By Richard J Graham

Live in Japan and ever dreamed of having your own company? Rather than working for the big chain schools and making them rich, why not work on your own financial future and start your own private English school. It’s easier than you think.

But there are so many schools out there, it’s too crowded and it’s too difficult to get new students, you may say.

Whilst Japan might not have the immediate growth potential of China, Korea or even language teaching in US, and there is so much more competition, it is still a hugely positive and as yet still untapped market. For example:

* Kids Lessons: With the recent comments from the Education Minister, compulsory English in Elementary School has been delayed for a least a year, probably two and maybe longer if the current Prime Minister stays in power. This has taken away a huge, free, competitor.

* Adults Classes: Every time I sit in a coffee shop I can almost guarantee that the conversation of at least one group around me will turn to “I’d like to speak English”, and invariably ends with “But it’s so scary approaching a school”. These are usually women in their 20s or 30s who don’t have to, but would like to learn English in a casual, relaxed way. Where are the easy-to-walk-in-to-for-just-a-chat-about-joining schools?

* Silver Eikaiwa: There’s a huge market of “silver” (the Japanese word of the moment!) retirees with cash to spend and a thirst for travel. How many silver courses are there out there?

For the actual mechanics of setting up a business there are hundreds of books and websites, just do a quick google search.. What you then need is the best product (i.e. really good lessons), fantastic service and great pricing. That’s not to say building your own school is super easy, but it’s almost always worthwhile. Finding other teachers is very tough, but if you’re happy to be the main teacher yourself, you’ll have a very viable business set up in no time. Advertising is easy; it will all be word of mouth from super satisfied students.

Pricing is a big part of it, and that’s where the art and magic is. You’ll always have customers who say “That’s too expensive” or “Why don’t you do everything for free?”. In most cases those customers wouldn’t buy the product even if it was free. But look at those women in the coffee shop talking about wanting to learn English. If you ask them they may say they can’t afford lessons maybe, but they are sat there sipping 400 yen cappuccinos that only cost 50 yen to make! The key is the extras that you give. At Starbucks you don’t pay for the coffee, you pay for the ambience, the artwork, the music, the sofas and the Wi-fi. AND they also have the best coffee in town. You need both.

I’ve seen some pictures of schools on the net and as an adult learner some of them would make me run a mile (bright white lighting, straight boring desks) and some of them just look so inviting that I’d sign up for lessons just to enjoy the atmosphere!

You just have to make sure that if you charge XXXX for a lesson, the student walks away with XXXX + alpha worth of value. It’s the extras, the smiles, the lollipops for adult learners (not for kids anymore sadly!), the interesting artwork on the walls, the personal attention, the music in the lobby, the jokes, the atmosphere that make this extra bonus.

Japan’s a great place to be, teaching can be a great way to make a good income and unlike selling arms to Africa or anything like that, you’re always making a difference in the World, you just have to decide how big you want it to be.

About the author

For all your teaching ideas, supplies and even online training videos see the author’s website at www.GenkiEnglish.net

Groshan Fabiola gives a brief intro into teaching English Asian style.

Teaching English in Asia has become very popular among native English speakers from the United States and Canada. These are in fact the residents generally preferred by Asian employers in their numerous job offerings for teachers of English as a second language. Employment anywhere abroad is not guaranteed with just a strong knowledge of English, despite the fact that this language has become international over the past years. However, teaching is Asia is possible with nothing but the solid knowledge that most native English speakers possess. The only prerequisite is a university degree in any subject, but there are times when a lot of enthusiasm will do.

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Teaching in Asia is possible both in public and in private language institutions, as well as self employed. The problem with the privately-run institutions is that their main focus is maximization of profits, which makes educational standards rather low. This makes work as a private tutor more lucrative. However, this type of employment requires considerable market experiences, as well as suitable premises for your work.

Teaching in Asia comes with many advantages, and many of those who apply for an ESL job in Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. mostly appreciate salaries and the possibility of increasing their income through private tutoring. The change of scenery is also regarded as interesting, though there are times when the resistance to innovation makes local people have a rather racist attitude. But new arrivals are likely to face problems anywhere around the world, and teaching in Asia is no exception. However, these obstacles can be overcome with tact and perseverance.

