Job hunting. Ear to the ground.

[Spevna]

No, it's not easy - you'll probably be need to put aside something like 8 to 12 hours a week on average, so at the very least understanding and support from your family will be needed. But I don't know anyone who's done it who wishes they hadn't.


Really, what it comes down to is that if you want a university job (and they tend to have better pay for fewer hours, with lots more input into how and what you teach than ALT jobs) you basically need a Master's. If you want a permanent university job you need more, but that's another story.

That is pretty much exactly what I have heard from the people who have them.

[kojibear]

No, it's not easy - you'll probably be need to put aside something like 8 to 12 hours a week on average, so at the very least understanding and support from your family will be needed. But I don't know anyone who's done it who wishes they hadn't.


Really, what it comes down to is that if you want a university job (and they tend to have better pay for fewer hours, with lots more input into how and what you teach than ALT jobs) you basically need a Master's. If you want a permanent university job you need more, but that's another story.

That is pretty much exactly what I have heard from the people who have them.

There are many options for furthering your teaching knowledge and skill, but yes, to teach at a university they usually (not always) expect you to have a master's or master's equivalent - what you say does that mean? Well most universities will classify their courses according to difficulty level and how intensive they are. The DELTA (the next up from the CELTA) is a good example. Before the classification system was changed, the DELTA while being a post graduate diploma was classified as a master's level course due to its difficulty and very strict grading. If you intend to teach and design curriculm, the one year online DELTA may be a very valuable degree to have. However due to the frequent observed lessons you have to find someone local who will be your trainer, or Yoda You can also only take the 3 & 1/2 hour final test in Tokyo or Osaka. Be warned, the pass rate is very low but you can take it three times but have to pay of course
The monthly reports and lesson evaluations (yes, monthly ) can be sent to Cambridge via email. The DELTA is a master's course completed in one year, so it is bloody grueling to finish and you need a lot of support from the family. However, it does cut the MA completion time in half and is a very practical and useful course that puts more forces you to put theory into practice. Regarding its acceptance as a qualification in Japanese universities, I haven't had an issue yet. But then again, I am not applying at Tokyo Uni

To gain tenure with a university as The Other Dave said, is a whole other kettle of fish.

[me_in_japan]

This kind of chat is exactly the kind of thing that worries me. Folks discussing education related qualifications, and me sitting here in the corner with nowt to speak of. Makes me feel rather like I wasted my time in uni I don't even have a BA - a BSc is the science equivalent, fo sho, but when it comes to getting a job in teaching, I can't imagine it'd hold much water. As for getting a masters, am I right in thinking you're required to hold a BA or equivalent beforehand? It's not even that I'm interested in becoming a uni teacher, just that I'm worried that should I (hypothetically) lose my current job at any point in the future I could find myself unemployable due to lack of qualifications. To top it off, since I'm required to go to uni for my job in a couple of years time, I won't have the time or money to even think about other qualifications, even if I wanted em.

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah I know nassink, I come-a from Barhelona*



*this is an old British sitcom reference, btw, and not intended as any kind of slur to anyone who may or may not come from the undoubtedly fine and well-educated city of Barcelona

[ashmie]

@MiJ To put your mind at ease. Should you be out of work and I'm sure you won't be employers look first at experience, attitude and character. Don't be fooled by the bits of paper, of course they open doors to interviews but it's ultimately you that is going to land the job, (and keep it if possible). I was pleasantly surprised these past few weeks at the amount of work still out there. I had three employers trying to convince me to work for them. I even negotiated one of the salaries up 40,000 en to what I needed.
Basically there is no set way to assure security these days and the best insurance we have is WILL and strength of mind. Take a leaf out of Delboys book and employ some creative ways to look for work. Don't rely on e mail. Phone companies up on the off chance and find out about work that way. Also don't sign yourself off to the education sector if you fancy a break. Learning Japanese to a conversational standard is good for other fields of work. Translation/Police/Business. It's the wrong sector and era to make big money in teaching but if it's a job you enjoy that could be worth a lot more.
There are many routes to reach the same goals so rather than focus on what you don't have, look to all the experience that you do have. Experience does outweigh grades in the end unless you are after a really cushy Professorship but even then they will want to know about your personal interests and volunteer work etc. It's not worth the worry mate. Nothing lasts forever the best we can do is adapt, change and grow. Stagnation is the worst thing that can happen.

