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The Language Teacher | |
Job hunting is always a bit daunting. It is a process of drawing attention to yourself, and then being held up for inspection and approval. In a culture other than your own, job hunting can be an even more confusing and intimidating endeavor -you may not know what is expected of you. For example: What qualifications and experience are needed? What should be on your resume? How should you conduct yourself at an interview? In every culture the "rules of engagement" are different. This article is the first in a three part series on employment, and has been written for readers seeking employment for the first time in Japan, as well as for readers thinking about bettering their current situation. QualificationsLanguage Schools and Secondary Schools Language schools vary in both kind and quality, and in the qualifications demanded of prospective teachers. Although there are always exceptions, at the very least you will need a Bachelor's degree. Many schools would also like to see some form of teacher training, such as a TEFL/TESL certificate. Many universities in North America offer TEFL certificate (C-TEFL) courses. C-TEFL programs in the U.S. are regularly advertised in a magazine called Transitions Abroad (TA). TA also publishes a guide to overseas teaching opportunities, and provides information on training organizations. (See Appendix for contact numbers.) Another internationally recognized certificate is the Royal Society of Arts (RSA)/Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. This course is offered at centers all over the world. In Japan the course is offered at two locations: at International House in Tokyo, and Language Resources in Kobe. A Bachelor's degree combined with this certificate will be considered favorably by reputable language schools in Japan and around the globe. The RSA also offers a longer, more rigorous Diploma course. The British Council can provide more detailed information about RSA courses. For more information on RSA sites world wide, contact the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), or International House. (See Appendix for contact numbers.) Requirements for teaching at high schools are similar to those necessary for teaching at language schools. Prospective teachers need at least a Bachelor's degree, preferably in English or TEFL/TESL, though this varies from school to school. Most high school English conversation teachers are supplied through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. JET is affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. It is coordinated by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Applicants must (usually) be under 35, possess a bachelors degree, speak some Japanese, but not have lived in Japan for more than three years. Applicants must apply from their home countries through Japanese embassies or consulates-general. Contracts are generally for one year beginning each July, but can be extended to three years by mutual agreement. Applications need to be submitted by December. Considerable information on the JET Program is provided at the Web sites listed in the Appendix. It should be noted that no matter how many years a non-Japanese teacher might be associated with a particular high school or junior high school, teachers are not tenured or eligible to receive a pension without a teaching certificate issued by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. If you are offered a full-time position at the secondary level, ask what "full-time" means. Universities There was a time when it was possible to obtain a position at some universities without a post-graduate degree. Those days are drawing to a close, at least in Japan. A position as a part-time lecturer usually requires at least a Master's degree in TEFL/TESL, English Literature, Linguistics, or a related subject. A Master's degree in another field plus a TEFL/TESL, or RSA certificate might be acceptable at some schools. Before pursuing post-graduate study, you may want to consider your long term goals and commitment to teaching. For many people, teaching in Japan is a transitory experience, a chance to live in another culture and, of course, to make some money. If you do not enjoy helping people learn, then teaching can be extremely difficult work. Our advice is first to gauge whether you really enjoy teaching before pursuing post-graduate qualifications. If you decide to pursue an advanced degree, you should consider carefully how much of yourself you are willing to invest. Post-graduate study is time and energy consuming, as well as expensive. It is possible to continue your education here in Japan. Several American universities with branch campuses offer Masters degrees in ESL: these include Columbia Teachers College in Tokyo, and Temple University in both Tokyo and Osaka, amongst others. These schools have both full and part-time programs. Although these programs enjoy good reputations, some teachers may prefer to pursue their advanced degree in another country. For a comprehensive guide to TESOL and M.A. programs worldwide see the Misc.Education.Language.English FAQ page at <http://math.unr.edu/linguistics/mele.faq.html>, as well as other Web sites noted in the Appendix. Master's level study usually requires between twelve and eighteen months of classroom work. However, for those wishing to continue working in Japan while studying, there are several alternatives. The School for International Training (SIT) in Vermont offers a Master of Arts in Teaching degree as a one-year full-time program, or part-time over two summers. This is an excellent program with a good reputation in Japan. While the summer program starts several weeks before the end of the Japanese spring term, many schools have allowed teachers to adjust their classes in order to attend. Indiana University of Pennsylvania also offers summer programs leading to both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in English. Several non-resident graduate programs are also available. Union Institute in Ohio, and Goddard College in Vermont offer non-resident M.A.'s, as do Surrey University in England, and Macquarie University in Australia. See the Web sites in the Appendix for a complete list of non-resident programs in the U.K. and Australia, as well as the U.S. and Canada. All of the above mentioned universities are fully accredited. It is important to note that certificates and diplomas from unaccredited schools have little value, and that Japanese schools have begun to check credentials carefully. The best way to establish whether a school is accredited is to ask by whom they are accredited. In North America, universities are accredited by regional organizations, while in Europe and Australia, schools are licensed by local or national government bodies. A highly recommended source of information on schools which are accredited (and many of those which are not) is John Bear's College Degrees by Mail, 10-Speed Press, 1990. This book is available at most American Centers. It focuses on distance learning programs, but also includes a great deal of additional information for people seeking to further their education. Try to get the most recent edition as this book is frequently updated. Most university lecturers in Japan are part-time staff working on one year contracts. There are also several categories of full-time positions. Most full-time positions are based on two to three year contracts. These contracts may or may not be renewable. Every school maintains its own policy. Publishing in one's field is a basic requirement for obtaining limited-contract full-time positions. Universities are very concerned with paper qualifications, and publications are becoming more and more important even for part-time staff. Most university departments have academic journals and sometimes part-time staff are permitted to submit papers to them. This usually occurs when full-time instructors choose not to publish, leaving space for part-time staff. Articles can also be published in language teaching journals in Japan and abroad, for example our own The Language Teacher and the JALT Journal, or The TESOL Journal. A complete list of ESL related academic journals can be found in the above noted Misc.Education.Language.English FAQ page. Most schools value academic publications that are rigorously researched and have long bibliographies. Tenured positions are extremely rare and often require a Ph.D. in a related field, experience and publications. After determining what kind of teaching position is most appropriate in terms of one's interests and qualifications, applicants must write a resume and prepare for interviews. These topics will be considered in part two of this series.
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