Those with no experience whatsoever are most likely to find that teaching in Asia comes with a big challenge, which is getting shy students to speak in class. But this is again an obstacle that can be overcome, because teachers all over the world are faced with this problem, and the most efficient solution seems to be making your classes fun and encouraging students the vocabulary the already possess, however limited.

Teaching in Asia has experienced a remarkable explosion in the past few years, with China demanding a constant flow of native speakers from Western countries. China is the hungriest Asian nation as far as the English language is concerned. There are many ESL job postings for China on the Internet, because the demand for English instructors is a huge one, with more and more people wishing to provide their children with a good education and send them for private tuition.

Requirements for teaching in Asia are not very stringent. A university degree often suffices and teaching experience is seldom required, as this counts for higher training levels. Each of the Asian countries eager to bring in native speakers of English as instructors has its own advantages. For instance, in Japan considerable financial rewards can come with this type of employment, but the competition is fierce. In Indonesia, foreign teachers who are willing to sign a contract and have experience in teaching English as a second language can get up to ten times the local salary. In Korea, the competition for ESL jobs is not as acute as in Japan, and with the demand outstripping the supply by far, getting a job as a teacher in this country is quite easy.

Regardless of the difficulties that may occur, which are not specific of these nations but of working and living in a foreign country, teaching in Asia can turn out to be a pleasant and unforgettable experience if you make an educated choice.

About the author

If you are looking for more information about ESL jobs or to learn about teaching in Asia, Groshan Fabiola suggests visiting TEFL jobs.

By James Sherard

The economic boom that swept Japan in the 1980’s brought with it not only a period of wealth and prosperity, but also a sudden surge in a desire to study English. Fueled in part by Japan’s role as an emerging economic force, the need to learn English became a necessity for many companies hoping to compete in the global marketplace. As a result of the affluence during this time more Japanese were also able to travel abroad, thus creating a demand for studying English for those who hoped to hone their English skills before making the journey to a foreign country. Entrepreneurs sensing an opportunity to capitalize on this trend began to open English schools in unprecedented numbers, from large Corporate chains that catered to thousands of students, to small neighborhood schools often employing only a handful of staff. Although the glory days of finding a teaching job on the basis of being a native English speaker alone have faded, the good news is there are still many teaching jobs available in Japan for those willing to make a modest effort to pursue them. Renewed economic growth in the last few years in conjunction with a recent ruling by the Japanese Ministry of Education to include English as part of the elementary school curriculum will also create a need for English instructors in the future.

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English teachers in Japan fall basically under two categories, those employed via structured programs such as JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching), and freelance instructors. Teachers who have come to Japan under one of the structured programs can expect benefits which include pre-departure training, visas, flights, living accommodations, and health insurance. Freelance teachers are individuals who arrive in Japan looking for work on their own or who have found a job prior to arriving. In regard to working conditions both can expect to teach approximately 20-35 classes per week, with lessons spanning 50 minutes to one hour in duration. Most teaching positions are at private language schools, with the majority of classes being conducted in the afternoons and evenings. Students range from elementary school, high school, and university students, to housewives and businessmen of all ages. Many of the afternoon classes are typically made up of children who study English after their regular school day has finished, and the majority of evening classes are attended by teens or adults. Size of classes vary, but on average consist of 3-5 students for many of the smaller schools, and up to 15 for larger establishments. Most schools also offer students private lessons.

Entry level salaries for teachers is approximately 250,000 yen per month, though this can fluctuate depending on the company. Some of the larger chain schools such as Nova and ECC offer visa sponsorship and other benefits, such as arranging an apartment for newly arrived teachers. Most schools also subsidize daily train transportation costs. Teachers with experience and a post graduate level qualification in the form of a Masters Degree can expect to make around 400,000 yen a month or more, with the majority of high paying jobs in this category to be found in the High Schools and Universities.

About the author

Jim Sherard is the author of “Land of the Rising Sun, A Guide to Living and Working in Japan“.

