ALTs don’t actually do very much – Your company might talk the job up beforehand, but in practice, an ALT is rarely asked to actually teach. An ALT may be present in the classroom for around 4 or 5 hours a day. So, what is your role?

Support the Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) – This is your job. Of that 4 or 5 hours in the classroom, the JTE will ask you to do a variety of tasks, such as reading a text, carrying out a planned activity with the students, or answering questions about your home country. Eat humble pie and accept that you are not a fully-fledged teacher.

Teach English – Having said that, you may be required to teach lessons or prepare activities, albeit not with the frequency you expect. When asked to do that, you will need to think about how to explain your activity, what will work best for your students, and you must prepare the handouts or other materials.

School mascot – One of your key responsibilities is to encourage international understanding, or something. Basically, talk to the students about you, your country and whatever shared interests you have. In English, of course. You will have a lot of time that is not spent in class, so, without getting in the way, walk around the school, visit different clubs and get to know your students.

Be reliable – Japanese schools, like companies, place a great emphasis on reliability. That means turning up on time, being organised and supporting the JTE in whatever they ask of you.

Assistant Language Teaching, with all of its quirks, is a pretty rewarding job, providing you get to know the students and have a laugh with them. In class, keep things simple and just do whatever you are asked to do. Easy style!

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During this two years, I have taught businessmen, children, university students and everyone in between. I think I can safely say that I started out as a pretty bad teacher; high on enthusiasm, aspirations and friendliness, low on nouse, materials, and contacts. I wouldn’t say I’ve corrected everything in my teaching repertoire, but I’ve certainly become, or have been made aware of my strengths and weaknesses.

So, a few tips for those starting out.

1. Take advice

Resenting your employer for providing training, criticism or advice is only going to detract from you as an employee and as a teacher. Everyone has areas that they could improve in the classroom; take advice on board with an open mind and learn from your own mistakes.

2. Prepare for some bad lessons

A new teacher said to me the other day that he is petrified of the idea of one of his lessons going wrong. I reassured him by saying that one of his lessons – probably more – will definitely go wrong. Lesson plans just don’t work out as thought; students turn up with no desire to learn; you may even have an off day and lose your power to teach. It’s not so much about having a bad lesson but how you react to it. Don’t be afraid to scrap a lesson plan if it’s not working. Equally, don’t let one bad lesson knock your confidence too badly. Pick yourself up and try again.

3. Go by the book

Thinking you can re-invent the rule book is naïve. As a newcomer, you may have strong ‘opinions’ on grammar, American vs. British English, Fluency vs. Accuracy or any number of things. Until you’ve got some real experience, it’s probably best just to go along with the pre-defined methods until your own style and ideas are properly formulated.

4. Be prepared

Whoever you are teaching, finding the right materials, sticking with them and developing them is essential. This could be about choosing the right textbook, or finding the approach that suits you. Being prepared is about having clear ideas. What are you teaching, why, and how? If you can answer these questions you will (hopefully) never be caught out.

5. Get along

With who? Students, fellow teachers, other staff at work. You are the foreigner. Be willing and ready to adapt to local culture rather than trying to change it, or complaining about it. If you do, you will find the experience much more rewarding and successful.

As I may have mentioned before, I am taking on a new challenge as an English teacher at a junior high school here in Japan starting in May. In some ways it feels like I am going back to basics, so reviewing what I’ve learnt until this point has been useful for me. I hope it has for you too!

Working in Hokkaido is going to present some new challenges, especially as my work will take a new direction from now on (more on that later). First of all, there is the cold to contend with. Hokkaido is more than 10 degrees cooler than Shiga today, and it feels even colder. On top of that, I will be getting used to a new city and new people. I will also have the challenge of learning a new style of Japanese – the language of Hokkaido is quite different to that of the Kansai region. But then I am moving to Hokkai-do, not Hokkai-don’t (sorry – even I’m ashamed of that pun).

A new style of teaching

So far, most of my teaching experience has been from one-to-one classes, business classes and adult conversation classes. My work in Hokkaido, however, will be school-based. I’ve been doing quite a lot of research and reading in preparation for this, but it’s going to be a whole new experience. Expect lots of anecdotes of failure (and hopefully some success) on My TEFL Journey from now on.

For now, I am pretty excited about the whole move, despite the paperwork and practicalities of moving across the country. And there’s a lot to enjoy here. Hokkaido is famous for its fresh seafood, cool summers and kawaii ladies. People, I may have found paradise.

Eikaiwa (i.e. ECC, Berlitz, NOVA)

Or private English schools. If you teach at an Eikaiwa, you can expect pretty unsociable hours (evenings and weekends are common). Pay is decent at 250,000yen month on average. TESOL/CELTA qualified applicants are preferred but you might be able to land a job without any training.

Dispatch Companies (i.e. Westgate)

Dispatch (or haken) companies hire teachers usually to work as Assistant Language Teachers in Primary schools or Junior and Senior High Schools. The JET programme works on a similar basis but it is somewhat more demanding in terms of the application process. ALTs normally work the regular 9-5, Mon to Fri, although weekend work is occasionally required. Remuneration varies between 230,000 and 300,000 yen per month.

