Hello All! I’ve done quite a bit of shadow reading on this forum, but thought I would finally seek a bit of advice directly as I’m making plans – your time and input is much appreciated よろしくお願いします
Background:
I worked in Japan as a JET for 2 years and moved back stateside at the end of 2019 just before COVID blew everything up. Since then I’ve been in the states working in fundraising/marketing for a national education nonprofit organization and earned my MTESOL with my focus on eventually returning to Japan. I’ve also managed to do a bit of part time ESL tutoring at the university level.
Moving Back to Japan:
When I decided to pursue my masters I was pretty focused on going into academia. That said, during that process I came to realize I much prefer being on the practical end of teaching rather than the more research focused theoretical space. Most of the university positions I’ve seen seem to be research heavy in focus and more often prefer a PhD, which I don’t plan to pursue. That said, I would gladly pursue more practical teaching opportunities at the university level, but postings seem to be scarce particularly when applying from outside of Japan. Also I worry that my current Japanese ability would be a roadblock.
The above has also made me feel like I should pursue a position at an international junior high or high school, but I’m well aware that licensure plus two years experience is the common prerequisite. The school district in my area is a bit of a mess currently, and not necessarily the learning environment I would want to work in for the next 2 years (i.e. teachers/schools being unnecessarily placed on the frontlines of the culture wars so politicians can score points before the upcoming election). Plus I’m in my early 30s and a bit anxious to get the ball rolling on moving and getting settled back into my friends/community/relationships I made in Japan.
The Question:
I’m considering the following plans in returning to Japan – could you provide advice or experience relevant to choosing among them?
1. Use my savings to spend 3-6 months at a language school in Japan and take the opportunity to brush up on/ advance my woefully rusty Japanese (N5), move to the specific region I want to be in (Kansai), and look for jobs while in country.
2. Contract with the likes of ALTIA, ECC, AEON, Westgate etc. to get my foot back in the door and then look for better options at the end of 1 year contract.
Under both of the above scenarios I would plan to also pursue teaching licensure through an option such as Moreland while in Japan.
3. Stay stateside for 2 more years and deal with a dysfunctional district, but get my full licensure and experience stateside but sacrifice some time and relationships I have in Japan.
Also please let me know if there might be other pathways I’m not seeing!
Thanks sincerely.
9 comments
If you can’t land a good job from where you are now, coming here won’t help.
You said that you want to return to the community, relationships, etc that you left in 2019? Hate to point out the obvious but that was 4 years ago. People move on pretty quickly especially in the foreigner community. Are you sure that what you left is still there?
And secondly it sounds like you’d be giving up a good career to teach English in Japan which is a dead end job basically.
I think you’re on a career path right now and you already did your “fun years” on JET. I can guarantee it won’t be nearly as fun going back in your 30s as opposed to your 20s. Please keep that in mind.
The “smartest” option is #3. If you go back to Japan, you want to make sure you go back with qualifications and the like to at least land a decent job and not a beginner Eikawa/ALT job.
It’s ultimately your choice, but I would go with number 3. I’m currently working as a JET ALT and I’m studying a BSCS via distance learning in an attempt to transition into IT as I want to remain in Japan (but don’t want to remain as an ALT). In hindsight, it would’ve been better for me to study a conversion MSCS back in the UK and get some experience before looking for an IT job over here, as opposed to coming over here as a JET.
I’m doing the distance learning from Japan option because I like my life here and really don’t want to return to the UK. But, if I were already in the UK, I would stay there and get qualifications/start building a career there first.
Hi. Option #3 if you can stand it. The English market is glutted here in Japan. The pay is much too low. Start up costs are high. The plus is that once settled and the extreme start up costs are out of the way in the first year, the daily life costs usually aren’t that bad at all (assuming work pays transport and their share of percentage for benefits for health and social security). However, reliable jobs seem much harder to find than before. Yes, you can get any low pay job replacing somebody who quit or was let go, simply by having a BA and an English speaking body. People suddenly loose work and visas. There has been much upheaval. Yes, Japan is nice in many aspects. All the same, make sure you are extra qualified coming in to increase your buoyancy or recoverability for sudden upheavals and to be in a position to go back home.
You have to get permission from where you are teaching to do Moreland and while I got it from my workplace, I feel like a lot of schools would deny it. (You also currently need to teach/video the SAME group of kids at least five times within a certain timeframe which was not a requirement in the past and is difficult in many teaching situations here.) Plus, if you are using your workplace you are limited to getting EFL certification unless you are subject teaching in English which is possible but rare especially on a “just got to Japan” job. If you want to get certified for something other than EFL, which would be a much easier way into a intl jhs/hs, do it at home.
You can have an MA, but you will probably still have to grind when you come back. GEt a visa through an ALT or eikaiwa company, then keep working whilst trying to pick up enough university classes. Then after a few years you may have enough experience to get a full-time (4 year) university gig. I know people here who have a PhD, and whilst it does help, it isnt a golden ticket.
#3
I would say the third, it’s best long term option, you could even get some Japanese practice in and even knock out a JLPT level or something.
Going back for a Japanese language school stint is great if you can afford it, your language skills would be greatly improved , but your career aspersions wouldn’t be any better after it.