Where are my chopsticks?

Saturday, September 18, 2004

Teaching in Japan

Getting a job here as a teacher isn't easy. Correction: arriving here on a tourist visa and getting a job isn't easy. Or at least it wasn't as easy as getting a job in Korea was. Before landing a job in Korea I talked on the phone with another teacher at the school precisely twice before signing on the dotted line. That was back in 2000, and I was basically interviewing him--it was possible to get several job offers within a couple of days.

In Japan there's an over-saturation of native speakers of the English language. Most people suffering from the lack of an MA or PhD (plus publications!) end up going through the large, chain English schools. Shane, Aeon, Berlitz, Nova, Geos and ECC are some of the more prominent ones. Teaching conditions, and they vary from branch to branch, aren't that wonderful. Some chains have more stringent hiring policies, but a number of knuckleheads manage to infiltrate every system.

I have one of those Cambridge-issued CELTA TESOL teaching certificates (which, I might add, are not the easiest things to get ahold of). All that was good for was an extra 3,000 yen per month (US$30) and an extra long interview. They seemed to be concerned that I might not be willing to swallow their one-size-fits-all methodology, or follow instructions from my superiors. I was eventually given the job, and everything went well. I understand that it is much, much easier to get a job over here by going through one of their overseas hiring centers.

Many instructors more experienced and qualified than myself have had to go the 'eikaiwa' (English conversation school) route. I am of course speaking exclusively about the teaching scene in Tokyo. I have no knowledge, or stories, of the way that things work in slightly less urban areas of Japan. What I can say, however, is that you shouldn't come here looking for work unless you have A LOT of money with you. It took me exactly two weeks to secure a job offer. Some will be awarded one more quickly than I was. Others will not.

Aside from paying for food and housing, I had to head to Korea in order to get the visa nailed into my passport. I'm not sure that this is absolutely required, but I have been told that it's the quickest way to start work. All told, I started work about six weeks after first arriving in Japan. That's a long time to be on an unpaid vacation in the most expensive city in the world!

Babysitting 4

Ruka, Yasu and Michiko's daughter, has been spending time with us recently. She's about the same age that Miyu was when we first started hanging out. She's adorable, and she seems to be quite a bit different from Miyu in a number of areas. She seems a little tougher, and she eats a ton!

I hope to get Miyu to take some responsibility for Ruka's English education. It might be a good way to get Miyu to use English a bit more--if I can figure out how to do it. Ruka and Miyu get along really well. Ruka doesn't totally trust me yet, but that will come.

Miyu just turned three! She also graduated from diapers to big-girl underwear. I don't remember how long I wore diapers for, but I don't think it was three years. Yukiko says that children these days don't feel any rush to abandon them due to the fact that they're so comfortable. I guess most materials would probably be easier to deal with than the cloth diapers that many of us were subjected to.

As for her English, she is able to produce full sentences quite comfortably. She doesn't do it without prompting, but she is more confident than she used to be. Her listening comprehension is also quite strong now. She can handle most situations, although expressions involving 'probability' are sometimes a bit much for her to handle. We recently had an argument when I suggested that it 'might' rain soon. She went on and on about how it wasn't raining right then... I think she finally got the picture when I took her outside and she saw how dark the sky looked.