By Tom Aaron

In late 1980s Japan and into the 1990s, some English teachers were earning $50.00 to $100.00 an hour while the basic minimum salary for English teachers was 250,000 yen per month. The government required schools to pay teachers this before giving visas, thus establishing the basic minimum salary. On this wage, teachers could pay their rent, eat out, enjoy themselves a bit, and still save the equivalent of $1000 each month. Most native English speakers could fly into Japan, pick up an English newspaper, find job listings, and have several job offers within a week. Some jobs paid the minimum, but most offered more as the minimum was insufficient for schools to find teachers. Many schools, unable to find applicants in Japan, recruited teachers abroad.

As the 1990s progressed, the economy deteriorated, and fewer teaching jobs were available. Native English speakers arriving in Japan found that a college degree was no longer enough to guarantee finding employement in a few days. With reduced positions available, schools were able to discriminate based on qualifications, ability, appearance, gender, age, and race while offering the basic minimum salary. More closely examining teacher qualifications and ability was a welcome change, but discrimination based on age and cosmetic features was not.

Now, the competition is tougher for jobs; salaries are closer to the 250,000 yen minimum established by the government. Still, a college degree, some dedication, shoe leather, and perseverance coupled with some relevant experience and skills may be enough to find a job. Go to your web browser and search for “teach English in Japan” to find all the information you need to get started.

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If you are interested in teaching English in Japan for the money, we recommend you look elsewhere. If you are thinking about Korea, China, or other countries that hire English teachers, go ahead. We are writing of Japan because we know Japan. We have ridden the bullet trains, eaten the sushi, and gotten lost in rural and urban regions. We found our grand adventure here and you may find yours. Here are a few of my memories from Japan:

Omikoshi carrying: Omikoshi are portable shrines resting on two logs or beams. The total weight of one shrine and the two beams or logs that support it can weigh several tons. The omikoshi are carried in parades by groups. The people carrying the omikoshi have an up and down rhythm as they carry the omikoshi for hours. The people in each group will spell each other, so no one drops from exhaustion. I still remember the warm summer night, the beat of the drums, and the weight on my shoulders. Unable to match the rhythm and taller than the other carriers, my shoulder was bruised and my back sore, but I still remember that special night.

Outdoor mountain hotsprings: Emerge yourself in the hot water of a mountain hotspring, surrounded by friends and hills. Sit there and soak as the snow falls down around you.

Speaking Japanese: While many Japanese speak English, many Japanese also speak little or no English. Outside of work, I struggled to learn Japanese, trying to put words together to make sentences and trying to use sentences to communicate. Eventually, I could speak Japanese. I met a woman who was a child in Manchuria in the 1930s and 1940s. Asking what it was like, I waited for an epic tale. She had only one sentence: It was dirty.

Sweet grasshoppers: Sitting at a kotatsu, a table with a heating element under it that warmed my legs, I was offered grasshoppers. Once a major source of calcium, grasshoppers are no longer part of the standard Japanese diet. Looking at the insects head, wings, and legs was not encouraging. Crunchy and a little too sweet.

Carved Buddhas in the rocks: The temples and shrines of Kyoto, Nara, and Nikko are world famous and not to be missed. Still, out for a walk in the country one day, I came upon a series of Buddhas carved in the rock. Standing in the shadows, I thought of who had carved the Buddhas in the stone and why they were there.

These are a few of my memories. Teaching English in Japan was my grand adventure. It could be yours too.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Aaron runs Aaron Language Services provides translation and proofreading via the Internet to a primarily Japanese client base. We also offer online English coaching to ESL students. All of our coaching is one to one.

By David Jones

When I was growing up my German-French family were constantly reminding me how nasal and strained the English language sounds, and I guess, compared to the flamboyance of Italian, the intensity of German or the emotion of the French language I’d have to agree, English is pretty mundane. It must be an irritant to them now that rightly or wrongly, the whole world wants to learn English. The Japanese, especially young people, are convinced that speaking good English is their passport to a successful career. What is more, they are being encouraged in this by the government.

