The other type of English teacher is the real, qualified English teacher. They will have a bachelors degree in Education, or a TESOL/TEFL qualification. TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) are internationally recognized qualifications that you can get even online for a price. You will find agencies everywhere, including those that teach you while holidaying in an exotic location. Most courses require a minimum 40 hours and can allow for specialised training, such as teaching children, teaching adults, tutoring or teaching business English.

These teachers are often located in schools across Japan (the real schools, with kids in uniform, not the “English Language Schools” which are just businesses) but can also teach adults or be employed by corporations to train Japanese employees. The majority of work is in schools though, so be prepared to work with kids who may not want to learn the language in the first place.

It is better paying than eikaiwa positions, and more respected, but it does require a certain type of person. You would need to like kids, to enjoy teaching and to be prepared to face all the hassles that everyday teachers put up with. If you fit into that category, then aim for the real English teacher jobs and not eikaiwa jobs.

One thing that apparently neither eikaiwa nor English teachers need is the ability to speak Japanese! You could probably get away with this in cities where a lot of people speak English. But if you’re in located outside of major metro areas like Tokyo or Osaka, be prepared to feel a little alone.

Links:
http://www.tefl.com/courses/ - A place to find TEFL teaching agencies based on the country you live in.
http://www.tesol.org – What seems to be the official TESOL page.

There are two types of English teachers in Japan. In this post I’ll talk about the eikaiwa teachers.

The English conversation, or eikaiwa teachers don’t need to have any qualifications other than being a native English speaker. This is a bit lenient, I think, since I know a few ‘dur’ type people who can’t be understood by other English speakers, never mind the Japanese. You may hear about bachelor degree requirements, but this is only required for the visa, not the job. You would also need to be under 40, depending on the visa you apply for.

It is not a job that is often taken seriously, either by the teacher, their employer or the student. The teachers are sometimes treated as a novelty by the Japanese. So it’s not a job to consider if you are already highly qualified or experienced as an English teacher. There are many stories of teachers feeling frustrated that their classes are not getting through to the students.

However, if you’re not qualified, not too concerned about whether your students are getting the best they can and just looking for an easy way to live in Japan for a short while (like 1 year) then this is something you can seriously consider. It is also a good way just to get a foot in the door of Japan, before moving on to bigger things.

Next post: the REAL English teachers.

The internet is an awesome place. As well as all the porn and prescription drugs you want, it also provides all the information you need when doing research about things like travelling to a foreign country. There is a huge chunk of the internet dedicated to Japan and not all of it is illegal to download.

For the information relating to living and teaching English in Japan, there are a few good sites with articles, photos, links and forums to educate yourself with. Of course, 3yen.com is the most superior! But, here are some others for you to look at as well:

Metropolis is the major English language magazine of Japan. It focuses on the elements of Japan that foreign English-speakers would want to know: such as the American or Australian bars to visit, gaijin accommodation, how to get a Japanese citizenship – even what English TV shows will be showing this week. It also has a classifieds section, so you can find students or schools to work at. It’s a valuable resource for any English-speaker in Japan.

Dave’s ESL Café is for English language teachers (and their students) from all around the world, although there is a strong Japan presence. The forums seem to be the best place to get information, with very specific and wide-ranging sub-forums to get opinions from.

Gaijinpot is a resource site dedicated to foreigners living in Japan. There are a number of articles about teaching and living in Japan, although many of them are short and seem to be all written by the same person. Also on the site are links to finding accommodation and jobs in Japan, plus a classifieds section.

A warning, however, about the forums on Japan Today, Gaijin Pot and ESL Café: I don’t know why, but for some reason, forums for foreigners in Japan are filled with the most bitchy, vicious, cynical and outright rude posters anywhere on the internet. There are trolls and general idiots on forums everywhere, but for some reason, all the bullsh*t is concentrated in gaijin forums. These people often say you’ll need a thick skin in Japan to ward off a huge list of horrible things, so perhaps they’re trying to prepare the newbie by ripping their souls to shreds online? Who knows. All I’d like to know is, if life in Japan is so freaking unlivable that these posters feel the need to spread it to the uninitiated on the internet – why are most of them still in Japan?

It must be a conspiracy!

So. I’ve been biting my nails, pulling on my split ends and generally getting fidgety. I was accepted a while ago for an eikaiwa position in Japan and I’m due to leave in September. Given that I have nothing else to do besides learn kanji, this means I’m getting impatient.

I have to admit, I was one of those otaku that thought life would be better in Japan, which was why I initially decided to go. After hearing both terrific and terrifying stories about those who had left before me, I started to wonder what I was getting myself into.

But still, I’m feeling optimistic. I mean, I could be my usual pessimistic, cynical self and say I’m headed for a year to a country whose language I don’t speak, whose people are known for occasional xenophobia. A country where I’ll be stigmatised as an eikaiwa sensei, both by the natives and the foreign TEFL/TESOL elite. A country where women are lower on the social ladder (although maybe being a foreigner would counter that? Foreign women are preferred to foreign men, right? I mean, Gwen Stefani seems to be popular…) and where I may have to live on ramen because anything with protein in it costs too much.

I could be pessimistic like that but I’m amazingly feeling okay about it all. I applied for the job as a freshly graduated fan-girl with no clues, but I’ll be arriving there as someone who needs a break overseas and still thinks Japan is the best choice right now. I’m wary, sure. I think I’ll be doing quite a lot of bitching in these entries while I’m there. But hey, if worst comes to worst, I can always revert to being an otaku shut in. I’d definitely have access to a lot more manga and anime there than I would at home!