Let’s face it, British television has pretty much come up with every ‘top 5/10/100′ list you can think of (and some you can’t think of). That’s not going to stop me from telling you about the ‘best 5′ of life and teaching in Japan.
1. Teaching is fun
It’s got ups and downs, but teaching English in Japan is one sweet deal for most people. The working conditions are considerably superior to many other countries, the salary is decent, and students are, at worst, respectful.
2. Life is fun
Japan is a place full of positive energy (sorry – that sounds rather beatnik-esque). It’s difficult not to enjoy life in Japan – beer is good, people are friendly and the streets are safe. Music and art is a big of society, and there is enough natural beauty to keep you travelling for years.
3. Save money
The salary isn’t amazing, but it’s enough. It can easily by supplemented with private teaching to boost your earnings and build a nice little nest egg if you so wish.
4. Eat well
As I previously wrote, I am back in England right now for a holiday. I can’t believe how healthy and tasty Japanese food is in comparison. I love British food, but Japanese food has a delectable simplicity that you won’t find anywhere else. Come for the work, stay for the food – Japan (hey, that’s not bad).
5. Learn Japanese
Picking up this skill is a must. No matter how long you plan to stay in Japan, learn some of the language for your own sake. The basics of Japanese are not unbearably difficult, so quit your laziness and get out the textbook. Better yet, ask a Japanese friend to teach you.
Anyone else out there working in Japan? What do you love about the place?
Hey there
I’ve had your website/blog bookmarked for the past few months and entirely forgot that I had planned on following it..
I’ve just started (september ’09) a degree in English and Teaching English as a Foreign Language at University, and finished a Japanese language module in December. It’s only the basics of the language but I plan to build on it from there!
It’s good to hear that there are so many positives, I cannot wait to finish university and get over there. Look forward to reading more!
Nice one. I hope the blog proves useful to you. How’s the course going so far?
Not too badly I think. Submitted four pieces of coursework already but only had a return on one piece and scored 80% so that’s keeping me pretty well motivated. Awaiting the other three at the moment when I go back on Monday..
The teaching side looks like a lot of fun. Our assessments involve doing some teaching too, A question though; would it be worth me getting a PGCE before applying to teach abroad?
Sounds like your course is going well. Keep it up!
Personally, I can’t see much point to getting a PGCE if you’re going to be teaching abroad. A CELTA or TESOL qualification will stand you in good stead if you want, but it sounds like your current course contains a strong teaching element, so you might just want to stick with that. Let us know!
Hi there. Having come across your site I was hoping to get your advice on how to apply for EFL jobs in Japan. I am TESOL qualified and like you have a preferece for teaching adults. Can you recommend any schools, adult academies or recruiters that you know or have used? Thanks
Hi Sam, Cheers for your comment. There are many useful websites to get you started. Please check out my other post on the top jobs websites for TEFL. For Japan specific jobs, I’d recommend looking at GaijinPot in particular. If you want a safe route into teaching in Japan, there are some major recruiters that provide a fairly safe route into teaching adults – AEON and GEOS are worth looking into. Either way, there are plenty of jobs available (particularly in Tokyo) around this time of year so be ready for a quick move!