Comments on: Teaching English at Japanese Universities

By: Paul Raine

Paul Raine — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 13:52:30 +0000

Hi Joan, thanks for your message! Wow, you're coming from a very similar background to me - I also had an LL.B. in Law and support work experience when I started my English teaching career in Japan! The lack of CELTA / CERT Tesol is a disadvantage, but not the end of the world. I'm not a big fan of online TEFL qualifications, as many employers don't rate them very highly. However, your strong academics stand in your favor. Westgate tend to be one of the tougher agencies to work for if you don't have any directly relevant experience teaching in Japan/Japanese universities. When you apply, try to highlight your existing skills, qualifications, and passion for teaching. You could also give Interac a go, which is the main agency for working as an assistant teacher at Junior/Senior high schools. Best of luck with everything! Kind regards Paul

By: J Kaur

J Kaur — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:04:06 +0000

Hi, I’m currently looking at westgate
Have a degree llb in law,
Looking to work in Japan as a teacher, but the experience I have in teaching is support work around 7years ago
And I’m completing a course 140hrs tefl online (not yet complete)
Im already abroad so looking to take a flight to Asia, but what is the likelihood of work/if any with my experience?
What agencies would you suggest, if not westgate?

Kind regards
Joan

By: Paul Raine

Paul Raine — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 02:32:42 +0000

Hi there, thanks for your message. I would say that The Language Teacher is one of the most highly regarded Japan-based language teaching publications. You'd be doing very well indeed to have a article accepted for publication in that journal. As an assistant submissions reviewer for the JALT Conference Proceedings, I can confirm that the standard of submissions for JALT publications in general is very high, bearing in mind that the Conference Proceedings is one of the most 'inclusive' publications that JALT releases. Check this list for other language teaching journals you may be interested in. Regards Paul

By: Paul Raine

Paul Raine — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 02:13:45 +0000

Hi William, In truth, university teaching positions in Japan are getting harder to come by, especially full-time or tenured positions. However, there are still plenty of part-time renewable contracts available every year advertised on websites such as JALT, JACET and JREC-IN. You will need to start applying around October time for positions the following April. My first step would be to apply for part-time positions at various universities, gain a couple of years experience teaching in Japan, network extensively, and then start applying for full-time / tenure-track posts. With your MA, Ph.D, and experience teaching at universities in both Korea and Japan, you should be a very strong candidate. Also, you'll want to join the professional English teaching organizations in Japan, including JALT and ETJ. You'll want to have published in at least three reputable journals, and have numerous presentations under your belt. Basic conversational ability in Japanese would also help. Good luck with the Ph.D and your future English teaching career! Regards Paul

By: Paul Raine

Paul Raine — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 02:00:05 +0000

Hi Todd, thanks for your message. There are two semesters in most Japanese universities' academic years: spring semester from April to July, and fall semester from October to January. You would probably have to time your application to coincide with one of these periods in order to find English teaching work at Japanese universities. For short term contracts, your best bet would probably be Westgate. Short term contracts at other employers are quite hard to come by. Most English conversation schools, for example, ask for a year minimum commitment. Your existing qualification in Japanese linguistics is a definite plus point, however your lack of English teaching experience / qualifications is somewhat of a minus point. However, I would stay away from online TEFL courses, as many are not reputable and therefore not highly valued by potential employers. Good luck with everything, and I hope this information was somewhat useful for you. Regards Paul

By: Todd Allen

Todd Allen — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:23:07 +0000

Hi Paul,

I am a recent graduate in Australia, finishing an Honours degree in Japanese linguistics. I have just been accepted at an Australian university as a PhD student, however there is a bit of time before I start. I was wondering what my chances would be if I was to apply for something short term like a three month teaching contract? I do not have any TESOL qualifications nor experience. Would it be worthwhile doing something online? I do have an extensive range of high-end hospitality management experience, with stong academics (including a 6 month stint at Meiji University).

Thanks for your help.

Todd.

By: William

William — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 04:53:31 +0000

Hi Paul,

I am currently teaching in my 3rd year at a Korean University and hold a Masters in TESOL. I will be starting a PhD at a reputable school in the USA this fall and plan to graduate in 5 years or so. After all of this, though I have no teaching experience in Japan, what do you think are the steps I should take for gaining a University position there? I am not very interested in starting in an Eikawa…

William

By: S RH

S RH — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 16:11:42 +0000

Hi,
Thank you very much for this useful website! I am a recent graduate of a TESOL program and was wondering about how I may start to get published in Japan? I’ve heard of The Language Teacher, but I was wondering if you could recommend any others that may be more highly regarded?
Many thanks in advance!!

By: Paul Raine

Paul Raine — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 13:19:17 +0000

Hi Polly, thanks for your message. Westgate would definitely look favorably on your application if you had the CELTA or Cert TESOL, but by the sound of it you have a very strong resume anyway. Your teaching experience in Japan will be very advantageous, and the fact that you have an MA will put you ahead of much of the competition. Also, I tend to disagree with you that translation is totally unrelated to TEFL. I think the two disciplines are very closely related (in fact the TEFL MA I completed had several ‘crossover’ modules with the translation MA at the same institution). An MA in any discipline is a very useful qualification to have, particularly when applying for university teaching positions. Some acquaintances of mine have obtained direct English teaching contracts at Japanese universities on the back of Masters degrees in such diverse areas as architecture and business administration! However, it does seem that such positions are becoming a rarity, and it tends to be more about TEFL and Applied Linguistics qualifications on the whole. In any event, your application certainly has a lot going for it. Good luck with everything, and if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

By: Paul Raine

Paul Raine — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 13:03:28 +0000

Hi Chang Rok, many thanks for your comment! I'm delighted to hear that you found my paper on notional-functional syllabuses useful. It means a lot to me to get your feedback. I visited South Korea in October 2012 for the KAMALL conference at Konkuk Univerisity, and met some fantastic people. Please keep in touch in the future, and all the best with your teaching.