But in Japan teaching English has not been an overwhelming success so far. The vast majority of the population, having been tortured one way or another with English classes throughout their childhood can scarcely make a sentence in the great international language. It is a credit to the Japanese character that after so much abuse the average citizen still tolerates foreigners in their land. Would it really be surprising if one morning someone ran amok in an Eikaiwa once all those suppressed memories of incomprehensible textbooks and characters mysteriously called Meiling, Bob and Yuki having bizarre and un-natural interactions re-emerge into the language-challenged adult’s consciousness? Or the blind torture of infinite ‘listening and repeating’ to sounds that have no relevance and are often reminiscent of the final cries of a dying animal. When finally these repressed memories bubble to the surface and the individual explodes into one uncontrolled act of self defense can we really condemn this act? To many, this resistence would seem not unreasonable, justifiable in fact, and could in all possibility start a national movement for restitution from the sadistic autocrats that reside in Nishi Shinjuku at the Education Department. And who will argue that the endless hours, months and years of English drills and paper tests have seriously improved the mental well being of so many generations of Japanese students.

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Having established that teaching English is a crime we must seek the main culprits in this attempt at cultural genocide. To what extent can the humble Mova instructor, assistant language teacher, language consultant, those who constitute the army of twenty two year old university graduates arriving totally untrained be held responsible? Aren’t they just out to pay off the education debts in their own country by making others suffer (albeit mentally rather than financially). Are they not innocents naively bumbling around the Kanto plains screaming in a pitch so high as to be almost non-human but simply chimp like ‘Oh my God’ at everything they see, as if they are constantly in the center of some personal tempest, even when that tempest revolves around something so mundane as to be nauseous? And given the maturity of their thoughts, what sincere prosecution lawyer would ever seriously consider them psychologically fit for trail?

The Japanese, true to their stoic and resolute character, have calmly withstood the cultural onslaught of the barbarians; the high nasal tones of countless Australian making closing blurted announcements before vomiting on the last train out of Ueno, the soccer obsessed German hating English with their noses pointed heaven-ward in arrogant disgust at anything they can’t attain, the laod bombastic Americans smug and secure in the existence of a God dedicated to maintaining the military might of the U.S, might not always being right but consistently being persuasive, and finally the second tier English speaking nations who jump on the band wagon and thus also have to be tolerated. The Japanese already oppressed by traditional social convention as much as by ultra-liberal social elites have shown great resilience and even humor in facing down the Gaijin challenge – because there was resistance!

And that resistance has been in the shape of Japlish, a form of expression so hopelessly messed up that it plays with the Gaijin mind and on the Gaijin mind. Slowly the reader retreats into confusion and panic as they are unable to distinguish veracity from the horrible reality of a preposition free world, where subject and object rapidly swirl into ambiguity and where conjunctions are voluntary. Japlish is the embodiment of everything good about Japanese society and culture – ultimately subtle and patient, classically simple and intelligent, yet unintelligible by anyone other than a select group. With Japlish the Japanese are able, forever politely, to raise their collective finger in the air and wave it at the Gaijin horde smiling and conveying silently what they think of the English experimentation.

By Kevin Ramsey

Ways to Teach English in Japan

There are a few ways to obtain a job teaching English in Japan, however most ESL (English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers find employment in one of the following ways:

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English Schools

Japan is home to hundreds if not thousands of English schools. Teaching at an English school is absolutely the best option for people who want to teach English in Japan. There are plenty of benefits to teaching at an English School:

1. Most of the English schools recruit teachers all year long, which means that you don’t have to wait for a specific application “season” or arrange your schedule around the school’s.

2. Many of the English schools help their teachers find housing (some even provide it), obtain health insurance and immersion into the Japanese culture. They help to smooth out the transition period.

3. You will receive plenty of on the job training when you teach for an English school which makes obtaining a position with one possible even if you do not have TESL or TEFL certification.

For those interested in national or international English schools, AEON and GEOS are the most popular Japanese English schools. If you would like a company that has more of an independent feel, schools like GABA, WinBe and ECC are smaller and offer more flexibility in curriculum and lesson plans.

Companies That Do Placement

There are also sites that accept applications from students and handle the screening process on behalf of private schools. This is a time saver for both the person who wants to get a job in Japan, and the companies who are looking to hire. These types of organizations often have a large variety of high paying jobs to choose from. One of the more active sites in the industry that also has many unique tips and insights into life in Japan for those who want to teach English in Japan is AACircle.com.au

The JET Program

JET is the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. Instead of focusing only on teaching English as a second or foreign language, the JET Program is sponsored by the government. Teachers from all over the world live and interact with local Japanese communities. They serve as English teachers in the classroom and are offered plenty of creative opportunities.

