I first arrived here on November 2020 and worked in a factory for 1 and a half year. Shift was 8-5 pm but the overtime can last up til 9-10 pm.
I didnt became proficient in Japanese since my coworkers are also filipino.
But I have been very depressed and disappointed with how my life was going.
Plus working with filipinos here in japan is really exhausting with their gossips and sometimes bullying.
[Quick info about me:
– 27 y.o
-married a permanent resident
-living with his parents (all filipinos)
-accountancy grad
-good with kids and kinda pretty]
So I quit and figured that maybe I can try teaching English here. I started learning basic japanese and got my tesol/tefl cert.
but the thing is, I am still scared.
I have no experience in teaching and I dont know but I still kinda freeze when someone talks to me in Japanese haha
When I first arrived, I was full of confidence and brimming with positivity but now, I sometimes think that I may be really dumb for not learning japanese quicker. And even when I watch a lot of tutorials and all, I still am no near proficient. Still, I figured that maybe I can learn on the job.
Then I started looking on sites (gaijinpot, indeed, glassdoor)
Almost all of the teaching position needs atleast one year of experience or conversational in japanese. And Im neither.
While those jobs who hires with no experience is in Nagoya. Which is really far. (Got no drivers license)
I also read a lot of reviews in glassdoor and I dont know if Im ready and where to start but I am still willing to take a risk rather than going back to a factory job.
And if ever there’s someone who can give advice for me to build my confidence on japanese please feel free to do so.
Onegaishimasu! 🙇🏻♀️
13 comments
Hi OP. Starting out can be daunting but experience is the best teacher. Sane with Japanese. Good luck OP
In one or two months, hiring season is going to start. You will find that most jobs are entry-level and require no prior experience. While the pay, hours, and potentially even the way the school treats you won’t be great, it can get you the experience you might need to feel better about your teaching. After a year — or even just 6 months — of that, perhaps you will feel better about yourself.
I guess the grass is always greener on the other side: I’d love to work a job where I’m not responsible for the behavior of kids that don’t want to be there.
Di bale kaya mo yan!
The start will always be daunting because it’s new. After a few days/weeks in front of a class, you’d get the hang of it.
Honestly, the expectations are pretty low for English teaching in terms of qualifications and experience, and there are plenty of schools that hire non-native speakers who also don’t have experience. You should see some job openings if you check around. Jobs in Japan and Ohayo Sensei are some other places to look. If you like kids, go with ALT work; if you don’t like kids, try an eikaiwa.
One thing I would advise you to be careful about is that a lot of these schools take advantage of people whom they see as desperate for work. That is, if they think you are desperate, they will treat you awfully while trying to convince you that it’s normal to be treated badly, and that no other school would hire you, anyway. Don’t believe them, and be ready to walk away. There is always another job, particularly when you have PR.
I would advise you to protect yourself from being taken advantage of by getting to know Japanese labor law and joining one of the teacher unions, i.e., the General Union (Kansai area) or Tozai (Tokyo area).
Also, if you want to advance in terms of knowledge, skills, pay, job security, and benefits, save up each month towards further TESOL qualifications. A cert doesn’t get you very far – what you want is either Delta, DipTESOL, or an MA in TESOL – these will help you either pass a licensing exam that teachers need to teach in the school system, or to work in a university. ALT work and eikaiwa work are definitely better paying (and maybe more satisfying overall) than factory work, but it shouldn’t be looked at as a forever job.
The market for casual English study is shrinking, the pay is getting lower, and that trend is likely to continue. You’ll need something more than a cert to keep you in the game.
You don’t need to he proficient in Japanese in order to teach English. A lot of schools don’t require Japanese speaking ability.
Teaching can de daunting at first but once you get the hang of it after a few weeks or so, you’ll be fine. Cheer up!
If you have any questions, you can DM me. I’m also from PH, been teaching here since 2018 🙂
Fortunately most of these entry level jobs don’t actually require a teacher. As long as you have a willingness to do what is asked of you, be self-sufficient, and bring a positive air to the classroom then you’ll do just fine. I recommend trying to become an alt because you typically have less responsibilities and a lot more down time. Just keep in my that your actual situation can end up different. Since you are probably now on a spouse visa, you don’t need the company to sponsor you, so they are a lot less strict on the conditions. Try to use your free time to regain that confidence you once had by improving yourself in the areas you believe you lack. Good luck. I’m rooting for you op.
There are quite a few dispatch companies that hire Filipinos and to be honest, it’s such basic English that you’d have no problem. If you just show up to work and smile, yuo u can do it.
You really don’t need Japanese ability to teach English so I wouldn’t be too concerned about that if I were you. Most schools will have someone who speaks enough English to help you with paperwork, scheduling and telling you what you need to do, etc.
If you’re concerned about teaching ability, maybe you can find some demo videos on YouTube to watch to help you build confidence and give you some ideas for what the level actually is. I don’t know what kind of school you’re aiming to work at, but just seaching “alt teaching demo” gave me a lot of results:
[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=alt+teaching+demo](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=alt+teaching+demo)
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Good luck, you can do it! I also came to Japan with zero teaching experience, no qualifications, and very little Japanese. I now have 28+ years of experience, have some qualifications, and co-own a small language school. Seriously, you can do this!
Trust in the will of the force, young padawan
Don’t over think! Just apply, even if you don’t check all the boxes. You got nothing to lose.
Most entry level “English teaching” jobs are more like “entertainer” than actual teaching.
Watch demo lessons on YouTube.
Make sure your accent is clear.
Smile, be expressive and kind to the kids.
Be careful with the way you dress and don’t over use make up/cologne during interviews.
Make sure to present a decent cv.
Put some effort in your cover letters.
Read the ads carefully.
Read the contracts carefully.
Try to join an union.
Try to get more knowledgeable about basic Japanese Labour laws.
Focus on very basic Japanese commands. (those you might have to use with the kids, from time to time)
Don’t sign things you aren’t sure about it.
Willingness to move to a different city will give you more opportunities.
I know a Filipina that recent got a job in a “international” nursery. 24 years old? Can’t quite remember. No experience at all, and to be honest, her English is rough. First interaction with a 1 year old baby was to ask him his name lol. Anyways, her salary will be 280k, but they tricked her to work 6 days per week. My point is, you can easily do this!
“and kind of pretty.”
Thank you so much for all the comments. 💖🙇🏻♀️
Im sorry for not replying since the internet connection in our place was affected by the typhoon.
Imma send these babies out (resume and cv letter) to as many alts and eikawa companies as possible. Wish me luck🥹
Keep safe everyone.
Teaching was the easiest job I ever had. I even had a job where I pretty much sat down all day and watched youtube. Teaching is easier lol