Board of Education

Working for the BoE means you cut out the middleman (i.e. the Dispatch Company) and are employed directly by a local school or prefectural Board of Education. The advantage of doing this is that you can earn more money without the stress of middle management. The disadvantage is that you have to go through the application process in Japanese and you have to find the job in the first place.

Universities

Teaching at university means putting your all into academic life. The pay is high, the hours are technically few, but working at a university carries with it the responsibility to be well known for publications in the TEFL world and to keep pace with developments in ELT.

Private teaching

Setting up your own company is another option. You will, of course, be responsible for taxes, finding students, developing materials and more. But the rewards are all yours and you can be your own boss. As Ken Hartmann recently said in an interview with My TEFL Journey, “why more ex-pats do not try to develop their own neighborhood schools” is something of a mystery.

Kids English Schools

Sitting on the fence between Eikaiwa and nursery are English schools for children. The pay can be pretty high, but you really need a lot of energy and to be able to build a rapport with children easily. Japanese ability is a plus.

Business English

Business English is incredibly popular in Japan, as is the laughably bad TOEIC test. To meet that demand, there are outsourcing companies who operate in a similar vein to dispatch companies. They get a contract with a certain company who requires its employees to learn business English. The job is then assigned to one of their teachers (often on a short-term or part-time basis). This type of teaching is particularly common in big business cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

Tip 1: Get some help!

I know some people who have been in Japan for nearly ten years and barely speak more than a handful of Japanese words. I know others who have been here only a few years and speak Japanese near-fluently. Either way, moving house involves lots of paperwork, phone calls and negotiating. Don’t be afraid to call on your Japanese friends if you are in need of help. It can save you time and money, and bring you closer as friends.

Tip 2: Don’t run away

There are some things you must do when moving home, such as inform your landlord according to the amount of notice specified in your contract, pay the final fees (also in the contract), notify the postal service of your new address and have the gas and electricity turned off. It’s wise to be organized and sort all of these things out rather than trying to do a runner. If you can’t meet all of the stipulations of your apartment contract (such as the period of notice), be honest with your landlord and call in advance!

Tip 3: Be ready for the expense

I don’t know why, but when you decide to move house people see an opportunity to pick your pockets. You can see the Yen signs in the whites of their eyes! Throwing unwanted items out, for example, can be a considerable expense. Expect fees of 5-10,000yen for larger items.

There are always fees to be paid when moving into a new house too. Japan’s infamous ‘start-up money’ system may be steep, but it is something you can prepare for. Make sure you’ve got some savings to back you up.

Tip 4: The move

The practicalities of the actual move depend massively on your location and your destination. There are several options for moving your furniture etc. One is a removal company, such as Arisan Mark, who will provide boxes, pack the items and move them on the day.

A second option is to use a delivery company. If your luggage isn’t too sizable, a delivery company (such as Kuro-neko Yamato) can be the cheapest option to send your items. They have a standard delivery service and also a ‘box’ service, which involves hiring a container in which you can send your things. A third option is to move them yourself like a common hobo (that’s the option I’ll be taking, then).

Most foreigners working as English teachers in schools are Assistant Language Teachers, which means you work in tandem with the Japanese English Teacher. What, then, are the pros and cons of working in a Japanese school?

The pros

• ALTs normally earn between 230-250,000 yen per month. JET participants usually earn around 300,000/month. Either way, you will be earning more than enough to live on.

• Working hours are reasonable, with the teacher being contracted to be on-site between the hours of 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. In actual practice, the hours are normally reduced to something like 8.30am to 4.30pm. Evenings and weekends are yours.

• Teaching hours are normally between 25-29.5 hours per week. This means you have time for lesson preparation and marking and any other duties while on site, although it has to be said that preparation often spills into a teacher’s non-working hours.

• Schools in Japan, like the UK, have looooong holidays. There is a one month break in summer, a holiday of several weeks in winter, and an end of term break between March and April.

The cons

• Working at a school means that certain things are expected of you, especially in a country like Japan. Lateness, for example, is not tolerated. You’re unlikely to get any sympathy if you need to take a sick day too – the attitude is that you should have taken better care of your body in order not to become sick in the first place.

• There isn’t massive room for progression when working as an ALT in a school. You can either carry on doing what you are doing or try a sideways move.

• Being tied to a curriculum can inhibit your creativity. You need to go along with the goals and plans assigned to you and not question the system too much.

• Some ALTs find that they are assigned to several different schools throughout the course of a week. Traveling long distances may be involved depending on your location. The company will most likely refund your expenses, but travel time is not paid.

The result

Teaching at a school can be very rewarding. I intentionally left out the variable of students and colleagues. The attitude of your learners and your relationship with the other teachers depends on you, them, and the school.

