for a lower-tier university, or god forbid, a dispatch company like Borderlink.
The bare bones fact is this: it is rare and difficult to find a context where ESL is taken as a serious subject in Japan, and pay across all sectors has been declining for a decade now.
If you are a serious academic and wish to teach in academic context, such as K-12 homeroom teacher or at a university, it will take a good long while to get the licenses and qualifications you need, network, get established, and create a teaching schedule that suits you. It can be done; I and many others here have manged it – but it does take time and a lot of hard work. This is not to discourage you, but to ensure you fully understand what it takes.
If you are not a serious academic and are more interested in teaching in a language school, then qualifications will not do you any good, as most of the language schools could care less if you have them or not. They only care that you are able to follow whatever set “method” that they want you to follow, and are willing to shut up and just take orders. They have no interest in academic rigor or best practice, so don’t expect any of that. Also don’t expect decent benefits, pay raises, or to be treated well. The vast majority are out for a money grab and happily throw their teachers under the bus.
Again, this is not to discourage you but to make sure you understand that the ESL market is in serious decline, and Japan is not really a great place to be teaching these days unless you are already well-established.
First off, be aware that switching to being an ALT means converting your zairyuu to a different classification and that you’re not supposed to work in the new job until you get your updated zairyu.
That being said, just apply. If you just want a specific certificate, you can find plenty of online courses that you could do in Japan.
The standard eikaiwa and ALT jobs don’t really require any certification, so again, just apply.
What questionable practices are you currently dealing with?
If you have a genuine desire to teach, decide which age of student you’d like to teach. If it’s younger people, get a teaching license in your home country and a couple of years of experience teaching. If it’s university students or older, get a doctorate. In both cases, keep your Japanese up: you’ll need it for any kind of career teaching in Japan.
I came over as a JET and did a CELTA and MEd in Japan. All self-financed on ALT salary.
I am confronted with this situation myself and have looked at numerous MAs. If you really want to move into higher education (Universities) I have been advised applied linguistics is a better avenue. As a research topic it garners a better salary and has broader career prospects.
Does your current company happen to be called Gaba or Nova?
All jokes aside, you can upskill plenty online, so probably no need to leave Japan if you don’t want to. I’ve heard of plenty of people who got their masters in teaching online while in Japan
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I have been living in Japan for over 12 years. I moved to Japan with just a bachelor degree in economics and got a job at an international school.
After about 6 years bumping around I decided to go for a master’s degree in education concentrating in ESL/EFL education, I did it through a state school online while also working here. After I got my master’s, a lot of places wanted to hire me, but I didn’t see a substantial rise in pay, so I just started marketing myself as a curriculum developer specializing in ESL/EFL education. Small international schools would hire me to make tailored curriculum for their classes. I then got my PhD and now I teach online at a state school in America while also developing curriculum for schools in Japan.
What I am saying is that you can get your qualifications here while working. I even think Coursera has a TESOL MOOC provided by Arizona State University, if you get the Coursera subscription, you can complete the whole thing in like 6 months and get an actual certificate from that university.
After you get your credentials, you can start marketing yourself as more than a teacher and make more money.
hey, i totally get where you’re coming from. i was in a similar situation with my eikaiwa job. it’s tough when the company doesn’t prioritize teaching and takes advantage of teachers. i ended up getting a TESOL degree and found a better gig at a smaller school that values education more. definitely look into different qualifications and smaller schools. hang in there!