The Jet program specializes in placing English teachers in rural towns and offer complete immersion as the teacher typically works with an all-Japanese school staff. While culture shock is to be expected, this is the best way to get the true experience of living and working in Japan.

Teach Part Time!

There are plenty of smaller English schools as well as positions available in primary and secondary schools in Japan that are looking for instructors. In addition to positions in schools there are also plenty of businesses who want to hire English teachers. In order to obtain one of these positions it is imperative that you get your TESL or TEFL certification before beginning the application process. These jobs aren’t interested in placing people who want immersion in the Japanese culture. They want qualified English teachers and certification helps give you an edge over other applicants.

Of course teaching English part time in Japan doesn’t come with the benefits that are offered by the JET program or one of the larger national English schools. You’ll have to find your own housing, your own insurance, etc.

If you don’t want to be bound to a school or program’s expectations, the part time and/or freelance English teaching positions might be the way to go. Of course, if you aren’t yet ready to throw yourself completely into Japanese culture, you might be better suited with one of the national schools or federal programs.

About the Author

Kevein Ramsey is an expert on life in Japan and writes for the Teach English in Japan resources page.

By Scott Hillkirk

Experiencing culture shock is natural when you move abroad – here’s what you can do about it.

The moment I stepped off the plane in Osaka, Japan I was already bleary-eyed and bone-tired. I had spent the trip flying across the world in a half-sleep because my seat on the plane was so uncomfortable it felt like a tee-shirt wrapped around a stadium chair.

This was nothing new for me. I had become used to the 15 hour flight because my role as a recruiter for a private educational company focusing on ESL and teaching English in Japan to children. Our recruiters from our offices in Los Angeles, Toronto and Chicago have meetings with our corporate staff in Okayama, Japan throughout the year. These short business trips are tough on my body but they are a breeze compared to my first cultural transition in 2003 when I first traveled there to teach English in Japan.

When I first moved to Japan as an instructor teaching English to children in an EFL setting, I found my train ride after my flight arrived a bit nerve-wracking. The signs were all in Japanese and English at first as my guide books promised but the scrolling electronic menus of arriving stations on the train were only in Japanese and so too were the voices over the intercom and the billboards we zipped past. I remember asking the clerk at the newspaper stand how much it cost for an English newspaper in my simple Japanese and he stood there smiling, unable to comprehend what I had said. It was official, I was illiterate in Japan. I was immersed in the cultural shock every travel book describes.

Moving abroad is a unique challenge and if you would someday like to live abroad – especially if you desire to teach English in Japan – it is critical to become actively involved in a key cultural transition, your own.

If you plan someday to work in Japan or teach English in Japan, keeping in mind the following steps will help anyone ambitious enough to leave their own culture for another.

- Get serious now, so you’ll have fun later. If you are applying for a job that requires you to move abroad, do your research before the interview about the country. This is especially true if you plan to teach English in Japan. Talk to acquaintances and friends who have lived abroad in the country where you would like to go and listen to their experiences. Ask questions and then when it is time to interview you’ll be that much more informed. Don’t just limit your research to chat rooms on the internet. Even though there are websites with postings from the legions of ESL teachers teaching English as a second language, these places are helpful for prescient information can sometimes be trolling grounds of the misinformed or disenfranchised. Go to the library and find a good travel book and write down the books on the suggested reading list and start reading!

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- Take responsibility. No one can better organize your departure and imminent arrival in a new country better than you. Quickly the tasks will mount and you could end up feeling overwhelmed. Don’t worry this is common. Start small and write everything down. Now once you compile this list of tasks, start working your way down and check them off one by one. However, if you are within a month from departure make sure it is all about the practical side. How will you be bringing money? Where will you get your prescriptions filled? What shots do you need? These are important questions to answer during your last month. Also, if you can’t fit it into your checked luggage while packing, don’t bring it! Put your overflow into a box that a family member can send you or bring with them later on when they come for a visit.