@Koji: Thanks for the info on DELTA that could be an option but in the UK perhaps rather than here if the pass rate is slow. Incidentally MA courses in the UK only last a year.
Paul from Shiga tells me there is even an online Tolkien MA available now for 4000 pounds.
Talk about a vanity course. It would be kind of rude not to take that at some stage wouldn't it. Hah!

[kojibear]

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah I know nassink, I come-a from Barhelona*

I remember another line from this sitcom: "I speak classic Spanish, not that strange dialect he seems to have picked up!"

[Primarch]

I have a BA in Business. I actually find that it helps me a lot in my work as I have been teaching folks business English for the past 6.5 years. I have absolutely zero teaching qualifications aside from nearly 9 year's experience of teaching folks at every level from every walk of life and a fairly decent grasp of how to actually use the language I am teaching. In my experience, an unwilling student is never going to learn, a willing one is. All you have to do is make the language accessible for them. I find that I am a counselor and tour guide as much as I am a teacher.

Having worked in other fields before I came here and experienced quite a few ups and downs along the way, I can honestly say that whilst no job is ever 100% forever, there are things you can do to help yourself. Always go the extra distance to make yourself indispensable to your employer. Be the one that they know they can contact if they need something doing. Enjoy the work you do and make sure that your employer knows it. Be on time, work hard and be the best there is at what you do. And speaking from experience, if you do intend to quit your job, have something else lined up before you even think about talking to your boss. Much less stress and hassle all round.

As for the having qualifications thing, I'm sure they open a lot of doors, but getting a job in Japan as an English teacher (admittedly not at a university) has never been a problem. Getting a well paid job.... well, I guess they'd be useful.

[The Other Dave]

Yeah, I don't think anybody with a university education, a good classroom manner, a professional attitude and a willingness to work will be unable to find work teaching English in Japan, and that's unlikely to change in the near future - it's just my experience that having an MA opens some doors behind which reside relatively-lucrative, relatively-cushy jobs.

I might be a bit worried in the long term, as the student population shrinks but the resident alien English teaching population remains the same. I don't know much about primary and secondary education, but there's definitely some shrinkage of the job market - hiring freezes, moves to part-time rather than full-time positions, and the like - happening at the university level currently. Not just in English, either, but all across the board.

[job]

Interesting discussion. I certainly think that higher education is a useful tool when applied specifically toward a goal. Especially with consideration to how it opens up "more" permanent or stable positions at the university level in Japan. Otherwise, there are positions available out there, but it seems connections are paramount for the best openings. Just thinking of the ways some guys in our group and other around Japan landed their job makes me think how important it can be to know people. It is something I really don't like doing as a Facebook-rebel and a person who tends to avoid social outings.

Anyway, I think you did well, Asch. Have fun with the tots! Maybe they won't be discussing Tolkien, Jazz and RPGs with you anytime soon, but at least you will be around tykes all the time. Good luck and have fun!

[me_in_japan]

Anyway, I think you did well, Asch. Have fun with the tots! Maybe they won't be discussing Tolkien, Jazz and RPGs with you anytime soon, but at least you will be around tykes all the time. Good luck and have fun!

I dunno, my 1yo son persistently pulls Plato's Republic off the shelf and sits there leafing through it. I mean, it's a penguin paperback. Nothing there of visual interest, and yet time and again he pulls it (firmly but gently) off the shelf and sits there, looking for all the world like he's reading it. Occasionally he lets forth a "oooh!" or a "hmmph", presumably depending on whether or not he agrees with the old Greek chappy...

[ashmie]

Bumped

Ears to the ground for the Colonel please peeps.
Good luck, hope you find something soon. Ill will let you know if I hear of anything.