There’s a lot written about the major companies who supply ALTs, not all of it go and not all of it worth reading. Weigh up the pros and cons carefully before taking on a teaching job and make an informed decision.

A fascinating article published on the website of The Atlantic goes deep into this very subject. For sure, it’s easy to put someone’s proficiency as a teacher down to ‘dedication’ or ‘a love of teaching’. It’s not very quantifiable.

Defining the role

Teach for America is an organization that has been researching the qualities of superstar teachers. The yardstick by which they are measured is largely the improvement in their students’ examination results. Teachers who were having the biggest impact on their students were fairly closely monitored. One thing soon emerged: ‘great teachers’ always reevaluate their methods and set high standards for themselves and their students.

Superstar English teachers

Putting this into a TEFL context, a superstar teacher would be one who does not give into complacency. It doesn’t matter who you are teaching; it’s about your attitude as a teacher.

Examine your own methods – see what’s working and what’s not working. Try something new. There are countless approaches to teaching English as a foreign language (although not all of them are worthwhile, it has to be said). Reevaluate your own style and approach in the light of established teaching patterns and the needs of your student. A great teacher will never stop changing.

Perseverance and enthusiasm

Perhaps the most interesting quote found in the article is from Steven Farr, who was one of the researchers trying to define great teaching. “Strong teachers”, he says, “insist that effective teaching is neither mysterious nor magical. It is neither a function of dynamic personality nor dramatic performance.”

So it’s not something you’re born with. Nor does it require that you become a performance artist in your classroom. Qualifications can’t even guarantee success. ‘A master’s degree in education seems to have no impact on classroom effectiveness’, the journalist writes.

In fact, it’s incredibly simple and incredibly human. Teaching expediently requires grit, preparation and positivity.

I find teaching one-to-one lessons to be quite enjoyable and rewarding. A good relationship has to be maintained with the student, and the specific needs of the student must be met if the lesson is to continue and thrive. Although you can achieve more in a short period, a lot more preparation is required.

Good teacher, good student

It’s useful to ask two things: what makes a good one-to-one teacher, and what a makes a good one-to-one student.

A good student will:

• Have clear learning aims
• Be motivated
• Be communicative
• Attend lessons regularly
• Use English not only in the lessons but also in any situation that presents itself

A good teacher will:

• Be well-prepared
• Be flexible in terms of long-term goals and lesson subject matter
• Be professional – it’s easy to let standards slip as you get to know the student, but good manners, such as turning off one’s phone during the lessons, are a must
• Review material regularly to ensure it is being retained
• Focus on the needs of the student rather than rigidly sticking to a curriculum

Granted, it demands more concentration, more forethought and in some ways more advanced abilities to teach in this style, but one-to-one lessons can be financially and professionally rewarding.

Can such a system work? Can you remove materials and textbooks from a classroom and still expect the students to learn? Not only is the answer ‘yes’, but a whole group of ESOL teachers also believe this is the best way to learn/teach.

Teaching unplugged

This week, I’ve been caught up reading articles from Scott Thornbury’s excellent ‘Teaching Unplugged’ website. In it, he explains – with the help of some friends – a teaching pattern that is unabashedly contrary in a world that is bursting at the seams with textbooks, theories and technology. It is a style “unburdened by an excess of materials… a pedagogy grounded in the local and relevant concerns of the people in the room.” Until I read this, I had no idea that other teachers were thinking the same as me on a wide scale.

It all starts with the article ‘A Dogma for EFL’, published 10 years ago, high on inspiration and determination, and the foundation for a style that is actually “a state of mind.” If you haven’t read the article, stop listening to me droning on and go read it!

Naked teaching

From there, it is a natural step up to the idea of teaching unplugged. Live, raw, naked teaching. Not literally, of course. That would be disturbing. But naked in the sense of not over-planning, not over-preparing, not micro-managing. Letting the learners lead with their own ideas and conversation. Using language because you want to talk, not because of some abstract goal. There’s a lot more to it, but the key principles can be found in the 10 guidelines defined in Scott’s article Teaching Unplugged (Or Dogme with an ‘E’).

Rule no. 1: There are no rules (except these 10)

In summary, those 10 principles include the idea that teachers only use the materials that can be found ‘on location’. It requires using your own knowledge and the experience and personalities of your students to teach.

A second idea that I am particularly fond of is that the teacher should sit down when the students are sitting. Symbolically, it takes away the ‘authority figure’, and replaces him with just another person. Someone to converse with.

Grammar should emerge from the lesson, not be inputted into it. Topics for discussion and questions asked should be real, not artificially construed to achieve something. The final point also rings clear and true: teachers should not be boring.

Dogme and teaching

I think this approach is best summed up by ‘Luke’, a contributor to the Teaching Unplugged website. When talking about whether this type of lesson can be carried out in the real world, he poignantly stated that “there’s one caveat here – you do have to be interested in people to teach like this!”

So, that’s been my week, pretty much! Reading about Dogme and thinking of ways to implement it more fully into my lessons. Has anyone been using this style? Care to comment?