- Accept a helping hand. The candidates we send who apply as English teachers in Japan begin their journey abroad as soon as they accept their position in their home country. We begin a paper work process with them at this point but it should also involve learning about the culture, history and values of their destination. Hired candidates who actively pursue this information early on in the process adjust better and have a stronger understanding of what is going on around them, even if they don’t yet know the language. These candidates, of course, become more effective English teachers. Most companies implement their own orientation process prior to departure; make sure the company you’ve been hired by is one of them. We do our best to help our candidates adjust initially when they arrive. The assumption is that they will take over the process after they get moved in.

- Getting settled is no small thing. Our hired English teachers who have made the transition well are flexible and not easily rattled. They possess this confidence because they have thoroughly done their research and they are dedicated to making it work. There will always be rough days so account for them! How will you reach your family or friends when you have a difficult day at work? You can skype, blog, instant message or text your friends if you already have a way to get in touch with those that are important to you while you are adjusting. Teachers who move into the apartments we provide as a company and get settled in quickly also adjust much faster. This is a simple task but a very important one. Put those pictures up on the wall. Find a great local store that you can purchase food you like. Find a great place to work out or get a decent haircut. These are simple tasks but no small thing when adjusting abroad.

- You’ve gotten this far, go the distance! Probably one of the most frustrating things as a recruiter is when I had an English teacher who was homesick give up and head back home. Having a hard day here in the U.S. is an occasional occurrence but one that we often have to endure. The same is true for when you are living abroad. Candidates who have adjusted well find what they like to do in the country that they are living in. Do you like to play sports or go for a run? Are you interested in traditional arts and culture? Do you want to find a faith-based group to communicate with? All of these elements of our daily life are things that we underestimate the importance of until we live abroad and they are not readily available. The key thing is to not wait for your new life to come knocking at your door. You have to get up and go find it using the same determination and boldness that got you there in the first place.

As you can see, achieving success when you get to another culture is dependent on what you have accomplished before you left. Get started today with your great adventure by finding out where you’d like to live and work someday so you don’t get lost in the transition.

About the Author

Scott Hillkirk is an international recruiter for the AEON Amity Corporation of Japan promoting teaching English in Japan and training ESL teachers to teach English in Japan. For more information please visit: http://www.amityteachers.com

by John Paxton

If you’ve recently graduated from school and are at a crossroads in the start of your career Teaching English in Japan might be worth looking into. Believe it or not the English language learning industry is a multi-billion dollar one that employs over 65,000 ESL teachers.

What’s Needed to Teach

In order to get a job teaching English in Japan, you’ll need to be a college graduate from any field – (sorry but 2 year degrees won’t cut it.) You pretty much also need to speak English at native level fluency. There are some that do find teaching jobs in Japan even though English is not their first language but this is more an exception to the rule.

You’ll also need a working visa in order to work legally in the country. Most employers will take care of this for you. Working visas are good for one year with extensions being from 1 to 3 years for U.S. citizens.

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Another very helpful trait is an interest in Japanese culture. When you fly 10,000 miles east things get pretty different pretty fast. So having a desire to experience Japanese culture is helpful. Not from the standpoint of getting a job but from the standpoint of enjoying the experience. Those who don’t have a natural curiosity or desire to experience Japanese culture usually don’t last that long.

What Isn’t Required

Contrary to what many believe a TESL or TEFL certificate is not required in order to teach. Although it does help getting higher paying jobs. The majority of the large recruiters, the ones that have recruitment centers all over the world, don’t require TESL certification.

Also because these large recruiters pay the minimum wage of 250,000 yen per month (roughly $2100 U.S.) they also don’t require much teaching experience. In fact the bulk of this industry runs on recent grads.

General Information About Teaching English in Japan

Let’s start with money. You should expect a wage of at least 250.000 yen per month. This is a entry level salary for those with little or no experience. However be warned this won’t go that far in large cities like Tokyo or Osaka. You should expect a bit more to compensate for the cost of living factor in these large cities.

Large English schools like Aeon, Geos, Berlitz & ECC will also offer 2 weeks paid vacation and most national holiday off. Schools differ on which national holidays they observe but the norm is 8 to 10 per year.

Expect to work close to 40 hours per week. Each school is different but you can expect roughly 20 to 25 actual teaching hours per week with the rest being office hours. A typical teacher will work 5 days per week with Sunday and another weekday off. Teachers with seniority may get Saturdays and Sundays off. Typical office hours are filled by grading student work, taking class notes, preparing future lessons or just chatting with students. Most schools also will provide you with health insurance or subsidize it.

