Teaching English in Japan

My daughter is in the process of securing a contract to teach English in Japan. The company she is going to work through is Interac. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this company or teaching in Japan that they would like to share.:)

Thanks Bill
 
Hi Noeyedear,

A good friend of mine did this, though I am not sure of the name of the company. On setting out, she was not sure it was the right choice but it ended up being great for her. She really enjoyed the 2 years she spent teaching there, she studied a grad dip in education (LOTE) while there and ended up marrying a fellow teacher (englishman) and moved to England and married him. I guess you could say it changed her life in a big way. She was a qualified graphic designer before going, working in Airlie beach in a travel agency I think.

Louise
 
Thanks Ethereal, interesting.
My daughter is very excited but I am just a bit more cautious. I am still encouraging her though as you only live once. :D

Cheers Bill
 
G'day Bill,

Never heard of Interac but that doesn't matter as I live in a small city ... not Osaka or Tokyo. There aren't too many bad Co and in fact most have almost identical conditions nowadays. There are many more foreigners teaching than 10 yrs ago, that and the stagnant economy have increased competition making it difficult for some conversation schools to turn a profit. At any rate if she ends up hating it she can always pack up and go back to Oz.

What are her conditions in the contract ?
 
I believe 'ggumpshots' is in Japan teaching English; not sure who/or how though. Maybe you could send him a PM.:)
 
Know someone's son who went over there - the school collapsed, owing them a bit of money......
Sounds like the recent "Nova" collapse. They were the biggest, 40% of all students in Japan, that's big ... but had huge overheads and other internal problems.

Yet as bad as it was for your friend's son ... as one example of a worst case scenario ... it's not too bad. Not only had he experienced Japan but also what can happen when this go sour ... without greatly dampening his future.
 
Bill,

I got talking to about 5 english teachers in a bar in Nagoya. They were all loving it, made me want to quit my job and join them.
 
Just out of curiousity, what qualifications are required to teach English in a foreign country?

Obviously, one would have to have a firm understanding of English and the language of the country they were teaching in but would they have to have an English teachers (school level) degree.

Regards
Marty
 
Lol. Just thought of the scene out of the movie Stripes where Harold Ramis is trying to teach English to a classroom of foreigners.

Regards
Marty
 
Thanks guys for the replys.

Daughter has been offered 12mth contract 250000yen per mth. She has to get her own way there and back and pay for accomodation etc.


Just out of curiousity, what qualifications are required to teach English in a foreign country?

Obviously, one would have to have a firm understanding of English and the language of the country they were teaching in but would they have to have an English teachers (school level) degree.

Regards
Marty


Kissfan the only requirement to teach english was a degree. Daughter has a degree in media and communication. Also did high school Japanese.

Cheers Bill
 
Thanks guys for the replys.

Daughter has been offered 12mth contract 250000yen per mth. She has to get her own way there and back and pay for accomodation etc.





Kissfan the only requirement to teach english was a degree. Daughter has a degree in media and communication. Also did high school Japanese.

Cheers Bill

That's bizzare. Does it matter what the degree is in? What is the AUS$ equivilant to to 250k yen?
 
It's $2500 a mth. about the same pay as Oz. nly because the AUD is strong atm. Hmmm...my hubby earns more than that net and he's a teacher.

But she should go for it...it's once in a life time experience. She will love it if she just embraces the culture and everything about Japan.
 
I looked into this a few years ago but ended up getting myself a full time job in Aus so it never eventuated. I know a few people who have done it though and they seemed to have a great time.

skater i think the rationale is if you're intelligent enough to complete a degree then you should have no trouble with teaching English, as you should be able to quickly pick up the required skills. I believe with most places comprehensive training is also included.


That's bizzare. Does it matter what the degree is in? What is the AUS$ equivilant to to 250k yen?
 
That's bizzare. Does it matter what the degree is in? What is the AUS$ equivilant to to 250k yen?

About $2,500. Generally it doesn't matter what the degree is in (unless you want to teach at Berlitz or something). They just want native speakers.

250k yen is probably about average for a teaching job, but which city is she going to? Pay is probably about the same across the country but living costs in Tokyo, obviously, are a lot higher.

I think it'll be a great experience. I lived in Japan for 2 years but I wasn't teaching english.
Alex
 
250,000 or $2,500 is the legal min ... which is NOW the standard, as Alex says everywhere. It would be hard to find higher pay. It's not much esp if you're in Tokyo, as Alex says. But hey it's the experience of a lifetime for a person just out of uni. Ahhh ... I remember when I first got here I didn't have a job, was too old for the working holi visa and was too old for most schools ... in Japan if you're over 35 jobs are tough to get in any profession. My starting income was much less than that ... but now is very different.

We have a bad image here though ... many kids take days off without warning to go surfing, travelling, drinking, etc. The Japanese say we don't have a good work ethic. It's easy to understand though ... just out of uni, this is NOT the average person's career ... so why not ENJOY and not sweat the job.

Many teachers take on extra "private" students that pay much more than the Co lessons. These can significantly bump up your income. If you can get the JET of school system jobs the hours are better, long holi and better pay ... but those jobs are few and I believe the conditions are tightening recently.
 
Compared to the Japanese, we DON'T have a good work ethic. Of course, the Japanese work long hours: doesn't mean they're more effective.

Back when I first went to Tokyo, I rented a 1K (small studio, about 25 sqm) in Asagaya, a pretty decent suburb in Tokyo. 15 minutes walk to the station, about 30 minutes into the centre. 72,000 yen a month.
Alex
 
12mth isn't too bad.

Alex, that's really cheap. It's +$1000 AUD just for a bedroom in London. But then that was in central London NW1. Also, rented a 1br apt on 14th st 3rd ave Union Sq for US$1600 p/mth split between 3 people. I got the whole living room to myself.

Your daughter would love it. I would encourage mine do everything...Japan, work in a ski resort, work in a summer camp, BUNAC, working holiday UK. It's great. I did the USA one and had to find my own job. Did some temp work for the first few weeks....it's really easy to get a job in a NYC and the pay is very good...about $25 to $30 USD an hr for office jobs. Even the pay for waitressing is good.

I wanted to teach in Japan but decided to get married instead.
 
Alex, that's really cheap. It's +$1000 AUD just for a bedroom in London. But then that was in central London NW1. Also, rented a 1br apt on 14th st 3rd ave Union Sq for US$1600 p/mth split between 3 people. I got the whole living room to myself.

That is just 25sqm, and it's certainly not the equivalent of NW1. Think zone 4 or 5. Very much a grad's apartment, I guess. I eventually moved to a 40sqm place 15 minutes from Shinjuku for about 125,000 yen a month. Rent isn't that expensive in Japan, as long as you can survive in an area where no one speaks English.
Alex
 
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