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Larger chain schools, mentioned above, usually have a fixed curriculum. This means you’ll be using their in house texts, tapes and other support materials for teaching. For those who don’t have a lot of teaching experience it’s a helpful in reducing stress (there already is quite a bit in adjusting to the culture and learning the language etc.) Those who need to express their creativity in the lesson will probably find it stifling.

Students who will be assigned to your class will probably be of all ages. Literally from 5 to 6 year olds up to 75 and 76 year olds. Some schools deal specifically with children or adults but because of the competitiveness of this industry, most schools cater to all ages. Student wise, you can expect a healthy dose of children and young professionals like office ladies and salary men as they’re called to make up the bulk of who you teach.

Most of your large chain schools will provide you with some type of accommodations. This is a very big help as it’s difficult to find accommodations on your own without the help of a Japanese national. Not to mention being very expensive. Although the type provided will vary expect things to be on the small side.

Teaching English in Japan surely is an experience best taken with an open mind. For those with an interest in Japanese culture it surely can be one of the most enjoyable and lucrative ways to experience Japan.

You can find more detailed information about what to expect teaching in Japan at www.all-about-teaching-english-in-japan.com/jobsinjapan

About the Author

John Paxton is an ESL teacher currently residing in Japan.

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By John Paxton

If you’ve spent any time at all browsing through forums on teaching English in Japan, you’ve probably run across more than a few horror stories. Topics range from working hours and conditions way in excess of what’s in the contract, to horrible living conditions and exorbitant rent. Some of this is avoidable if you take a careful look at your contract and ask the right questions before you take a teaching position. One of the most important part of the contract are the contact hours. We’ll look at this first.

Contact Hours – What They Are

Contact hours are actual hours spent teaching or being “in contact” with the student. The industry standard for full-time sponsored ESL instructors is 22-27 per week. They are not the same qualitatively as office hours. You can’t get up and get a glass of water, chat with a friend at the water cooler or check your e-mail during contact hours–though you can during regular office hours at most regular jobs.

The point is — if you directly compare office hours and teaching contact hours, you’re comparing apples to oranges. 45 contact hours will grind you into the dirt in no time (in addition to being illegal) whereas 45 office hours won’t. Be careful when you look at ads. And don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Another point to consider when you sign a teaching contract is contact hours and stated hours. Often schools will state 22-25 teaching hours in their contract but they don’t mention office hours. These are hours between classes where you perform services for your students. For example, chatting with students and evaluating and grading their work. If you’re grading reports in between classes instead of preparing them, it makes for a long day. So when you negotiate, make sure you get the “total time” that is involved in the job.

Teaching Contracts and Salaries

Ah yes…salaries. Expect to be paid 250,000 yen per month for a standard contract. This is the “minimum wage” for full-time sponsored ESL instructors. This is considered an entry-level salary for conversation teachers with little or no experience.

Other Perks

Look carefully at vacation days. Ask for a total of weeks off per year. Expect at least 2. Also make sure to ask if the time-off that is quoted to you is in addition to national holidays. Also be sure to ask which national holidays the school observers. Some schools that are generous with paid holidays will give you every one off, others won’t.

Let’s not forget health insurance. Most employers provide health insurance for free or at least subsidize it. If you’re getting stuck with the whole bill, make sure the deal is sweater in other areas like salary or vacation days.

Teaching Contracts and Accommodations

Living in a nasty apartment will make your stay in Japan… well…nasty. Schools that provide you with a working visa, generally take care of accommodations as well. It’s important to make sure you have a private apartment if you don’t want to share. Don’t assume you’ll have your own private place!

Your Rights as a Teacher

Many teachers are easily intimidated by contracts or believe them to be the final word. The reality is that any contract is subservient to established labor laws. Labor laws are the final word – not your contract. It’s important to know your rights as a worker under Japanese labor laws. If you feel you’re being treated unfairly, you can contact General Union for representation (by joining the union) or contact the Labor Standards Office for help in your disputes.

About the Author

John paxton is an ESL teacher who has been living and teaching in Japan for over 10 years.You can find more detailed information about what to expect teaching in Japan at www.all-about-teaching-english-in-japan.com